During a brief meeting Monday, school board members in Ely made a series of personnel-related moves.
Some were related to budget cuts already authorized earlier in the year, although the list included a pair of retirements.
Longtime elementary teacher Nancy Preblich submitted her retirement notice, announcing she’ll resign from her fourth-grade teaching post.
The district will also have a new school nurse in 202526, following the resignation of Kathy Champa from that part-time position.
The board also made two moves that were linked to the roughly $455,000 in budget cuts approved last month.
Middle school teacher Nicole Roy’s position was reduced from 1.0 to 0.6 fulltime equivalent, while the board also placed Spanish teacher Suzanne Zobitz on unrequested leave in the amount of 0.2 FTE.
Zobitz’s position was cut from 1.0 to 0.8 FTE for next year.
The cuts made by the district reduced staff in both the elementary and middle/high school buildings, and come amid continued declines in student enrollment and higher expenditures.
Washington Elementary School will have one teacher for a 24-member kindergarten class and both the 28-member third grade and 34-member fourth grade are cut to a single section, with a “floating” teacher working in both grades in core math and English subject areas.
The board also reviewed the latest enrollment numbers during an approximately 20-minute meeting.
Enrollment has not changed since last month and remains at 512 students, with 326 in the Memorial (grades 6-12) and 186 in the Washington (K-5).
As recently as 2017, the district had 598 students enrolled in grades K-12, but that number has since tumbled.
In other business the board:
• Heard that the Phase II Completion Project was set for a final walk-through on May 14, starting a one-year warranty on the various improvements.
• Was briefed about athletic facility improvements, including bathroom renovations at the baseball field.
• Approved both the Memorial and Washington schedules for 2025-26.
• Entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Ely Educational Association, related to both LEGO League and Robotics.
• Received and reviewed a quarterly report from Ely Community Resource, with chairperson Rochelle Sjoberg lauding the agency for the many programs and services it provides for area youth
• Accepted the donation of an exercise bike from Jayne Dusich for the school’s weight room.
