In a Monroe school board meeting Monday, May 11, the board:
• Approved a health plan change that includes a $100 emergency room co-pay and a $20 office visit co-pay for employees, their spouse and children younger than 26 as recommended by the finance committee.
• Monroe School District Superintendent Cory Hirsbrunner announced board meetings will be at the Monroe High School's LMC from June 20 through Aug. 2 since the library is having a new elevator installed.
• Approved using $26,530 from Title I funds to purchase 70 iPads for Parkside Elementary School and Abraham Lincoln Accelerated Learning Academy.
• Approved the purchase of a heating, ventilation and air condoning system from North American Mechanical for no more than $30,000, for the chemistry lab. It will be paid for through fund balance.
• Listened to a Monroe Alternative Charter school and virtual school update from Joe Monroe, the district's director of pupil services. The board in March approved a plan to relocate the 15-year-old charter school and virtual school staff to Monroe High School.
Monroe said the study hall room that will house virtual school staff at the high school is undergoing remodeling for office spaces. As part of the relocation plan, two charter school teachers were issued non-renewal layoff notices as the district expects to save about $140,000.
• Listened to a presentation of Project Lead the Way courses at the high school. The courses include Introduction to Engineering, Principles of Engineering and Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Ed Neumann, a technology and engineering teacher at the high school, said 65 percent of students that took the courses last year received three college credits. Students presented some of their projects including a robot project and an automated marble sorter that is similar to a trash sorter. Next year, the high school will add a fourth Project Lead the Way course - Engineering and Design Development. Neumann said students will have to build a prototype robot.
• Listened to a presentation from Monroe Middle School's Never Ever Regret Dreaming Student Technology App Team. The NERDSTAT team includes eight students who excel at assisting students and teachers with iPad problems. The students have presented iPad educational apps to teachers at the high school, Parkside School teachers and at the Business After Five.
• Honored Mary Robertson, a library specialist at the middle school with the May Staff Excellence award.
• Approved the instructional staff hiring of Matt Eastlick as a science teacher at the middle school. Ingerid Kvam was approved as a music/choral teacher at the middle school, and Michele Mars was approved as an art teacher at the middle school.
• Approved the hiring of two high school English teachers - Megan Dilley and Melissa Sundstrom.
• Approved the hiring of Eric Wheeler as a technology education teacher at the middle school.
• Approved the hiring of Kelly Knox as a second grade teacher at Parkside School.
• Approved the hiring of three classroom teachers at Abe Lincoln including Linley Carlson, Angel Steele and Courtney Schuetz. The board also approved the hiring of reading teacher Lisa Skeway at Abe Lincoln.
• Approved the hiring of Sarah Hass-Bodell as a music teacher at Northside.
-Mark Nesbitt
• Approved a health plan change that includes a $100 emergency room co-pay and a $20 office visit co-pay for employees, their spouse and children younger than 26 as recommended by the finance committee.
• Monroe School District Superintendent Cory Hirsbrunner announced board meetings will be at the Monroe High School's LMC from June 20 through Aug. 2 since the library is having a new elevator installed.
• Approved using $26,530 from Title I funds to purchase 70 iPads for Parkside Elementary School and Abraham Lincoln Accelerated Learning Academy.
• Approved the purchase of a heating, ventilation and air condoning system from North American Mechanical for no more than $30,000, for the chemistry lab. It will be paid for through fund balance.
• Listened to a Monroe Alternative Charter school and virtual school update from Joe Monroe, the district's director of pupil services. The board in March approved a plan to relocate the 15-year-old charter school and virtual school staff to Monroe High School.
Monroe said the study hall room that will house virtual school staff at the high school is undergoing remodeling for office spaces. As part of the relocation plan, two charter school teachers were issued non-renewal layoff notices as the district expects to save about $140,000.
• Listened to a presentation of Project Lead the Way courses at the high school. The courses include Introduction to Engineering, Principles of Engineering and Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Ed Neumann, a technology and engineering teacher at the high school, said 65 percent of students that took the courses last year received three college credits. Students presented some of their projects including a robot project and an automated marble sorter that is similar to a trash sorter. Next year, the high school will add a fourth Project Lead the Way course - Engineering and Design Development. Neumann said students will have to build a prototype robot.
• Listened to a presentation from Monroe Middle School's Never Ever Regret Dreaming Student Technology App Team. The NERDSTAT team includes eight students who excel at assisting students and teachers with iPad problems. The students have presented iPad educational apps to teachers at the high school, Parkside School teachers and at the Business After Five.
• Honored Mary Robertson, a library specialist at the middle school with the May Staff Excellence award.
• Approved the instructional staff hiring of Matt Eastlick as a science teacher at the middle school. Ingerid Kvam was approved as a music/choral teacher at the middle school, and Michele Mars was approved as an art teacher at the middle school.
• Approved the hiring of two high school English teachers - Megan Dilley and Melissa Sundstrom.
• Approved the hiring of Eric Wheeler as a technology education teacher at the middle school.
• Approved the hiring of Kelly Knox as a second grade teacher at Parkside School.
• Approved the hiring of three classroom teachers at Abe Lincoln including Linley Carlson, Angel Steele and Courtney Schuetz. The board also approved the hiring of reading teacher Lisa Skeway at Abe Lincoln.
• Approved the hiring of Sarah Hass-Bodell as a music teacher at Northside.
-Mark Nesbitt