Board hires Robert Long as DUSD attendance officer
Approves release of Principal Schneider with penalty

By Bruce Whetten

Douglas Dispatch
Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 4:00 PM MDT


Retired Department of Corrections Officer Robert Long was hired as the attendance officer for the Douglas Unified School District at its regular monthly board meeting March 20.


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Long, who began working for the DUSD four months ago as a security guard, will be assisting newly elected Ward 5 City Councilman Luis Greer, in making sure students are attending school and checking in on those who are not.

In other action at the meeting the board met in executive session for 15 minutes before reconvening in open meeting to approve the registration and release of his contract for DHS principal Ralph Schneider who abruptly resigned March 8. The resignation and release of his contract did not come without a penalty however as the board agreed to penalize Schneider $1,500.

The board also approved the adoption for the textbook “History of the United States” for 11th grade students at Douglas High School.

DUSD Business Manager Cesar Soto reported the auction that was held March 17 resulted in $2,122 being brought into the district. The question, he told the board, is now finding out how the district can spend that money without violating any state laws.

The meeting began with students from the 21st Century Program’s cooking class providing a demonstration of what they have learned in their class plus a sample of some of their baked goods which the board willingly accepted and enjoyed.

Board member Dr. Ed Gomez joked these students were welcomed back any time and advised them when the next board meeting would take place.

The board also recognized the Douglas High School Future Educators of America students who placed first, third and fifth at a recent state competition.

Joe Carlson Elementary Principal Cyndy Ortega was also recognized by the board after her school was recently honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with the Energy Star Award which goes to buildings who use 35 percent less energy and generate 35 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than similar buildings across the nation.

During the consent portion of the agenda the board approved the hiring of Stacey Green as the new DHS Bookstore Manager; Fernando Quinonez as the Facilities Coordinator effective July 1, 2012; Karla Campillo-Soto as the Improvement Specialist and Clarissa Forest and Jacqueline Durazo as substitute teachers.

DHS track coach Donna Savill and assistant softball coach Lorena Tapia had their coaches contracts approved after they were left off the June 21, 2011 board meeting agenda.

The next board meeting will take place April 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the board room of the Central Administration Building. The meeting will be open to the public.

 

Comments

    really ... wrote on Apr 8, 2012 6:27 PM:

    " the solar panels are not free! APS has a few programs to help with getting them but in the end they cost money and somewhere there is an expense. Check it out to become informed. "

    Solar wrote on Apr 6, 2012 1:47 PM:

    " The solar panels being installed will work as generators of electricity. They are free and didn't cost the district a cent. People in the community will be seeing reduced costs in electricity that these generators will produce. They are being installed as part of a "Going Green" grant from the electric company. "

    Concern wrote on Apr 3, 2012 4:29 PM:

    " I agree with 'Glad to be Out'about the penalty of resignations.
    Mr.Borane was interim when Mr.Petit left. So thats when some changes started. "

    the problem is ... wrote on Apr 3, 2012 10:55 AM:

    " OOO ... did I strike a nerve? As you may recall Zamar only pretended to be knowledgeable as consultants were constantly hired to do the actual work.

    Blogs are rarely grammatically perfect and I suspect you are a member of the blog police. Please check the ratio of female to male administrators. I think it is out of balance. But this is what you get in a small town. "

    To The Problem Is... wrote on Apr 3, 2012 7:04 AM:

    " First buy a dictionary so you can learn to spell and punctuate, second you have no idea how a school district runs, third you have no sense of history. Superintendent Rogers is a mild mannered woman who is very strong in "her decisions." She does not have to rant and rave to prove her strength, Assistant Lopez is an intelligent woman with much experience in the district but more important an avid educator as is Rogers. There is no kingdom to run, only a school district with a School Board who is in charge. We have solid leadership, Zamar also was a good leader, and had nothing to do with the hiring of the Superintendent so why you say "good old girls club" is a very stupid statement. These are very well educated, prepared, and experienced women. Just be thankful we have an administration that is an advocacy for children and education. If you have an ax to grind then run for school board although by your writing I am sure you would not qualify! "

    the problem is ... wrote on Apr 2, 2012 8:50 AM:

    " The problem is that Rogers is week. the school board are followers and not leaders and b lopez is running the school as her own kingdom. We can thank zamar for installing the good ole girls club! "

    Glad to be Out of Douglas wrote on Mar 30, 2012 1:44 PM:

    " Mr. Schneider is going to be assessed a penalty for his resignation? Why wasn't Leanne Marston/Bowley (whatever she's calling herself these days) assessed the same penalty when she resigned? If I remember correctly, Mr. Hoyak was upset with the board's decision to waive the penalty for her. The Douglas board should familiarize itself with a basic tenet of education; namely, "be firm, fair, and consistent." "

    Wrong Info wrote on Mar 29, 2012 11:48 PM:

    " It's not a "roof" they are solar panels. And the district didn't pay any money for them. They will provide energy for the high school. "

    To the Student wrote on Mar 29, 2012 1:37 PM:

    " Although the schools might not have all the items needed to give a proper education it is refreshing to see a current student standing up for what is right! You are not alone in your disappointment with the decisions made "for" this district. It is hard for the proper decisions to be made in this good ol' boy system. Hopefully if enough people/students like you stand up with the rest of the public, things will change for the better! "

    Student wrote on Mar 29, 2012 9:01 AM:

    " I believe that the district should stop wasting money on things that we dont need. I believe that there is no reason as of to why DHS is roofing the parking lot... while we need more educational sources inside classrooms. This also affects the whole community; of course property taxes are going to go up. Dissappointed. "

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