NEW GLARUS - New Glarus school district Administrator Barbara Thompson says "time is of the essence" for moving forward with a proposed remodeling project.
Some recently-elected school board members are saying not so fast.
Board member Paul Eichelkraut, who was re-elected April 1 to his first full term, said during a meeting Monday that the board only approved the administration's request to research the project and determine a dollar amount. Eichelkraut said the industrial technology and middle school science remodeling project is expected to cost between $200,000 and $300,000.
The board hasn't yet given its final approval of the project.
"We've given the go-ahead to get the details about what it's going to cost," Eichelkraut said. "The administration made it sound like it was a go, but if the project comes in at, say, $500,000, I'm going to have concerns."
No detailed plan has been submitted to the board. But with a new industrial technology teacher, Dustin Lehman, hired, "time is of the essence," Thompson told the board.
She said the former board committed to the project and there is a grant to cover some of the expense. Thompson did not return calls Tuesday from the Times requesting more information.
"I thought we were going forward," Thompson said after Monday's meeting.
Eichelkraut said he believes the administration wanted to act as if the project already went through, but he's "not sure the public would like it to be handled that way."
Board members agreed that Monday was a matter of providing new board members Virginia Dreier-Schween and Mark Romich with additional information before detailed project plans are delivered at the May 12 board meeting.
Eichelkraut said the district is planning to update computer labs to make way for Project Lead the Way. According to its Web site, Project Lead the Way's curriculum "makes math and science relevant for students. By engaging in hands-on, real-world projects, students understand how the skills they are learning in the classroom can be applied in everyday life. This approach is called activities-based learning, project-based learning, and problem-based learning or APPB-learning."
"Project Lead the Way is coming to our district," Eichelkraut said. "It's a matter of how fast do we want to remodel to accommodate them."
Eichelkraut said Monday's questions about the project stem from an informational misunderstanding, and no one was "trying to pull wool over anyone's eyes."
"There's no conflict as far as I can see," Eichelkraut said. "It could have gone that way, but it didn't. It was a productive meeting."
In other action, the board:
• Elected officers - Chris Bowie was elected president; Marty Andersen, vice president; Janet Sherven, clerk; and Romich, treasurer. Committee assignments also were made.
• Discussed repairing the cooling system at the high school at a cost of $80,000 to $300,000. Options will be discussed at the Building and Grounds Committee meeting at 7 a.m. Friday in the high school office.
• Approved the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's Model of Local Educational Agency Special Education Policies and Procedures and adopted the policy within. Thompson said every district must have a special education policy.
• Heard from elementary school Principal Laura Eicher, who presented enrollment projections for the 2008-2009 school year. Total enrollment for prekindergarten through sixth grade will be about 498.
"We're splitting at the seams," Eicher said. "Which isn't all bad, we're just more creative when we use space."
- News Editor Jim Winter
contributed to this story.
Some recently-elected school board members are saying not so fast.
Board member Paul Eichelkraut, who was re-elected April 1 to his first full term, said during a meeting Monday that the board only approved the administration's request to research the project and determine a dollar amount. Eichelkraut said the industrial technology and middle school science remodeling project is expected to cost between $200,000 and $300,000.
The board hasn't yet given its final approval of the project.
"We've given the go-ahead to get the details about what it's going to cost," Eichelkraut said. "The administration made it sound like it was a go, but if the project comes in at, say, $500,000, I'm going to have concerns."
No detailed plan has been submitted to the board. But with a new industrial technology teacher, Dustin Lehman, hired, "time is of the essence," Thompson told the board.
She said the former board committed to the project and there is a grant to cover some of the expense. Thompson did not return calls Tuesday from the Times requesting more information.
"I thought we were going forward," Thompson said after Monday's meeting.
Eichelkraut said he believes the administration wanted to act as if the project already went through, but he's "not sure the public would like it to be handled that way."
Board members agreed that Monday was a matter of providing new board members Virginia Dreier-Schween and Mark Romich with additional information before detailed project plans are delivered at the May 12 board meeting.
Eichelkraut said the district is planning to update computer labs to make way for Project Lead the Way. According to its Web site, Project Lead the Way's curriculum "makes math and science relevant for students. By engaging in hands-on, real-world projects, students understand how the skills they are learning in the classroom can be applied in everyday life. This approach is called activities-based learning, project-based learning, and problem-based learning or APPB-learning."
"Project Lead the Way is coming to our district," Eichelkraut said. "It's a matter of how fast do we want to remodel to accommodate them."
Eichelkraut said Monday's questions about the project stem from an informational misunderstanding, and no one was "trying to pull wool over anyone's eyes."
"There's no conflict as far as I can see," Eichelkraut said. "It could have gone that way, but it didn't. It was a productive meeting."
In other action, the board:
• Elected officers - Chris Bowie was elected president; Marty Andersen, vice president; Janet Sherven, clerk; and Romich, treasurer. Committee assignments also were made.
• Discussed repairing the cooling system at the high school at a cost of $80,000 to $300,000. Options will be discussed at the Building and Grounds Committee meeting at 7 a.m. Friday in the high school office.
• Approved the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction's Model of Local Educational Agency Special Education Policies and Procedures and adopted the policy within. Thompson said every district must have a special education policy.
• Heard from elementary school Principal Laura Eicher, who presented enrollment projections for the 2008-2009 school year. Total enrollment for prekindergarten through sixth grade will be about 498.
"We're splitting at the seams," Eicher said. "Which isn't all bad, we're just more creative when we use space."
- News Editor Jim Winter
contributed to this story.