At-risk DHS students to get help
Dundee High School will have an at-risk coordinator added to the staff. Board of Education members voted to hire Kimberly Dusseau to the position at the Monday, Oct. 11 meeting.

The position pays $22.85 per hour, and requires work about two hours a day, five days a week, on a flexible schedule. The purpose is to help failing high school students figure out what their specific problems are, and develop strategies to help them succeed in school.

Ms. Dusseau is a graduate of Dundee High School, a former Dundee coach, and is employed at the Monroe County ISD working with students as they prepare to enter the workforce.

Assistant Principal Tom Williams is to help Ms. Dusseau develop guidelines, and long and short-term goals which can be evaluated.

Mr. Black said the position’s title may be changed to something that sounds more positive.

The board also approved the extension of the curriculum director’s contract through 2006, with a 3.25% salary increase, in line with other administrators. Rick Schaffner’s contract was inadvertently overlooked when others were renewed.

Board members said that in the future they want to make sure the board reviews the employee contracts before they receive the attendant raises.

Board members also held a discussion regarding paying teachers to supervise high school and middle school lunch periods.

Assistant High School Principal Tom Williams said there are three teachers at each lunch period, plus an administrator. There are two lunch periods in each school.

“Why don’t we pay teachers for three-quarters time rather than pay them full-time and have them supervise lunch?” asked board member Patricia Dempsey.

“We have paraprofessionals supervise lunch in the elementary, rather than pay one-sixth of a teacher’s salary to do that,” added board member John Moskwa.

Mr. Black said it made it easier to schedule the teachers, and also teacher supervision makes students behave better during lunch.

Mrs. Dempsey asked that the board be able to review these teachers’ contracts at the end of the year.

In other business, the board voted to spend $1,000 on software to help them record their meetings. This software makes it easier to find a specific topic of discussion on the recordings, which are on CD.

A board workshop meeting will be held on Monday, Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at school, with a roundtable discussion of short and long-term goals for the district. This replaces the regular second board meeting.

Business Manager Dawn Quackenbush noted that the auditing firm is in the district doing its work now, and it may be a close call getting the material filed in Lansing in time, but that the work will be done.

Mr. Black said the district paid $574 for legal time researching the furniture bids for the new high school. There was confusion with the bid packets and addresses, so legal help was required. This cost will be added to the contingency list and paid by the architect.

The school district and individual building annual reports are available in the superintendent’s office for anyone who would like one. These include such things as standardized test scores and other district information, said Mr. Black.

The board approved Oct. 17-23 as Michigan Safe Schools Week, and will conduct various activities.