Seeley Lake Elementary School Board
SEELEY LAKE – The Seeley Lake Elementary School board approved setting up a tuition fund at their Jan. 15 meeting. They also accepted junior high teacher Duane Schlabach’s resignation effective Feb. 22 after he accepted a position with the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) as their Chief Data Analyst.
SLE Superintendent Chris Stout explained the tuition fund allows a school to pay another school, with the facilities or staffing, to educate the student if they require instruction beyond which OPI and the state law considers within the scope of what the school can offer. The fund is administered through OPI and is funded through a permissive levy.
“That is great if you are in Missoula and you have a school that is a mile down the road and you can pay the $10,000 tuition and send the student there,” said Stout who added this option isn’t feasible for Seeley Lake families that would have to have their child transported to Missoula.
However, the tuition fund now allows the fund to be accessed to provide additional services within the school. Since state law requires SLE to accept students with a diagnosed disability at age three, this would be an alternative revenue source instead of paying for these additional services out of the general fund.
Stout told the Board they have to open the fund and then request money for each individual student outlining for OPI the services requested and why that is above and beyond what is expected.
The Board unanimously approved establishing a tuition fund that would help support special education positions and resources.
Junior high teacher Duane Schlabach said when he applied for the chief data analyst job with OPI in December he didn’t expect the hiring process to move so quickly. After being offered the position he was told they wanted him to start by March 4 because of all the testing data that comes in.
Schlabach spoke to Stout about terminating his contract.
“It is not like we hired someone and two months later Missoula offered them their job and they turned their back on us. We have had him for eight years, he has turned down other opportunities and has accumulated 90 days of sick leave because he is never absent,” said Stout. “When I looked at the situation that is what went through my mind. My recommendation is to approve it.”
Chair Todd Johnson said that he is happy for him and wants to support him if that is what he wants to do but was concerned about setting a precedent.
“This is the exception not the rule,” said Johnson. “If it works for you and you are happy and we can help you, then we are more than glad to see anyone chase their dreams or improve themselves. We just can’t do this in every circumstance.”
The board unanimously approved Schlabach’s resignation. His last day will be Feb. 22. Stout said he has three options that will work for the rest of the year but he is still working on the details.
This is the second teacher resignation this school year. Third grade teacher Kelsi Luhnow, who currently is studying in South America and had an approved sabbatical for the year, resigned her position in December. She took a job as a fourth grade teacher in Cali, Colombia. She taught at SLE for nine years. In her resignation letter she wrote she was forever grateful for the experiences she had at SLE and it was a privilege to serve the community and its children.
In other business
• The Board approved the election and advertising for two trustee positions that will be open in May and a possible general fund levy. The General Fund Levy would need to be approved at another meeting.
• Brett Haines was hired as the SLE girls basketball coach. Mike McGrew and Darren Zellman were hired as the assistant ski coaches.
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