School board to consider

facility plan,

tech director

position

Facility plan

addresses upgrades to building sites

starting in 2005

By KREMENA TODOROVA

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- The District 88 Board of Education today will consider a 10-year facility plan, calling for investing approximately $5 million in upgrades to school sites between fiscal years 2005 and 2014.

The plan specifies $433,176 in projects for 2005, including: exterior joint repairs at Jefferson school ($80,000); installing a security camera and card readers at Jefferson ($25,000); replacing boilers at the main boiler plant (budgeted $295,000, actual bid of $356,492); sidewalk replacement at the Middle School ($3,176); new siding for the storage shed at Washington school ($5,000) and installing a security camera and card readers at Washington ($25,000).

Projected spending on facilities for the remaining years of the plan ranges from approximately $390,000 to approximately $660,000 a year. The Middle School and High School account for slightly larger shares of the budget than other sites.

* The board is also expected to decide the future of the technology director's position vacated Jim Aufderheide who retired at the end of the school year.

Superintendent Harold Remme in May outlined three options for the position: replacing Aufderheide with a full-time director as of Aug. 1; replacing him with a part-time director as of Aug. 1; or restructuring the job by creating a department head and office coordinator positions and realigning other employee duties.

Remme, who leans toward trying the the third option out for two years and then reassessing the situation, indicates he sees it as a way to save money and ward off the potential need for cuts in the technology office at a future date.

Remme suggests that the department chair and a newly set-up technology committee would be responsible for building a "vision" and providing districtwide technology planning and coordination.

Day-to-day technology-related "office management" duties would be assigned to a person in the technology office, and "problem-solving," "crash recovery" and miscellaneous duties would be spread among current tech office, media, business office and other staff.

The board has asked for more time to consider Remme's proposal, expressing concern about losing the district's "overall technology vision," the potential handling of specific "behind-the-scenes" tech problems that may require special expertise, and the increase in duties for various staff.

* Board members will also examine a study of the district's music curriculum, which lists exit outcomes, strengths and limitations.

Positive aspects mentioned in the study include the following: the curriculum is cohesive, sequenced, and holds students to high expectations; all music classes are taught by specialists; a variety of music opportunities are available; elementary music is held five days a week in a music classroom; band lessons are required in grades 5-12, and choral lessons are required in grades 9-12.

Limitations include: Washington general music students do not have a program or performance opportunity; available lesson time allows for only sectional lessons and limited individual support; choral lessons are not available at the Middle School; band participation has decreased faster than the rate of enrollment; and scheduling conflicts exist.

The board meets at 7 p.m. at the Annex Administration Building.