To the relief of many parents, Sumner Elementary and Neveln Elementary will have separate principals next year.

The Austin School Board voted 6 to 1 in favor of hiring a principal to replace retiring Sumner Elementary principal Dan Hovland.

Only school board member Bev Nordby voted against the measure,

"We've got some pretty hard situations coming up in the next couple of years. This is a window of opportunity to make some budget cuts, but I know I'm in the minority," she said.

The board approved the termination and nonrenewal of contracts for some of the district's long-term substitute teachers and probationary teachers and placed two tenured teachers on an unrequested leave of absence. Long-term substitute teachers Troy Watkins and Mary Lynn Knoebel, and probationary teachers Rebecca Blake, Tracy Garry, Barbara Hunter, Jamie Leif, Melissa Loper, Jordi Ludtke, Kim Richardson, Marcia Rietsema, Michael Stutz and Timothy Westrum were terminated, in effect at the end of the 2001-02 school year.

Tenured teachers place on unrequested leaves of absence, in effect at the end of the 2001-2002 school year, were Bergie Asper and Aimee Chalmers.

Human resources director Julie Jensen said the cuts are part of the district's staffing plans for the future. "We're looking at the average class sizes for next year and they're similar to this year, which is favorable, so we'll be able to move ahead with our staffing plans," she said.

The board also approved the expulsion of six students in the district. Names of the students and the circumstances of their expulsions were not released.

Amanda L. Rohde can be reached at 434-2214 or by e-mail at :mailto:amanda.rohde@austindailyherald.com