Dieterich, Beecher City and Brownstown May Team Up on Offering Spanish

The Brownstown school district would like to join with Dieterich and Beecher City in offering Spanish instruction via a long-distance learning lab.

Dieterich currently hosts students from Beecher City High School in a long distance lab. Dieterich Superintendent Cary Jackson said Brownstown has asked to be included in the lab.

Dieterich board members instructed Jackson and high school principal Kevin Haarman to look into the expansion of the lab to Brownstown and to share the information at their meeting in August for consideration.

Also Monday, Jackson reported that the state budget for education in the coming year reflects flat funding for K-12 education. Based on enrollment, Jackson said the Dieterich district should expect the same amount of General State Aid it received per pupil last year.

Jackson reported that Dieterich registration for the coming school year will take place on August 6th from 10am to 6pm. Students were given registration materials at the end of the previous school year and are encouraged to turn those in at the Unit Office prior to August 6. Jackson said registration by mail has become increasingly popular with parents and said it's a convenient method of registering students for school.

In personnel moves, the Dieterich board reassigned two aides and one teacher from part-time to full-time. Special Education teacher Nichole Lidy and Special Education aides Angie McElravy and Tami Hetzer are reassigned to full-time. The Board approved a voluntary reduction in force for Guidance Counselor Ashley Kreke to half-time, at her request, and accepted the resignation of Unit Bookkeeper Janice Mellendorf who is retiring after 35 years' service to the District.

Board members hired Michelle Bloemer as special education aide for the coming school year, and approved extra-curricular appointments of Tim Pezan as junior high head baseball coach, Cory Niebrugge as junior high volunteer assistant baseball coach, Brant Nohren as junior high head girls basketball coach, and Mary Miramontes as high school assistant basketball coach.

Also Monday, the Dieterich board agreed to contribute $2,000 toward the cost of drainage improvements planned by the village at the village park, and heard from elementary principal Kathy Pattenaude that preliminary ISAT scores from the State reflect changes in scoring the test, and were reminded that the new PARCC test will be administered during the coming year.