The Mabel-Canton School Board met in regular session on April 11. Members present were Mark Weidemann, Jason Marquardt, Chris Miller, Principal Michelle Weidemann, Board Chair Cristal Adkins, High School Secretary Lynette Donald, Diane Wilder, Traci Livingood, Superintendent Gary Kuphal, and Student representative Payton Danielson. Business Manager Aimee Lake was absent.
No members of the public asked to address the board. The board did hear from Tina Swenson and Jill Kleckner regarding mini-grants from the Mabel Legion, and how those funds will be used.
The board discussed how best to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Lizzie Hershberger from the board. Superintendent Kuphal explained that the position can be filled temporarily, until the next general election in November. He said the board has essentially two options for how to temporarily fill the vacancy; the board can simply appoint someone, or the board can ask for interested applicants to apply and then the board would perform a selection process (interviews). After discussion of the time constraints, the board chose to advertise for interested applicants, and interviews will be scheduled after that, as needed.
Principal Michelle Wiedemann summarized the open house and presentation that were held on April 2 for families of North-Winn students who may consider enrolling at Mabel-Canton. Chris Miller thanked the administration for holding the event, and he stated his opinion that, “It was a great event, and I think it’s something that we could do for anyone… because you got to see the making of Mabel-Canton presentation, the teachers were here, there were tours… it was a good recruitment tool that I thought was nicely done.”
Kuphal led a discussion about the staffing option of using “Teachers on Call” to find replacements when staff scheduling vacancies need to be filled. Kuphal said he had a positive experience using Teachers On Call at a previous school. He said in his experience, the change was a challenge at first, but he added, “After about six weeks, teachers liked it, subs liked it.” The board voted to use Teachers On Call for the upcoming school year (two board members dissented).
There was discussion of possibly creating a third lunch period, since it has been noted that some students are waiting in line for a large portion of their lunch break under the current system with just two lunch periods. Superintendent Kuphal and student representative Payton Danielson said they each felt this could be a beneficial change. No action was taken at this time.
Superintendent Kuphal updated the board on plans for adjusting the main entrance area of the school, and the nearby offices, to create safety and security enhancements. Traci Livingood asked about the overall reason for this proposed change. Chris Miller said Mabel-Canton has received a grant to help pay for these proposed security changes, and Kuphal said, “There is no mandate at the state that says you must secure your buildings, it just makes sense” to consider these enhancements.
Following a long tradition at Mabel-Canton, the board received a request from the senior class for days off at the end of the school year. Since senior students were on a class trip at the time of this meeting, they submitted a letter requesting to have May 24 through 30 off. The board approved the request, with the understanding that this is in lieu of any type of “senior ditch day.” The board approved the 2019/2020 school calendar as submitted. Superintendent Kuphal said it had already been shown to staff, as has been the practice in previous years.
The board acknowledged with thanks donations from the Mabel-Canton Booster Club, Cougar Paw Winners, Gwen Scheel, and Vivian Vine. The next regular board meeting will be Tuesday, May 21 at 6 p.m. in the media center. The public is welcome at all meetings except special closed meetings. The last day of school is set for May 30, dismissing at 12:15 p.m. Graduation is set for May 31 at 7 p.m.
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