Skip to main content

Help wanted

Subhead
Five resignations leave H-BC in search of seven teachers for 2021-22 school year
By
Mavis Fodness

Officials with the Hills-Beaver Creek School District are seeking seven teachers before the start of the 2021-22 school year on Sept. 7.
As of Monday night, two of the six positions are filled.
The H-BC board approved the hiring of Danielle Kneip and Lydia Hildebrandt as elementary teachers for the 2021-22 school year.
At their May 10 meeting, board members accepted the resignations of two teachers — Jeanette Vanden Hoek, 25 years at the secondary school in science, and Diane Vanden Hoek, 31 years at the elementary in second grade.
Current sixth-grade teacher Renee Edmundson was approved to transfer to the elementary school to fill Diane Vanden Hoek’s position.
District officials are seeking to fill the middle school position and the K-12 art instructor.
“No applicants,” is what Superintendent Todd Holthaus said for the art instructor.
At Monday’s board meeting, the board accepted the resignation of secondary teacher Nora Wysong effective at the end of 2020-21 school year. Band instructor Steve Olson’s resignation was also accepted.
They also accepted the resignation of Steve Wiertzema as teacher/athletic director at the end of the current school year.
Bus drivers are also needed in the district as driver Ron Rauk’s resignation was accepted by the board Monday.
Filling the open positions may be a challenge for the rural district, which has 375 K-12 students.
Holthaus said a report released through the Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board continues to show a decline in people entering the education profession.
The report indicates not only are there fewer new teachers, 10 percent of them exit within the first five years on the job.
“Rural schools articulated a greater difficultly and impact of the shortage compared to suburban and urban districts,” concluded the Minnesota Rural Education Association in a recently released report.
 
In other business from Monday’s meeting, the H-BC board:
•assigned Angie Hageman as summer 2021 extended school year speech/language teacher, and Samantha McGaffee as summer 2021 extended school year special education teacher and as summer office assistant.
•set the secondary advisory period coordinator position at $1,200 for the upcoming school year.
•directed the business manager to sell or dispose of miscellaneous kitchen equipment as excess property.
•accepted the resignation of paraprofessional Drew Carver, effective at the end of the school year.

You must log in to continue reading. Log in or subscribe today.