Owen-Withee School Board Approves Two Waivers

Thursday, December 17th, 2020 -- 10:08 AM

The Owen-Withee School Board began their meeting on Monday with a public hearing on an Educator Effectiveness Waiver.

Administrators requested that the board approve the district asking the DPI for a one year waiver on the Educator Effectiveness requirements. With the block schedule, meeting every other day, virtual Fridays, etc. administrators sought relief from the evaluation process. The board unanimously approved applying for the waiver.

They also held a public hearing for a Hours of Instruction Waiver.  Administrators requested that the board approve the district asking the DPI for a one year waiver on the Hours of Instruction requirements. With the shortening of the school day this year, they are very close to not meeting the hours of instruction requirements. If anything occurs in the winter/spring, they will be looking to make up time in June.

While they are not looking to use the waiver, by applying for it, and having it granted, the district has it “in the back pocket” should they need it. The board unanimously approved applying for the waiver.  The board also heard a presentation on the Referendum Financing Discussion.  A financial representative walked the board through the process that they will use for the building project.

With bond rates at an all-time low, now is a good time to finance a project. Not only will they finance the building project, but they will refinance some older debt at the lower rates. The goals of the project financing are to keep the mil rate impact at $.42 as promised, minimize the interest costs, minimize the interest rate risk and maximize the investment earnings.

The plan is to get a Bond Anticipatory Note of $3.15 million to get the project started in February of 2021).  They also will sell bonds to finance the project over 20 years. Once bonds are sold, the BAN is paid off in June of 2021.  They reviewed the financing timeline and who is responsible at each step.

In old business, it was stated that Julie Wendler, Rick Eloaranta, Kim Amacher, Angela Greschner and Charlie Milliren will attend the WASB Education Convention in January. The convention will be held virtually this year so attendees can participate live or view recorded sessions.  Also, for the 2021 Spring Election, candidacy papers were distributed to all three candidates who are up for re-election this spring.

All three have indicated that they will run for another term. The board also heard a building project update.  District Administrator Bob Houts gave the board an update on what has been happening with the building project. They are in the planning phase of the project, which means lots of meetings and chances for input.

The Building Oversight Committee met on November 19th to hear about the phases of the project and to learn their roles. Each person on that committee has been assigned to a sub-committee and will report back to the BOC on the progress of their committee.

On December 7 the five sub-committees met.  Those committees are Ag/Tech, Building Systems, Kitchen, Multi-Purpose/Cafeteria, and Exterior Design. The job of the sub-committees is to provide input and feedback to the architects who are designing the facility. The sub-committees are scheduled to meet again on Monday, December 21.

In new business, the board discussed the Administrators’ Intentions for the 2021-22 School Year.  Each December individuals under contract are asked to indicate their intentions for the following school year. In January, the board is required to offer a contract or non-renew and administrator for the following year.

If board action does not occur prior to January 31st, the administrator contract automatically rolls over for an additional year. All four administrators have indicated in writing that they plan to return for the 2021-22 school year.

Administration also presented to the board a draft/proposed calendar for the 2021-22 school year. The calendar is designed with the idea that things will go back to “normal” in 2021-22.  The first day of school will be September 1st with the last day being May 27th. The board and staff use the next 30 days to review and provide input. Typically, the board approves the calendar at the January regular meeting.

Administration also presented to the board the full audit of the 2019-20 fiscal year. Other than the usual findings for lack of personnel to do the ideal segregation of duties, the audit went well. The board approved the 2019-20 audit as presented.

Mr. Houts discussed with the board legislation that is being discussed at the state level that could impact the district. Things like changing open enrollment rules, penalizing and restricting virtual instruction and requiring payments to families who have been in virtual instruction this year are included. This legislation has not come up for any kind of as of yet, so more information will follow.

In employment matters, Mary Wilichowski resigned from her position as elementary aid just before Thanksgiving. Mrs. Van Ark and Mrs. Delyea interviewed 3 applicants and selected Kim Lambright to fill the position. The Board approved the hire of Kim for the position.

Also, both union groups, teachers and support staff, held recertification elections in November. The district was notified by the WERC that both groups voted to recertify and will move forward representing the staff.

Mr. Houts also notified the board that he has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding, on behalf of the district, with Clark County to be a possible site for a COVID-19 vaccination clinic this spring. This does not commit the district, but makes the facility available should it be needed.

The topic of the mask mandate took up most of the meeting. After meeting with staff members in November regarding issues related to COVID19, Bob Houts agreed to administer a survey with staff regarding comfort level of staff members working in the building. Staff were given an opportunity to express what may be making them feel uncomfortable being at school.

A large number of comments dealt with students not wearing masks during the school day. After much discussion and hearing from staff and parents, the board approved the following change that will be implemented starting January 4th of 2021 to the COVID-19 plan.  The wearing of a face mask by students and staff is the most effective means of controlling this and any other virus.

Face masks are REQUIRED TO BE WORN PROPERLY in the school building and on school buses. Exceptions to the requirement to wear a mask will be made ONLY for students who have provided the office with a note from a physician, physician’s assistant (PA) or Advanced Practice Nurse Prescriber (APNP) stating there is a medical reason for not wearing the mask.

In these cases, a face shield will be required. Mask breaks are to be scheduled by the individual classroom teacher. The district has face coverings available for student/staff use/purchase. Students are encouraged to provide their coverings as well.

Finally, the board heard the Administrators’ Reports.  Elementary Principal Julie Van Ark reported on the competition between herself and Mr. Cihlar to promote the food drive that will help the local food pantry. Someone, the loser of the contest, will be wearing Bears or Packers clothing.

In cooperation with the O-W Lion’s Club, Forward Bank and the Woodgrove Workers 4H, the elementary is sending home a gift bag for each family. She thanked all involved in making this happen. The virtual Christmas Concert will be recorded on Dec. 21st and shared with families and Mrs. Nelson is sorting through their newest shipment of ARC Reading materials in preparation for their next implementation.

Middle and High School Principal Matt Cihlar reported on the virtual Parent/Teacher Conferences held on December 7th and the success of having more and more students coming to school on virtual Fridays to get caught up and get help in courses in which they struggle.

The Virtual Veteran’s Day program went well.  He thanked Mr. Engel for putting the program together. The end of the semester will be January 19th with final exams administered on January 20th and 21st.

Finally, Mr. Houts reported on the progress of the WEDC Broadband Access grant that they are a part of. A plan that they can use moving forward should be ready by the end of the week. The donation from Forward Bank for the building project is coming into focus. Mr. Houts had discussions with reps from Forward to answer some questions that the Board has had.

Donations from community groups can be counted towards the $50,000 district match, the funds can be used for any part of the project that the district desires, commitments for donations of a number of years can be counted towards the $50,000 and Forward will hire a graphic designer and pay for the signage for the Forward Center.

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