STUDENT LEADERS ASK FOR MEETING

Cape Girardeau Central High School student leaders want the Board of Education to look at renovating the aging high school auditorium.

Student Senate leaders want the district's help in financing the refurbishing and replacing of auditorium seating. They have requested a joint meeting with the school board to discuss the issue.

The issue is on the agenda for Monday night's Board of Education meeting. The board will meet at 5 p.m. in the library at L.J. Schultz School, 101 S. Pacific.

Superintendent Neyland Clark said he expects the school board will be agreeable to a joint meeting with students.

Chris Robertson, student body co-president, said the eventual goal is to renovate the entire auditorium. "But the seats are kind of the focus at this point."

A private fund-raising effort has garnered about $14,000 over the last two years. But the estimated cost of the renovation is $100,000, he pointed out.

"We are still continuing that effort, trying to encourage alumni to give a little back to their school," said Robertson.

Still, he said, the Student Senate believes that raising all the money needed from private sources would be difficult.

Robertson said the students would like the school board to consider funding part of the project with district revenue or look at the possibility of obtaining loans or grants.

In other business, student Jamie Filer will appear again before the board to voice her concerns over the decision not to rehire teacher Michael Josue.

Filer, accompanied by about 20 classmates and parents, raised the issue at the April 26 school board meeting. Only weeks before, Filer led a protest in front of the board office on behalf of Josue.

Filer, a high school junior, has contended that the school district is hiring football coaches while laying off teachers, putting athletics before academics.

At the April 26 meeting, the board accepted Josue's resignation, tendered along with those of five other untenured teachers not offered contracts.

School officials said that Josue is simply a victim of changing staffing needs.

Clark said Friday that it's "an issue on reduction in force." He said Josue had been hired last year to fill a temporary position.

He said staffing decisions involve input from building principals and school district department heads. The decision not to rehire Josue was not an arbitrary one, he said.

Other items on the agenda include:

A presentation by a parent group on efforts to encourage hiring of minority teachers in the district.

Consideration of a $9,132 "continuation grant" for a high school biology program. The district received an initial grant of $12,190 for the current school year.

An update on plans for the sale of the old Kage and Campster schools.

Setting school breakfast and lunch prices for 1993-94. It's proposed that the current prices remain in effect for next year.

Lunches would stay at $1.10 for secondary students and $1 for elementary students. The charge for all reduced-price student meals would be 40 cents. Adults would pay $1.55 per meal.

Breakfast meals would cost 75 cents for both adults and students paying full price. The cost would be 30 cents for students paying the reduced meal price, Clark said.