Webutuck High School loses four teachers

WEBUTUCK —  While the district is set to hire new school principals to replace Michael O’Neil of the elementary school and Kenneth Sauer of the high school, it is now faced with the challenge of replacing four high school teachers.

At Monday’s Board of Education meeting, board President Dale Culver said that three high school teachers have resigned in the last two weeks and one has taken an extended leave of absence.

While members of the board would not reveal the names of the teachers, district Superintendent Richard Johns said that this school year has been “horrible� for teacher resignations.

“These last two weeks have been nuts with resignations coming in and making sure classrooms are covered the first day of school,� Johns said. “We have the most open-ended contractual situation with our teachers. People can literally quit the day before school starts with no repercussions whatsoever.�

He said that the district should try to hire more “renaissance� teachers who are certified in more than one area.

The board did not address the resignations directly during the meeting. An executive session was held after the public session to address personnel matters.

Contract negotiations with the Webutuck Teacher’s Association have been ongoing, and Johns said at a previous meeting that negotiations have reached a stalemate. No further updates on negotiations were made at Monday’s meeting.

In other business, Culver said that the district will announce at Monday’s board meeting a replacement for outgoing Webutuck  and Amenia Elementary Schools Principal Michael O’Neil.

O’Neil left the district in June to accept a position at a rural school in Vermont.

On Tuesday morning, District Clerk Therese Trotter said that at the same meeting, a replacement may be named for Webutuck High School Principal Kenneth Sauer.

Sauer sent his resignation to the board in early July, but his letter of resignation was not accepted at the meeting.

Although his resignation was not accepted at Monday’s meeting, it is on the agenda to be accepted at the board’s next business meeting, set for Aug. 13.

Superintendent Johns submitted his annual state of the district report to the board, and said that he was concerned with the district’s budget.

“The heavy reliance on fund equity in this year’s budget will undoubtedly result in exaggerated stress on next year’s budget,� he wrote in the report. “One [cannot] think that the much promised state school funding restructuring promises are anything more than rain dances.�

At the meeting, Johns said the district will try to implement an assessment system in order to help students with their learning.

“We are not going to try to retain kids, we are not going to try to socially promote kids, we are going to help kids as they go through the curriculum,� he said. “If they don’t get it the first time through, we are going to do things so they get it in real time. We are not going to wait until summer, we are not going to wait until next year.�

The next Board of Education meeting will be held at the Webutuck High School library on Monday, Aug. 13, at 7:30 p.m.

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