Administrative positions filled at H-M-S

The administrative team at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School is complete following the hiring of two principals on Monday.

Ashley Benz will be the new principal at H-M-S Elementary. Currently an instructional coach in the district, she will succeed Cathy Jochims, who is retiring at the end of the school year.

The middle school will welcome Corey Ramsey as its principal next year. He is currently the special education department chair at Williams Intermediate School in the Davenport Community School District. Current middle school Principal Mark Dorhout has accepted a teaching position with the Panorama Community School.

According to Superintendent Patrick Carlin, the new principals have qualities that are important to the district.

"They are very collaborative and team-oriented," he said. "They want to connect the community with the educational process."

With their backgrounds, the new principals bring experience that should fit in well with the rest of the administrative team.

• Additional resignations, contracts

Several resignations were accepted during the meeting. Those include: Danielle Kleinhesselink, first grade; Megan Behrendt, elementary special education; Ashley Skalsky, high school math; Isaac Skalsky and Makenzie Wolter, high school science; Emily Serr, elementary secretary; Russ Spier, assistant middle school softball coach; Kyle Borchers, assistant high school/middle school cross country coach; and Tom Lidiak, assistant high school boys' basketball coach.

Contracts were then issued to the following teachers: Abby Dulin, high school Spanish; Kyle Johnson, high school math; Jennifer Nassif, preschool (part time); Courtney Rehder, kindergarten; and Lauren Waltz, third grade.

Additional contracts were approved for: Briana Biery, high school student council advisor; Kyle Johnson, high school speech coach; Kyle Borchers, head cross country coach; Kirsten Noska, high school girls' track coach; Russ Spier, middle school softball coach; and Steve Waechter, middle school track coach.

Carlin said the preschool position is necessary due to increased enrollment. The middle school track coaching position is needed as a result of the number of participants.

Reasons for the loss of several staff members include a desire to move closer to family or because a position opened in their home community.

Finding replacements, especially classroom teachers, is a challenge.

"Actually, for the administrative positions we had more applicants than we did for teachers," Carlin said.

• Levy rate to decrease in FY22

The board also approved the certified budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1. The proposed property tax rate per $1,000 taxable valuation is $13.09834. That represents a decrease of approximately 11 cents from the current rate.

A review of tax rates shows that H-M-S's proposed levy was $11.79 in 2018-19. In 2019-20 it increased $1.50 due to the bond issue that was approved in April of 2018. The current rate of $13.20 represents a decrease of nine cents from the prior year.

Carlin said a couple of factors led to the decrease in the proposed tax rate.

"The primary one is valuations are going up. That's a big factor, for sure," he said. "We've also been able to manage things well."

During the meeting, Carlin explained that the certified budget is not the operating budget. The latter is the plan that governs the district's actual spending.