ESCANABA — Escanaba’s Lemmer Elementary School will be creating another third grade section due to the number of students. School Superintendent Coby Fletcher announced the move at Monday’s school board meeting.

“We’ve got higher than anticipated numbers in a couple of areas,” said Fletcher. “One of the things we’re addressing right now are some overloads in our third grade, particularly at Lemmer.”

The Escanaba School District posted the third grade teacher position today and it will close on Sept. 25. Lemmer Elementary administration is working quickly to get the fifth section of third graders in order, similar to the other sections.

“You want to put together a class that is representative of all the other classes,” Fletcher said. “You can’t just take volunteers, you have to craft it to where you end up with five sections similar to each other.”

The addition of another section at Lemmer Elementary reflects the student count, now at 2,322, according to Business Manager Kevin Pascoe. The final student count will be submitted the beginning of October.

In other business:

– The board approved Secretary Kathy Jensen to attend the annual Michigan Association of School Boards Leadership Conference, Nov. 8-11, as a representative of the Escanaba School Board.

– The board approved the hiring of Michele Fugere-Geyer as National Honor Society advisor, and Rachael Strand, as interpreter for the hearing impaired at the Escanaba Student Success Center.

– Senior high school Principal Darci Griebel announced this week is Homecoming Week. The homecoming parade will start at 5 p.m. Friday. It will start at the Delta County Courthouse and travel west on Ludington Street. The Escanaba Eskymos varsity football team will face the Marquette Redmen starting at 7 p.m.

– During the homecoming parade Friday, junior high school students will be collecting nonperishable food items for local food pantries.