Serving the Forreston area since 1865
FORRESTON Journal October 24, 2013 Volume 151, Number 26 - $1.00
Cardinals Win
Take Back
Singers Needed
Forreston earned a 42 point win Friday night and are preparing to face EPC. B1
Get rid of unwanted prescriptions on National Take Back Day. A3
Area singers are invited to perform at an annual Christmas concert in December. A8
School board discusses costs of German Valley By Vinde Wells Editor The cost of running the German Valley Grade School is being reviewed by the Forrestville Valley School Board but no decision has been made on if the building will be closed. A cost analysis presented to the board recently shows the annual cost of operating the building is just over $343,000 per year, including teachers’ salaries. “We need to look at what’s best for our students,� board
member John Reining said at the Oct. 16 board meeting. He said that the district will not save the full cost of operations because teachers and other personnel will be necessary even if the students are in another building. He said some of the savings, however, could be used to hire additional reading specialists, which would help students throughout the district. Reining also pointed out that by closing the German Valley building, the district would save the $250,000 to
$300,000 set aside for Health & Life Safety work there. “That would help with our deficit reduction,� he said. The district is facing a projected deficit of $707,867 by the end of the school year. The board abandoned plans last month to replace the roof at German Valley at an estimated cost of $150,000 to $200,000 and decided instead to repair the roof as needed. The board approved a realignment of grade levels March 20 at the district’s two grade schools for current school year.
School officials said then that the reasons for the realignment were the district’s dwindling finances and declining enrollment. The district’s enrollment has dropped 164 students since the 2007-08 school year. The enrollment at German Valley Grade School was approximately 130 last year. The third, fourth, and fifth grades at German Valley were move to Forreston Grade School. Kindergarten, first, and second grade remain at German Valley.
In addition, the Little Cardinals Preschool Program moved from Forreston to German Valley. Moving grades 3-5 to Forreston, coupled with more than anticipated new students, has created larger than normal classes. The third grade sections have 27 students each, fourth grade has 28 students in one section and 29 in the other. Fifth grade is the largest with 32 in one section and 33 in the other. In another matter, the board gave the nod to forming
a Professional Relations Committee comprised of teachers, board members, and the superintendent. The committee was proposed by the Forrestville Valley Education Association (FVEA). FVEA president Chip Braker told the board that the teachers would like to get the committee started as soon as possible. Board president Robert Ebbesmeyer said the committee will start meeting in January. Turn to A3
Retirement short for interim supt. By Vinde Wells Editor
Alumni Football An Alumni Football game was played between Forreston and Eastland Sunday afternoon. Above, Forreston players Nick Hollis, class of 2002, Colt Bowers, class of 2003, and Calvin Braker, class of 2005, prepare to go in the game. At right, fans braved the chilly and windy day to support the players. Photos by Chris Johnson
Village hall renovations discussed By Chris Johnson Reporter Plans to remodel Forreston Village Hall moved forward Monday night. Two bid estimates for the project were received. R&S Builders, Forreston, estimated the work would cost $114,000. Stark Construction, Leaf River, estimated the work would cost $88,000. These numbers could change as exact plans and building materials are finalized. The board approved a motion to go forward with the project and get final bid estimates by a 4-1 vote. Trustee Gary Buss cast the lone no vote. Trustee Mark Metzger was not present at the meeting.
“If we are going to do this, let’s do it right, not just pieces that don’t fit,� — Jeff Freeze “Do we want to spend that much?� asked Buss. “I do not have a problem spending the money instead of doing a Band-Aid,� said trustee Jeff Freeze. “If we are going to do this, let’s do it right, not just pieces that don’t fit.� Trustee Ken Toms said every village president he has worked with brought village hall renovations to the table and nothing has been done. “We are making a better work area for our employees,� said village president Michael Harn. “I know it is a lot of
In This Week’s Edition...
money but we owe it to the people.� Harn said what people see when they go to village hall leaves an impression. The office space has not been renovated in more than 40 years and is showing its age. The current plan is to renovate the north part of the building first. This area would include an office for the Superintendent of Public Works, a handicapped bathroom, and a board room. A door would be added through the brick wall to connect the space to the
Church News, A5 Classifieds, B5-B12 College and Service News, A4 Entertainment, A6
current village hall meeting space and office. The existing area would be completely redone and become the main office for the village. After more discussions, Toms made a statement to Buss about the costs. “Gary, you are cheap,� he said. “You’re right,� Buss said. Harn said the village board has been good with the people’s money. “This is a lot of money, but it is time we do something,� he said. The board will check with additional local contractors to see if they can lower the project cost. Previously the board spent $40,000 to replace the building’s roof.
Forreston Police, A2 Marriage Licenses, A4 Oregon Police, B4 Public Voice, A10 Property Transfers, B4
When school started late this summer, newly retired superintendent Jane Eichman, Rock Falls, was living her dream. She was relaxing near the Pacific Ocean on her annual vacation trip to San Diego. “I always said when I retired I was going to plan my San Diego trip so that when the first bell rang in August I would be on the beach. And I was!� she said. However, both vacation and full-time retirement were short-lived — a little more than a week later, Eichman, 62, was back at school as the Forrestville Valley School District’s interim superintendent. After having retired June 30 as Rock Falls High School District superintendent, her first day in Forreston was Aug. 27. She was hired to fill in for Superintendent Lowell Taylor who has been on medical leave since mid-August. Eichman is far from disappointed, however, to be back at work. “I always wanted to do an interim,� she said. “I wasn’t ready to give up education.� Eichman has spent the last 40 years in education, 20 of it as a high school business teacher and the rest in administration. Her enthusiasm for working in the Forrestville Valley School District was obvious. “The school year is off to a great start,� she said. “The number one goal is providing a good education for the kids and it always will be.� Her only frustration is that her time in the district is limited to 100 days of the 180-day school year. “One of the challenges is working within the 100-day confines,� she said.�Because I’m retired, TRS [Teacher Retirement System] limits me to 100 days per year, but the business of the district goes on whether I’m here or not.� To meet that limitation, she is in her office two days one week and three days the next. “The main focus will be
Sheriff’s Arrests, B4 Social News, A4 Sports, B1, B2 State’s Attorney, B3 Weather, A2
Jane Eichman
keeping the district on track by meeting state requirements and staying within the budget,� Eichman said. She meets regularly with the district’s other administrators. “We collaborate and try to keep the district functioning as it should,� she said. No major changes are planned during her tenure with the district. “As an interim I would hesitate to make major changes,� Eichman said. “My time here is limited, and I realize that.� The Forreston area is much like the community Eichman grew up in. She was raised on a farm near Mendon, a small town 20 miles north of Quincy. She attended Unity High School there before heading off to college to become a teacher. “I have known since fifth grade that I wanted to be a teacher,� she said. She taught high school business; coached girls’ basketball, track and cheerleading; and served as a speech, newspaper and class adviser in four states over her first two decades as an educator. She said her step-mother, also in education, encouraged her to go into administration. She became a principal in a Quincy elementary school in 1992. From there she served as an administrator at other schools, ending up in Rock Falls for the last seven years. Eichman earned her doctorate in May of 2009. “Getting a doctorate was always my dream,� she said. She did her doctorate dissertation on mentoring new superintendents. “I had lived so much of that. It was timely and it was interesting,� she said.
Deaths, B3 Sharon Blake, Harry L. Deets, Milton L. Marceau, Thomas W. Wagner
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