Mach sent to principal’s office

Alison Mach has picked up a new job – a big one – and she’s ready to hit the ground running.

She has accepted the position of Blooming Prairie Intermediate/High School principal, and will also continue her role as activities director for the school district.

“I’ve been transitioning for a while,” she said of the top position; she and former Principal John Worke worked closely for many years, providing her with hands-on experience in the day-to-day operations.

After teaching science at Blooming Prairie Public Schools for 12 years, Mach spent another 12 years as athletic director and associate principal for the district.

Worke retired in June after 36 years with the district, leaving the principal’s office open.

In May, members of the BP School Board hired Christopher Dibble as the new dean of students for the intermediate/high school; he also assumed some of Worke’s former responsibilities when he stepped into the role July 1.

That cleared the way for Mach to become principal, while maintaining the other job she loves.

“I’ve done so much of this for so long,” she said, that the double-duty doesn’t feel like too much.

“I think I have a good handle on it, and I have a lot of flexibility to do a lot of things,” Mach said. “It’s going to be great.”

In other action, the board approved a resolution limiting open enrollment for the upcoming school year – specifically, for enrollment based on the number of students in a particular grade level.

For example, kindergarten will be capped at 87 students, but this year’s sophomore and junior classes will be limited to 69 students.

“We have really worked to look at our numbers a little earlier, to have control throughout this process,” said Superintendent Chris Staloch, “but we really want to make sure that we can protect the students that we have here, provide them with the best education that we have, while also making sure that our enrollment is strong.”

The different numbers at each grade level, he said, may be the result of different needs of students, he said, “and we’re trying to make sure that we recognize those and make sure our staff has the right resources for those needs.”

After the annual approval of multiple plans and policies, including the Health and Safety Policy, the Crisis Management Plan of Action and the 10-year Long Term Facilities Management Plan, board members took a step into the classroom with a change to snack cart fees.

The fees for families that pay full price for school meals will increase to $60 per student; reduced-price family fees will go to $45 per student; and families that qualify for free meals will pay $30 per student.

The hike is $5 at all levels; families are not required to purchase anything from the snack cart.