Arlee schools out-shovel deep snow
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ARLEE – The Arlee School District made it through the end of the season snow dump without missing a single day of school, although they were forced to schedule a late start.
“We didn’t miss any days,” said Elementary Principal Don Holst. “What our people did to get everyone to school was great. Getting the snow removed, we all did a little shoveling.”
Superintendent George Linthicum said staff members were out driving the roads early in the morning before the decision was made to keep the school open. If one day is missed, it has to be made up, creating a juggle with the already established calendar, according to Linthicum.
“Hopefully we don’t have to have that conversation anymore this year,” he said.
The board responded to the Arlee Federation of Teachers request at last month’s board meeting for better communication among administrators and teachers. A decision was made to facilitate current communication policies. The current policy was reviewed and it was determined that the superintendent is in charge of responding to public inquires. Linthicum stated that he responded to the public in a way he thought was ethical but planned to improve communication with teachers.
“We need to communicate,” he said.
An independent auditor looked at the school’s budget, activity funds and compliance and control. The school’s financial statements were found to be in order. The school received the “best opinion you can get” with congratulations. Enrollment records showed “no issues.”
The school did have a compliance issue with the number of school hours. Last year’s eighth-grade class was 11 hours short of the required 1080. The class was let out early as part of the eighth grade graduation ceremony. It was noted that Principal Jim Taylor made adjustments to this year’s schedule to ensure compliance.
Superintendent Linthicum isn’t seeing any problems with the elementary funding for next year due to steady enrollment numbers, but high school numbers are down. The superintended is looking at the impact limited resources will have on the high school next year due to lower enrollment. He stated that unless any unforeseen expenses arise the school should be able to run the current staff with next year’s limited budget.
“Could you run the current staff at this budget, yes,” he said.
Community member Donna Mollica voiced her concern at the meeting, stating that she found student academic standing to be “alarming.” A search through the school’s resources for a solution led her to discover suggestions for a five-day school week. She stated that more needs to be done.
“I’m here tonight to say the school is suffering from serious academic leadership,” she said. “At this time, we have committed teachers. I think a fulltime superintendent is a mistake. I recommend an outside consultant. There is no more important task for our future than providing an education for our children.”
An out-of-district student was admitted into the Yes Program, an alternative graduation program, after assurances were made that the student was in good standing.
“We currently have 14 students in our Yes Program,” Principal Taylor said.
In other business, the board accepted “with regret” Melinda Pablo’s resignation as the school’s assistant athletic director. Indian Education Teacher Mary Parker’s resignation was also accepted. Head Chair Shelly Fyant stated that she is “personally recruiting” to find a Salish Language teacher to fill the vacant position.
Ken Hill was hired as the head wrestling coach, and Paige Carney will act as assistant coach. Zanen Pitts was hired as the head boys’ basketball coach. Bill Stockton is now the head girls’ basketball coach.
The next regular board meeting held in the district office is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m.
