Remote learning policy would help reduce snow days at LCC
LAUREL – Days off, early dismissals and late starts due to winter weather in January forced the incorporation of another school day into the calendar and the approval of remote learning in the future.
The Laurel-Concord-Coleridge School Board added in Feb. 19 as a day to be in school and make up some of the instructional hours lost to an abundance of snow days, said Superintendent Jeremy Christiansen.
At its meeting last week, the board also approved a new remote learning policy to allow flexibility if significant weather results in school delays or cancellations in the future, he said.
According to the new policy read and approved on the first reading, remote learning should only be used in rare circumstances when school cannot be in session over an extended period, in the event of a series of school cancellations, or when students are physically unable to attend school.
No other adjustments were made to the 2023-24 school calendar at the board meeting but the matter may come up again at next month’s meeting, he said.
In other business, the school board approved a $50,000 bid to repaint and refinish the two gym floors at the Laurel campus.
Due to varied and extended use of the two gyms throughout the campus construction project, both have experienced wear and damage.
Typically, the gym floors at all campuses are refinished annually but regular maintenance was not able to be accomplished at the Laurel campus for the past two summers, Christiansen said.
Court Floors, based in Battle Creek, will repair, sand, repaint and refinish both gym floors this summer. The work will take about 20 days with an additional two weeks to cure. Work is expected to start in late May or early June.
In other school news, contracts were renewed and resignations accepted.
Christiansen’s contract was approved for two years with a three percent increase in total salary and benefits. His base salary for the first year of the contract is $143,980.
The board also renewed contracts for the three school principals: Diane Hanel, high school; Mark Leonard, middle school; and Keri Hart, elementary school, with a nearly three percent increase in compensation and benefits.The base salary for each of the principal positions were set at $88,280.
The board also approved a contract for Quin Conner, the district’s director of activities and transportation, with a three percent increase to land at a salary of $69,452.
The board accepted three resignations: Meghan Brandow, third grade; Alex McKamy, seventh and eighth grade Math; and Hailey Osantowski, middle school special education and Family & Consumer Science.
The next school board meeting is set for 7 p.m., Monday, March 11, at the Laurel campus.