On Monday, April 13, the Monroe School Board:
• Heard a request from parents Mike Shuda and Joe Tomasciwicz to include community members in favor of keeping four band instructors for the district on a future school board agenda. Both Shuda and Tomasciwicz are parents of band students, and said there are a number of people who are very concerned what will happen if the district does not fund a fourth band instructor position. The district has previously said after this school year, it will not fund the fourth position that is currently being paid for by private donations. School board president Scott Schmidt said the board will discuss how to handle the request from the band supporters. He said there are a number of people who have voiced support for just three positions, as well. The district may have to consider holding a special meeting just on the band program, he said.
• Accepted resignations from Margie Brunette, virtual school teacher; Randy Sievert, Monroe Middle School band instructor; Lynne Rufenacht, fourth-grade teacher at Northside Elementary School; Tom Schilt, Monroe High School band instructor; Patti Casselberry, Monroe Middle School English teacher; Gene Haffele, Monroe High School science teacher; and Laura Molitor, third-grade teacher at Parkside Elementary School. It also accepted a resignation from Sandra Broge, custodian/weekend security for the district.
• Hired George Pisula and Les Bieneman to job-share a science instructor position at Monroe High School next year. Both are long-time MHS science teachers who have retired. Pisula will teach chemistry three hours per day, while Bieneman will teach biology two hours per day.
• Hired Jessica Lervik as Northside School psychologist and Britney O'Connell as first-grade teacher at Parkside next school year. O'Connell is currently teaching first-grade at Parkside on a one-year contract.
• Hired local restaurateur Eric Ekum to serve as food service supervisor for the district. Ekum formerly owned PepperCorn Café, PepperCorn Banquets and Perks Coffee Café.
• Approved purchasing English 9 and 10 textbooks for MHS. The textbooks, previously approved by the curriculum and finance committees, will cost just less than $33,000. Director of Curriculum and Instruction Jennifer Thayer said the books currently being used are in poor condition and need to be replaced. The middle school also uses textbooks from McDougal Little, so there will be a progression of material with no overlap of reading selections between grades.
• Approved requesting a waiver from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to have 177 days of instruction, instead of the required 180. The waiver is needed because the district has eliminated half-day inservice days for teachers next school year and will instead have full-day inservice days. Students will still receive the same number of hours of instruction, but the calendar will be more manageable for working parents. Thayer said comments about the move to eliminate early-release days has been very positive.
• Heard a request from parents Mike Shuda and Joe Tomasciwicz to include community members in favor of keeping four band instructors for the district on a future school board agenda. Both Shuda and Tomasciwicz are parents of band students, and said there are a number of people who are very concerned what will happen if the district does not fund a fourth band instructor position. The district has previously said after this school year, it will not fund the fourth position that is currently being paid for by private donations. School board president Scott Schmidt said the board will discuss how to handle the request from the band supporters. He said there are a number of people who have voiced support for just three positions, as well. The district may have to consider holding a special meeting just on the band program, he said.
• Accepted resignations from Margie Brunette, virtual school teacher; Randy Sievert, Monroe Middle School band instructor; Lynne Rufenacht, fourth-grade teacher at Northside Elementary School; Tom Schilt, Monroe High School band instructor; Patti Casselberry, Monroe Middle School English teacher; Gene Haffele, Monroe High School science teacher; and Laura Molitor, third-grade teacher at Parkside Elementary School. It also accepted a resignation from Sandra Broge, custodian/weekend security for the district.
• Hired George Pisula and Les Bieneman to job-share a science instructor position at Monroe High School next year. Both are long-time MHS science teachers who have retired. Pisula will teach chemistry three hours per day, while Bieneman will teach biology two hours per day.
• Hired Jessica Lervik as Northside School psychologist and Britney O'Connell as first-grade teacher at Parkside next school year. O'Connell is currently teaching first-grade at Parkside on a one-year contract.
• Hired local restaurateur Eric Ekum to serve as food service supervisor for the district. Ekum formerly owned PepperCorn Café, PepperCorn Banquets and Perks Coffee Café.
• Approved purchasing English 9 and 10 textbooks for MHS. The textbooks, previously approved by the curriculum and finance committees, will cost just less than $33,000. Director of Curriculum and Instruction Jennifer Thayer said the books currently being used are in poor condition and need to be replaced. The middle school also uses textbooks from McDougal Little, so there will be a progression of material with no overlap of reading selections between grades.
• Approved requesting a waiver from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to have 177 days of instruction, instead of the required 180. The waiver is needed because the district has eliminated half-day inservice days for teachers next school year and will instead have full-day inservice days. Students will still receive the same number of hours of instruction, but the calendar will be more manageable for working parents. Thayer said comments about the move to eliminate early-release days has been very positive.