CRYSTAL FALLS—Personnel matters were the focus of a special meeting of the Forest Park School Board here on May 8.

The early morning meeting was centered on another round of budget-related cuts to the school system.

“Nobody’s being laid off,” said Superintendent Tom Jayne before the meeting. “Nobody’s losing a job. That’s the big thing.”

Instead, people are being shifted to different positions in order to accommodate a number of budget-related decisions.

The biggest decisions are to eliminate afternoon kindergarten and drop one section of first grade starting next fall. The reason should be familiar by now: declining enrollment.

Forest Park will be graduating 55 seniors later this month, and it expects only 23 kindergarteners next fall. That is a net loss of 32 students, which means $230,000 less in state aid.

Because of the low numbers, Jayne recommended that P.M. kindergarten be eliminated next year, with all classes held in the morning. For that reason, Susan Flood-Dziubinski will be involuntarily transferred to a half-time afternoon elementary physical education position.

Flood-Dziubinski will be also assigned to one hour per day of team teaching in first grade, probably helping with math and reading.

As for the decision to combine two sections of first grade, the reason is the same. There are only 22 kindergarten students at present, and the district forecasts 22 first graders next year.

But that decision could be reversed later, depending on whether new families move into the district between now and next fall. Board Member Jim Nocerini called it “a real reality—I’ve heard there are people moving back.”

If so, it wouldn’t be the first time the board has had to add elementary sections as the school year begins. For now, all the board can do is wait and see what happens in the next few months.

The first grade teacher whose section is being eliminated is expected to apply for the third grade vacancy created by the retirement of Verl Hudson. She also has “bumping” privileges.

Hudson and physical education teacher Ray Palmer both took advantage of the district’s early retirement incentive. At last week’s special meeting, the board added one more early retirement: Chris Larsen, who teaches middle school social studies and is golf coach.

The board agreed to allow Larsen to retire and posted his teaching position. It also posted the third grade job and the high school language arts position now held by Michael Bolz. The board hopes to find someone who can teach Spanish.

Filling Palmer’s position is a bit complicated. His PE-health duties are being split up between Flood-Dziubinski and Dwaine Anderson. Another person will be hired to fill a 32 percent middle school-high school PE position.

Anderson’s PE duties will be changed. This year, he supervises morning recess, seventh grade gym classes and several elementary gym classes. Next year, he will handle middle school and high school PE classes only. (He will continue to serve as Community Schools director, athletic director and driver’s ed teacher.)

Other positions being posted include the A.M. recess position and a lunchtime gym supervisor.

In other action, the board:

--Reduced Kathy Worple’s position to 80 percent. She currently has a full day (60 percent for speech and 40 percent for third grade). Next year, she will have an 80 percent speech position. The district expects more demand for her speech services.

--Renewed contracts for Dan Seder (director of secondary education) and Becky Taylor (director of elementary education) through the 2009-10 school year. The salary for both will be determined later.

--Renewed its substitute teacher agreement with Thumb Educational Services for two more years. When Forest Park needs a substitute teacher, it contacts Thumb, a third-party provider throughout the Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School District. By doing so, it avoids having to pay roughly 8 percent of the substitutes’ salaries into the Michigan state retirement system.

--Awarded the summer school teaching position to Carol Sherby. She will be teaching 48 hours at $25 per hour, to help students complete class requirements.

• The board’s next regular meeting will be held May 19.