Reflection and discussion about the referendum process was the main focus of the April 16 Neenah Joint School District Board of Education meeting.
After an open forum where 15 community members offered a variety of opinions and ideas, the Board members offered their own thoughts during a discussion that lasted over an hour. Some of the Board members mentioned that they were challenged by how much they were able to legally participate in the process. Many also supported the idea of a focus group to learn more about why community members voted the way they did and what they would like to see in a future referendum. President Michelle Swardenski often thanked the large crowd in attendance and hoped for feedback on how to hear from more community members and keep the momentum going.
The Board did not engage in discussions about specific aspects of a possible future referendum as most of the conversation centered around ways to gather more feedback from and communicate with different groups in the community. They scheduled a meeting to hear feedback from the partners the District worked with during the process. Representatives from Miron Construction, Bray Architects and School Perceptions will be in attendance for a public meeting on Tuesday, April 30 at 6 p.m. at the Administration Building.
The Board also received an update from Director of Business Services Andrew Thorson that an original proposal to create three secure entrances at Neenah High School has been changed to maintain a single entrance at Door 3 as it is now. Construction on that project will begin this summer and will be funded through the state security grant the District received last fall.
In action items, hires were approved for Amy Ebben at Coolidge, Rylee Engelland at Clayton, Jenna McGlinn as an elementary school psychologist, Nicole Sheedy as District-wide program support and Joy Hodges at Wilson. End-of-year resignations were approved for Horace Mann teacher Molly Hungerford, Wilson literacy coach Cynthia Keberlein, high school teacher Jared Krueger and Taft teacher Sara Martz. A transition for Laura Hultman from a library media specialist to a non-certified library media assistant position was also approved.
Board members Jean-Maurice Boyer and Christopher Kunz were honored for their terms on the Board. Both did not seek re-election as Boyer served for the past six years and Kunz served for 12 years.
The next regularly scheduled meeting is set for May 7 at 6 p.m.
|