Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
On Friday, July 28, the New Rockford-Sheyenne School Board held a special meeting via Zoom for the release from contract of Shane Wetzel. Less than a week later, they hired his replacement.
Wetzel was hired to teach high school science earlier this year, following the resignations of both the school’s previous science teachers.
However, even as the ink was practically still drying, Wetzel requested that the school board release him from his recently-signed contract just weeks before the first day of school.
School Board President Todd Allmaras said the board had received information from Wetzel about the reason for his request, and it was later implied that his reasons were personal.
Nevertheless, the board members expressed their frustration about the situation now facing them.
After seconding the motion to release Wetzel from his contract, vice president Mike Schaefer remarked, “Well I know I’m not happy about it. It seems like all we do is let people out of contracts.”
“Mike, I agree with you,” responded Board Member Patti Larson. “We try to remember ‘what’s best for our kids,’ and what’s best for our kids in my mind is that we have two science teachers. But what’s best for Shane and his personal life sounds like he needs to be released.”
“I’m not saying the situation doesn’t warrant it, I think it does,” added Schaefer. “I just wish it didn’t happen so much.”
With that, a motion was carried unanimously to release Wetzel from his contract.
The board then considered whether to assess a fee to Wetzel for liquidated damages in accordance with Policy DKBB of NR-S District Policy.
However, School Board member Mike Jacobson suggested not assessing a fee on this occasion.
“I agree with what you guys said earlier,” said Jacobson. “It seems like signatures on contracts, regardless of if they’re teaching contracts or any other contracts in this world, don’t seem to really mean a whole lot these days.
“The one thing about enforcing it in this situation, is I sure wouldn’t want to do it now,” he added. “If we wanted to have a broader board discussion sometime and say, ‘enough is enough, we as a board going forward are always going to enforce this,’ then I would be in favor of that. But in this one situation, just on the spot, I’m not in favor of that.”
The other board members seemed to agree, and a motion was carried unanimously to not assess Wetzel a fee for liquidated damages.
Wetzel’s departure left the also newly-hired Krystal Caldwell as the sole remaining science teacher at NR-S, but not for very long.
During a special meeting on Thursday, Aug. 3, the NR-S school board hired Shannon Welk to teach high school science.
Welk is a registered radiation therapist with an Associate in Science and Liberal Arts from Bismarck State College, a Bachelor of Science in Radiologic Technology from the University of Mary, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Radiation Therapy from the University of Minnesota, and a certificate in radiation therapy from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, all from the years of 2002 to 2007.
Welk worked as a radiation therapist in Bemidji, Minn. and Minot, N.D., for nearly a decade until January 2016, when she took on other work as an administrative office manager and administrative assistant.
Since 2021, she has worked as a substitute teacher with Rugby Public Schools, and Superintendent Jill Louters said during Thursday’s special meeting that she’s currently pursuing a double major and has an alternative license, which allows her to be considered a full-time teacher.
