ST. IGNATIUS — Among items on the June 16 meeting agenda, the St. Ignatius Board of Education approved an application for $32,000 in stimulus money through Quick Start energy grants.

The grant program funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is distributed through the Montana Department of Commerce’s Montana Quality Schools Facility Grant Program. Superintendent Gerry Nolan confirmed that the district was getting in on the first wave of the grant program’s stimulus funding with roughly $15 million available and about $5 million already allocated statewide.

The $32,000 available in this first wave of funding must be spent by Sept. 30, which means St. Ignatius will not be able to fit the much needed $144,000 boiler heating system for the elementary school into this year’s funding. An items on the list “green” facilities improvement projects is  new, more energy efficient, windows in every school entrance in the district.

Nolan said a second wave of funding in the grant program is expected with a deadline of September 2010, providing another opportunity to receive aid in funding the anticipated new boiler.

“Talking to the Quick Start grant people it appears that there’s hardly any other B or C schools applying for the money,” Nolan said, adding that the small district was tapping premium funding opportunities.

District testing

Elementary School Principal Tammy Demien and Middle School/High School Principal Jason Sargent reported to the board recently received results from MontCAS assessment testing in the district. Demien reported that the elementary school did a lot better while the data is preliminary and too early to say whether the school made Adequate Yearly Progress — the yard stick for determining if a school is meeting with No Child Left Behind Act conditions.

“We’re going to be real close this year,” Demien said. “Across the board student after student improved.”

Superintendent Nolan explained to the board that reading and math scores in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade improved while the number of students on the bottom line decreased.

The tone of the middle school/high school’s report was not as light, as Sargent reported slumping math scores and consistent but stagnant reading test results.

“We beat everybody in the valley in 2007, but now we have some work to do as for the first time in eight years we didn’t make the improvement you’d like to see,” Sargent said. “There are some things across the board that we need to take a good look at in the middle school/high school.”

The principal promised to turn the tide an improve scores by next year, adding that the numbers are just a broad picture of what is happening in the schools and problems will be looked at with a fine tooth and comb analysis in the coming months to determine what improvements and changes are necessary.

Teacher hiring grievance

The board also held a grievance hearing for a current district teacher who had been denied a transfer to a kindergarten teaching position. Montana teacher’s union representative Tom Gigstad argued that even though the teacher was qualified and recommended by a hiring committee the board wrongly denied her the job based upon the superintendent’s aside suggestion that neither of the primary two candidates  were the “right fit” for the job.

School district attorney Elizabeth Kaleva argued that the board had the ultimate authority to accept or reject the committee’s recommendation and deny a candidate the job. Following the hearing the board unanimously voted to deny the teacher’s grievance.

“I feel confident supporting our administration’s recommendation,” board chairwoman Maxine Whitson said.

District funding

Superintendent Nolan reported that the budget review to date showed that this year’s $5.5 million budget is coming in under budget,  with the district having the ability to carry some of the funds to reduce 2009-10 budget.

“When we get to June 30 we should be under budget and that’s a good thing, because it will help us build a budget next year,” Nolan said. “You can attribute that to our staff being good stewards of the taxpayers money.”

Nolan reported that the revenue side of the general fund of $2.8 million for the district is expected to see a $16,000 increase in 2009-10 as the expenditure side of the picture will be reviewed soon. The superintendent added that the district will see the biggest increase in Title I grant funding by $46,000 in 2009-10.

Nolan explained that the district has used 100 percent of the general fund in the past to cover payroll and impact funds to pay for school programs. The superintendent said that some of the title I money could be used for programs, freeing up impact aid money to help cover some of the needed facilities improvements’ costs.

“It’s an opportunity,” Nolan said.

In other school board news:

• Steve McCollum announced that the $28,480 renovation project for the district’s tennis courts began on June 16.

• Summer school is underway with about 30 elementary students and 20 high school students in session each day. Nolan said 18 students have completed and gained credit in the first two weeks of the session.

The next school board meeting will be held at the district office at the newly set time of 7 p.m. on July 21, followed by meetings on Aug. 11 and Sept. 15.