By Aaron Vehling

The disdain for the situation could be heard in every drawn out, unenthusiastic ìayeî vote as the North Branch school board voted unanimously to adopt an initial 2005-2006 budget, which will eliminate about 20 teaching, classified staff and paraprofessional positions.

The move was part of a collection of efforts to curb a $3.4 million budget deficit for the 2005-2006 school year. Board member Donna Setter expressed the agony of the situation.

ìThis part saddens me the most,î she said at the Thursday evening board meeting. ìThe constant reductions in staff is getting to the breaking point. I donít know how much longer we can do this while offering a quality education.î

There was a sense of balance, though, as shortly before its vote to cut, the board granted about 16 teachers tenure.

Also at the meeting district finance director Randi Johnson and Superintendent Bob Stepaniak discussed how the district will use the funds remaining from the construction of the Sunrise River School.

Johnson asked principals and supervisors in the district to give her a list of building improvement suggestions, Stepaniak said. The money left over from the construction of the new school cannot legally be used to pay for anything but building improvements, he added.

There is about $1.8 million remaining from the $28 million levied for construction. Johnson attributed this to a variety of factors, including a favorable bid climate.

ìThe bids came in well below what architects anticipated the cost of the building should be,î she said.

Johnson presented a plan for using the money based on the submitted ideas.

It includes:
ï Soccer, baseball and softball fields next to Sunrise River School which would be used district wide.

ï Addressing deferred maintenance work, including replacing lockers, carpeting and flooring, new boilers in the Main Street School and fixing ceiling tiles, ìthings we canít keep up with under our current operating budgets,î Johnson said.

ï Enhancing security systems in all buildings.

ï Technology in the classroom.

ìThe new building set a new standard as to what technology in the classroom should be,î Johnson said. The new school will feature, among other things, digital whiteboards and document cameras.

ï Playground expansion at the middle school.

ï Softball dugouts. Johnson said the baseball team recently got new dugouts and so there would be a need to comply with Title IX standards.

ï Improving classrooms, offices and the school board meeting space in Main Street School.

By law, Johnson said, the district is required to spend the money within three years of selling the bond. This means the money must be spent by March or April 2007. Another road the district could take would be to let the money roll into a debt fund after the three year deadline.

ìThe taxpayers locally would get a piece of it and the state would get a piece of it,î Johnson said.

The school board is expected to act on these improvements this July.

A group of people at the school board meeting had another idea for using at least some of the excess money. During the public forum portion of the meeting, wrestling coach and high school physical education teacher Tony Aho gave a lengthy, passionate testimony regarding the need to use about $550,000 of the capital funds for a new wrestling room. A few people who were involved in the program in the past or are currently involved with the wrestling program also shared their views.

The proposed room would be located in either the north side of the high school gym, in a courtyard addition, in a separate building or on the second floor over the existing weight room, according to a report from the district.

Aho said he was looking at a room that measured about 50 by 85 feet, which would be furnished and maintained from booster club funds.

He said that nurturing a successful wrestling program is essential to keeping its members out of trouble.

ìWe get guys in the wrestling program whoíd mostly likely have a picture up in the post office,î he said.

If the district were to have a wrestling room, it would make his team more competitive, he said.

ìThe program is not one where we really have a home,î he said. ìWe are the only team in the conference and section that does not have a room specified for wrestling.î

Another concern Tony had was for the safety of the kids.

He said that the process of rolling up the mats after each practice or match was detrimental in that it made for less cushion for the wrestlers. In addition, he said, the wrestlers practice in an area that is next to an exposed brick wall with metal bleachers on one side of the students and plastic on the other.

ìSeveral times I have had to have kids sit out because of injuries,î he said.

Aho said the wrestling room could be used for other activities as well. The dance team could use it as a practice space and it could also be used for agility training, fitness courses, yoga, tai chi, tumbling, floor hockey, self-defense classes and others, he said.

Cory Bergerson of North Branch told the school board and meeting attendees that wrestling helped his son, Jeremy, out immensely.

ìHeís always been an ëAí student, but when he became a wrestler he became less introverted,î Bergerson said. ìHe has acquired people skills that will help him in life.î

Bergerson said that on a few occasions, he hosted practices at his house on a wrestling mat he purchased - the team had to clear the gym at the high school because of a basketball game.

He encouraged the board to consider a new wrestling room. ìFor them to have this opportunity, it would be unbelievable."

The wrestling room is not included in the district's capital building projects plan.

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