Not 1 but 2 vacancies now open on Board of Education

Three weeks after approving the resignation of board member Brady Ring, the Holyoke School District Board of Education approved another resignation Tuesday, June 7, for Summer Kreider.

Just prior to approving her resignation, the board also approved the hiring of Kreider as a JR/SR high school counselor and Homegrown Talent Initiative coordinator for the 2022-23 school year, which is a position recently added to the district.

“Due to my position within the school district, I feel that it is in the best interest for me to no longer serve on the school board. Taking a position within the district is exciting and rewarding for myself and my family,” said Kreider in a letter. “Serving on the school board for the last seven years has been a privilege, both in working with the students and teachers, and also within our community.”

Ring cited not having the appropriate time to devote to the board due to employment in his resignation letter.

At the June 7 meeting, the board approved two resolutions to declare vacancies for Kreider’s and Ring’s positions on the board.

The vacancies will be filled by appointment by the board within 60 days of June 7.

Interested people can pick up an application at the Holyoke School District administration building at 435 S. Morlan Ave. Applications are due to the same location by 2 p.m. Thursday, July 14.

The board will interview some or all prospective candidates Tuesday, July 19, at a public meeting.

To be eligible for appointment, a candidate must be a registered elector of the school district for at least 12 consecutive months prior to the date of appointment. Any person who has been convicted of a sexual offense against a child is ineligible.

The appointees will serve until the next regular school biennial election in November 2023, at which time an election will be held.

In addition to the hiring of Kreider for the counselor/HTI position, the board also approved the hiring of Flor Varela as a JR/SR high English language learner teacher and Spanish teacher for the 2022-23 school year.

Esports pilot program planned for 2 years

Kody Timm was approved as the esports coordinator for the upcoming school year. Holyoke will be adding esports as a pilot program for the next two years to see if it’s a program that should be permanently added to the lineup of activities. However, if the participation is high, it may be added earlier.

Other extra-duty assignments approved June 7 included Karina Davis, assistant drama director; Megan Humphreys, head high school cheerleading coach; Eva Martinez, assistant high school cheerleading coach; and Charlee Kleve, junior high cheerleading coach.

Minibus purchase approved

Superintendent Kyle Stumpf briefed the board on the bus fleet, and later in the meeting, the board approved the purchase of one minibus, not to exceed $80,000.

In looking at the future of the bus fleet, the board considered questions like:

— Does the district need another activity bus?

— What are the sizes of activity buses and are they big enough for some of the sports teams?

— Would a coach bus be useful?

— Should the district add air conditioning to buses?

— What if the district doesn’t find enough qualified bus drivers for routes and activities?

Spring sports recap given

Athletic/Activities Director Corey Koberstein provided the board with a spring sports recap.

Three high school sports included baseball, with 17 players; track and field with 41 participants; and girls golf with 13 athletes.

There were two girls and three boys that took advantage of the dual sport opportunity and participated in two sports this spring.

Junior high track and field had 41 participants.

Koberstein announced that Correy Koellner received All-State honors in track and field, and Tyson Mosenteen was named All-Conference for baseball.

Koberstein said that high school boys golf will begin Aug. 1, and volleyball, football and softball are set for Aug. 8. Junior high fall sports will likely start Aug. 8.

Random drug testing continues at JR/SR high

Angela Powell, JR/SR high school principal, gave an end-of-the-year report on the random drug testing program.

The school district conducted testing from November 2021 to May 2022, testing six students every other week for a total of 103 tests.

About 62% of junior high students and 60% of high school students were in the pool. There were three positive tests, reported Powell.

Other business

At the June 7 meeting, the board:

— Approved the resignation of special education aide Elaina Nygaard, effective May 26.

— Approved summer hires Lizbeth Favela Hermosillo, April Scalzo, Brittany Donnadio, Guadalupe Beltran, Erin Lindholm, Sasha Lopez, Maria Swan, Colbey Stumpf and Landon Bergner.

— Heard an update on open positions.

— Heard an update regarding Chartwells food service.