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Public voices support for wrestling at Charles City school board meeting

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Several members of the public came out to voice their support for the Charles City High School wrestling program at the school board meeting on Monday.

“I think sports in our schools is very important,” John Lawrence, the parent of a wrestler, said to the board. “It’s a great character-builder. We’ve got three great coaches, and we have about 25 wrestlers, and maybe we can get more. Coaches motivate our children, and that’s what we need.”

Superintendent Dan Cox presented at the Feb. 26 board meeting a list of 19 ways the district could cut spending by up to $498,000, as the district is anticipating the need for about $575,000 in cost reductions for 2018-19 due to declining enrollment and reductions in state aid.

The school board has already cut the budget by nearly $325,000 through the approval of early retirement for 10 teachers and staff members, leaving nine more items Cox would like the board to consider.

Those items include freezing administration salaries, cost-sharing of communications services with another school district, reducing insurance costs, savings through reduction in the discretionary budget, reducing the elementary staff by one teacher, reducing the middle school volleyball staffs by two assistant coaches, reducing the high school basketball staff by one coach and reducing the varsity wrestling staff by one coach.

Cox predicts the list of nine potential actions could save the district nearly $175,000.

It was the potential loss of a wrestling coach that received the most attention from the public at the meeting  Monday.

“I’m a former coach myself,” said Cox. “There is nothing anti-wrestling with this, this is a budget thing, and it’s a recommendation from the board, and ultimately they’ll make the final decision.”

A handful of wrestling parents and even a few wrestlers took the opportunity to address the board about the issue.

“Coach (Ryan) Fank is a coach who teaches both wrestling and life skills,” said sophomore wrestler Jack Sindlinger. “I can only hope to be like coach Fank when I am older.”

The financial savings of reducing one wrestling coach is expected to be $5,999. With the reduction, the high school wrestling staff would consist of one head coach and one assistant coach.

Charles City had 18 high school wrestlers out for the sport this year, which included five seniors. If all 12 eighth-graders were to go out for wrestling next year, there would be an expected 25 wrestlers out for the sport.

“Every single one of us wants what’s best for the kids here,” said Matt Sindlinger, a wrestling parent and former Comet wrestler. “Maybe we should look at other ways of doing things first, before we come to cutting teachers.”

Cox recommended final action on the proposed reductions be pushed back to the April 9 meeting, so that the board may better study the issue. He said that he has recently learned of some things that could potentially generate more revenue for the district.

In other business Monday, the school board received an update on projected costs associated with items requested by teachers, coaches and community members over the past month regarding the high school modernization plan.

The total of amount for the requested items, which included items such as a bigger weight room, locker rooms, an orchestra pit and fly space for the new auditorium would come to between $3 million and $3.5 million.

“That’s a pretty significant number to talk about,” said board President Jason Walker. “It’s really important that everyone who has a feeling or thought about it weigh in, so we can better understand what things the people of the community think are the most important.

“Input from the community is important. Ultimately, without 60 percent voter approval, we don’t get anything,” Walker said, referring to the percentage needed to pass a bond referendum.

In other action Monday, the board:

• Unanimously approved the budget guarantee resolution, which will levy property tax for fiscal year 2018-19 for the regular program budget amendment. The budget guarantee is available for districts with declining enrollment to guarantee funding does not drop below 101 percent of the regular program budget for the next fiscal year.

• Unanimously approved joint operation of the local cable access channel with the city, the Chamber and Community Revitalization.

• Reviewed the 2018-19 tentative budget, presented to the board by Business Manager Terri O’Brien. The budget will be presented at the March 26 meeting, when a public hearing date will be set.

• Unanimously approved the resignation of Amanda Achenbach, special education instructor and middle school track coach, effective at the end of the school year.

• Unanimously approved the appointments of Cady Mead, 8-12 family consumer science teacher, and Shari Bender, 8-12 German teacher.

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