By Lori EhdeLuverne School Board members and school administration were surprised at Thursday night’s board meeting by an announcement by Board Chairman Dan Kopp.Kopp announced midway through the meeting that he intended to resign from the board, citing his work schedule, and too many conflicting School Board meetings."I work strictly nights, and I’m scheduled to work every night there’s a School Board meeting," Kopp said. "I don’t feel just in trying to do both. … I’ve thought about it a long time, and I don’t think I’m doing justice to either."Kopp works in the maintenance department of the Agri-Energy Ethanol Plant, Luverne."I will serve as a board member until a replacement is found," he told the board Thursday.Since that meeting, Superintendent Vince Schaefer and Kopp met Monday, and Kopp said he’d worked out an arrangement with his employer to flex time around School Board meetings.Kopp and School Board members Becky Walgrave, Bill Stegemann and Cary Radisewitz were re-elected to four-year terms in November 2002.Challengers in that election were Colleen Nath, Greg Aubert, Bruce Baartman and Tim Burns.Reading RecoveryLuverne Elementary School Teachers Lisa Lundgren, Joann Gabrielson and Angela Ahrendt updated board members on the Reading Recovery Program.Reading Recovery is a one-to-one tutoring program in which teachers spend 30 minutes a day for 12 to 20 weeks with students in the lowest level of reading ability.Many of the students identified to participate in Reading Recovery are unable to meet average goals of independent reading, writing and problem solving — skills that are essential to success in all school subjects."We feel pretty good about this, and we wanted you to know about it," Ahrendt said.Students who started the program in first grade are now in seventh grade, and the school has been tracking their progress, as well as other Reading Recovering students in the past six years."Most often those who completed Reading Recovery go on to keep up in regular classroom instruction," Ahrendt said."They’re meeting average scores in Iowa Basics and MCAs, which is good, considering they were originally in the lowest percent of their class."Not all Reading Recovery students — particularly those suffering from poor home environments — experience long-term learning success, But overall, the teachers said the program has saved the school untold dollars in special needs instruction that would have been required had the students not acquired appropriate learning skills early on.On an individual basis, the teachers said it’s rewarding to see the self-confidence children gain when they’ve mastered the skills, and that ends up benefiting other areas of students lives.In other business:o Luverne School Board members renewed its contract with Mary Gehrke at Rock County Human Services to continue meeting children’s mental health needs in the district.The proposed county mental health position that would have served students in both Hills-Beaver Creek and Luverne will not materialize. oAlternative School Director Jan Olson reported 12 students attended Alternative School full time and nine attend part time in November. There are about 18 students there per day, and that December peaked at 16 full-time students per day.Olson said if attendance continues this way, the district will have to consider limiting enrollment or increasing staff time.oThe board elected new officers. Becky Walgrave is chairwoman, Bill Stegemann is vice chairman, Colleen Deutsch is clerk and Cary Radisewitz is treasurer.oThe board approved the 2004-05 school calendar year. The first day of school will be Sept. 1. and the last day will be June 2, 2005. There will be 174 student contact days and 182 contract days.oThe board heard the first reading of a new policy that will affect finances of booster clubs, parent-teacher-student organizations and parent-teacher organizations."This is significant, and there will be growing pains as we adopt this," Schaefer said, about the policy, which is intended to prevent poor management of funds."This doesn’t mean there have been abuses here, but there have been statewide, and this will allow more financial understanding and safeguards."oElementary students are collecting money in their Make A Difference Jars for paraprofessional Tracy Cornish, who has cancer. A soup supper benefit is planned from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Baptist Church.oIn personnel matters, the board accepted the resignation of paraprofessional Theresa Mohr, effective Jan. 21, approved an extended leave of absence for paraprofessional Judy Thies, approved a preliminary seniority list for licensed staff, and approved seniority lists for custodial staff, paraprofessionals, early childhood staff and alternative school.oThe next board meetings are at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 and Feb. 26.
