Roe Appointed To West Washington School Board
Roe Appointed To West Washington School Board
By Alex Johannes
The West Washington County Community Unit District #10 Board of Education met on the evening of Monday, November 20 for their regular monthly meeting.
As a result of the resignation of Greg Toensing last month after citing family obligations, Brett Roe was appointed to fill Toensing’s vacancy.
FROM LEFT, West Washington Schools Board President Ron Recker, Superintendent Scott Fuhrhop, and Board Member Brett Roe.
Roe was later sworn in by Board of Education President, Ron Recker.
The board reviewed the anticipated levy.
Washington County is in an area where rate of inflation and new property controls what is put into the levy.
At this time, the board cannot increase its levy more than 5 percent of the rate of inflation, whichever is lower with the exception of new property.
As for now, the inflation rate is at 2.1 percent, but the board does not know the rate of new property in the district.
The board anticipates that the levy will increase to 4.6 percent.
The board approved to set the time and date for the Aggregate Tax Levy Estimate Hearing for Thursday, December 21 at 6:45 p.m.
The Levy Estimate Hearing will be followed by the regular monthly meeting at 7 p.m.
The board had the first reading of changes or additions to the current school policy.
The first change is to Home and Hospital Instruction.
If a student has an extended stay in a hospital and/or homebound the district can provide homework and/or a tutor for that student.
The policy is changed because a licensed practitioner can now administer the instruction to the student.
The second change is to the Student Record Act which states that student records can be sent to the parent(s), if requested, within 10 business days.
The previous policy stated that parents would receive student records within 15 business days.
In the Principal’s Report, Grade School Principal Leon Spinka reported that the grade school currently has a 97.5 percent attendance rate, which is the same as last year’s rate.
At the high school, last year the attendance rate was 96.3 percent and this year the attendance rate is 96.8 percent.
Spinka later shared the following statistics for this years low income rate:
- 2014-2015 – 38.8 percent
- 2015-2016 – 37 percent
- 2016-2017 – 38.78 percent
- 2017-2018 – 33.06 percent
Spinka concluded that this year had the “lowest number we’ve been at for several years.”
Low income rates are determined by the number of free and reduced lunches in the district.
Following closed session, the board hired Amy Welch as drama director and Susan Hagen as the assistant director.
