Babel leaving school board

Applications being sought for new board member

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- The board of directors for New Ulm Public Schools voted to accept Tim Babel's letter of resignation "with regret and appreciation" Thursday night.

Babel, a real estate agent and former KNUJ Radio announcer, was elected to a four-year term this past November.

He was previously appointed to serve out the remainder of Gene Forstner's term after Forstner passed away two years ago.

Babel's resignation leaves a hole that District 88 is now looking to fill, as board members voted to start the appointment process immediately after accepting the resignation.

Babel said he chose to resign from the school board for "family reasons."

Whoever is appointed to Babel's spot on the board will serve until the fall of 2004, when spot will be open for re-election.

Superintendent Harold Remme said the deadline for applications for Babel's spot is Oct. 1. He said interviews will begin on that day and end on Oct. 15. The board will formally install Babel's replacement at its Oct. 23 meeting.

Earlier in the evening, the board discussed -- but took no vote on -- the state's recent decision to repeal the Profile of Learning graduation standards and replace them with the Minnesota Acheivement Standards.

District curriculum coordinator Bill Sprung presented a report detailing what the changes will mean for grades 9-12. The standards for lower grades have already gone into effect, but the new graduation requirements will gradually the old ones over the course of several years, he said. Sprung said the new graduation standards will be fully phased into grades 9-12 by the time the class of 2008 graduates.

The board discussed the possible consequences of what the new requirements will mean for the district. Under the Minnesota Acheivement Standards, the minimum requirements for graduation will mean four credits of English, three credits of math, three credits of science and 3 1/2 credits of social studies, including U.S. history, geography, world history, economics and government and eight elective credits, one that has to be a fine arts class. The new standards will not require a physical education class or a health class for graduation.

Remme said he sees a potential hidden cost in the requirements that might mean more class materials that the district might not be able to provide.

Board members also had questions about how the new math requirements will affect calculus classes and FFA classes.

"The challenge is 'What will the new requirements be?'," said Sprung. "That decision is going to need to be ready by Dec. 1."

All District 88 students in grades 9-12 will be evaluated under the Profile of Learning, but ninth graders in the 2004-05 school year will follow the Minnesota Acheivement Standards. Tenth-graders will follow them in 2005-06 and students in the eleventh grade will come under MAS in 2006-07. All four grades in the high school will be evaluated under MAS by 2008, according to Sprung.

Board members discussed various ways that the district could let parents know about the changes but did not come to a decision. Letters to parents, public meetings and public access cable video were three ideas that the board discussed.

The board also passed a $46,247 contract for public health services for New Ulm parochial schools.