Allendale school board discusses recent policy changes

The Allendale Board of Education was busy at its Aug. 19 meeting, below is a guide to some of the evenings news.

Increase in enrollment

Due to the increase of enrollment for fourth grade and kindergarten, the Allendale elementary and middle schools will start the year with an increased number of sessions for those grades.

Superintendent Dr. Michael Barcadepone said in his report that the fourth grade will have a fifth session come September and kindergarten will have a fourth session.

"We did this to maintain appropriate classroom sizes," he said.

New ecology center

After students and parents expressed interest in opening an ecology center at the schools, the board approved two positions for a center at its latest meeting.

The Hillside School Ecology Center Coordinator and the Environmental Club Advisor/Brookside School Ecology Center Coordinator position were both approved.

Claire Barnett was appointed to a stipend position in the amount of $3,172 per an approved sidebar agreement between the Allendale Education Association and school board. She will have a combined stipend position as the Environmental Club Advisor/Brookside School Ecology Center Coordinator.

Earlier in the summer, the board accepted a $21,186 grant from Allendale Foundation for Educational Excellence (AFEE) to go toward an Ecology Center, but was still debating the teacher stipend amount.

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Allendale school board discusses recent policy changes