January 11, 2021 at 7:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Description:  Included in your packet you will find the minutes from the December 14,2020 regular meeting for your review and approval.

Description:  A motion will be necessary to approve the agenda as presented (or) with changes as recommended.

Description:  Individuals may use this time to comment on any items listed as part of the meeting agenda. A copy of Board Policy 187 —Public Participation at Board Meetings is enclosed for your reference. Past practice has allowed 30 minutes for this section of the agenda.  Emailed comments will be shared and reviewed by all the board members but will not be read out loud.

Description:  Anna Englebert and Quinn Bogoost are the high school student representatives who will provide an update of events from the high school.

Description:  Kyle Emmert and Ashley Taylor will provide an update on items related to the teaching staff.

Description:  This section of the agenda is reserved for any comments from members of the board on meetings they attended over the last month or other informational items.

Description:  Please find the WASB Resolutions for 2021 at the attached link, that will be discussed at the Delegate Assembly in a few weeks at the State Education Convention in Milwaukee.  Brian Hoefer is  our delegate this year.  Please review the resolutions and you can provide feedback to them on Monday night, or at a time prior to the convention.
https://www.wasb.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Report-To-The-Membership-On-Proposed-2021-Resolutions-Corrected.pdf

Description:  Attached is a copy of the  memo to the municipality & county clerks for candidates for the 2021 spring elections.
 
1/5/21 was the due date for all candidacy paperwork to be turned in. The Candidates for the Spring 2021 Election are: 

Town of Westport, City of Middleton, City of Madison Seat -
Anne Luebke
Ted Frey

Town of Vienna Seat -
Mark Hetzel

Also attached is the Exemption from Filing Campaign Finance Reports.  ALL board members must sign this annually in January.  Even if you are running in the spring election you still need to sign this to cover your time as a board member from January 2021 - election day.  Please complete this form and return to Rebecca on Monday night.

Description:   As a guide --  traditional timeline was as follows:
* School Perceptions Survey (hard copy in folder) and Open ended Questions (attached) due by February BOE meeting
* Superintendent Eval & Priorities Eval given out at Feb BOE meeting and asked to be returned by end of March
* After March BOE meeting Individual Reminder sent to each BOE member sharing what they still needed to turn in by the end of March.


The Board has discussed a revised process and timeline for 2020 and should be discussed the revised timing during this agenda item.

Description:  Attached please find the COVID Data Dashboard from January 4, 2020.  An updated Dashoard will be shared with the Board on Monday.

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is for the Board to consider final approval of the return of students in grades 5-12 to school in a hybrid model at the beginning of the 2nd Semester of the 2020-2021 school year on January 26, 2021.

The administration has presented at previous school board meetings the detailed plans and procedures for the return of students in grades 5-12 to school.  One of the final steps in this preparation process occurs on Monday, January 11th with communication to parents regarding communication to parents on the instructional plans, logistical processes, and finalization of transportation needs. Additionally, the cleaning and sanitization products/process you approved at the December Board Meeting is being put in place this week.

With your approval of the return of students on January 26th, we will continue to assess and plan for the future.   Next steps in our planning include movement to a 5-day week at the 7-12 level and extension of the school day to a full-day (7-12), in the future, as well.



 

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is to review the 2020-21 Budget. The HR Committee met on Monday, December 21st to make a recommendation on 2020-21 pay increases. This recommendation will be considered under the Human Resource Committee Report at the Board Meeting on Monday, January 11th. The Facility Committee met on Monday, December 21st to make a recommendation on additional Capital Maintenance projects, and those projects will be brought forward for approval under the Facility Committee Report at the Board Meeting on Monday, also.

The following three documents are attached:

1. Summary of November 2020 Referendum Funds, including the Facility Committee recommendation on additional plumbing enhancements.
2. Revenue Replacement which identifies funds that can be reallocated within the 2020-21 budget towards salary and benefits increases.
3. Salary and Benefit recommendation from the HR Committee to the School Board on January 11th.

The original salary and benefit budget estimate from April 2020 includes $918,323.55. The budget adjustments in October of 2020 removed approximately $420,000 in resources from the 2020-21 budget, leaving approximately $500,000 remaining for salary and benefit increases. The revenue replacement document identifies approximately $842,798 in the 2020-21 budget that can be reallocated towards pay increases. The HR Committee recommendation will require $667,559.08 in resources from the revenue replacement document. Of those resources, $147,000 from special ed paras should be considered a permanent reallocation while approximately $520,000 will need to be reallocated back to their original budgets for the 2021-22 school year.

The most important thing to keep in mind at this point is that the reallocation of funds within the 2020-21 budget to salary and benefit increases will have to be replaced during the 2021-22 budget process, or over subsequent years. Administration will review this point specifically at the meeting.

No action will be needed on this specific agenda item on Monday as the action items related to the work of the Budget Committee coincide with recommendations from the Human Resource and Facility Committees.

 

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is to review a draft of the budget timeline for the 2021-22 school year and the Wisconsin DPI School Funding Proposal. Attached please find a draft timeline and the Wisconsin DPI Proposal for school funding in the 2021-23 State Budget process. 

The Budget Committee supports having a budget engagement meeting with the full Board, Administration, and Teacher Leadership Team prior to the presentation of the first draft of the budget in May.  Projected time for the meeting is after spring break in March or early April.

Additionally, the Administration will bring draft budget priorities to the Budget Committee at their February meeting.



 

Description:  The Waunakee Community School District Human Resource Committee and the Waunakee Teachers Association met on December 7, 2020 for purposes of negotiations.  Negotiations are limited to consideration of base wages with a maximum rate set by the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission which for Collective Bargaining Agreements  starting on July 1, 2020 is capped at 1.81%.  The HR Committee and the WTA came to a tentative agreement on a 1.81% base wage increase which is being recommended to the full Board on Monday evening.

The WTA and the Board need to both vote to ratify this agreement.

Description:  Attached please find the staff compensation recommendation from the Human Resource Committee for your consideration.  This proposal was approved by a 3-0 vote by the HR Committee.  The Budget Committee also reviewed this proposal and is recommending it to the Board on a 2-1 vote.

Specifically this proposal, includes:
1.  1.81% base wage increase for teachers (previous agenda item).
2.  $900 in supplemental pay to teachers who earned their Points.
3.  2.75% base wage increase for administration and administrative support staff.
4.  2.75% base wage for hourly staff plus $.10 per hour supplemental pay to increase competitiveness of their wage scale.
5.  Completion of the Classified Staff's Pay Schedule for 5-15 years (multiple year plan to complete salary schedule restructure for veteran hourly staff).
6.  Increase the daily substitute teacher pay rate from $120 to $130.

Description:  The Families First Coronavirus Response Act will expire on December 31, 2020.  EPSL provided up to 80 hours of paid leave (total hours equal to number of hours they work on average over a two-week period).  Administration proposes making this EPSL-like leave available to employees who did not use it during the start of the 20/21 school year.  This recommendation was endorsed by the Human Resource Committee and is being recommended to the full Board for consideration.

Brian Grabarski will be at Monday's meeting to present this agenda item and to answer any questions.

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is to consider additional plumbing enhancements. Attached please find a high level summary of the November 2020 Operational Referendum funds. Also attached please find a high level summary of additional plumbing enhancements that could be installed throughout the District.

The Facility Committee is recommending that administration prioritize the plumbing enhancements and approved/recommends an allocation up to $90,000 for this project. 

 

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is to discuss Fund 41 Capital Maintenance Projects. Attached please find the Fund 41 budget as approved by the School Board back in July. Since July, the School Board approved funding elementary plumbing enhancements and district-wide HVAC enhancements out of Fund 41, and then subsequently reallocating these costs to the November 2020 referendum. As a result we are back to the budget from July, with the exception of the High School gym reconfiguration. The funds remaining in Fund 41 is equal to $625,880.

The Facility Committee reviewed a set of projects presented by the administration and is recommending the following projects to the Board for approval:
A.  High School Boiler
B.  Prairie Elementary Oven
C.  High School Steamer
D.  District Administrative Office Security
E.  911 Activation from Panic Button

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is to request School Board approval of 2021-2022 open enrollment capacity. Attached are the calculations for both regular and special education, by grade level. Administration is required to provide the calculated open enrollment openings as attached, and the School Board may opt to modify the calculations. 

The recommendations for the 2021-2022 open enrollment capacity is based off the School Board open enrollment policy. The open enrollment law was significantly changed during February of 2012. One of the changes in the law was a requirement that the School Board identify in January of each year the number of openings in each grade for open enrollment students. In addition, the open enrollment law was changed during the 2015-17 state budget process. We are now required to separately calculate the number of special education openings, and districts are not allowed to deny open enrollment to special education students based on undue financial burdens.

For 2021-2022, I am estimating enrollment based on a conservative casting forward of our current enrollment with some minor growth factors. Please note that the number of sections identified for each grade level may, and most likely will, change as we survey parents who made other educational decisions for this school year who we anticipate returning in the fall, along with natural community growth.

The School Board policy states the following "Open enrollment acceptance guarantees shall be given to a nonresident student already attending school in the district or his/her sibling, even if space is not available". Because of this statement, please be aware that all nonresident students already attending Waunakee will be guaranteed acceptance and students with siblings will be guaranteed acceptance. A guaranteed acceptance does not guarantee placement in a specific elementary school as administration retains the right to assign students to an elementary school with capacity.

Attached please find a spreadsheet with structures outlining the number of sections and potential openings at each grade level and within special education.    Administration will guide the Board through understanding this spreadsheet and your options on Monday night.  The yellow highlights in the attachment represent changes from one year to the next and do not reflect recommendations.  

Description:  Sheila Weihert will be in attendance at Monday's Board Meeting to review the data from Summer School 2020 and to forecast for you planning that has begun for Summer School 2021.  Attached is her report that she will review with you on Monday.

Description:  I recently learned that Wegner CPAs, our audit firm, is phasing out of government audits, and thus will no longer be able to serve as our auditor for the coming audit cycle.  Wegner has developed a relationship with WIPFLI and will refer clients to the them.  We also have an option of conducting a Request for Proposal process to select our next audit firm.  I recommend an RFP process for audit services and working with the Budget Committee on making a recommendation to the full Board.

 

Description:  Please see the attached letters from the WI High School Forensic Association recognizing three groups of our High School Students who, under the direction of Rick Braun, competed and received two Critic's Choice awards, a Directing award, three Ensemble awards and one All State award at the 2020 State Theatre Festival, held virtually.  Also receiving  Outstanding Acting awards are Ruby Hlathein, Allison Smith, and Allison Horvatin.

Description:  Attached in the "extras" section of BoardBook, please find a list of the accounts payable payments issued during the month of December 2020.

Description:  Attached you will find the 2020-21 Budget Status report as of December 31, 2020, and the Cash Reconciliation report for November 2020. 

Also attached please find the SSM Health Wellness Clinic Performance Report for November as well as the District Financial report for the Wellness Clinic for your review. This report tracks expenditures over time beginning with the first month of the clinic. 

Description:  Attached please find the memos regarding the following gifts.
Youth masks from University Book Store received by Prairie for all 4K-4 building sites.
Monetary donation from Nord Gear to Arboretum

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