School board gathering more information as public looks for answers

The Albert Lea School Board did not vote Monday night on a proposal that would have allowed the district to utilize extracurricular positions to recruit teachers.

School Board member Jill Marin said the action item was moved to an informational item at the board’s study session, so the board could try to gain an understanding of what the administration was proposing.

The board decided to wait to gather more information before making any decisions.

Marin said the board will need to decide if it wants to implement any changes in policy or practices as more information is gathered, and added she is not sure if the issue will be brought before the board soon.

The practice would allow the district to utilize positions ranging from show choir adviser to Southwest Middle School yearbook adviser, all described within a schedule with the teacher bargaining unit called Schedule C.

The policy would allow the administration the discretion to post for any of the special assignment positions. The administration could recruit and recommend people for positions, but ultimately the board would retain authority for hiring and terminating.

The plan drew confusion among members of the public at the meeting, who questioned the board on what would happen if a prospective teacher would want to take an already occupied position.

Executive Director of Administrative Services Jim Quiram said the proposal is not a policy change to the district, and noted the proposal is one of several approaches district officials are considering to alleviate a teacher shortage.

Albert Lea Superintendent Mike Funk said the board directed administration to continue to recruit and retain teachers using current practice.

Quiram said officials are going to more teacher job fairs, participating in mock interviews at colleges and posting positions at colleges, universities and state education job sites.

He described attracting and retaining quality teachers as both a regional and a national issue.

School Board member Jill Johnson said the district should focus on hiring the best candidates for coaching and teaching positions, and added she believes the district would be limiting its options by requiring licensed teachers in the district to fill coaching positions.

She said the district needs to focus on teacher retention.

About 70 parents, athletes and administration filled the board room at Brookside Education Center in connection with Principal Mark Grossklaus’ recommendation last week to not renew the contracts of three head coaches.

Grossklaus on March 28 suggested not renewing the contracts of Rick Barnhill, varsity girls’ soccer coach; Bob Furland, varsity boys’ soccer coach; and Jamie Cameron, varsity volleyball coach, in an effort to help the district find experienced teachers. The three coaches are not full-time licensed teachers within the district, and the proposal would have essentially called for only licensed teachers to be coaches, with the exception of retired coaches.

A few girls’ and boys’ soccer players spoke of their support of their head coaches and disapproval of Grossklaus’ recommendation.

Sam Ehrhardt, a junior on the varsity boys’ soccer team, spoke highly of Furland.

He said Furland led one of the best soccer teams Albert Lea has had in a long time, and he thinks Furland has led the program forward while pushing the team to become the best individuals they can be.

He said Furland has always made it clear their development as individuals was more important than wins and losses.

Sophomore soccer player Rachel Rehnelt said although Barnhill is not a licensed district teacher, he has had a huge impact with each player.

She said the district should be motivated to keep him because of his commitment to the team and the community.

“Choose people who choose you,” she said.

She said she could not imagine being coached by someone other than Barnhill and claimed it would be a mistake if the district replaced him.

The board did not take action on Grossklaus’ proposal.

Parent Julie Sorenson said the district’s teacher shortage is not a coaching issue. She said she thinks Furland is a good coach and that Grossklaus’ proposal singled out the three coaches.

“I don’t think they are handling it very well at all,” she said of the district.