School board hesitant to approve $20,000
bonus
By Chuck Taylor
For The Alpine Sun
ALPINE — The Alpine Union School District Board of Trustees held its first meeting of the new school year last Wednesday, Aug. 31, when members were asked to approve a $20,000 bonus for a retiring employee and offered both the good and the bad regarding the district's API scores.
Asked to approve a $20,000 retirement bonus for an outgoing confidential employee, school board members hesitated, questioning the basis for payment of such a bonus. Board member Steve Hunyar asked if this practice had been a policy in the past. AUSD Superintendent Greg Ryan said, “It was not a written policy, rather just a practice that had been ongoing for years.”
Trustee Mary Wiggins said that the practice had been going on for many years. By a vote of four to one, with Hunyar
dissenting, the request in the amount of approximately $20,000 was approved with the stipulation that this would not be an option in the future.
Ryan released the Academic Progress Index (API) for the district. All of the district's schools showed dramatic increases from the last report.
The report detailed significant gains in all schools, with the largest being in the district’s homeschool, an increase of 212 points over the preceding year, followed Boulder Oaks Elementary, with a gain of 54 points. The API is basically a school’s report card which lists each district schools progress in their students knowledge retention.
Based on the API scores, the Alpine students rank first in East County and in the top 10 countywide. Only scores in English-as-a-second language and Native American students lagged behind the district's averages.
Board President Mark Price questioned what was being done to address this problem. Ryan said the district is investigating other means to bring all student groups up to average. Price said he was not complaining, but, rather, asking how the district could make its best efforts even better.
Ryan read a report from the California Education Code concerning the requirements for placing a school uniform policy into effect. Much of the report dealt with safety and the elimination of gang colors in school.
Over the summer, there have been inquiries to the board president from parents concerning the value of school uniforms and Price has forwarded these to Ryan.
Board member Scott Barr said that he did not feel that gangs were a problem in Alpine. Price asked the student board members how they felt about uniforms and none were in favor. The students said that the current school dress code really took care of any problems that might arise.
The new student board members were introduced. They are all eighth graders at Joan Mac Queen Middle School. Kristen Osborn, A.J. Blank and Kaelee King were selected by Katie Woodward, Mac Queen’s principal after they submitted applications and verbal interviews. The student members said they were excited to be on the board and honored to be able to represent all students of the district. Student members participate in board meetings by offering input and advising voting members on a variety of issues.
Finally, the board directed that a committee of parents, teachers and administrators be formed during September to discuss methods that may be used to teach students based on ability, rather than grade level. A slate of members will be presented for approval at the board's meeting in September.
The next meeting of the AUSD board will be held at 7 p.m., Sept. 14, at Alpine Elementary School.
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