Cliff Buchan
News Editor

Students in grades 7-12 can now enroll in Spanish, German and French as world languages options.

Are the current world language offerings adequate? Are changes needed?

It is such questions that a new World Language Task Force will explore in ISD 831.

The school board, meeting in regular session on Thursday, May 3, approved an administrative recommendation to form a task force for the study.

“Being part of a greater global society, it is important for us as a school district to review our current world language offerings, review other language possibilities and report back the findings to the school board in the form of a recommendation for possible fall 2008 implementation,” Superintendent Lynn Steenblock said in his report.

The task force will be charged with reviewing the current world language offerings and review other possible offerings. The task force recommendations would include:

•Continue with the current offerings

•Continue with the current offerings and add an additional language or languages

•Eliminate one or more current offerings

•Eliminate one or more current offerings and add an additional language or languages.

•Develop a timeline for implementation, if necessary.

The task force will include Dr. Linda Madsen, director of teaching and learning, plus Board member David Gay with member Joe Grafft the alternate.

The study group would also include three teachers, two secondary level principals, four citizens from the district, and two educators from post-secondary institutions who are involved with education or world languages. The district will prefer to have the three teachers represent the three languages now offered.

Board member Rob Rapheal suggested the public charter Spanish immersion school, Lakes International Language Academy in Forest Lake, have representation on the task force.

Under the plan, the task force would have its first meeting in May or June. A recommendation would be presented to the school board by November or December for a possible fall 2008 implementation.

Contracts OK’d

Contracts for two labor groups were ratified by the school board on May 3.

By unanimous votes, the board set two-year contracts for the 145-employee Forest Lake Association of Educational Paraprofessionals for 2006-2008 and the five-employee group, the Forest Lake Technology Specialists Association for 2006-2008.

The Forest Lake Association of Educational Paraprofessionals are in line for salary improvement of 3 percent a year and insurance benefits that total 3.1 percent over both years. The salary and benefit increase is 9.1 percent over the two-year period.

The Forest Lake Technology Specialists Association workers are in line for three percent salary schedule improvement for each year and insurance benefit increases of 2.3 percent over the two-year period. The total wage and benefit increase is 8.3 percent over the two-year improvement.

The school board also adopted a pair of motions approving structural balance resolutions, as required by state law, that indicate the settlement agreements are in line with budget parameters.

Both employee groups have approved the new agreements, officials reported.

Other business

In other key items approved last week, the school board:

•Awarded contracts for three science room classroom upgrades at Century Junior High, Southwest Junior High and Central, needed as a result of increased science requirements from the state. The total cost for three bid divisions is $258,600.

Parkos Construction Co., West St. Paul, was awarded the demolition and general construction bid at $117,000. Thelen Heating & Roofing Co., Brainerd, was awarded the mechanical contract at $114,600. The electrical contract at $27,000 was awarded to BNM Construction, Inc., Blaine.

The district budget for science room upgrades was $325,000, officials said.

Other business

In other items last week, the school board:

•Approved the hiring of Jeff Ion as the new principal at Forest Lake Elementary School. He will replace Benjamin Clark who has announced his retirement after 21 years at the elementary school. Ion, who is a former junior high and middle school math teacher, will come to Forest Lake from the Stillwater district where he was a coordinator. He was chosen from a field of 69 applicants, Steenblock said.

•Agreed to a board work session 6:30 p.m., Monday, May 14 at the District Office Building, 6100 N. 210th St., to discuss the East Metro Integration District.

•Learned that the retirement recognition program for all district workers who are leaving the district will take place 4 p.m., Wednesday, May 23 at the Forest Lake High School Media Center.

•Learned that eight students and parents attended an informational meeting to learn more about joining the Forest Lake City Marching Band on April 30. A second meeting will take place.

•Named board member Julie Corcoran as the official liaison to the Forest Lake City Council in response to a council invitation to appoint a board member to act as a go between for the school board and city council. Councilman Greg Ochs is the city’s liaison to the school board.

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