Two early retirement requests were granted and a third tabled during the Le Mars Community Schools board of education meeting Monday night. The resignation of the assistant middle school principal was also approved.

Retirement requests from teachers Terry Lane and Val Smith came under the waiver of the age 55 requirement the board approved on the early retirement policy at their March 10 meeting, following a request from Lane. Before that waiver, certified staff members had to reach to the age of 55 before being eligible for early retirement. Both Lane and Smith will be 54 upon their retirement.

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Lane is retiring from his teaching and coaching positions at the end of the current school year after 32 years in the Le Mars Community School District.

Smith has resigned from her special education teaching position effective at the end of the 2007-08 school year. She has decided to retire after 30 years in the district.

Board members approved the requests of Lane and Smith, with board member Dan Smith abstaining.

A third early retirement request from middle school art teacher Jill Mitchell was tabled by the board. Her request involved an exception to the waiver of early retirement policy approved by the board. She wished to retire at age 53 at the end of this contract year (August 2008), and said she would pay the medical coverage for the coming school year to make up for the year difference in age.

Board members questioned whether the school's group policy would allow such a request and tabled a decision until the question could be answered.

At their March 10 meeting, board members approved a motion to waive the early retirement policy age 55 requirement, with those reaching age 54 by the end of the 2007-08 contract year eligible to retire, by giving notice to the district by March 31. The motion also included that the board was waiving policy due to budgetary concerns for the 08-09 fiscal year and this is a single waiver of Board Policy 405.1. All other requirements of the policy pertaining to certified staff members remain as stated.

The board also approved the resignation of assistant middle school principal Amy Johnson effective at the conclusion of the 2007-08 school year. Johnson will be moving as her husband has accepted a principal position in the Vinton-Shellsburg school district.