By Patrick Tepoorten

A request by Sunrise Gymnasticsí Susan Toohey for a reduced annual lease, paid monthly, for use of the auditorium at the Main Street School, came before the North Branch School Board last Thursday. Toohey did not get the board to bend to an annual lease, but may have secured the reduced rate.

Currently, Toohey rents auditorium time by the hour. Her request, that the district allow her to rent the facility for a flat rate of $1,600 per month, was based on her hourly usage, but also reflected half of her current rate of $45 an hour, because, she stated, her company received non-profit status over the summer. District policy for non-profit organizations is $22.50 per hour.

While the board did not have a problem with the reduced rental rate provided Toohey could produce the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) determination that non-profit status has been approved, it did not show much enthusiasm for the monthly lease.

School board clerk Jeanne Walz expressed concern that the district would be unable to rent the facility to other organizations if Toohey leased the space Monday through Friday.

Toohey responded by wondering aloud how the district would facilitate those other rentals, with the facility filled with gymnastics equipment, and with the special floors and gear that has been installed. ìIt would be a huge job,î she said.

Board chairperson Kim Salo said it would not be in the districtís best interests to rent the facility with a flat rate.

Board member Kirby Eckstrom agreed. ìI would hate to step into a yearly fee without looking at the further ramificationsî he said, and added that there were potentially many other groups that would then ask for the same convenience.

No action was taken on the request for a longer-term lease, but the board gave no indication it would consider any change in the future.

In a Tuesday interview, Toohey reiterated that her goal was only to make bookkeeping easier for both parties, but understood the decision by the board.

No action was requested regarding the Education Research and Dissemination (ERD) program, but many teachers spoke to the board about the effectiveness of the program and to encourage increased board support.

ERD is an education program for teachers, giving them tools in areas of reading, math, dealing with social issues, and effective teaching, among other things. According to Sue Howard, an ERD coordinator, the program has had 116 participants, including many teachers who take more than one class.

ìThe feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive,î said Howard, who added that she was ìamazedî at the benefit the program is to teachers. Teachers at the Primary School reiterated the programís positive affect, especially in teaching reading to first and second grade students.

Carla Meemken, a teacher and co-president of the North Branch Education Association (NBEA), the districtís teachers union, advised the board that ERD has demonstrated deficiencies in early reading. Most notably, class sizes continue to be too big, and there is a lack of remedial reading offerings after second grade.

She said that learning intensity increases when the student to teacher ratio decreases, and said the district was lacking resources to meet that need. According to other teachers who spoke, that ratio is currently one teacher for every 26 to 28 students.

ìThat is why we are here,î stated Meemken, ìwe want to be part of the solution.î She encouraged the board to look at smaller class sizes and an expanded remedial reading program at the Primary School.

In other district news:

ï Interim Superintendent Rodney Reisnouer announced his retirement at the end of this current contract, which expires June 30, 2007.

Salo, speaking on behalf of the board, offered a heart-felt thank you to Reisnouer, for serving effectively at a time when the district needed a fresh approach. She added that Reisnouer presided over budget adjustments, the construction of a new school, and called his leadership inspiring.

The board approved the formation of a committee to search for a new superintendent. Named to the committee were Salo, board vice chairperson Donna Setter, and Karen Saltis.

ï Janel Freel, chairperson for the North Branch Support Staff Association (NBSSA), addressed the board during public comment. The NBSSA is currently in contract mediation with the district and Freel spoke to the concerns of NBSSA members. ìWe need and look forward to an equitable contract,î she said.

ï The Nov. 7 election results were canvassed by the board. All board members up for re-election were returned to office and the school board election received roughly 11,800 votes out of 17,000 registrants.