District 833 in brief: Liberty Ridge students could face boundary change

Liberty Ridge attendance boundary adjusted

Twenty-one Liberty Ridge Elementary School students will be affected by an attendance boundary change next year but they can stay at the school for the coming year or enroll at Middleton Elementary School.

The change affects potential residents in the area known as W-33 – the Ridgestone, Highland Knoll and Kingston developments – where new students will go to Middleton to prevent overcrowding at Liberty Ridge.

In 2013-14, W-33 students in fifth grade who attend Liberty Ridge this coming year, and their siblings, can choose to stay or enroll at Middleton.

By the 2014-15 school year, all students in W-33 will attend Middleton, according to Mike Vogel, assistant to the superintendent for facilities.

Probationary contracts ended

The District 833 School Board approved ending contracts for 82 probationary teachers with less than three years employment at last week's meeting. The list includes 10 teachers of Mandarin Chinese who are considered community experts and are on yearly contracts, according to Denise Griffith, district human resources director.

The number of terminated contracts is slightly less than last year, she said, and from one-half to two-thirds will be re-hired for next year.

If contracts are not ended at this time of year, the district would have to pay the teachers next year even if there are no classes for them to teach.

Trust fund and debt service reviewed

School District 833 trust fund and debt service budgets were reviewed by the School Board last week.

The trust fund tracks the disbursement of $32,000 in scholarships, according to Aaron Bushberger, district finance director.

The debt service budget, projected to have a $4.5 fund balance at the end of fiscal year 2012-13, keeps track of scheduled principal and interest on district bonds and payments for the district's share of lease costs for Valley Crossing School.

–Judy Spooner

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