Teutopolis School Board to Address First Grade Class Sizes

Teutopolis school board members plan to take time at an upcoming special meeting to further discuss the number of first grade classes to offer during the coming school year.

Plans now are to have three sections of first grade with 25 students in each section.  Parents and teachers have appeared at board meetings for several months to express concerns about the proposed set-up and to suggest a fourth first grade class be added.

The Board plans to hold a special meeting on July 25 to consider bids on maintenance work and it was decided at Monday's meeting to add discussion of first grade class size to the special meeting agenda.

Teutopolis Superintendent Bill Fritcher said it's a tough call, balancing a desire for smaller teacher per student ratios with fiscal concerns.

In personnel matters Monday, the Teutopolis board accepted resignations from Brittany Robinson as high school assistant volleyball coach and Jessica Schackmann as junior high track coach, and accepted the retirement of Karla Schumacher at the end of the 2016-17 school year.

The Board hired Phil Lewis to teach German three periods per day, hired Andy Fehrenbacher as boys and girls golf coach, and hired Melinda Bloemer as a cook and custodian at the grade school.  It was also agreed to advertise for a junior high track coach.