District 27 board of education
still hard at work    

[JUNE 18, 2004]  While the students in District 27 are spending their days swimming and riding bikes, the board of education is still hard at work making sure the schools are running efficiently and will be ready for the return of little feet and children's voices. The board held their monthly meeting on Wednesday, June 16.

One of the most important items on the agenda was the hiring of several new teachers, as well as a transfer. Gordon Lanning, at Central School, will be teaching fifth grade for the 2004-2005 school year, instead of sixth. Huang Poelker will be coming in as a sixth-grade teacher at Central. Other new hires include Kari Copp as student council sponsor at the junior high, Sheila Spickard as summer school aide and Tabitha Laubenstein as part-time ECE aide at Adams School.

The board appointed Superintendent Robert E. Kidd as custodian of revolving and activity fund accounts for 2004-05.

Confidentiality issues were discussed with regard to closed-session minutes.

Representatives were on hand from S.M. Wilson and Company to report on progress at the building site for the junior high building on Broadway. Crews have almost caught up on the tentative schedule, making up for time lost in weather delays. The brickwork is in progress and is "coming along nicely," according to secretary Theresa Oltmanns at the administration office.

The board also voted to approve the appointment of The Consulting and Resource Group, out of Monticello, as the search company to find a new superintendent for the 2005-06 school year. Dr. Kidd will be retiring at the end of the coming school year.

[Ruth Halpin]