Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By JAN TUCKER
Ontonagon — Bruce Johanson, Vice Chairman of the Ontonagon Area Board of Education, handed a letter to Board President Dean Juntunen, Monday and left the regular scheduled meeting.
In the letter, Johanson said that as a result of the recent election, “I see no point in remaining as a member of the Board of Education.” Johanson was defeated in the two year term by Julie Kolpack. In the letter to Juntunen he recommended the board appoint Kolpack to the seat he is vacating so she can become established as a member of the Board of Education before she begins her elected two year term.
In his letter, Johanson says, “for several months, I have felt, more and more that the majority of the board is not being proactive in dealing with several major problems facing the district, not the least of which is the declining enrollment due largely to the exodus of Ontonagon Area pupils who are choosing to attend school in other districts.”
He said he was especially alarmed by “the fact that over 47 pupils of this district are attending school elsewhere at a loss in state revenue of at least $353,000.
Following the meeting Superintendent Jim Bobula confirmed that the majority of those students are from families in White Pine that have never sent students to Ontonagon since the consolidation of the district years ago. He noted that when the consolidation was approved part of the agreement was that families could choose to attend either school.
Johanson in his resignation letter wrote, “The district cannot continue to survive by cutting staff to balance budgets and ignoring the problems that are quite obvious to those who have chosen to send their children elsewhere, or even to home school them.” He claimed that one of the reasons for submitting his resignation are the “personal attacks by one board member and the mistreatment of a member of my family by this board.”
He continued that in serving the district for 31 years in the classroom, “my motives as an educator have never been questioned until now. I find this highly disturbing and totally inappropriate.”
Johanson has served as a board member for the past 8 years and added that he hopes during his time, he made a difference, “first for our pupils and finally for the betterment of our Ontonagon Area, a community in which I take great pride in being a part of.”
The board made no comment on the resignation, but thanked Johanson for his 8 years of service.
The board approved the 2015-16 audit which left an estimated fund balance of $54,450, below the required 5 percent fund balance which is the district goal and now a state requirement. Linda Karttunen, Business Services Manager, said that in 2015-16 the district spent $61,992 over its revenues.
The auditors, she said, found the district records to be in conformity with government accounting principles, have been presented fairly and are free of material misstatement.
The board received a pleasant surprise from Norman Pestka Construction Company. The board was about to approve the bid of Norman Pestka for snow removal at $14,800 for the 2016-17 year, when Pestka who was in the audience, said, “I would like to help the school and change my bid to $13,000. Pestka was the only bidder on the removal and added that his children and grandchildren attended the school and, “I just want to help.”
Bill Witt, former State Trooper, now as a liaison officer with the Ontonagon Sheriff Department, explained his position, as well as trooper Jerry Mazurek in assisting schools to keep children safe. He will also be available for special events in the schools of Ontonagon and Ewen Trout Creek. “We are not in the school to violate student rights, but to make sure schools are a safer place.”
In other action the board:
—Approved hiring Kirsten Menigoz for one hour per day, school days only, to be supported by Lions Quest. The $5,000 grant from Great Lakes Youth Development Center will help kids in building self esteem and other social issues.
—Awarded the bid for woodchips to Pestka Construction for $38.50 a ton.
—Approved a lease agreement with the Gogebic Ontonagon Intermediate District for office space at $11,314 per year for a MoCI classroom.
—Approved the practice of summer tax collection in Ontonagon, Rockland and Carp Lake Townships.
—And approved an overnight trip request from Tim Nelson to take 21 students to the 2016 Presidential Inauguration. The students will be attending with students from Hancock, Dollar Bay and Chassell from Tuesday, Jan. 17 to Sunday, Jan. 22. On the visit they will visit 16 historic sites.
