Goessel enrollment exceeds expectations

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN CYNTHIA GOERZEN
The Goessel School Board heard a positive report from junior/senior high school principal Stuart Holmes at their Sept. 11 meeting.



“School is off to a good start,” Holmes said. “I’ve been impressed with the teachers and their professionalism.”



He said a number of students are participating in sports, and added, “They (sports) augment the academics very well.”



Superintendent Chet Roberts said enrollment in the district stands at 307.3, higher than the 304.5 number administrators had expected.



“We feel very good about this enrollment,” he said. Some of the students are coming from out of the district.



Some students are home-schooled, but are enrolled in the Goessel schools part-time. Sept. 20 will be the official date to count student enrollment.



Roberts said that in preparing the budget, the school can use the average of the last three years. Consequently, the current average would be 311.7 students.



Board chair Lynel Unrau announced that the Goessel Lions Club has invited political candidates to come to the Goessel school auditorium in October.



State candidates are scheduled for Oct. 2 and county candidates for Oct. 16. Roberts suggested asking the state candidates about school financing and vouchers.



Board member Richard Drake said he would like to know how the candidates intend to protect small schools. It was pointed out that Goessel is in the same senate district as McPherson, which is considerably larger.



Holmes reported on the Heart of America league meeting he had attended. He said staffing of the three-person basketball officiating crews had been discussed. Instead of “pulling one up from JV” for varsity games, it had been suggested that officials for junior varsity and varsity games be separate crews.



Drake said some officials avoid the HOA league because “officials need teamwork, and they can’t do it the way it is,” referring to “pulling up” one official from junior varsity. He added, “Officials don’t like to sit out a game.”



Holmes said the HOA is considering basketball game schedule changes for the 2001-2002 season.



Currently, junior varsity boys and girls play at 5 p.m. in separate gyms, which means two sets of junior varsity officials. Varsity girls play at 6:30 p.m., and varsity boys play at 8 p.m.



He said another idea would be to start junior varsity girls at 5 p.m., junior varsity boys and varsity girls at 6:30 p.m., and varsity boys at 8 p.m.



Some thought that arrangement would make it easier to attract quality officials.



On another matter, the board accepted the state’s suggested policy updates and deletions. Roberts highlighted a few of the changes. He said that if a student under the age of 18 is suspended, only the parents can appeal the suspension; the student can’t.



He also said school districts are required to retain academic student records indefinitely, and schools cannot give out personal information about students.



The board discussed a proposed maintenance plan that would define whom to call in emergencies and would address vandalism.



It was suggested that maintenance requests be submitted in writing. It was noted that the two full-time maintenance employees typically spend nine and one-half or 10 hours a day on the job.



The district needs additional help, six hours a day at the junior/senior high school, and two hours a day at the grade school.



The board is waiting for a final interpretation of new legislation that prevents school board members from being paid employees of a school district. That would affect the Scholar’s Bowl coach. Consequently, the coach has resigned and agreed to work with the Scholar’s Bowl team for no pay until the issue can be resolved.



Elementary principal John Fast said the Marion County undersheriff had asked about starting a D.A.R.E. program against drugs in the K-6 classes. For grades K-4, 40- minute sessions would be held four to six times a year. But for the 5th and 6th grades, 17 one-half hour sessions would be needed.



The $500 cost would be paid by the sheriff’s association. Teachers felt the time away from academics for the 5th and 6th graders to participate in the program would be excessive, especially since Brian Holloway, the physical education and health teacher, includes drug education in his curriculum.



Consequently, it was suggested that the current arrangement is sufficient. But perhaps a guest could be invited to give a presentation on the relationship of drugs and the law.



In other business:



— Holmes explained a new policy for copy machine use. He said high school students are allowed to use the copy machine for a total of 150 copies, which is the state average. After that amount, students will be charged five cents a page. Junior high students may not use the copier, except with teacher permission.



— Two new teachers were introduced at the meeting: Justin Schrag, the vocational agriculture teacher and FFA sponsor, and Marcia Brubaker, K-3 vocal music instructor.



— Roberts reported that a Topeka newspaper had published an “extremely well-done” article about the Goessel school district. “We’re doing some progressive things here,” Roberts said. “All the credit goes to Mr. Fast.”



— Roberts said the Marion County Health Department will provide nursing services to the school district again.



— Board member Harding Duerksen reported on the Marion County Special Education Cooperative (MCSEC) meeting he had attended. He said the MCSEC board had discussed eliminating the last payment from member schools since there had been a significant carryover from last year.



— Fast said an afternoon of teacher in-service is scheduled for Sept. 27.

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