Butler to take 4 rooms
College could pay district up to $6,000
Staff writer
As the city ponders what to do with the Bown-Corby building that Butler Community College is leaving, the board of education agreed in principle Monday to lease the community college four rooms in the Hill School.
Final details have to be negotiated, but Superintendent Lee Leiker estimated the school district would charge Butler between $5,000 and $6,000 to cover the district’s added expenses.
Butler paid only $25 a year rent at Bown-Corby but had to provide its own Internet access, utilities, and custodial maintenance.
“Butler wants to be in this partnership and we think it will benefit everyone,” said Amy Kjellin, director of the Flint Hills area for Butler.
Kjellin said some remodeling would have to be done before Butler can use rooms in the school.
“We’ll probably want to repaint the paneling and the rooms to be Butler colors and have the Butler feel,” she said.
Leiker said he would like carpet to be replaced.
He added that because the district purchased Android operating system Chrome Book laptops for every student, a computer lab in the Hill School could also be used by Butler because it would not be needed by the high or middle school.
Parking would be north of trash containers behind the middle and high school. Eight spaces will be taken from current senior spaces and designated as Butler parking.
High school teachers who offer classes that also count as Butler credits will continue to do so in their own classrooms. High school teachers who teach Butler-only classes in the evening also will use their own class rooms.
“Many of our students benefit from Butler, and we have the space available after adult special education classes were moved to Hillsboro last year,” Leiker said. “I think it will be a benefit to us to have them on campus and will be a positive location for Butler.”
The board will vote on a final agreement at a special meeting at 7:15 a.m. June 26.
Raises
After spending 50 minutes in executive session, the board returned to open session and voted to give raises to nearly every school employee other than teachers and principals.
Thirty people will receive raises. It has been two years since many received a raise, Leiker said. The raises will cost the district around $15,000 annually.
Aides will receive 50-cent raises, bringing their wages to between $11.10 and $14.60 an hour.
Most secretaries will get 25-cent raises to between $11.50 and $14 an hour, with secretary Deb Shipman getting a 65-cent raise to $14.
Custodians will receive 35-cent raises, bringing their wages to from $10.30 to $13.35 an hour.
Bus drivers will get 50-cent raises, bringing their pay to between $12.10 and $14.10 an hour.
Cooks will get 50-cent raises, boosting their pay to between $9.25 and $13.55 an hour.
Technical director Forest Barger’s salary will go from $49,500 to $51,000, and nurse Jane King will go from $15,650 to $16,000 a year.
Principals received a $1,500 raise raising the salaries of Tod Gordon to $76,710, Missy Stubenhofer to $59,030, and Justin Wasmuth to $67,530.
Handbooks
Principals from the elementary, middle, and high school presented the changes to the board.
The biggest affect valedictorian and salutatorian qualifications but will not affect any student currently in line for those awards.
To qualify, students will have to take one less unit of foreign language and one more of math. Students also must attend Marion High for at least two years.
New rules at the elementary school include that students must be present at classes before noon to participate in after- school activities. The times for band and vocal music for fifth and sixth grades were changed to 40 minutes every other day rather than 25 minutes every day.
Students leaving the Middle School for lunch must return by 12:20 p.m. Students asking a parent to bring food must do so at times that don’t interrupt class. Food may be eaten only during a designated lunch period.
Stubenhofer is looking into creating a handbook for the student’s use of their Chrome Books.
“I’ve not completed it yet but I want parents to also know the responsibilities that go along with having them,” she said.
She said students probably will have to leave their laptops at school and not take them to sporting events.
“Since this is a new thing, I just want everyone to be clear on how to handle them, and something to cover us in case they get stolen or broken or something,” she said.