School board approves contracts across the district
By Rachel Mergen
On June 12, the MFL MarMac school board met to discuss a variety of topics including contracts, stipends, and agreements, along with a multitude of other matters
Contracts
“They will be missed,” Superintendent Dale Crozier stated as he listed the teachers who were resigning. “We wish all of them the best.” Resigning staff were teacher Becky Holt, paraprofessional Sarah Ferguson, bus driver Larry Cox, cook Sharon Strnad and high school track coach Dan Anderson. A replacement for Anderson is pending.
All new contracts were approved by the board. Included on this list were special education teacher Carissa Otto, middle school teacher Brandon Burke, part-time high school business teacher Melissa Jones, mental health specialist Samantha Baumgartner, and mental health therapist Nikki Brevig.
David Corlette, Erik Peterson and Leslie Henkes were approved to split the athletic director contract in shares of 44 percent, 44 percent, and 12 percent, respectively. Dan Anderson, Brent Pape, Tara Mathas and Kyle Kirkestue are set to split the weight room supervisor contract evenly in fourths.
Crozier and the school board celebrated the opportunity to gain the new staff members. Especially Jones, who is also a local business owner hoping to bring in people who are prominent in their careers, thus helping students become more aware of their fields of interest. The principal noted that 37 percent of the students in the 2018 graduating class planned on entering the work field immediately after college. The board hopes to support this option, as they recognize that immediate work after high school is becoming more common, though they support going onto further education as an option.
The Juvenile Services Grant, which is awarded to help at-risk students be connected with the services they need, was given to MFL MarMac to hire Baumgartner and Brevig. Brevig will be available to students and staff eight hours per week.
Summer athletic director stipends
Dave Corlette and Erik Peterson were approved to both receive stipends of $1,500 as the summer athletic directors.
28E agreements
The 28E agreements, which are agreements shared by the school and outside entities, were approved to continue into the next school year. None were added or removed, but Crozier noted he is communicating with the mayor of Monona about revising the Little Bulldogs agreement, it is currently “obsolete.”
School fees
MFL MarMac school fees for the upcoming school year were approved to stay the same, with the exception of lunches increasing by 10 cents and breakfasts increasing in cost by 5 cents. “It’s not because we want to, it’s because we have to,” Crozier stated, saying federal government regulations are the reason for the price increases.
Director and principal contracts
All contracts were improved, with the two year principal contracts being rolled over. The contract holders received a 2.45 percent salary increase, with the exception of Larry Meyer, who is set to have a salary increase of $5,000.
HAWC Award
The HAWC Award, given to the school district in the amount of $8,000, will be used by the Teaching and Tutoring Sessions art program. Some of these funds will be put toward the students’ work with murals in the near future.
Legislative priorities
Legislative priorities included mental health within the school and the continuation of education throughout the students’ preschool to graduation careers.
Other Business
•Teacher leadership compensation positions, all early graduation requests and the physical education waiver were approved by the school board.
•The fate of the funds for safety equipment was in question, as new rules were put into place, but the over $9,000 each year will continue to be paid from the general fund account, instead of the separate athletic accounts.
•Prairie Farms was approved for the milk bid and Bimbo Bakery was approved for the bread bid.
•The senior class traditionally gives money to the school for a certain project of their choice. The 2018 graduating class determined they wished their donation to go to mental health programs that will help educate the school’s counselors to help support students better.