Neillsville School Board Approves Application for Waiver of Instructional Minutes

Thursday, February 11th, 2021 -- 12:01 PM

-The Neillsville School Board held a public hearing for the request to waive instructional minutes from the Department of Public Instruction.

This is necessary before the waiver can be approved.  There were no appearances and the board approved the Wavier of Instructional Minutes for the 2020-2021 school year as presented.

The board also approved the March calendar and operational plan as presented.  The plan will remain the same as February with some minor changes.  All students will continue with in person instruction 4 days a week, Monday-Thursday, and Fridays will be a day for at home study and staff outreach. Virtual/Remote learning will be used during days of school closures.

Also, masks and shields will be provided by the district. The district will continue to limit non-essential visitors during school hours. Any approved visitors must wear masks and follow all safety protocols. College and military recruiters will be added as approved visitors when scheduled.

Band and chorus will rehearse using safety protocols and unless the WIAA requires other spectator limits, there will be 5 tickets per bench personnel for sporting events.

Other considerations include the March calendar, the March schedule for ACT day for grades 6th-12th, the CDC Report of 17 WI Rural Schools, and Community Use of Facilities for Youth Tournaments, 4 teams per grade.

The board also approved the listing of Summer School courses offered for 2021 as presented, approved the Expanded Course Offering Handbook for the 2021-2022 school year as presented, and approved the proposed 2021-2022 school calendar as presented.

The board also approved the donation from Harvest States for gloves and alcohol wipes as presented, approved the donation of drinking cups from Neillsville Marathon Station as presented, and approved the monetary donation from Pat and Cindy Anderson as presented.

The board received an update on current and future construction projects.  Some of the projects to be completed yet this year include the middle school roof, the wood shop dust collector, informational signage, the high school water heater piping, the fire alarm system, parking lot sealing and striping, and the high school hallway flooring.  The estimated cost for those projects is $434,679.15.

In employment matters, the board approved the hiring of Rolaine Griffiths as a teaching assistant and approved the request for 6 weeks of maternity leave by Kayla Harder.

Finally, the board heard the Administrators’ Reports.  Elementary Principal Marcy Kunze reported on attendance, remote learners, Schools Cubed visit, and student council representatives.

Middle School Principal Kory Poeschel reported on attendance, remote learners, character trait of the month, 8th hour, 2021-22 course registration, and World Read Aloud Day.

High School Principal Craig Anderson reported on attendance, remote learners, 2021-2022 school year scheduling, guidance office updates, and a thank you statement.

Finally, District Administrator John Gaier reported on a thank you note from Judy Morrow, a Department of Commerce letter regarding the census, the upcoming Medford Legislative Meeting, the completion of the School Safety Initiative Grant, and the results of the district's OPEB actuarial study.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.