Charlo seeks to fill vacant trustee position
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For the past six months, the Charlo School Board has been searching to fill a vacant seat on the board since long-standing board members Shannon O’Brien Murphy and Rhiannon Liberty resigned from their positions. The board still has one position to fill, but failed attempts have prompted them to give Dixon residents one final opportunity to step up and fill the spot before possibly reducing the Dixon number of trustees from two to one by filling the spot with another trustee from Charlo.
“We’re going to wait and see what happens,” Charlo Superintendent Paul Jenkins said.
Decker was present at the regularly scheduled meeting Feb. 21 to give trustees the history on how the two school districts set up trustees and how time has changed the need for two representatives. According to Decker, in 1976, two Dixon trustees were needed due to the large number of high school students that were coming from Dixon to Charlo. The rule was that one trustee must reside north of the Jocko River, and the other south of the Jocko.
As time went on, the Old Agency closed, and the population of Dixon began to drop, along with the number of students commuting from Dixon to Charlo High School. This year, there are only four students from Dixon enrolled at Charlo, with a student/trustee ratio of one trustee for two students. To balance the ratio, around 20 students from Dixon would be necessary.
“It’s an imbalance for representation,” Jenkins said. Trustees agreed to try once more to fill the Dixon positions before the May 8 school board election.
“(We should) try between now and the board elections to see if someone will fill the position,” school board chairperson Dianna Kelley said. “If not, we’ll get back to Gale and see what happens. I’d like to give them one last chance. I see good things happening with these kids with that school.”
“I want to stress the good working relationship we have with Dixon; we want to keep it that way,” Jenkins noted.
In new business, trustees were presented with principal and athletic contracts for the 2012-13 school year. Trustees didn’t negotiate salary or contract terms at the meeting, but instead discussed re-hiring for Charlo High School Principal Steve Love and athletic director Clair Rasmussen. Love’s intent to be hired was unanimously approved, but trustees wanted to review the job description of the athletic director position before making a decision.
“I’ve heard things - complaints of lack of communication with scheduling,” Trustee Shane Reum said. “Last year it was the ‘last year;’ maybe it’s time.”
“It’s not a very popular position,” Trustee Duane Weible added.
Trustees discussed how difficult it may be to find someone else to take on the job, as it would be a time issue for an existing teacher or coach, requiring at least two periods a day to dedicate to coordinating dates and travel arrangements. They also discussed the possibility of favoritism if a new AD were also a coach. Trustees agreed to look at the AD contract before they revisit the action item at the next regularly scheduled meeting March 20.
