MULBERRY GROVE BOARD OF EDUCATION DEALS WITH FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES AND ADOPTS ELEMENTARY CELL PHONE POLICY
The Mulberry Grove Unit 1 Board of Education met recently. The board faces some possibly major financial difficulties due to lack of state funding. Superintendent Mike Gauch reported that the second categorical state aid payment was received but it arrived July 1, too late to be included in the fiscal year 2010 budget. The money will be reflected in the new budget. Gauch anticipates a budget with the transportation fund $150,000.00 - $180,000.00 in the red and the education fund $10,000.00 in the hole. He added the operations and maintenance fund is broke and the working cash balance is down about $40,000.00. Gauch said he is worried about the future but that the Unit 1 District will still be okay and using reserves.
The board approved elementary and high school handbook changes for the 2010-2011 school year. A cell phone policy is now in place for the Mulberry Grove Elementary School. The new policy includes, but is not limited to, cell phones, pagers, MP3 players, and other personal communication devices which might be disruptive in the classroom. The policy includes penalties for possession of these items. For the first offense, the item will be taken to the office where the student may pick it up at the end of the day. For the second offense, the student may still pick up the item and a parent or guardian will be called. The third and subsequent offenses require the parent or guardian to pick up the item at the office and the student will be assigned an after-school detention with the principal. Two changes were approved for the high school handbook. The district now requires four credits of Language Arts for graduation, the current state requirement for the subject. The other change is in regard to a student’s adequate progress. To participate in school events such as prom, homecoming, and field trips, students must now be passing a minimum of twenty credit hours per week, not including PE or Driver’s Ed, and have no out-of-school suspensions for the school year. This matches the IHSA requirement for student athletes to compete in interscholastic contests.
RAMPART RANGE OPEN HOUSE
Rampart Range, an indoor shooting facility in Pocahontas, is having a grand opening
this Saturday, July 24 from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. There will be free giveaways with no purchase necessary and tours of the facility. Free gun rentals and free food will be offered during the grand opening.
The 7,500 square foot building has ten shooting lanes and a filtered air system. Each person has side protection with their own circuit controls and lighting systems. There is also a large classroom that seats up to twenty people. Basic handgun and rifle courses as well as advanced courses are available.
Rampart Range is located at 800 W. Johnson St. in Pocahontas behind Schuster Repair. For more information, contact Range Master Mark Owensby at 669-2401.
