The regular meeting of the Cass City Board of Education was called to order on November 27, 2006, at 7:30 p.m. in the Cass City High School Cafeteria by President Michelle Biddinger.
The members present were Michelle Biddinger, Douglas Lautner, Randy Severance, Danny Haag, James Turner, Teresa Rabideau and Cathy Kropewnicki. Also present were Superintendent Wilson, H.S. Principal Daniels, M.S. Principal Hartel, Campbell Principal Fernald, Counselor Frederiksen and Student Representative Kyle Swanson.
It was moved by Teresa Rabideau, seconded by Jim Turner, that the minutes of the October 23, 2006, meeting be approved as sent. The motion carried unanimously.
It was moved by Danny Haag, seconded by Cathy Kropewnicki, that the bills in the amount of $199,288.84 be paid in their entirety. The motion carried unanimously.
Public Participation – H.S. teacher Linda Volz spoke to the Board and audience about a presentation the staff heard at their professional development day from Mr. James Dwyer of S.V.S.U. He presented information about the ACT testing and Ms. Volz thought is would be beneficial for the Board and parents to hear the facts. Therefore, this will be a future agenda item.
Parent Joe VanAuken ask the Board if any decisions have been made as far as going to a seven (7) hour school day, privatizing various staffs and pay to play sports. The Board is still looking at those areas of reducing costs.
It was moved by Michelle Biddinger, seconded by Cathy Kropewnicki, that letters of congratulations be sent to the following students.
Students
a. Football All-Conference winners who were:
First Team: Derek Halasz (Defense & Offense), Derek Ricker (Defense), Brad Severance (Offense), Micah Randall (Offense)
Second Team: Kyle Sieradzki (Offense), Dennis Bowen (Defense), Brad Hartel (Defense)
Honorable Mention: Brad Hartel (Offense)
b. The Girl’s Cross Country Team/All-Conference winners who were:
First Team: Brittany Loomis & Jennica Richards
Second Team: Leah Whittaker, Ashleigh Rabideau and Lindsey Bliss
c. The Boy’s Cross Country Team/All-Conference winners who were:
First Team: Lukas Varney, Cameron Lautner, Tyler Burk & Kyle Reif
Second Team: Adam Wentworth
d. The Golf Team/All-Conference winners who were:
First Team: Matt Hallwood, Ryan Biddinger and Ryan Ross
Second Team: Kurt Hanby
e. Middle School Spelling Winners who were:
5/6th Grade
1st – Larissa King 2nd – Kristen Ewald
3rd – Curtis Dickinson 4th – Mishelle Powell
Alt.- Garret Ferguson
7/8th Grade
1st – Jared Weidman 2nd – Rob VanAuken
3rd – Shannon Stec 4th – Jeff Bliss
Alt. – Heather Sweeney
The motion carried unanimously.
The following necessary second semester staffing cuts were presented by the budget finance committee (Teresa Rabideau, Danny Haag and Michelle Biddinger). The are:
1 – Middle School Position
2 – High School Positions
1 – Elementary Position
It was moved by Danny Haag, seconded by Douglas Lautner, to accept the recommendations made by the committee. The motion carried unanimously.
It was moved by James Turner, seconded by Danny Haag to participate in the Schools of Choice program within the contractual class size limits, for the 2006/2007 school year – second semester. The motion carried unanimously. (A copy is in the Secretary’s book.)
The opening of the tractor bids were tabled until the December 18th regular Board meeting.
A request for a leave of absence from Joan Helwig was read. It was moved by Danny Haag, seconded by Teresa Rabideau, that a request for a leave cannot be granted when the person has taken employment elsewhere. The motion carried unanimously. (A copy of the letter is in the Secretary’s book.)
It was moved by James Turner, seconded by Teresa Rabideau, that the Board hire Rachel Malone as the school nurse. The motion carried unanimously.
It was moved by Douglas Lautner, seconded by Cathy Kropewnicki, that Kelly Ann Smith be appointed as the Special Education Parent Advocate Representative to the T.I.S.D. The motion carried unanimously.
The following high school policy changes were reviewed. They are:
1 – graduation requirements 2- exemptions from physical education
3 – dual enrollment 4 – M.E.A.P. testing for graduation
5 – change from six (6) to seven (7) classes each school year
Since this was the initial review, action will be taken at the December Board meeting.
Due to the Christmas Holiday, the regular board meeting for December 2006 will be on Monday, the 18th in the high school cafeteria.
At 8:00 p.m. it was moved by Teresa Rabideau, seconded by Cathy Kropewnicki, that the Board go into closed session to discuss a student expulsion and contract negotiations. The motion carried unanimously. \
The Board returned to open session at 10:20 p.m. It was moved by Randy Severance, seconded by Michelle Biddinger, to hold the student expulsion in abeyance unless further discipline is needed. The motion carried unanimously.
James Turner moved that the meeting be adjourned. Cathy Kropewnicki supported the motion, which passed unanimously.