SWEDEBORG, Mo. (April 13, 2010) — While most of Tuesday night’s board reorganizational meeting of the Swedeborg R-III School District was dedicated to public comments, the board did address other matters as well.
Since the board meeting was the first since the April 6 election, members had to vote in new officers. Board members re-elected Jaimie Alexander as board president and Chris Black as vice-president, with school secretary Susan Hand re-appointed as board secretary and Lucas Gibson as treasurer.
However, that didn’t happen before board members had to decide how to handle a tie vote in the election between incumbent board member Greg Black and challenger Libby Poulson, both of whom received 89 votes. Judy Moss, who was appointed to fill an unexpired term, was easily elected with 108 votes. Black and Poulson agreed to have the election decided by a coin toss, and Black won re-election by choosing “tails.”
Despite the district’s dire financial condition, District Administrator Joe Dunlop said it should be possible not only to retain but also to expand the school’s basketball program, which went from six games last year to 22 this year.
“We are looking for the potential of a similar season next year. It is an extremely cost-effective program for our school because we have a volunteer coaching staff and so we don’t have any sort of salary that affects that at all; the only thing we have is incidental fees such as transportation fees, and that’s it,” Dunlop said.
The district also held a sports banquet to honor players and cheerleaders, he said.
In other business:
• Mike Freeman, general manager of the Sellers-Sexton car dealership, presented a $100 “teacher of the quarter” check to Katelynn Land, a first-year teacher who teaches seventh- and eighth-grade students.
• Dunlop announced that the Swedeborg preschool will have to close next year to save money for the district and avoid ending a Title I tutoring program for students who need extra help.
