St. Ignace School To Receive $72,000 To Augment Budget
By Paul Gingras

The state has increased the St. Ignace Area Schools foundation allowance by $96 per student, augmenting the district's budget by an unexpected $72,000 and reducing the amount the district will draw from its savings to keep all programs running this year, reported Superintendent Mike Springsteen at the St. Ignace Area Schools Board of Education meeting Monday, November 12.

With the increase, St. Ignace Area Schools will receive $7,181 per student, up from $7,085, and will draw only $19,327 from its savings, instead of $91,327.

The state foundation allowance amounts to 90% of the district's funding, Mr. Springsteen said.

In other business, the school board adopted its annual report for the district's 2006/2007 school year. It includes statistics regarding how students did on local, state, and federal tests and offers comparisons regarding how area students compare to their peers throughout the Eastern Upper Peninsula and across the state. The report also details dropout rates, reports on school safety, student attendance, and the number of parents who attended parent/teacher conferences.

The report is available at the central office and will be posted on its Web site.

Acting on new state requirements, the board developed and accepted course descriptions for mentors, physical education aides, and library aides, which are non-academic classes LaSalle High School students can take for credit.

Prior to the change, the district did not have formal course descriptions. Students were graded on a credit/no credit basis. Now, the state is requiring letter grades and detailed information regarding exactly what skills students are required to learn.

The courses, known as experiential learning courses, are designed to give students hands-on experience in the classroom, and they are valuable, Mr. Springsteen explained, noting that the mentoring program has been especially useful.

High-school students work with younger students and sometimes with small groups. They provide both academic and behavioral guidance for younger students. Approximately 60 students are serving as mentors this year, Mr. Springsteen said, adding that the program has significantly increased many older students' self-worth as well as helped younger students stay on task.

"You would be surprised how much [older students] get out of it, and the younger kids really look up to them," Mr. Springsteen said.

The physical education and library aide classes are valuable, also, he added. These are designed to help students learn what it would be like to be physical education teachers or librarians.

The school board accepted a revised policy that would allow the elimination of athletes from junior varsity teams in years when no freshman teams are offered. Prior to the change, cutting of players was allowed only at the varsity level.

The purpose is to limit the number of students on junior varsity teams to a manageable level, school officials said. Owing to staffing cuts in recent years, freshman teams are not always available. Therefore, athletes could swell the ranks of junior varsity teams.

Mr. Springsteen reported that he received no concerns from parents, coaches, or school board members after the issue was discussed it in October. Details of the policy are included in the October 18 issue of The St. Ignace News.

The school board approved Mr. Springsteen's hiring of the following winter coaches: Doug Ingalls, boys basketball; Jason Marshall, boys junior varsity basketball; Dorene Ingalls, girls varsity basketball; Robin Kissinger, girls junior varsity basketball; Bob Brandstrom, eighth-grade boys basketball; Brian Olsen, seventh-grade boys basketball; Janet Warren, varsity cheerleading; Marilee Barthelemy, junior varsity cheerleading; Harvey Bentley, wrestling.

The district has not found a volunteer dance coach, so there may not be a dance team this year. Typically, dance would be beginning this month, Mr. Springsteen said, adding that there are enough students for the program.

To explain how technology is affecting classroom operation and school communication with the public, school technology coordinator and social studies teacher Gregg Fettig demonstrated what he termed "the paperless classroom" where almost all work is done on computers.

In discussing last week's special education millage failure, with 57% of voters rejecting the 0.75-mill proposal, Mr. Springsteen noted that the need for more revenue to support education is needed and added that he does not foresee the issue being put to a vote in the near future.

In response to state requirements, the board adopted a pestmanagement policy to handle potential infestations of ants, spiders, or other problem creatures. When needed, spraying for pests will take place in the summer, Mr. Springsteen said.