Fisher catalogues complaints

A librarian’s husband approached the Carbon County School District No. 2 board of Trustees Monday night with concerns about the district’s decision to realign staff.

Tom Fisher, husband to the Saratoga Elementary School librarian Ceile Fisher, asked the board of trustees why his wife was being considered to be a fifth-grade teacher when she is “highly qualified” to be a librarian for the district.

“She has been the librarian in this district for the last 19 years,” Fisher said in the meeting.

Fisher said principals Larry Uhling and Dave Rangitsch were directed by Superintendent Bob Gates and presented Ceile Fisher a choice to either be a librarian for the elementary and middle/high schools in Saratoga, or be a fifth grade teacher.

Fisher went on to tell the board his wife chose to take the librarian position, but administrators of the district made the decision to put her in the classroom.

“The administrators must have changed their minds due to the possible legal actions,” Tom Fisher said.

Fisher recited some sections of the Board of Trustees’ policy relating to staff and positions.

“The teacher who possess the required certification, endorsements and seniority will be assigned to the position,” Tom Fisher said. “Your policy also states that the teacher with lesser seniority, specification and endorsement is subject to termination. That individual would have to reapply for openings in the district.”

Fisher also told the board that his wife was called to a office one again on May 6. In the meeting, she was told she would be a half-time librarian and a half-time teacher.

Fisher said his wife was later informed by her library aid that she would be a fifth-grade teacher.

“Who would you rather have do a root canal, a plumber or a highly-qualified dentist?” Tom Fisher said.

The school board voted to eliminate three full-time teaching positions through attrition in a previous special meeting. The cuts were made to deal with a tightening budget, Gates said in a previous interview.

Although the board voted to eliminate three full-time teaching positions through attrition, the board did not take action on how the realignment of staff would take place, school board member Tonya Bartholomew said.

Gates could not be reached for comment before press time .

The board entered two executive sessions in Monday’s meeting. One sessions was to discuss a change in salaries and benefits and the other was to discuss personnel issues. The board did vote on changes in salaries and benefits, but did not take any action on staff realignment.

In other business:

• Saratoga Middle/High School student Marisa Phillips approached the board to discuss starting a cheer squad at the school. The board unanimously voted the decision down.

• The board voted to approve an exception to policy to allow several students from HEM Junior/Senior High School to take college English courses instead of district English courses. Discussion following the motion was extensive with many board members voicing concerns about inconstancies in the policy. Five school board members voted in favor with three voting no.