Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
IRONWOOD THIRD graders Kiaya Graser, left, and Natalie Vandenburg use a Dashbot to teach the district's board of education about barn owls. Their teacher, Tom Mott, said the two used an iPad to program the robot to move around a poster board; as it moved around the poster board, the two gave the board facts about barn owls.
By RICHARD JENKINS
Ironwood - The three-district Gogebic Miners football team should be taking the field this fall after the Ironwood Area Schools' board of education approved changes to the agreement governing the co-op team.
"After long discussion, I think we came up with an agreement which is fair to everyone," Superintendent Tim Kolesar said. "We want to provide the best program we can for our student athletes, and we have to have three voices with one common goal and mission. I think this agreement that we're looking at (does that)."
The agreement the board approved was created during a May 7 meeting between the superintendents and athletic directors for the three districts that participate in the co-op - Ironwood, Bessemer and Wakefield-Marenisco.
Among the changes in the new agreement is the location for upcoming home games. Under the new agreement, each of the three schools will take turns hosting all home games for a season; with Bessemer hosting games in 2018, Ironwood hosting games in 2019 and Wakefield-Marenisco hosting games in 2020.
The agreement also calls for coaching openings to be advertised in all three districts and the respective newspapers of record.
One change the board requested Kolesar make to the agreement was a stipulation the respective superintendents sign off on any equipment purchases, along with the stated athletic directors. The change came after several board members expressed a desire for tighter control over the program's expenses.
In other action:
-The board approved the proposed general fund operating budget for the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District for the upcoming year.
-The board adopted a resolution to stay in the Michigan High School Athletic Association and voted to pay $16,814 for athletic insurance to cover students if they get hurt during a game or practice.
-The board also renewed the district's membership in the Michigan Association of School Boards.
-The board approved transferring Tony Bunt to teach sixth grade due to the large number of incoming students to the sixth grade in fall.
-The board approved K-12 secretary Kellie Hitter's resignation and food service worker Sharon Klumpp's retirement.
