SYRACUSE – Wawasee School Board was prepared to consider a reduction in force due to a dip in student enrollment.
But voluntary resignations offset the need for more than a cut in hours for one instructor.
The board voted Tuesday to return Isaac Dorrel to part-time employment. Dorrel was hired as a part-time agriculture teacher two years ago and promoted to full-time at some point since.
Prior to this week, school officials had sent letters to five teachers notifying them that staff reductions might be necessary, Wawasee Superintendent Tom Edington told the board. He said the drop in enrollment by 80 students seen this year would normally mean a reduction of four to five positions, but that was no longer necessary.
Most of the teachers resigning recently were only with the corporation for one to three years and left to accept other positions, he said earlier in the meeting. Mentioned were high school language arts teacher Daniel Hopkins and social studies teacher Kylie Hamm, both effective at the end of this school year.
Also during the meeting, the board voted to continue SMART Start for the 2012-2013 school year. Tested out this year, the staff development days allow for teacher collaboration by beginning school a half hour later on Wednesdays.
Schools Curriculum Director Joy Goshert recommended the continuation, noting that most teachers polled responded positively and that the program contributed to fewer class-time leave requests for training.
She added they are looking for ways to improve the program, such as better grouping topics on subsequent weeks.
“More and more is being put on our plates, which means whether we have SMART Start or not, we need to find ways for teachers to learn the information they need to know,” she wrote in her recommendation letter. “That time will have to come from somewhere; and because of the current teacher agreement, that time will most likely be in the form of short trainings/meetings in the morning before school.”
Board members also modified their decision made during a May 1 special meeting to replace most of the metal joists in the roof above the Wawasee Middle School pool. Two-thirds of the 100-foot-long support structures were found to be in deteriorating condition, and the board voted May 1 to replace them at a cost of $300,000 rather than merely repair them for $200,000.
They voted Tuesday to replace ceiling tiles above the pool and install three blowers/heaters, at a cost of $34,000. The tiles with insulation will reduce the indoor space that needs to be heated and cooled, they learned, which will mean a savings in the long run.
The school will also put regular inspections of the roof into its maintenance schedule.
