Altamont Board Considering Playground Upgrade

Altamont school officials are considering an upgrade to their grade school playground.

South Central Grade School upgraded its playground during an expansion of their building in Kinmundy. Altamont Superintendent Jeff Fritchtnitch said the Kinmundy playground is made of a surface like that used on a track, but with more sponginess. 

The Altamont board discussed the upgrade at this week's meeting. The Board also discussed ongoing negotiations with Federal officials on allowing their foreign language teacher to stay in the US to teach this coming year.

Fritchtnitch said their teacher is a native of France who attended Illinois State University. The teacher is needed to teach Spanish at Altamont, but can also speak French, English and Mandarin Chinese. She taught in the district on her student visa from when she attended ISU, but the efforts now are to obtain a work visa.

The Board also reviewed the state budget situation. Fritchtnitch told the Board that state funding for education is in place for the coming school year, but said that's just the first step. He and other education officials are seeking a revamp of the education funding formula, and having an annual budget and appropriations measure in place by the statuatory date of May 31.

In personnel moves, the Altamont board accepted the resignation of Ralph Rounds as a teacher's aide as of August 1. The Board approved Sara Province as Flag Corps sponsor and Clint Reardon as volunteer junior high boys baseball coach; employed Keisha Hames and Ronald Morris as substitute bus drivers, Michelle Holland and Aura Rutherford as fulltime bus drivers, and DeeAdria Robeson as a substitute cook; and employed Rhiannon Boehm as junior high Art Club sponsor.

The Board also approved administrative assignments for the coming year, with no changes from last year.