Two more teachers leaving NBC

by Mary Le Arenal
published 4/22/09

At the April 13 meeting of the North Bend Central Public Schools Board of Education, two more resignations were received from faculty at the high school.

Instrumental music teacher John Cooper will be retiring at the end of this school year and Robert Parsons, who teaches English and speech, is getting married and moving away from the area.

At the beginning of the meeting the board heard from Connie Dostal, representing the North Bend Summer Ball Association, about the building of a batting cage by Groff Field east of the high school. NBSBA has been planning on this project for two years and was ready to lay concrete when it was suggested that the cage be put by the high school softball field rather than Groff Field. After discussion, the Board asked if they could have some time to look at the options, but the NBSBA representatives said they needed an answer that night. The group left with their initial plan to put the cage at Groff Field intact.

In other school board business:
• After a short hearing, the board passed the budget for 2009. The Bond Fund budget was amended to reflect the refunding of the bond issue, reducing the amount and length of the bond issue. This will result in a net savings of about $74,000 over the life of the bond issue.
• The board approved a preliminary technology budget that would replace 26 computers for secondary teaches, purchase 10 LCD projectors with five screens and ten wireless presenters, purchase four Smartboards for the elementary classrooms, and buy Microsoft license for teachers and administrators. Some of this will be paid for with funds from the government stimulus money.
• High school principal Brenda Peterson reported that the school received the Quality Assurance Review Report back from AvancEd. The school earned the overall assessment level of “operational” and met the standard for accreditation.
Peterson reported that plans were being made for summer school with the offerings and OdysseyWare being used for credit recovery and special education skill development.
• Elementary principal Caryn Ziettlow reported that 28 have signed up for kindergarten round-up to be held May 1. She said the NBE staff is working on summer school as it was done last year, three weeks in June and two weeks prior to the beginning of school in August. Students will be invited to attend based on their end-of-year reading assessment.
• The board reviewed staffing coverage with the only change being Chris Gross-Rhode changing one hour of teaching to be assistant technology coordinator and adding a new para at the elementary school.

Other items discussed at the board meeting include:
• Curriculum recommendations from the drama, art, music and Spanish language departments.
• Approved placing handrails at the football stadium, complete light pole at front entrance and concrete work at the softball field and a short sidewalk at the school.
• Listed their goals for 2009 looking at the schools strengths and challenges.
• Decided to continue with Twin Rivers District Board of Health for nurse coverage for the schools.

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