Gregg Fettig, the new St. Ignace Middle School principal, and Kari Visnaw, the new Elementary School principal, were promoted by the board Monday, April 14. Both have been teachers in the district. Kari Visnaw was named St. Ignace Elementary School principal and Gregg Fettig was named Middle School principal by the St. Ignace school board Monday, April 14, and will assume their new parttime posts this summer. The two St. Ignace teachers will continue classroom work on a half time basis. They will replace Bonnie Ledy, who is principal for both schools and is retiring in June.

Ms. Visnaw teaches first grade and has a master's degree with emphasis in curriculum, while Mr. Fettig is the district's technology coordinator and teaches senior social studies and seventh grade keyboarding. He has an advanced degree in administration,

As they look forward to their new responsibilities, the two say their backgrounds will serve to compliment each other. Their combined strengths, they say, will help continue the work of Mrs. Ledy in improving the district's Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP) scores.

The board interviewed three candidates for the two positions. Kindergarten teacher Lil McDonald also applied.

"All three were outstanding," said Superintendent Mike Springsteen.

With two half-time principals, the eighth grade now will move back to the middle school. Three years ago when Mrs. Ledy became the dual principal, that class was moved to the high school.

The board also accepted the retirements of second grade teachers Carol Miller and Mary Pope at the end of the school year. Neither teacher attended the meeting, but their letters were read by Mr. Springsteen.

Mrs. Pope has been with the school for more than 35 years and Mrs. Miller has taught at the school 28 years.

"Over the years," wrote Mrs. Miller, "I've seen an administrator giving money from his pocket to buy one of my students new shoes, cooks who are always ready to give food to a hungry child, custodians going out of their way to fix equipment in my classroom, and an ancillary staff member donating money for field trips, aides willing to climb up in my tree house to read to students, and even a substitute teacher bring extra mittens and hats for students who forgot theirs."

Replacement decisions will follow a review of next year's budget, which will be presented at the May or June board meeting. By statute, the budget has to be adopted in June.

A Developmental Kindergarten program will begin in the fall for children who turn five on or before December 1 and are not ready for kindergarten. The day-long classes will provide children with additional time for mental and physical maturation in preparation for kindergarten, said Mrs. Ledy.

Fall 2007 MEAP scores for grades three through eight are above state and Eastern Upper Peninsula averages, Mrs. Ledy announced, and the school improvement team will assess them and identify areas for improvement.

After years of being one of the lowest scoring schools in the district, Mrs. Ledy said the positive results can be attributed to teachers knowing and sticking to the curriculum, which was adopted last year and designed to help teachers cover specific information that appears on standardized tests.

The kitchen staff, said Mrs. Ledy, has adjusted menus to include more fresh fruits and vegetables and is using wheat flour instead of white flour and reducedfat salad dressings to create a healthier school food program.

More than 80 students are enrolled in the after-school program, she reported, and a summer program will be offered from June 9 through August 15.

Brendon Steiner is this year's valedictorian, with a 4.114 grade point average, and Audrey Wyers is the salutatorian with a 4.08 grade point average.

Joe Tompkins, a para-Olympian from Juneau, Alaska will speak to the student body Friday, April 18, at 2 p.m. Mr. Tompkins talks about the effects of underage drinking, drug use, and suicide prevention. The Sault Saint Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Youth Education program has coordinated the program, which is co-sponsored by the school.

Kathy Schacht, who teaches English, is organizing the Europe Club's trip to London and Paris next March. Deposits have been made by 16 students and four adults for the nine-day trip. The cost, she said, is approximately $3,000 per student. She also invited the board to attend the annual drama "Crab Apple Academy." The performance is open to the public Sunday, May 4, at 2 p.m. in the Middle School cafetorium.

The board is expected to take action at its May meeting to turn special education bussing over to the EUP Intermediate School District. Mr. Springsteen said the school will save about $23,000, or 70% of what it is now spending, by making the move, in part because it will allow the ISD to be reimbursed for 70% of its transportation costs from the state. The St. Ignace district did not meet the reimbursement guidelines, he noted.

Board member Sean Arthur is chairing the Safe Routes to School Committee, which is seeking a grant to improve safety for students walking or cycling to school. The committee is now surveying parents and students.

Business Manager Kathy Mc- Leod reported that the school is expected to end the year with approximately $7,000. Additional state foundation allowance money and increased payments in lieu of taxes have bolstered revenue.

Brian Olsen was awarded a twoyear contract for the summer and fall lawn mowing. He bid for $4,390 for the first year and $4,950 for the second. Mr. Olsen has been low bidder for the last two years and "has done an exceptional job each year," said Mr. Springsteen.

Other bids were from Bud Thomas for $4,700 and Tri-County Cleaning for $300 per mowing. With potentially 20 cuttings, the bid totaled $6,000.

The board approved a plan to contract with Professional Education Services Group of Caledonia to provide substitute teachers and non-faculty coaches, expected to save the district approximately $18,000 a year. The board discussed the idea during its February meeting and took action on the plan Monday night.

Although the district will pay for the service, savings will come from not paying into the Michigan retirement system for teachers. The district will determine pay scales and standards for substitutes, and the coaching staff will set the qualifications for non-faculty coaches.

The policy committee is recommending limiting the age of those attending the Junior and Senior Prom this year. While the prom is for 11th and 12th grade students and their dates, said Mr. Springsteen, in past years some dates have been in their twenties. Mr. Gustafson will be discussing the matter with both classes with the idea that 19 years old is the acceptable age limit for a date.

The board went into closed session to discuss upcoming teacher negotiations.

The next regular school board meeting is Monday, May 12, at 7 p.m. in the middle school library.