MONROE - At a meeting Jan. 9, the Monroe school board:
• Heard the fall 2016 sports report from Jeff Newcomer, Monroe High School activities director. He said almost 500 people are using the recently released Cheesemaker Pride app. He also reported that 233 students participated in fall sports, an increase from last year. Board president Bob Erb asked Newcomer to gather participation numbers to see what does or doesn't need funding.
• Approved the retirement of exempt staff member Tom Rufenacht, director of buildings and grounds. Business Administrator Ron Olson said Rufenacht has been with the district for 38 years and will be retiring in late February.
• Drew names to determine the order school board candidates would appear on the ballot for the April election. Five candidates, three of whom are incumbents, are running for the three open seats on the board. Olson said there won't be a primary, because there aren't enough candidates to require it. The candidates will appear on the ballot in the following order: Nikki Matley, Brian Keith (incumbent), Jim Plourde (incumbent), Michael Boehme (incumbent) and Cheryl McGuire.
• Approved putting no limit on the number of spaces available for the upcoming open enrollment period, which runs from Feb. 6 to April 28 for the 2017-18 school year. Space limits for special education classes range from five to 35. Joe Monroe, director of pupil services, said the limits are the same as last year.
• Extended the early retirement provision for teachers in the Monroe Education Association by one year. The provision was scheduled to sunset on June 30 but will now remain until June 30, 2018. Olson said legal and benefit specialists currently recommend not changing retirement benefits because of possible changes to federal law due to President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration and changes in Congress. He said the district has been extending the benefit for about four years.
• Hired Samantha Kubly as district nurse, an exempt staff position.
• Accepted donations: two dozen baseballs valued at $250 from Ben Rortvendt; $200 for Eighth Grade Washington D.C. Scholarships from Woodford State Bank; $350 to the Monroe Middle School Choral Club from Colony Brands; $1,926 for Eighth Grade Washington D.C. Scholarships from Kathie Kopf; and $2,500 to the Gifted and Talented Scholarship Fund from an anonymous donor.
• Went into closed session to discuss administrative contracts.
Board member Amy Bazley was absent. One member of the public attended the meeting.
At a meeting Jan. 9, the school board's finance committee directed Olson to start soliciting proposals for a facility study to look at the condition of district buildings and outside spaces. According to Olson, it's been about 20 years since the district last did a facility study. He estimated the cost of the study to be more than $10,000 but less than $20,000.
Erb and Bazley were absent.
- Susan Endres
• Heard the fall 2016 sports report from Jeff Newcomer, Monroe High School activities director. He said almost 500 people are using the recently released Cheesemaker Pride app. He also reported that 233 students participated in fall sports, an increase from last year. Board president Bob Erb asked Newcomer to gather participation numbers to see what does or doesn't need funding.
• Approved the retirement of exempt staff member Tom Rufenacht, director of buildings and grounds. Business Administrator Ron Olson said Rufenacht has been with the district for 38 years and will be retiring in late February.
• Drew names to determine the order school board candidates would appear on the ballot for the April election. Five candidates, three of whom are incumbents, are running for the three open seats on the board. Olson said there won't be a primary, because there aren't enough candidates to require it. The candidates will appear on the ballot in the following order: Nikki Matley, Brian Keith (incumbent), Jim Plourde (incumbent), Michael Boehme (incumbent) and Cheryl McGuire.
• Approved putting no limit on the number of spaces available for the upcoming open enrollment period, which runs from Feb. 6 to April 28 for the 2017-18 school year. Space limits for special education classes range from five to 35. Joe Monroe, director of pupil services, said the limits are the same as last year.
• Extended the early retirement provision for teachers in the Monroe Education Association by one year. The provision was scheduled to sunset on June 30 but will now remain until June 30, 2018. Olson said legal and benefit specialists currently recommend not changing retirement benefits because of possible changes to federal law due to President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration and changes in Congress. He said the district has been extending the benefit for about four years.
• Hired Samantha Kubly as district nurse, an exempt staff position.
• Accepted donations: two dozen baseballs valued at $250 from Ben Rortvendt; $200 for Eighth Grade Washington D.C. Scholarships from Woodford State Bank; $350 to the Monroe Middle School Choral Club from Colony Brands; $1,926 for Eighth Grade Washington D.C. Scholarships from Kathie Kopf; and $2,500 to the Gifted and Talented Scholarship Fund from an anonymous donor.
• Went into closed session to discuss administrative contracts.
Board member Amy Bazley was absent. One member of the public attended the meeting.
At a meeting Jan. 9, the school board's finance committee directed Olson to start soliciting proposals for a facility study to look at the condition of district buildings and outside spaces. According to Olson, it's been about 20 years since the district last did a facility study. He estimated the cost of the study to be more than $10,000 but less than $20,000.
Erb and Bazley were absent.
- Susan Endres