Ledger-Dispatch

By Jenifer Gee (jgee@ledger-dispatch.com)=20

Air Pollution Control District = Inspector George=20 Bartich and school district board member Terry Porray check out a = new=20 school bus complete with seat belts and a more environmentally = conscience=20 motor.

Photo by: Jenifer Gee

Several students received Musical = Excellence=20 Awards at Wednesday night's school board meeting. Back row, from = left,=20 Evan O'Hara, John Johnson, Jacey Mayronne and Burlie Fisher. Front = row,=20 from left, Sam Price, Penny Veline and Taylor Morlan.

Photo by: Jenifer=20 Gee
Superintendent Mike Carey gave the = school board=20 an $80,000 guarantee, and the district's financial department received a = pat on=20 the back after a positive audit report Wednesday night.

The = school board=20 approved a home-to-school transportation fee schedule for the 2008-09 = school=20 year, which puts into action a plan that was proposed to the board a = little more=20 than six months ago.

Carey told the board that one of the driving = forces=20 behind charging students to ride the bus is to eliminate the = transportation=20 department's encroachment on the general fund. The goal is to keep more = money in=20 the general fund for educational programs. Carey estimates that, at a = minimum,=20 the fees will bring in $80,000 for the department with a little more = than=20 $200,000 being the projected high.

The highest fee charges will = be $270=20 for a family with three or more children if they pay after Aug. 10 for = one=20 school year. On the lower end, some students will qualify to ride for = free or=20 reduced rates.

When it came time to approve the fee schedule for = the=20 upcoming school year, five of the seven board members voted in favor it, = with=20 board members P.J. Karnaze and David Dutra voting against the motion. = Staff=20 still has outstanding questions to answer before the fee will be=20 implemented.

Earlier in the meeting, following a slew of awards = presented=20 to several stand-out students in the county, the district's auditor, = Stephen=20 Roatch, said he wished he could issue an award of his own to the = district for=20 having a drastically improved financial status.

While = highlighting the=20 2006-07 audit report, Roatch praised the district for several = improvements. "The=20 report is very positive and far improved from the prior fiscal year," = Roatch=20 told the board.

Following Roatch's report, Terry Dasno, = president of=20 Classified Chapter 239, which represents classified employees in the = district,=20 asked if the positive report meant the district would be able to give = teachers=20 another raise in the future.

Roatch responded that it was an = uncertainty=20 at this time. He said the district's reserve money was stable for now, = due to=20 anticipated future strains from a disconcerting state budget. =

The board=20 eventually granted its unanimous approval of the report.

What = board=20 members initially thought was a done deal turned out to still be a hot = button=20 issue when it came time to approve a multi-year school = schedule.

The=20 agenda item called for the board to approve the school calendars for = 2008=20 through 2010. While the 2008 schedule didn't create unrest, it was the = absence=20 of the week-long October break in 2009 and 2010 that caused = representatives from=20 teacher's unions to let the board know that an agreement had not yet = been=20 made.

Amador County Teacher's Association President Mike Delaney = said=20 teachers didn't have enough time to meet and vote on the new multi-year = schedule=20 and he knew that many teachers were upset that students would go 14 = weeks into=20 the school year with only two days of vacation.

Some board = members could=20 not hide their surprise as they initially thought negotiations were = settled on=20 an item that seemed to need quick approval.

"There was quite a = bit of=20 time there for a meeting to be moved up, and if you did not do that then = I'm=20 sorry for you," Walser told Delaney at the meeting.

"I beg to = differ,"=20 Delaney responded. "You're wrong Mary, we didn't have enough=20 time."

Walser countered that her experience in education had = taught her=20 that when people want a meeting, they call a meeting. After Delaney = again=20 responded, Walser ended the debate by saying, "I'm not going to get in = an=20 argumentative mode right now. I'm backing off."

Shortly after, = board=20 member Karl Knobelauch called for a motion to pull all three calendars = from the=20 agenda until the matter was resolved.

The motion was approved 6-1 = with=20 Walser dissenting. At the end of the meeting, Walser asked for the board = and=20 some district staff to return to closed session for about 10 minutes to = discuss=20 the calendar.

Jenifer = Gee