Board Minutes – 10-12-2020

Posted: October 12, 2020 at 1:39 PM

MFL MarMac Community School District
Regular Meeting Minutes
October 12, 2020

The MFL MarMac Board of Education held its Regular Meeting on Monday, October 12, 2020. The meeting was held in the auditorium of the Monona schoolhouse.

President Gina Roys called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. Members present included: Gina Roys, Dr. Jon Moser, Tonya Meyer, Roberta Hass, Collin Stubbs, Josh Grau and Brian Meyer. Also present were Dr. Dale Crozier, Superintendent; Karla Hanson, Board Secretary; Larry Meyer, High School Principal; Denise Mueller, Middle School Principal; Kathy Koether, Elementary Principal; Eliza Philpott, Curriculum Director. Guests were recognized and welcomed.

Motion by Roberta Hass, seconded by Tonya Meyer, to approve the agenda as presented. The motion was carried unanimously.

Motion by Dr. Jon Moser, seconded by Josh Grau, to approve the following consent items from the agenda:

  • Approval of the September 14, 2020, board minutes
  • Bills against the district as listed: General Fund: $85,281.17; Management Fund: $0.00; Capital Projects: $21,592.02; PPEL: $11,915.99; Little Bulldog Childcare: $2,800.14; Dr. Smith Childcare:$2,135.87, Clearing Account: $21,114.18; Lunch: $24,228.93.
  • The Secretary’s Report, Activity Report, and Food Service Report will be filed subject to audit.

Motion carried unanimously.

Motion by Collin Stubbs, seconded by Dr. Jon Moser, to approve the following contracts:

  • Contract to Lindsey Johanningmeier, paraprofessional
  • Contact to Madyson Walker, wrestling cheer coach
  • Contract to Chessie Andrist, 8th grade girls basketball

Motion carried unanimously.

Motion by Roberta Hass, seconded by Tonya Meyer, to accept the mandate to require face coverings when social distancing guidelines cannot be met. Gina Roys read a prepared statement about the need for face coverings, the lengths that the school board went to carefully consider this mandate, and the guidelines given to the district from local healthcare departments and Governor Reynolds. The new guidelines are expected to reduce the number of students who will be required to quarantine because of possible exposure via close contact with a Covid19 confirmed positive tested person. Motion carried unanimously.

Motion by Dr. Jon Moser, seconded by Josh Grau, to approve the FY2019 Certified Annual Report, Special Education Supplement, Transportation Report and Request of Supplemental Aid. Dr. Crozier spoke briefly about the unspent balance of approximately $1,086,000 and how that number has changed over the years due to declining enrollment. The district continues to work on improving financially when and where possible through actions and strategic planning such as offering early retirement and through attrition. Motion was carried unanimously.

Motion by Collin Stubbs, seconded by Dr. Jon Moser to approve a resolution for Modified Allowable Growth for FY2020, Special Education Deficit, of $269,547.00. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Brian Meyer, seconded by Collin Stubbs, to change the location of the school board meetings to the auditorium in the Monona schoolhouse until social distancing is no longer an issue. Motion carried unanimously.

The board agreed to begin looking into the process of paying off debt. Approximately, $1,700,000 in debt is currently held by the district. $202,000 is scheduled to be paid on that debt in FY21. The elementary construction project can still happen and could possibly be done without incurring additional debt if the economic tides change.

Principal Reports: High School – Larry Meyer talked about the first semester ending this week. National Honor Society induction ceremony will be held on October 20. SIAC committee plans to meet on October 19. Conferences will be held November 3 and 5. IEP meetings continue. State reporting of student headcount is due on the 15th. CTE assessment was completed and the dollar amounts to be rewarded to the school should be announced soon. The football team ended the regular season as district champions, volleyball is in 4th place in the conference and cross-country participants continue to make our school proud.

Middle School Principal, Denise Mueller reported that FAST testing in math and reading has been completed and intervention time has been scheduled to help students catch up for lost time. Conferences are being scheduled, more at-home learners have returned to full-time in-school learning, fall sports are wrapping up and speakers have begun coming to the school again.

Elementary Principal, Kathy Koether, reports that elementary will offer three options for conferences: in person, Zoom or via phone. They are also done with FAST testing and are working to get everyone back up to speed. The Title 1 budget for the year is just over $121,000. Special thanks to local support from individual and church donors.

Curriculum Director, Eliza Philpott, talked about using Sign up Genius to schedule conferences. Professional development opportunities are being sought to be tailored to individual, grade specific needs. Changes within the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt organization has created some customer service issues as our representatives have left the company. Teachers tried the free trial of Kami, a digital teaching platform, and liked it so much that it will be purchased.

President Roys adjourned the meeting at 6:42 pm.

The next board meeting will be held on November 9, 2020, in the Monona Schoolhouse Auditorium at 6:00 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
Karla Hanson – Board Secretary