August 9, 2021 at 5:30 PM - Regular Board Meeting

Description:  Board Development will run from 5:30--6:30 p.m. on Monday evening.  Nathan Chow will be working with the Board on an introduction to the Branding Process that we are embarking on this school year.  Nathan will review the proposed process he will follow, the plan and timeline for this work, answer any of the school board's questions, and solicit school board input.

Description:  Review the minutes for the July 12, 2021 regular meeting, July19, 2021 Additional meeting.

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

Description:  The Board of Education provides a public listening session for the public to comment on any item related to the governance or management of the WCSD.  A copy of Board Policy 187 - Public Participation at Board Meetings is attached for your reference. Each commenter will be allowed 3 minutes.  An hour will be allowed for this item.

Description:  Members of the WTA 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:  Chris Zellner, Village President, and Todd Schmidt, Village Administrator, from the Village of Waunakee will be present at the school board meeting on Monday evening.  They will provide an update to the Board on various topics, including the old library building, and other items of mutual interest.  Chris and Todd met with me and Jack Heinemann a few weeks ago, and earlier this summer, we had a meeting with me and Joan Ensign.  Both of these meetings yielded a conclusion that an update to the full Board would be helpful for future planning and discussions.

Description:  The School Board has set Community Engagement as a high priority this school year with an interest in informing and receiving feedback on key topics.  Through initial discussions, the idea of a topic centered meeting with the community every other month was proposed.  Following this concept, a potential set of dates is as follows:

September 27, 2021
November 29, 2021
January 31, 2022
March 28, 2022
Other....

I would recommend that the first meeting topic in September be centered around Equity and Access to Opportunities, and the work of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Ad Hoc Committee.

Other topics for the year to consider are as follows:

• Student Achievement and Interventions
• Social Emotional Learning
• Referendum -- Facilities and Operations
• Students with Disabilities -- 504 and Special Education (IDEA)
• English Language Learners and Bilingual Programming
• Academic and Career Planning
• Career and Technical Education
• Other

There are more topics listed here than we can address this year, but it provides a start to critical topics that you may want to explore.  I am open to suggestions from the Board on other topics that you may suggest.  For Monday night, I would like some feedback on your thoughts about topics you would like to have us consider and schedule for this school year.

Description:  The Board will review their take-aways from the parent survey from earlier this summer.

Description:  The administration will present to the Board the most current data related to COVID-19 incidents in our community.  That information will be brought to the meeting on Monday evening.

Description:  Attached please find the DRAFT protocols that will be presented to the Board for your review and consideration on Monday evening.  In addition to the general protocols, the Board will be asked to determine the policy for face coverings for student/staff/visitors, to start the school year.

The administration is planning on a full-time, 5-day per week, program for students this fall -- a return to a normal school year schedule.  With COVID needs still in the environment, we will still have mitigation efforts in place, as documented in the attached plan, and we will continue to contract trace and implement our quarentine protocols as outlined for us by PHMDC. Since there have been some questions about quarentines, the language from our plan is as follows:
 

Student or Staff Identified as Close Contact: The student or the staff person identified as a Close Contact using the definition above:

• A student or staff person who is fully vaccinated does not need to quarantine.

• The requirements from PHMDC for vaccinated and unvaccinated students, teachers, and staff being considered a close contact is an exception to the close contact definition, depending on whether you are wearing a well-fitted face covering. 

This language means that if a student or staff member is determined to have been in close contact with a COVID positive individual, they would not need to quarantine if they were vaccinated.

Also, under a different scenario, if a person is determined to have been in close contact with a COVID positive individual, and they are both wearing face coverings, then regardless of vaccination status, the close contact does not need to quarantine.

We are also in the process of working through some other operational matters regarding the start of school, which we will provide you with an update on Monday. Depending on the decision on face coverings, there will be a few follow-up matters that we will want to discuss with the Board so that we have clarity on the intent of any decisions.  

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is to share a few operational issues we are working to resolve that we want to bring to the attention of the school board as we enter the start of the school year.  Mainly, we want the school board and the community to know that we need assistance in some of our related services.  There is a need for bus drivers, crossing guards, and food service workers, as well as hourly employment categories within the school district.  Steve Summers, Brian Grabarski, and I will provide an update to the Board on Monday so you are informed on our current status.

Description:  Attached please find the Testing and Assessment Schedule for the 2021-2022 School Year.  Tim Schell will present this plan to the Board on Monday evening.

Description:  Attached please find the student achievement, progress monitoring report, for your review.  Tim Schell and Amy Johnson will share this report with you on Monday evening and provide insight into some of the data points.  This report is similar to the one that was presented to the Board last winter.

Description: 

Please see the attached document that outlines the work of the Goals Committee that was approved by the Board related to the issue of Native American Imagery in the school district.

In addition to the members of the Goals Committee and administration, the following individuals were invited and attended the meeting on August 2nd:

• Samson Falcon -- Executive Director of Heritage Preservation for the Ho Chunk Nation
• Bill Quackenbush -- Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Ho Chunk Nation
• Terry Enge -- Waunakee Community High School Alumni, Westport Resident, and artist of the mural in the gym (when he was a high school student).
• Tim Decorah -- high school teacher
• Josh Cash -- high school teacher

The conversation with the Committee revolved around the topic of the Mural in the Old Gym at the High School, the meaning of various imagery within the Ho Chunk Nation and other Nations, reflections on Native Imagery, and discussion on how to partner together for educational/curricular  purposes.

Description:  After discussion with Terry Enge (original artist of the mural in the gym) about the history of the mural in the old gym, reflections by staff members Tim Decorah and Josh Cash, along with input from Samson Falcon and Bill Quackenbush from the Ho Chunk Nation, the Goals Committee voted 2-0 to move to the Full Board a recommendation to remove the mural in the old gym at the high school and store it until a determination can be made in the future for what to do with it.

Description:  The school district has begun working with the Ho Chunk Nation as part of the Village of Waunakee's  Sesquentenial Celebration.  Part of this work is related to curricular work to further support Act 31 and the teaching of Native culture in our school programs.  Additional opportunities with potential links to the language staff within the Ho Chunk Education Department, and a structured history and cultural trip to Black River Falls for some of our staff.  Additionally, there is a potential opportunity for our students to work with Ho Chunk artists to potentially create a work for school or in the community.  Dr. Nick Mischler and the Waunakee Public Arts group are meeting with the Ho Chunk Nation to consider a project in Waunakee, for the future.

Description:  Be it resolved that the Board of Education for the Waunakee Community School District hereby authorizes the appointment of an independent hearing officer for the 2021-2022 school year to determine pupil expulsion from the school under State Statute 119.25 Expulsion of Pupils. Sub (2). This must be a roll call vote.

Description:  The school board reviewed the expulsion hearing officer position within the last two years and at that time selected Jon Anderson of Husch Blackwell Law Firm.  Mr. Anderson has served the district well through these services and is very timely and thorough in his review and reporting of findings.  The recommendation is to continue with Jon Anderson as the expulsion hearing officer for the 2021-2022 school year.

Description:  A motion is requested to appoint Dr. Bill Ranum as the District's Medical Advisor for the 2021-2022 school year. This must be a roll call vote.

Description:  Please see the attached request from Chris Mand, Director of Student Services, for an additional bilingual teacher.  We continue to see strong growth in our new students with Spanish language needs.  Transfer of Service funds are applicable to use to help fund this position.

Description:  Attached please find a Rough Draft of a timeline for events that need to take place leading up to a potential Fall 2022 school district referendum.  The administration will present this timeline to the Board on Monday night.

Description:   

Description:  Attached in the "extras" section of BoardBook, please find a list of the accounts payable payments issued during the month of July 2021.

Description:  Attached you will find the 2020-21 Budget Status report as of June 30, 2021, and the Cash Reconciliation report for June 2021. Also attached is the Wellness Clinic Financial Report through June 2021 and the SSM June 2021 Wellness Clinic Report.

Description:  Attached please find a draft of the 2021 Annual Meeting Agenda. The administration is requesting approval of this agenda in order to begin the planning process for the 2021 Annual Meeting.

Description:  The purpose of this agenda item is to request School Board approval for a cash flow borrowing process. Attached please find the cash flow borrowing financial advisory agreement with PMA. Because the district did not issue debt in 2021, we are allowed to issue our annual cash flow borrowing as a bank qualified bond issue. As a result, the borrowing is considered non-taxable, which decreases interest costs. The administration utilizes the financial advisor PMA to conduct the annual cash flow borrowing process. Last year, we participated in a PMA cash flow borrowing pool that included other school districts in the same borrowing situation as Waunakee. 

Here is the process for cash flow borrowing with PMA:

• An approximate $7 to $8 million dollar loan is taken out in October
• The loan is bank qualified, which decreases interest costs
• The financial professional seeks bids on the borrowing
• The legal opinion is provided by Quarles and Brady
• The borrowing is rated and financial information is provided to the bidders
• The issuance cost of the borrowing includes financial advisor fees, the legal fees, and the rating fees. However, all of the districts in the pool share the issuance costs, which reduces the cost for any single district.
• Other school districts in the same borrowing situation as Waunakee can participate in the process which helps to lower the overall costs of the borrowing

In addition to the cost of issuance, the District could see interest rate savings from two sources. These two sources are a lower overall interest rate due to the rated borrowing, and the loan could be paid back in installments rather than annually.

Description:  On an annual basis the administration brings to the Board the staff handbooks for your review.  The handbooks are available for board review  in the "extras" tab of Boardbook.

These are different than than the employee guidelines that you approved last month as these address daily operations within our schools and district.