Glenwood City School District works to update class descriptions
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By Amber Hayden
GLENWOOD CITY — The Glenwood City Board of Education was updated during their Monday evening, January 27, meeting on the class description handbook.
“It’s more thrown together at this point,” said middle/high school principal Patrick Gretzlock. “We haven’t finalized the handbook yet.”
Gretzlock stated that teachers have a couple more weeks to finalize the class descriptions and what will be offered.
He also mentioned there were several classes that were listed in the old handbook that Glenwood City no longer teaches, using the example of Agriculture – Product Processing.
“When we have students register for classes, all of the non-existent classes are still there,” Gretzlock stated. “Once they have all registered I get a print out of every class that a student chose. So we have students who think they have signed up for a full load, but in actuality they haven’t.”
During the January 24 teacher in-service, teachers in each department were asked to provide a new description.
The Career Technology department had a jump start in order to provide a list of what classes would be offered through the CTE program.
“The changes are pretty profound,” said Gretzlock. “At one time the handbook in the English department said that the course was required for two semesters unless waived by the principal. I don’t think I have that authority.”
The purpose behind the overhaul on the course listings is to help students move along in academics and career planning (ACP).
The handbook will be available via paper copies and online.
Superintendent Tim Johnson gave a brief update on student enrollment and the 2020-21 budget.
Johnson stated that the number of students they will be able to count for the upcoming budget was finalized on the second Friday in January and there was an increase of four students.
“That’s our full time equivalency, so that’s not necessarily how many kids attend school,” Johnson explained. “We add in the kids that could be attending here, but go somewhere else.”
The final January count was 680 students, but that number after adding in September’s count is averaged out to 678 students.
He also stated that the sparsity aid will be based on the student count along with the summer school counts, which was 711.
“We get $400 per student, so our sparsity aid will be within a couple of thousand dollars of what we received this year,” Johnson stated.
Johnson does anticipate a loss of 12 students over the next three years for the district, and made the board aware it will not be the same budget they have had the last two years.
During the meeting the board of education:
• Approved the 2020-2021 calendar.
• Approved Lythagaye Lyons as a substitute teacher.
• Accepted the resignation of Elementary Administrative Assistant/Paraprofessional Nicole Miller.
• Approved the posting for Elementary Administrative Assistant.
• Accepted the resignation of Technology Coordinator Jeff Banks.
• Approved the posting for IT position.
The Glenwood City Board of Education will meet again on February 24 with a 5:30 p.m. committee meeting and a 6:30 p.m. regular board meeting.
