Chinn resigns from school board; Meyer contract renewed

MEEKER I The board of trustees of Meeker School District RE-1 (MSD) accepted the resignation of new school board member Daniel Chinn, renewed Superintendent Mark Meyer’s contract through school year 2014-15 and approved spring coaches in a special meeting on Feb. 19.
Dan Chinn’s resignation was based on, “conflicts, real and perceived,” Chinn said. Dan’s wife, Amy, is the high school guidance counselor and Dan was a teacher for a number of years.
Chinn received 722 votes in the November 2013 election, and that was the third highest in a slate of seven candidates, with Bill deVergie and Bud Ridings receiving more votes.
The MSD board is required to appoint someone to fill the vacancy on the board within 60 days of Wednesday’s meeting, Meyer said, and that person will serve until the next board election, which will be November 2015.
At that election, a successor for the remainder of the term (end of 2017) will be elected by the voters.
The MSD board had a March 1 deadline to renew Meyer’s two-year contract.
According to MSD policies, the superintendent is typically evaluated by April 15 of every year. On years when the contract expires, a pre-evaluation is held by mid-March by the MSD board to give time to correct any problems that would be cause for non-renewal of the contract.
When Superintendent Meyer was selected, the March deadline was inserted as a condition for the position. The board had intended to do the evaluation before the renewal, but scheduling made it unlikely before March 1.
The board approved spring coaches recommended by athletic director Brett Stienacher. Approved for baseball were Jason Browning (head coach) Brian Merrifield (assistant coach). Approved for track were John Strate (head coach), Kris Casey and Ben Quinn (assistant coaches) and Shane Phelan, Terence Casias, Brittany Shubnell and Pat Ibach (volunteer coaches). Kristen Henderson was approved as weight room attendant.
The District Accountability Committee (DAC) provided an update on meetings held to date and plans for up to three meetings to be held next week. The DAC, after consulting with school accountability committees for the elementary, middle and high schools, is to make recommendations to the board for expenditures of district funds and to measure the adequacy and efficiency of the district’s educational program.
The most recent meetings have focused on the district’s financial condition and have been well-attended by the public.
According to district policies, the DAC should consist of least three parents of students enrolled in a public school in the school district who are not employees or related to employees of the district, one teacher, one school administrator and one person from the community who is involved in business. Information about the DAC meetings can be obtained from the MSD office.