Superior school board accepts secondary principal's resignation

Monday evening, members of the Superior Board of Education unanimously accepted the resignation of Jennifer Cady, middle school and high school principal, effective Dec. 31, without discussion or comment. She will remain on administrative leave until then.

The meeting opened as usual with the flag salute and roll call. All members of the board of education were present. In addition, there were a half dozen or so in the audience.

Declan Miller presented the student council report. Among other things, he said, “With school lunch being better this year, I sure hope my class wins the dress up week contest so we can eat lunch first in January.”

Stephanie Corman, athletic director, presented an update. She wanted the board to know about team needs with a hefty cost. Those needs include new uniforms for both girls volleyball and basketball.

“Their current uniforms have holes and some do not use our current brand,” Corman said.

Price per uniform ranges from approximately $60 to nearly $130. Twenty-five to 30 sets are needed for each team. The district has been moving toward replacing uniforms every six to seven years, to distribute new uniform costs over multiple years and to keep uniforms in good condition.

In addition, the district will be required to have a shot clock for the 2023-24 basketball season. The purpose of a shot clock is to set a timer for how long a team can have the ball in one possession before shooting the ball. Some of the districts Superior plays already have installed shot clocks. A pair of shot clocks (one for each end of the gymnasium) with similar features costs around $8,000. The minimum requirement can be met for under $4,000.

After an informational meeting with students and another meeting with parents, athletic staff decided to return to 11 man varsity football next year. More than 30 boys have expressed an interest in playing, which would require purchasing 10 new uniforms. The uniforms will cost approximately $3,339.

Ryan Renz is working with Corman. Together they are developing a junior varsity schedule to help adequately prepare the boys for 11-man competition. However, the schedule may include some 8-man games.

Middle school will stay with 8-man games in a three cooperative agreement with Lawrence-Nelson.

Matt Sullivan, board president, objected that the decision to play 11-man football had been made without board of education approval and strongly disagreed with the decision. However, he indicated he did not want the board to micro-manage the athletic department and would not seek to change their decision.

Corman said, “To be eligible for D-1, next year’s enrollment must be at 47 boys or below. Superior expects 54 boys to be enrolled next year.

Board members approved November expenditures of $640,511.45. They also approved the 2022-23 audit report and the COVID protocols – something required every six months.

Considerable discussion once again focused on the ongoing construction project. Board members seem to agree construction is complete except for reworking the entryway trophy case. They agreed to pay $100,000 toward outstanding bills and withhold $50,000 until the remaining work is complete.

Supt. Whetzal recommended the board approve early graduation for two students. Both have met graduation requirements. Supt. Whetzal assured the board that the students understood when they graduated they were done - meaning they cannot come to prom nor will they be part of the end of school graduation ceremony. Whetzal said, “Both are employed.” He thought graduating would increase their wages.

The second quarter elementary family engagement activity was inviting pre-kindergarten through fifth grade parents to join their child in their classroom during the morning arrival and morning circle for a donut.

Jodi Fierstien, elementary principal, talked about continuing education activities . Audrey Parks has attended a workshop on how to develop Professional Learning Communities (PLC) in small schools. Fierstein has attended a two day training session on improving teacher development and evaluation.

Supt. Whetzal suggested the district develop a library book acquisition policy that reflects the conservative values of the community. Next month he plans to have policy suggestions for the board to review.

The schools’ banquet tables have been stored in the hallways since the heating and air conditioning system was installed in the performance gymnasium. The storage area under the stage where the tables were traditionally stored was used for the HVAC air flow. Cody Fierstien reported plastic tables with a capacity of either 500 pounds or 1,000 pounds can be purchased. It was suggested he price plastic tables at Sam’s Club. He said, he suspected the Sam’s Club tables had a capacity of 200 to 300 pounds with a similar costs.

School personnel have suggested that plastic tables could be stored in areas without climate control.

Supt. Whetzal reported a building had been purchased for a day care facility. He expects a 501-3c organization will be formed and a director hired. Employees from Brodstone HealthCare, Superior Public Schools and the City of Superior will have first priority for day care service. A survey willl be distributed by each entity to determine need.

The school will not provide personnel hired by the school.

“The most pressing need is to get it open,” Whetzal said.

The meeting closed after considerable discussion as whether to return to early outs on Friday for the 2023-24 school year or to reduce the number of school days and have more days off during the summer. There was not a board consensus and no decision was made.