Unit 40 Board Discusses Valedictorian Guidelines

Effingham Unit 40 school board members spent the bulk of their meeting Monday discussing whether there should be changes in high school valedictorian qualifications.

There were 12 valedictorians in the Class of 2019, and several valedictorians in each of the last several years, but no one on the Board said the number of valedictorians was an issue.

(STEVE BONE READS HIS OATH OF OFFICE AS HE REJOINS THE UNIT 40 BOARD OF EDUCATION)

Effingham High School Principal Kurt Roberts offered three options in addition to leaving things as is. One option was to implement a 12-point scale, but Roberts said that option would be the third grading scale change for the incoming senior class during their time in high school.

Another option is to go to a "Latin" grading scale, similar to what colleges and universities do; that is, cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude.

A third option would be to eliminate valedictorians.

Board members Jill Wendling and Robin Klosterman offered the most input on the issue. There was sentiment for including pluses and minuses, utilizing computer people to evaluate the impact of any changes, and when any change would occur.

For some board members, though, there doesn't seem to be much sentiment for any change. Board member Kathleen Smith said, "We had 12 valedictorians and we were out of there in an hour and 15 minutes, let's celebrate them all."

The administration will do more research ahead of next month's meeting.

The Board welcomed back Steve Bone, who will serve out the remainder of Patty Russell's term. Bone served a term from 2013 to 2017, but did not seek re-election. Russell's term will be up for grabs in Spring 2021.

The Board approved a revised budget for the current fiscal year. The measure reflects an additional $20,000 in debt service dollars, and a reduction in health/life safety spending.

The Board awarded a bid to Grunloh Construction for $169,000 for ventilation work in the sports complex west of the high school building. Air conditioning was eliminated to reduce the project cost, but heating will be included. Also awarded was property/casualty insurance coverage, which actually totals $7,000 less than last year's bill, and re-grading work worth $26,000 at South Side School to take storm water away from the building. There was some water in some classrooms after the most recent rains.

In personnel moves, the Board accepted resignations from EHS baseball coach and teacher Chris Fleener and his wife Amy Fleener, a teacher at South Side School. The Fleeners are relocating to Fairfield, Amy Fleener's hometown. The Board approved a probationary release of custodian Anthony Parks, and approved leaves of absence for Esther Thompson and Todd Thoele under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Those hired include Nancy Moeller for summer help, Cassie Keyes and Dave Parker as paraprofessionals, Rebecca Quandt as a History teacher at the junior high school, Gwyn Smith as a Math teacher at the high school, and Lauren Hoekstra as a speech pathologist at South Side School.