MANY QUESTIONS ON LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL REMAIN UNANSWERED

SIKESTON -- Jim Mueller came to hear more about Saxony Lutheran High School so that he could help his son make an informed decision about possibly transferring there later.

Mueller said his son, a junior high student in Charleston public schools, has been talking about the school but is still uncertain about whether he wants to attend there.

"He has friends at Charleston and he's not sure he wants to leave," Mueller said. Mueller also said his son has to consider whether or not there will be sports teams, a band and other extracurricular activities at the proposed Lutheran high school.

Actually, school administrators and members of the Board of Regents don't have answers to those questions until students get enrolled and teachers are hired.

"We have to have some answers before we can give some answers," said Dr. William Dillon, president of the board of regents. "But we want a real high school."

Eighteen people attended the first public meeting about the proposed school Sunday afternoon at Concordia Lutheran Church in Sikeston. Other meetings are planned throughout the coming weeks so that people can learn more about the school and have an opportunity to ask questions.

Saxony Lutheran High School is slated to open in August in classrooms at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau, with an expected enrollment of 50 students. The site is only temporary until the school's board of regents can finalize a deal to purchase land in northern Cape Girardeau County. A site in the county is being considered and an agreement should be finalized later this week.

Those who attended the meeting, which lasted nearly two hours, weren't as concerned about the site of the school as they were about the curriculum and proposed $300,000 budget.

The school will have a college-preparatory curriculum and should be accredited by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education within its first year, said Jerry Deardorff, interim administrator.

Eventually all the staff will be both certified by the state and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Within the first year, Deardorff expects the school to hire at least six teachers, although some of them might be part-time.

If the school can hire a person certified to teach both math and science, that would save a salary. Since there will only be two classes -- freshman and sophomore -- the first year, there should be some advantages to having staff certified in multiple subjects, he said.

About two-thirds of the school's proposed $302,200 budget will be spent on salaries. Other costs include supplies like textbooks and desks, maintenance and building rental and utilities.

Deardorff, who retired recently as a public school administrator, said he's learned from his 33 years of experience to "prepare for the worst but expect the best" when preparing budgets. That's why he added a bit of cushion to the budget for the school.

The school's board of regents should make the final revisions, if any, and approve the budget at tonight's meeting. The board meets at 7 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church.

"We want students who attend Saxony Lutheran High School to be well-equipped" for both the world of college and for making an impact on their world by their godly life, said the Rev. David Dissen, pastor Emeritus of Trinity Lutheran Church. He is also a spokesman for the school.

The school will be solidly anchored in Scripture, Dissen said. "Faith will be related regardless of the class that's the purpose of a Lutheran school."

More than 20 churches in the Southeast Missouri area have joined together in support of the school.

UPCOMING MEETINGS Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville.

Jan. 16 at 3 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg.

Jan. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson.

Jan. 20 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau.