The Wrangell School Board met in open session on Monday, May 21 to work on a number of action items and to accept a change in coaching personnel for a Wolves athletic team.
Before action was taken on any items, however, Wrangell resident Steven Cole spoke to the board about his desire to see credits required for graduation lowered from 26, as Wrangell requires, to 21 as the State of Alaska requires.
“You guys, by adopting the higher graduation credits, instead of letting the State of Alaska dictate them, you own the outcomes, good and bad,” Cole said. “Wrangell is really stretching itself by not sticking to the graduation credits of 21.”
Cole has been battling the board in recent weeks over a decision not to let one of his sons graduate early from Wrangell High School. His son, a junior at WHS, has earned enough credits to graduate based on the state’s 21-credit minimum, but was denied early graduation by the district.
After the meeting, principal Monty Buness commented on the district’s requirements for early graduation.
“A student wanting to graduate early must have a 3.3 GPA, an admittance letter from a college, and 18 credits by the first day of their junior year,” Buness said.
During the student presentation portion of the meeting, WHS students Jessica Smith and Calleigh Miller showed slides to the board about their recent Shakes Glacier survey trip.
The group, which included student Robert Marshall, used a pair of cameras, a survey trimble, reflectors, and a GPS device to map the face and contour of the glacier.
“It was scary up there,” Smith said. “We heard thunder out there and it was an interesting weather day.”
Miller added that their research discovered a change in the makeup of the glacier.
“We went there to find out how much the glacier has changed over the years,” Miller added “We also found data from a long time ago, compared it, and we discovered that it has melted a lot.”
WHS principal Monty Buness informed the board that recent elections for the 2013 student government saw Mikayla Stokes elected as student body president, with Robbie Marshall elected as vice president.
In new business, the board unanimously approved the Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Revision, which will see local revenue increase by $7,000, and student activity revenue increased by $4,500. Expenditures also went up in the revision with $4,200 added for the purchase of Superintendent Rich Rhodes’ vacation days, an increase of $2,000 for extra help in the high school office, an additional $1,873 to cover travel costs, and a $40,000 line item increase possible if all monies currently under the Alaska Learning Network fund are spent.
The board also approved an assistive technology grant to put iPads in the hands of special needs students in the district, a fresh fruit and vegetable program grant, a K-12 tobacco prevention grant application, and an application for the Alaska Pre-Kindergarten Program grant.
The resignation of WHS baseball coach Scott McAuliffe was accepted by the board, with Rory Prunella named as the new head coach for the Wolves and Peter Wilson named as his assistant.
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