City School Board OKs New Positions: Four Posts to Be Paid f

By Justin Story, The Daily News, Bowling Green, Ky.

Jun. 9--Federal stimulus money will fund either entirely or in part four new positions in the Bowling Green Independent School District.

The city school board Monday approved the creation of new positions, which include a special education teacher at Eleventh Street Alternative School fully funded with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act stimulus money, a teacher at Parker-Bennett-Curry Elementary School funded entirely with Title I stimulus funds, an intervention coordinator at Bowling Green Junior High School funded by Title I and IDEA stimulus funds and an assistant principal for instruction at BGJHS funded with a proportion of 80 percent of Title I stimulus money and 20 percent Support Education Excellence in Kentucky funding from the state.

City schools Superintendent Joe Tinius said the economic assistance is expected to fund these positions for the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years.

"We will be up front to folks that apply and tell them that we anticipate these positions will be a two-year assignment," Tinius said. "There's no guarantee that the district will be able to absorb the cost after that time."

Tinius said the district was selective in allocating federal money to personnel positions, but that the four positions created Monday would serve specific needs the district had seen.

Board approves insurance premium payments

City schools also approved premium payments on property insurance for the 2009-10 school year.

The board of education voted Monday to pay a premium of $94,817 for property insurance, $24,973 for liability insurance and $1,586 for inland marine insurance to Neace Lukens Insurance Agency, covering the second year of a three-year agreement.

Neace Lukens is also covering the school district for car insurance, for which the school board agreed to pay a $31,750 premium for 2009-10 and auto insurance, for which the board will pay a $31,750 premium.

The board also voted to pay a $587 employee dishonesty bond, an $11,985 bond on $5 million of umbrella coverage and approved a $3 million treasurer's bond for a premium amount of $2,457 to Neace Lukens.

Charles M. Moore Insurance Agency will consider workers' compensation claims for 2009-10, with the school board agreeing to pay that agency a $105,280.82 premium.

Inclusion Project

BGHS special education teacher Wayne Decker gave a presentation to the board Monday about the Inclusion Project, in which a disabled student spent the past school year in a general education setting.

The school, in partnership with Michael McSheehan, a professor at the University of New Hampshire specializing in promoting the inclusion of significantly disabled students in general education settings, worked with 15-year-old Gabi Dunn, who was born with a brain injury and uses a motorized wheelchair.

Decker said that in order to move Gabi from special education to a general education setting, it was essential for all the people involved to presume competence on the part of Gabi and believe that she was able to learn the curriculum.

Given modified assignments and with help from her mother, Gabi was able to complete projects in BGHS business teacher Wanda Faulkner's class such as creating a business plan and a magazine cover.

"We didn't underestimate Gabi's ability and we set out to increase her participation in the curriculum," Decker said.

Assistant Superintendent Vicki Writsel said Gabi is now on track to receive a diploma, thanks to the program.

A brief video played by BGHS business teacher Wanda Faulkner showed Gabi in one of her classes taking notes using a special computer and speech generator for disabled students.

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