Meek Resigns as A.D.; Coach
The GCISD School Board unanimously accepted the resignation of Mike Meek as athletic director and head football coach at its regular meeting Feb. 21. Meek will retain his position as a math teacher. He has been a coach and teacher in the local school for several years, and has been the A.D. and head football coach for the past two years.
In another unanimous vote, the board extended the two-year contracts of Secondary Principal Faith Scott and Elementary Principal Dean Munn for one year.
The board discussed possible high school class scheduling changes for next year. Changing from an eight-period day to a 7-period one is one of the options. Keeping both band and athletics available to all students presents scheduling problems, and requires 8 periods, according to Scott. Board member Jimmy Eggemeyer asked, “What do we need band for?” Hoelscher said, “Band is good, but choices have to be made sometimes.” Scott said no art class is offered this year because there isn’t a qualified teacher.
School Superintendent Charles Zachry said the school has always tried to make possible “everything for everyone,” which he said he would like to continue. But he said it boils down to money, and that the high school is now overstaffed for the number of students it has. He said an option is to combine some classes, if the board wants to “keep trying to do it all.”
As examples of combining classes, Scott said she would prefer having only one biology class, rather than the three (regular, advanced and advanced placement) that are offered now, and that the number of world history classes could also be trimmed.
The board also discussed the weighting of various classes for purposes of class ranking. Board members Tibby Niehues and Karla Hoelscher said students should not be penalized in class rank for taking harder classes. Zachry said that during his years here, the board has addressed the problem of class weighting numerous times, with no one method pleasing everyone.
The board ultimately elected to have the principals, counselor, and the site-based committee make recommendations concerning both scheduling and class weighting at next month’s board meeting.
Munn reported the elementary school enrollment is 182, down another three students since last month. He said there is “no end in sight” to the declining enrollment, and projected only 15 students in kindergarten next year. “The chances of returning to the days of 190 to 200 elementary students are very slim,” he said. The secondary school’s enrollment is 162, down two since last month.
Munn said the sixth grade reading challenge between students and their parents “sort of backfired.” The parents “knocked the top off,” he said, and won the event by reading more than the students. Students will serve the parents a meal as the contest prize.
In other action, the board approved a concurrent enrollment waiver for textbook fees, so students who are taking classes for both high school and college credit, pay only tuition, and not for books.
The board voted to allow driver’s education instructor Mark Ray of Big Spring to use a classroom for a fee of $5 per student, so long as the class is a service to GCISD students. They also decided that the school cafeteria would not be available for family reunions.
Another draft of the school calendar was discussed, and a final version will be voted on at the March board meeting.