Dayton School Board extends Stewart's contract

DAYTON – The Dayton School Board held a regular meeting at 6 p.m., on January 18, 2022, in the high school’s library. All members of the school board were present, Chair Jeffrey McCowen, Grant Griffen, Aneesha Dieu, and Zac Fabian. Korinda Wallace attended using Zoom. Also present were Superintendent Rich Stewart and Business Manager Jana Eaton.

After receiving some items from representative K-12 students in appreciation for the Board’s service, the Board passed the consent agenda without discussion.

During the public comment period, Pastor Jeff Milsten gave handouts to members of the Board and school administration present, which he said was a summary of subjects not taught and should be taught. He said the subjects he pesented are not being taught because teachers did not know the information or were in fear they would be fired for teaching them.

Illustrating what he wanted taught at the school district, he said, “Jesus is the most important person to have ever lived” and “we even know pretty much when he was born, we know the exact date that he died, that the reformation pretty much had a huge impact on the world.” He said that the ideas of equality, civil rights, and representative government all came from the bible. Milsten asked for the Board to vote for his idea and then form a small committee, headed by himself or the superintendent, to put together ideas that should be taught.

Dieu asked Milsten if he had spoken to any teachers in Dayton about the issue. He said he had not. Dieu said she knows comparative religion is taught in fifth and sixth grades.

Milsten asked permission to speak to teachers about what they teach. Stewart responded by pointing out that Milsten works as a substitute teacher in the District, and nothing would prevent him from talking to other teachers in the lunchroom.

A citizen said she was disappointed in the Board’s November 16, 2022 decision to dissolve the athletic combine. She reminded the Board that it had addressed the issue in May (May 16, 2022 Board meeting) and did not dissolve the combine at that meeting due to public outcry.

The speaker continued, saying information provided to her by the Athletic Director, show there may not be sufficient number of students-athletics to field viable teams in most sports in the districs if they operate independently. She blamed both school boards for the problem.

The Elementary School Principal, Amy Cox, spoke about the importance of having school counselors. Stewart agreed, saying it is recommended to have one counselor per 250 students, however, the State only funds one counselor per 800 students. He said the legislature is set to consider more funding for guidance and treatment counseling during this session.

Cox said the kindergarten class went to Moose Creek to present deputies with cards and letters of appreciation on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.

Secondary Principal Guinevere Joyce submitted a written report in the packet. Joyce reported on the accreditation process through the Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD) that the secondary team is working on from January through March.

Reporting on classroom activities, she said the drama class preformed “Another 5-minute Murder Mystery” for middle and high school students on January 10 and 12. The five-minute mysteries were first aired on radio in the 1940s. The students transcribed the shows and created sets, sound, and costumes for the staged production.

Head custodian John Delp gave an update on water leaks in the boilers and heating system, which need to be addressed. He said he is repairing and standardizing exterior doors and locks. Installation of the new electrical system for the Elementary School building should begin this summer and completed in the next school year.

In the Superintendent report, Stewart said plans were underway to conduct engineering surveys on the building. Depending on the survey results, he said the District may hire a consulting firm to help determine the best way to move forward. Stewart would also like to form a group of local citizens to study the issue and make recommendations.

In Sterwart’s written report included in the packet, he said he had spoken with Wallace the previous week. He wrote that she would continue as a board member via Zoom, and is currently a resident of Dayton and has not changed her address.

In his written report, Stewart noted that Audry Franklin was retiring at the end of the year after serving the district for 29 years.

The Board approved March 3, 2023, as a makeup snow day and approved the first reading of policies in the one-thousand series.

Finally, the Board voted to extend the contract for one year for Rich Stewart, the superintendent. Although the Chair referred to discussions by the Board on this subject, these discussions were not conducted in public session. There were no dissenting votes.