The Salem Community High School Board Monday night agreed to a ‘social probation’ program for students with a high number of unexcused absences.
Superintendent Dr. Brad Detering says the penalties are spelled out in a student handbook change.
“We know since the pandemic that student attendance is down and we need ways to try to encourage kids to be in school. The biggest indicator of a student’s success is their attendance in school. So hopefully by limiting their unexcused absences they have, by limiting also then them attending extra curricular activities like ball games, theater productions, music concerts, prom and homecoming hopefully that will be more incentive for kids to attend school.”
Detering says another handbook change will control the delivery of lunch to students.
“The strain it puts on office staff, the potential it has for increased traffic in the main office as a potential security risk. Just felt it was just in everyone’s best interest if we were to curtail or limit that in certain ways.”
In other action, the board agreed to purchase the bus barn property they have been leasing at 101 West Sanger Street for $45,000. Detering says the building needs work, which will be completed by the school’s construction class.
Detering reported the summer floor and stair tread replacement projects along with locker improvements are on schedule and should be completed before the start of school in August.
The board held a public hearing and then approved the amended budget. Detering is pleased the education fund ended the year $74,306 in the black. The building fund finished $792,714 in the red as anticipated as the school district is using surplus money in the fund to pay for last year’s $2-million cafeteria improvement project. The Transportation Fund finished $117,556 in the black largely as a result of a new small extra-curricular bus not yet being delivered.
The board approved some pay increases. Non-certified personnel not covered under contract for the coming school year will see a 4.5-percent increase. Substitute teacher pay will increase to $130 per day. Starting bus driver route pay will be $22.50 per hour.
In personnel news, the board accepted the resignation of Melissa Cantrell as girl’s golf coach and named Connor Brooks to replace her. John Randolph resigned as assistant musical director of the spring play. The board hired Katelyn Green as family consumer science teacher.
