SE Public takes no action on SESM request

SESM wanted its students to attend CRTC next year

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- The District 84 School Board took no action Thursday night on a request from St. Mary's Schools to release its vocational students and let state aid funding follow them to the Cottonwood River Technical Center (CRTC) in Springfield next year.

In November, St. Mary's High School Principal Jerry Neubauer wrote a letter to Superintendent Jay Haugen and the school board regarding future planning.

Haugen distributed copies of the letter during the meeting

Neubauer said he contacted CRTC and was told it will operate in 2002-2003. He said CRTC asked if St. Mary's would be interested in being part of the center next year. He said CRTC would also ask Sleepy Eye Public School to be a part of CRTC .

"I know the administration has tried hard to make the vocational transition a smooth one, but there has been a number of setbacks," Neubauer said. "I also know it takes time to build programs, but for some of our older students, this move, in their mind, was not in their best interest. What we had at the CRTC was good. As a matter of fact, it was very good! If it is possible, I would again, like to examine the possibility of being a part of the CRTC system. ... We would then have to see if the transportation was an expense we could or could not handle."

Nobody from St. Mary's Schools attended the school board meeting.

District 84 Finance Director Cindy Seifert said there is no window of opportunity for St. Mary's to get district funding (for students to go to CRTC next year).

"The board would need to see an agreement before it could take any action on this," Seifert said. "Funding would be paid directly from us to the serving district."

"I've told them (St. Mary's) that this would take money and resources out of our district, forcing us to offer our students less," Haugen said.

The board also:

* Unanimously approved personnel changes including the resignation of varsity head football coach Dean Deibele.

* Unanimously adopted and certified the 2001 payable 2002 levy limitation after adjustments of $542,831. The levy is a 72 percent reduction from last school year.

* Unanimously approved an agreement to negotiate a price for a new track project.

* Unanimously approved a Letter of Intent for a Performing Arts Center/Community Education Center project,.

Haugen said the letter is geared to keep meetings going and Mankato investors interested in the project.

* Received a copy of the latest junior and senior high school block schedule draft for the 2002-2003 from Principal Elia Bruggeman. The school day would begin with teacher prep time from 7:30-8:40 a.m., homeroom and breakfast 8:40-8:55 p.m. School would end at 3:05 p.m.

* Met in a closed meeting to consider labor negotiations, strategies, developments, discussion and proposals.

The next school board meeting is set for 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 10, 2002.