The Owen-Withee School Board held their regular monthly meeting on Monday, November 17. The consent agenda of minutes and bills was approved after a few questions by board member Dean Schmelzer were answered. He asked why there were three bills from Black River Septic. It had to do with porta potties being moved for cross country meets as well as the one that is normally used during football games. He also asked about the bill for cookies for Grandparents’ Day. The response was that the kitchen had ordered some through Indianhead, but the event was so well attended, they had to pick up more. Schmelzer asked about a Master Clean bill for water damage and if it was covered by insurance. The answer was no. He also requested a breakdown of CESA charges to the district and was told that could be found on the contract the board had approved at a prior meeting.
Hiring another coach for boys basketball for JV2, formerly C-team, was discussed. It is believed that 8-10 games can be scheduled. A coach will be hired on a contingency basis. The decision was made based on the recommendation of athletic director Hailey Kadolph. The board stated the coach will be paid for games played if numbers drop and the coach is no longer needed. The board felt that boys basketball needs to have at least 20 players to justify a third coach. The position will be dropped if there are less than five games scheduled.
Discussion of athletics continued with board members deciding to designate $5,000 each from Fund 80 for middle school baseball and softball. The teams can spend the money on equipment, coaches, or travel. It is contingent upon being able to field a team and find games. If they are going to pull up sixth graders for the teams, they need to take any that want to play.
School report cards were discussed. District Administrator Randy Bergman said it is just a snapshot in time. It was noted that the district has made some improvement, but that they are still not where they would like to be. They know there is work to be done yet, particularly in the middle school. The teachers are working hard to improve academics. Overall the district scored a 59.5 Meets Few Expectations, missing Meets Expectations by .5. The elementary scored 62.3 putting it in the Meets Expectations category. The middle school scored 53.4, Meets Few Expectations. The high school scored 63.9 Meets Expectations.
Other Clark County school districts had overall scores as follows: Abbotsford 62.3; Colby 57.4; Greenwood 64.0; Granton 56.2; Loyal 61.9; Neillsville 61.9; Thorp 61.1.
Under Administrator Reports, Elementary Principal Julie VanArk said that report cards are out. Students earned Bruno Bucks for 90% or better attendance. They are currently doing a wellness week. The Elementary Student Council planned a collection for the Owen-Withee Food Pantry, accumulating 1,093 items. The PLC group is doing mapping out for Bookworms. They are doing more monitoring of how kids are doing.
Middle/High School Principal Nate Johnson reported on the National Honor Society blood drive. He also mentioned the Veterans Day assembly. Girls basketball has started. Boys basketball practice stated the day of the meeting. Fifteen students attended an FBLA conference and 17 students attended an FFA conference. The one-act play will be competing in Stevens Point. Privilege card holders are going to a movie. They also get free admission to school athletic events.
District Administrator Randy Bergman said they will be bringing back policies for Start College Now and the Early College Credit Program in December for approval. They are also looking at the Athletic Code appeals process. Schmelzer asked for an update on the K-9 walkthrough of the school. Johnson said the dogs had several hits, but nothing of real concern. A couple of vapes were found in vehicle searches. Schmelzer also would like more information on recent athletic code violations. This would be a closed session item.
School Board president Julie Wendler said she had attended a CESA meeting where they toured the Gilman School. She talked about a UV printer that was purchased by Gilman with grant funds and is student run. They can print items for other school districts also and funds raised will be used to support the athletic programs. They also talked about artificial intelligence (AI) and that they have to teach kids how to use it.