A K-6 grade supply fee of $25 per student was reviewed by the Fillmore Central School Board at their July 26 meeting. The fee will allow the teachers to purchase the exact supplies the students in their classrooms will need rather than sending out a school supply list for families to purchase individually. Due to the change, a supply drive will no longer be held, but people interested in donating and helping those in need can choose to sponsor a student’s supply fee.
Superintendent Heath Olstad gave his report to the board. The eligibility meeting for student athletes and their parents is being held online again this year which allows more flexibility for families to view it. The elementary roof work has been completed by Schwickerts. “I’m very pleased with the communication, the work, and the timeliness,” Olstad said about working with the company. The light retrofitting project at both sites is in progress as is the regular summer cleaning and maintenance.
Resignations from Alissa Bauman, Allison Braaten, Grace Miller, and Natasha Ryan were accepted. Samantha Bratland was hired as the high school art teacher and eighth grade volleyball coach, Coy Pederson as the high school English teacher, Kaitlyn Gross as the seventh grade volleyball coach, Phil LaFleur as an assistant wrestling coach, Lesa Tienter as a custodian, Kelsey Berg as a SAC lead teacher, and Tara Corson as a volunteer for the cheerleading program. A request for reduced hours from John Mease was approved.
The district’s contract with eLuma for online psychology services was renewed for the 2022-23 school year. Ten hours of curriculum writing hours for all certified staff was approved with the funds coming from ESSER. The pay rates for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years were approved with $1 hourly wage increases for support staff and custodial staff. Contracts for the next two school years were approved for the business manager, the community ed director, office staff, community ed staff, and SAC staff and included pay increases as well. A 4% pay increase each year for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years for van drivers was also approved. Board member Sue Sikkink noted that the board appreciates all the staff and that the pay increases were well deserved.
The first reading of the board policies was approved with no changes from last year. The second reading of the K-6, 7-12, faculty, paraprofessional, and coaches handbooks was approved. Only a few revisions were needed such as updating the year, setting Darla Ebner as the alternate Title 9 contact, and adding a section under clothing that prohibits any items or clothing that promotes or degrades political parties, opinions, individuals, etc.
The purchase of a 2022 John Deere Z950M Ztrak mower was approved with a plan to trade in the current zero-turn mower at a total cost of $5,975.00.
The adult and student meal prices were reviewed and approved at the same rates as the previous years as were the snack cart prices. Families will be encouraged to apply for free and reduced lunches as the funds that allowed the district to offer free meals for all students since 2020 are no longer available.
The long-term facilities maintenance plan was approved. It is required to be submitted to the state by July 31 each year.
The computer usage fees for the upcoming school year were set at $45 a year for students in grades 9-12 and $25 for students in grades 7-8. Families that qualify for free and reduced lunches will have the fee waived. There will no longer be a computer/device fee for K-6 students as they don’t generally bring their devices home each day.
A lease with the City of Harmony for one room in the community center was approved. A life skills class will be held there with the room being set up as a mock apartment to allow the students to practice the skills they need to live on their own after graduation. Teacher Amanda Thomas posted on Facebook to ask for donations for the room and was overwhelmed with the generosity of the community as she received everything she needed in a very short time.
The quarterly donations were accepted with gratitude from the board.
The next Fillmore Central School Board meeting will be held on August 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the Preston meeting room.
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