Thirty years ago, in an election, Edith Lucas and Tom Meyer won seats on the Jordan School Board. Lucas was an incumbent.

For more information, read the Looking Back column in the May 15 issue of the Jordan Independent. Read it online in the Print Edition section, or subscribe by going to www.jordannews.com/subscribe.

The Jordan School Board voted tonight to keep paying for a school resource officer, but the school liaison’s position could still be in jeopardy.

The issue came to the board after Superintendent Larry Kauzlarich and the superintendents of the five other member districts in the Minnesota River Valley Special Educational Cooperative decided to make a recommendation to the cooperative’s board to cut their funding for the position. The cooperative, the Jordan district, and the City of Jordan each pay about 1/3 of resource officer Shane Schultz’s $58,000 salary.

Here's what's been going on in and around New Prague lately, according to the New Prague Times:

- A proposal for the final plat and an 8-foot-by-12-foot addition to the Knights of Columbus Hall in New Prague passed with city council approval, despite opposition from city staff. 

- The New Prague school district's proposed budget shows just shy of $30 million in expenditures.

Here's what's been going on in and around Belle Plaine lately, according to the Belle Plaine Herald:

- Scott County Commissioner Jon Ulrich of Savage and the rest of the
county board unanimously directed staff to look into ways of opening
Cedar Lake Farms regional park in 2009. The land, which is owned by the
county, is located along Cedar Lake in Helena Township.

Ten years ago, Jordan Elementary School Principal Joe Benko suggested that the school board enact policies on retaining students in the elementary grades.

For more information, read the Looking Back column in the May 1 issue of the Jordan Independent. Read it online in the Print Edition section, or subscribe by going to www.jordannews.com/subscribe.

The Jordan School Board voted last night to cut about $200,000 from the district’s budget.

The cuts aren’t exactly the same as those suggested by the district’s budget cutting committee, or the cuts discussed at the last board meeting. And there could be at least one more cut coming.

After hearing from concerned parents and district residents, the board decided not to cut busing to the Carver-Scott Educational cooperative, and they will discuss cutting the National Honor Society sponsor pay from the budget at their next meeting.

The Jordan School Board will meet April 28 to discuss a first round of cuts to the school district budget.

The meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m., is to officially accept the cuts recommended by the district’s budget-cut committee. The board met earlier this month to make some changes to the recommended cuts, but the consensus was to accept many of the cuts as presented.

Here's what's been going on in and around New Prague lately, according to the New Prague Times:

- About a week ago, Rice County District Court charged Anton Steven Metzenhuber, 34, of New Prague with torture of an animal in the death of this neighbor's dog. Buddy, a miniature beagle, had been missing since April 6 and was found in a channel between Cody-Phelps Lake near Lonsdale. A concrete block was tied to the animal. Two weeks ago, the Times reported that the dog was mysteriously drowned and asked for readers' help in solving the case.

Transportation costs and class sizes could be under the knife in Jordan’s schools.

The Jordan School Board will vote April 28 to approve a round of cuts proposed by the district’s cost-saving committee, with a few minor alterations.

The district’s commitment to free all-day kindergarten is safe from the budget chopping block. But Jordan High School seniors might have to find their own transportation to the Carver-Scott Educational Cooperative, and elementary school class sizes could be going up.

Jordan is going to be without some familiar faces when school begins next year.

At their Monday meeting, the Jordan School Board accepted the resignations of science teacher Josh Barnd, first-grade teacher Barb McNamara, special education teacher Sheila Stahler, fourth-grade teacher Sarah Moesenthin, and high school art teacher Jim Halvorson.

These teachers join the already food service supervisor Loraine Barta and Superintendent Larry Kauzlarich as the faces leaving Jordan’s schools before the next school year begins.