Staff writer
The USD 398 Board of Education went over a schedule for staff evaluations and negotiations.
The deadline for evaluations is Feb. 15. First-year teachers are evaluated per semester. Teachers with three to four years of experience are evaluated once a year. Tenured teachers, six or more years, are evaluated once every three years. Superintendent Ron Traxson said he was analyzing evaluating systems from Professional Development 360 and McREL.
The building principals — Tim Robertson at Peabody-Burns high and junior high school, Ray Savage as Robertson’s assistant principal, and Ken Parry at Peabody-Burns Elementary School — will be evaluated in February. Traxson’s evaluation is scheduled for the March board meeting.
Barry Peter, Tony Zappone, and Julia Ensminger are the board’s negotiating team. Brian Simmonds and Darren Schroeder lead the staff negotiating team. By Feb. 1, teams should exchange official letters. The deadline for negotiations without declaring an impasse is June 1.
Traxson said some issues to consider in negotiations is a state tax revenue short fall, new health care law provisions, and decrease in district student enrollment. From 2006-07 to this year, USD 398 declined in enrollment form 384 students to 289 students. The district went from 40 teachers to 31 teachers.
In other business:
- The PBHS golf team will practice and play its home tournament at Fox Ridge Course in Newton instead of the North Newton Course. The price per golfer goes to $50 per athlete from $40, but Savage said they would have the advantage of a practice green and driving range.
- PBES will host the Marion County spelling bee 10 a.m. Feb. 6.
- Seven PBHS students will travel to the Kansas State University Band Clinic Jan. 25 through Jan. 27.