At left: New fourth grade teacher Jason Latz. A tentative contract with St. Ignace teachers has been agreed to by bargaining parties for the Northern Michigan Education Association and St. Ignace Area Schools board of education and will now go to the teachers for ratification. If approved by the teachers, the contract will come back to the school board for approval.

At a school board meeting Monday, September 8, Superintendent Mike Springsteen said, pending ratification, teachers will work under their old contract, which expired August 31.

The new four-year contract, he said, will have an adjustment in school hours, but the length of the school days has not changed. Classes for all students begin at 8 a.m. Kindergarten through eight grade students will have a 30- minute lunch and classes will be dismissed at 2:45 p.m. High school students will be dismissed at 2:50 p.m. and have a 25-minute lunch.

The school board was updated on the agreed-to contract in executive session by its bargaining team, board President Jane Weiss and Vice-president Rick Litzner. Details won't be released to the public until after the board approves it, possibly at its October meeting.

In another faculty matter, former St. Ignace language arts and social studies teacher Jennifer Powell was denied a grievance by the board. Her grievance is based on seniority rights, said Mr. Springsteen, which she argues were violated when new teachers were hired this year, rather than calling her back to teach. She was laid off four years ago at the end of the 2003/2004 school year.

Her grievance was first denied by Mr. Springsteen, based in part on the state tenure law, which requires teachers to be recalled only up to three years after being laid off.

St. Ignace will receive about $24,000 more than expected from a rural school bussing state funding program, but the school still isn't sure how much it will receive under the state's per-pupil entitlement until the fourth-Friday student count later this month. The district receives $7,316 per student, and first-day enrollment was only 673 students, 34 fewer than last year.

Mr. Springsteen said that with a forecasted $205,000 deficit this year, the new $24,000 bus money is welcome, but the continued decline in enrollment, a state-wide problem, continues to challenge administrators to reduce expenses.

"One thing we do know," said Mr. Springsteen, "is we continue to lose students."

Improving communications at the school includes a new Web site change that now allows for comments from people on school opera- tions. Comments will be compiled by Mr. Springsteen, who will distribute them to committees for consideration.

The board was introduced to new fourth grade teacher Jason Latz, who was hired in July to fill one of the vacancies created from retiring staff, and Lana Lennington, who has a special needs student, was appointed to serve on the Special Education Parent Advisory Committee for the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District (EUPISD).

In other business, the board adopted the LaSalle High School Student Policy Handbook and athletic code for the current school year. The board reviewed booklet in July. The board also accepted a $1,253 bid from Mackinac Shooters Association for a portable classroom that no longer is needed.

High School Principal Don Gustafson reported that the Michigan Merit Examination taken last year by 61 11th grade students continues to identify needs in mathematics and writing. While writing scores improved, he said, they are still below Eastern U.P. and state averages. Mathematics test scores actually dropped, and social studies did, too, although social studies is not considered a core academic score by the No Child Left Behind mandate.

A new state requirement of three credits of mathematics for graduation, Mr. Gustafson noted, is hoped to improve the scores.

In the middle school, parents are being invited to an open house Wednesday, September 10, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Principal Gregg Fettig said an on-line French class for sixth graders is expected to begin in the next several weeks.

Laptops used by seventh and eighth grade students can be taken home, he said, if an agreement for use of the computers has been signed by parents.

Elementary Principal Kari Visnaw said six elementary teachers will serve on a new Intermediate School District curriculum review team that will align state curriculum requirements in the district. Representing the elementary school are Helena Shepard for mathematics, Sherrie Gustafson and Nicki Lee for language arts, Holly Brown for science, and Marci Bishop and Jason Latz for social studies.

The next regular school board meeting is Monday, October 13, at 7 p.m. in the middle school library.