Staff terminations and hires were approved at an Austin School Board work session Monday.

Interim superintendent Bruce Anderson said none of the terminations were made as part of the amended budget; they are standard procedure.

The following staff will be terminated at the end of the 2008-09 school year: Mali Ciola, Banfield Elementary, long-term substitute; Theresa Duellman, Southgate Elementary, long-term sub; Reilly Loeschen, Banfield, long-term sub; Kirsten Nelson, Woodson Kindergarten Center, long-term sub; Lynette Usgaard, Southgate, long-term sub; Wendy Zastoupil, Community Learning Center, long-term sub; Catherine Gooding, Austin High School, probationary industrial technology teacher; Sheila Helgerson, Southgate, probationary grade 5 teacher; Jacquelyn Rainmann, Southgate, probationary special education/ASD teacher; Annah Resman, CLC, ECSE teacher; and Melissa Tate, AHS, K-12 Spanish teacher.

Craig Knippel, tenured graphics teacher at AHS, was placed on unrequested leave of absence. He may request a hearing to contest the placement.

The following staff have turned in resignations: Joshua Farrell, AHS, long-term substitute special education paraprofessional, effective March 20; Ashley Connick, Woodson, kindergarten teacher, effective June 3; Stephanie Blake, Banfield, grade 1 teacher, effective June 3; and Elizabeth Viktora, Neveln Elementary, nurse, effective March 25.

Contracts have been approved for the following staff: Michael Mohs, special education supervisor at Gerard/New Dominion, $82,000 prorated for 2008-09 and $82,000 for 2009-10, effective March 9, 2009 through June 30, 2010; and Linsday Johnson, speech language pathologist, $37,982 (subject to change due to union negotiations), effective Aug. 31, 2009 through June 3.