Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Region's football status also discussed
ENGAGED IN discussion during their Monday evening meeting are members of the Wakefield-Marenisco board of education. They include, from left, clockwise, trustees Dan Obradovich and Marg Lynott, secretary Stacie Rooni, president Brad Dalbec, superintendent Jason Gustafson, vice president Micki Sorensen, treasurer Marsha Vestich, business manager Tina Trevarthen, and trustee Brandon Yuchasz (back turned). The board met in the school's life skills room, which is down the hall on the first floor from the new office now under construction. Also part of the new office area will be a new board room and a new head teacher's office.
By P.J. GLISSON
Wakefield - Members of the Wakefield-Marenisco board of education voted Monday evening to support a resolution in support of greater state funding of schools.
"There's a group that's been fighting for years to get adequate funding," superintendent Jason Gustafson told the board. "They've asked for each school to approve a resolution."
The superintendent said that the state budget for the coming school year has not yet been concluded, so the resolution might have an impact before that process is complete.
The resolution has been circulated by the School Finance Research Collaborative, which describes itself as "a broad-based, diverse and bipartisan group of community, business and education leaders, from Metro Detroit to the U.P., who agree it's time to change how our schools are funded to cover the true cost of educating students."
Gustafson said his district's most recent state funding per child was $8,600, whereas trustee Dan Obradovich said, "I'm guessing Hurley is closer to $10,000 per child now."
He added that Wakefield and Hurley are similar enough that there should not be a significant difference in how one state versus the other issues funding.
Obradovich said Wakefield's current funding is better than recent years when it was under $7,000 per pupil, but he noted in relation to other Michigan schools, "We're still probably on the lower end."
The resolution reminds that the Governor's 21st Century Education Commission "states the urgency could not be greater regarding our falling K-12 performance, given that Michiganders underperform their peers, ranking 41st on fourth-grade reading performance nationally."
The document adds that "these unacceptable statewide outcomes are clearly not a result of changing demographics as some suggest," and noted in particular that "Michigan's higher-income and white students are also among the worst performing in the country."
The resolution concludes that the state's funding formula should allow educators to address "the individual needs of each child with a weighted formula for students in poverty, special education and English language learners, giving all an equal opportunity" to meet performance standards.
Football scramble
In other news, Gustafson informed board members that they will need to have a special meeting later this month to discuss the district's football status.
Gogebic Miners team members - who consist of a cooperative between the Ironwood, Bessemer and Wakefield-Marenisco districts - are scheduled to proceed with the 2019 football season as planned.
Wakefield-Marenisco board members agreed, however, that representatives of their own district should meet with Bessemer and Ironwood districts before deciding how to proceed after this year.
In a written report Tuesday, Gustafson clarified, "All games and practices will be held in Ironwood for the 2019 season," and added that Wakefield-Marenisco is scheduled to host during the 2020 season.
The problem, as he stated, is that "Bessemer has informed the partnering schools that they are choosing to withdraw from the partnering schools after the 2019 season."
The superintendent concluded, "My biggest concern regarding football is that our kids get the opportunity to play football at their level in a consistent program."
The board also:
-Voted to post the position of a counselor to be shared between the Wakefield-Marenisco district and the Bessemer Area district. Gustafson reminded the board that this new position, made possible by state grant funds and a limited district share, will allow students to discuss with the new hiree situations related to "trauma" or "behaviors that impede their learning." Meanwhile, Mark Lane will continue as Wakefield-Marenisco's career counselor.
-Voted to approve head teacher contracts for Lane and Brandon Makela. Obradovich questioned the administrative expense of the positions, but Gustafson said the current system "seems to work, structurally," with both of the designated men contributing value. The contract provides $9,000 per year for each of the two teachers.
-As part of fiscal reorganization, voted to continue using First National Bank of Wakefield and the Michigan Liquid Asset Fund as designated depositories; voted to provide signature authorization to the board president/treasurer, business manager and superintendent; voted to keep the Globe and the Wakefield News/Bessemer Pick and Axe as newspapers of record; and voted that board compensation shall remain at $40 per member per meeting.
-Voted to accept the second reading of NEOLA policy upgrades.
-Heard from Gustafson that progress is continuing on the construction of a new first-floor office and on the replacement of the school's light fixtures with a new energy-efficient system.
A special meeting of the board will be held on July 25 at 5 p.m. to discuss the status of the football program and the hiring of a part-time counselor.
