BOARD REVIEWS WASHINGTON PRINCIPAL

The Cape Girardeau Board of Education will consider reinstating a full-time principal at Washington Elementary School.

The board meets today at 4:30 p.m. at Franklin Elementary School, 215 N. Louisiana.

Superintendent Neyland Clark explained that hiring a Washington principal tops the list of budget cuts which might be reinstated.

Last year, as part of a $1.2 million budget reduction package, Richard Bollwerk, director of elementary education, was also named interim principal at Washington School. Barbara Blanchard, a long-time teacher at the school who has administrative certification, was named assistant.

But Clark said the arrangement has been less than ideal. "Richard was drowning in work," he said.

So the administration is recommending that the school board name Blanchard interim principal. A teaching aide, who was already hired to help Blanchard, is a licensed teacher. Clark said the recommendation includes hiring her as a long-term substitute.

"In March or April we would begin a legitimate search for a new principal," Clark said.

"This is not an arbitrary decision. I have consulted with board members individually, and the New Funds committee made it clear in last year's discussions that the top priority would be reinstatement of a principal," Clark said.

The New Funds committee, the group that made the final recommendations for budget cuts last year, has been reactivated this year to look at what items could or should be reinstated as money become available.

"The New Funds committee has met once and they have asked for a five-year financial outlook. Once we get that five-year outlook completed, we will look back at some other reductions," he said. "I think we will next look at the Parents as Teachers program."

"We have saved 25 percent of the salary, because they made it through the first quarter," Clark said. Plus, the district has received some money through the payment of delinquent taxes dating back to 1989.