On Monday, the Monroe school board:
• Learned Heidi Zander is resigning her position as a school board member, effective immediately, because she has moved out of the district. The board will seek a replacement to fulfill her term.
• Approved an exchange coordinated by the Monroe High School Spanish department that will allow Monroe teachers to visit Costa Rica this summer. The school has a well-established student exchange program to Costa Rica, but this program will allow interested staff to travel and stay with host families there during summer vacation. In January, Monroe will host about 15 Costa Rican teachers who will visit for 17 days to share their culture with students here. This summer, Monroe teachers will be able to visit schools, the community and sites of interest in Guapiles, Costa Rica, and share American culture with students and teachers there. The program will have no cost to the district, as teachers will travel on their own time and pay their own expenses. The program will be open to any interested K-12 teacher in the district.
• Hired Julie Schepple as Monroe High School business education teacher and Joann Lancaster as Monroe Middle School EINA/ELL aide. It also accepted the resignation of Royletta Santos, Parkside Elementary School cafeteria worker, and a $600 grant from the Alliant Energy Foundation for Northside Elementary School.
• Approved spending $18,000 for a new elevator pump and valve replacement at Abraham Lincoln Accelerated Learning Academy. The valve failed during a routine test last week. Maintenance supervisor Tom Rufenacht recommended the district pay an additional $7,000 to have the 33-year-old pump and motor replaced at the same time as the valve. The work is expected to be completed within the next two to three weeks.
• Authorized purchasing a 2010 Toyota Corolla for the Monroe Virtual School from Ruda Toyota Chevrolet. The cost will be $17,083, which is $190 more than the district paid for a 2009 Corolla a year ago. The district anticipates getting a $500 rebate on the vehicle. The vehicle will be used by virtual school teachers who travel throughout the state, meeting with parents and students of the online school. The Corolla will replace an older PT Cruiser, which will be kept for use within the district.
• Learned Heidi Zander is resigning her position as a school board member, effective immediately, because she has moved out of the district. The board will seek a replacement to fulfill her term.
• Approved an exchange coordinated by the Monroe High School Spanish department that will allow Monroe teachers to visit Costa Rica this summer. The school has a well-established student exchange program to Costa Rica, but this program will allow interested staff to travel and stay with host families there during summer vacation. In January, Monroe will host about 15 Costa Rican teachers who will visit for 17 days to share their culture with students here. This summer, Monroe teachers will be able to visit schools, the community and sites of interest in Guapiles, Costa Rica, and share American culture with students and teachers there. The program will have no cost to the district, as teachers will travel on their own time and pay their own expenses. The program will be open to any interested K-12 teacher in the district.
• Hired Julie Schepple as Monroe High School business education teacher and Joann Lancaster as Monroe Middle School EINA/ELL aide. It also accepted the resignation of Royletta Santos, Parkside Elementary School cafeteria worker, and a $600 grant from the Alliant Energy Foundation for Northside Elementary School.
• Approved spending $18,000 for a new elevator pump and valve replacement at Abraham Lincoln Accelerated Learning Academy. The valve failed during a routine test last week. Maintenance supervisor Tom Rufenacht recommended the district pay an additional $7,000 to have the 33-year-old pump and motor replaced at the same time as the valve. The work is expected to be completed within the next two to three weeks.
• Authorized purchasing a 2010 Toyota Corolla for the Monroe Virtual School from Ruda Toyota Chevrolet. The cost will be $17,083, which is $190 more than the district paid for a 2009 Corolla a year ago. The district anticipates getting a $500 rebate on the vehicle. The vehicle will be used by virtual school teachers who travel throughout the state, meeting with parents and students of the online school. The Corolla will replace an older PT Cruiser, which will be kept for use within the district.