School board OKs loan, bids Crowl goodbye
School board OKs loan, bids Crowl goodbye
Hancock borrowing 1.4 mills to help fund next school year
By JANE NORDBERG, DMG Writer
HANCOCK — The Board of Education of the Hancock Public Schools passed a resolution Monday authorizing the borrowing of 1.4 mills for the 2006-07 school year.
The loan will be taken through the Municipal Bond Authority and is necessary for general fund cash flow purposes, said Superintendent John Vaara.
The district has borrowed 1.2 mills in each of the last two years, but this year’s budget reductions of $260,000 necessitated the increase, he added.
The board also approved the 2006-07 budget of $7,593,874 and amendments to the 2005-06 budget, as well as approving ongoing operational and other millages previously authorized.
Members discussed how the upcoming high school reform laws would affect the district, with Vaara saying he, like other administrators, was still awaiting specifics from the state regarding curricula.
“By this fall, they say that chemistry, biology, algebra 1, algebra 2 and geography will be specified,” he said, which will help districts determine which of their current classes meet the state’s revamped graduation requirements.
Previously, Hancock Central High School offered students a two-year algebra 1 option, which would no longer meet the requirements, he said.
“All students must take algebra 2, and giving students two years to take algebra 1 isn’t the same thing,” he said.
While minutes of the June 12 meeting of the curriculum committee were not provided to the board, President Susan Amato-Henderson said discussion during that meeting had centered on issues of ability grouping, an issue that had both its supporters and detractors.
“There was once a lot of support for the idea, but it has since fallen out of favor among educators,” she said. Students who are put into groups in the fall according to their ability tend to remain in those groups regardless of whether they develop and mature mid-year, she explained.
Vaara also voiced concerns that struggling students would never catch up to their peers.
“If everybody’s got to take chemistry, everybody’s got to take chemistry,” Vaara said, alluding to the new graduation requirements. “Putting these kids into a lower achievement group isn’t going to help them in the long run.”
The board also expressed concerns with the 100 doors to be placed on the lawn of the middle school as requested by Hancock artist Mary Wright. Secretary Julie Crowl said the proposed formation of the doors could cause security problems, while other board members felt the 3-foot holes required to support the door frames would cause damage to school grounds.
“We’re definitely supportive of community art projects, but to have the whole thing here is not something we’re willing to take on,” said Amato-Henderson.
The meeting was the last for Crowl, who is leaving the board after five and a half years to pursue personal projects. Struggling against emotionalism Monday, Crowl said she hoped the board would continue to see the school as the center of the community.
“Students are our utmost responsibility, but they come with a whole set of parents, grandparents and families,” she said. “We need to continue to reach out to them, because there’s so much disconnect in our busy lives.”
She also presented an undesignated donation to the Hancock Schools Foundation on behalf of herself and her husband, Dan, as well as a hardcover book on schools which she personally inscribed to the board.
Crowl said she owed a debt of gratitude to former board members Dean Woodbeck and Bill Aldrich, while current board members returned the kudos.
“We know that life goes on and everybody can be replaced, but the difference is some people will be missed,” Vice President Mark Peters told Crowl.
Vaara cited Crowl’s tenure and experience as being an asset to the board.
“She’s been through the negotiation process and that’s a real plus,” he said.
Crowl called her board experience “one of the most rewarding and challenging things” she had ever been involved with.
The board also welcomed new member Daryll Williams, and set noon on July 6 as the date for an organizational meeting. Amato-Henderson will act as as interim secretary until that position is filled.
Jane Nordberg can be reached at jnordberg@mininggazette.com
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