School board to study technology department

The Fairfield Community School District Board of Directors accepted the resignation of technology director Jason Kurth during a special meeting Monday evening.

Kurth will be ending his 15 years with the district when his 2010-11 contract ends.

?My 15 years with [Fairfield Community School District] has been tremendous,? Kurth wrote in his resignation letter to superintendent Don Achelpohl and the school board. ?Thank you to current and past administrators and board members for providing me a rewarding professional experience.

?I do believe Fairfield has the finest staff and group of administrators of any school district,? he continued. ?I am proud to have been a part of FCSD for the first 15 years of my career, and I wish Fairfield continued success.?

Board member Jennifer Anderson pointed out the district spends a disproportionate dollar amount in its technology department and Kurth?s departure offers an opportunity for the board to closely examine the department: what direction it is going; what role will it have for students and staff and what kind of person is needed as its leader?

The board decided to hold a work session at 7 p.m. Monday to focus on the technology department.

Superintendent Don Achelpohl said the job opening has already been posted on the district?s website at www.fairfieldsfuture.org and advertised in The Fairfield Ledger and The Des Moines Register. The solicitation for applications is set to close May 8, but Achelpohl said if the board wants to make changes, the deadline can be extended and anyone who has already applied can be notified about those changes.

Incoming superintendent Art Sathoff said the district currently is looking for a person who can fill the same role as Kurth.

?He has an education degree, but he also has the technology knowledge,? said Achelpohl. ?It?s easy to find a person with education, and it?s easy to find a person who knows technology, but it?s difficult to find a person with both. That?s probably why he was sought out by Southeast Polk.?

Sathoff said he did not want to give up the district?s technology.

?We?re head and shoulders above the rest, and that?s why we spend so much money,? said board member Margaret Dwyer.

Achelpohl said members of the state of Iowa Compliance Team, which visited last week, were impressed with the district?s use of technology in the classroom and its integration into the curriculum.

?They said we were one of the few districts in the state doing it the right way,? he said. ?Before you leap into something to save dollars, look well.?

Also Monday, the board took action on one more reduction in force recommendation as part of the district?s efforts to cut its expenditures and better manage its budget.

Board president Gail Miller opened a sealed envelope containing the recommendation to reduce Fairfield High School physical education teacher Brad Snowgren?s supplemental activity as assistant high school football coach due to cost restrains to the district budget, and the board members gave approval.

Achelpohl withdrew the last remaining reduction in force recommendation.

The school board began with a total of 27 sealed envelopes recommending reductions in force for the 2011-12 school year. Twenty-four were opened and acted upon April 11. Action was taken on the 25th recommendation after a closed hearing April 19, and now the final two recommendations have been handled.