The Official Newspaper for Foster County
It didn't take long for Carrington Public Schools to fill a key opening. As reported in the Independent in December, the school board unanimously gave the administration the green light to expand the career and technical education (CTE) programming at the high school. A new full-time teaching position, split into 5/7 agricultural and 2/7 FACS instruction, was posted following the meeting.
Now, less than 60 days later, and in the middle of CTE Month, the district has filled that position. Mitchell Becker, a young man with family ties to Carrington, will assume the position July 1. The Carrington School Board accepted a recommendation to hire Becker from Superintendent Janelle Helm at their regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 14. Becker will also serve as an FFA advisor for the district, alongside Missy Hansen.
The 2023 school board election has been set. The Carrington School Board voted Tuesday to open the polls from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m. on June 6 in the High School Commons. This year, two board members are up for re-election: Angela Kutz, representing rural residents in the district, and Randy Hooey, an at-large representative. Individuals interested in serving on the school board must prepare and file a Statement of Interest with the business manager by April 3.
The board also approved the second reading of Policy GAAE-Critical Race Theory. This policy, which is required to ensure that school districts comply with state law and refrain from teaching critical race theory, is now in effect. The board also reviewed and approved the procedure (GAAC-BR) for reviewing any complaints from the public about instructional or resource material. As outlined in the procedure, the district will establish a committee consisting of a teacher, a parent, a media specialist, the principal and the superintendent. Should the district receive an official complaint in writing, the superintendent will call a meeting of the committee.
There are also guidelines the district must follow if it recommends to remove or restrict access to resource materials. The policy states, "Recommendations shall not be made to suppress a viewpoint or limit student exposure to divergent ideas. Mere exposure to an idea does not violate students' rights and the District shall not prescribe what is orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion."
The full procedure is posted here, click the link to download in pdf: https://www.fosterconews.com/home/cms_data/dfault/pdfs/misc/2023-02-20.pdf
Local contractor Trampus Larsen investigated the air exchanger noise issue with the facility committee. Larsen thinks the motor is too close to the system and is not convinced that the $50,000 proposal from Johnson Controls to install sound attenuators will effectively reduce the noise enough to make a big difference. Larsen also found that cold air returns have been removed in the ceiling tile, which will be investigated further. Sound proofing panels were ordered for one of the classrooms to attempt to reduce the noise.
The Facilities Committee also reported that the sound system for the new stadium has been ordered, and that they are seeking bids for fencing materials with plans for the district to provide the labor needed to install it. Other projects yet to be completed at the stadium include the donation board, water hookup underneath, naming and dedication of the stadium.
The calendar committee presented two proposals for the 2023-24 school year, and the board ultimately adopted Proposal #2. The first instructional day of school will be Aug. 22, and the last day will be May 23. Graduation will be May 26. The calendar also includes four professional development days, three prior to the start of school and another in January, as well as five "early out" days where students will dismiss early so staff can engage in professional development.
One key difference was the longer Spring Break in Proposal #2, from March 13-15, with the 13th designated as a storm make-up day. Proposal # 1 had the last day of school one day earlier, May 22.
Math instructors Sharon Boehmer and Brady Morgan appeared before the board to provide an update on the new math curriculum the district purchased last spring. Both had positive reports, noting particularly that student engagement has increased. Students have a variety of problems to work on, including skills-based, analyzing relationships, and modeling real life. Boehmer said that they also like how the textbook separates key topics into chapters, and that the curriculum includes an online component.
"Besides a traditional textbook, each student has a BIM online account that also includes a copy of their textbook. Occasionally students are asked to complete an online assignment via their account and also can participate online in class problem and answer formative assessments," Boehmer said. "We are grateful that the School Board granted our request to update our curriculum. Because our student online-licenses for BIM were a 6-year purchase we do not anticipate having any new/large financial needs with this curriculum in the near future."
The other primary order of business was to accept the biennial petition from the Carrington Education Association to represent the teaching staff in contract negotiations. This kicks off a series of meetings that will ultimately produce 2-year contracts for all the certified teaching staff.
The next regular school board meeting is set for Tuesday, March 14 at 4 p.m.