Elk Mound school board approves property attachment, new school bus
By Cara L. Dempski
ELK MOUND — The Elk Mound Board of Education has approved annexing property to the school district and the purchase of a 2016 Thomas Freightliner bus.
The board and district administrators discussed adding residential property, owned by Ken and Kelly Book to the Elk Mound district during its February 20 regular meeting. The family currently resides in the Eau Claire school district, but has several children open enrolled at Elk Mound schools.
The Books were concerned that Elk Mound’s 2017 – 2018 open enrollment caps would not allow the younger children in the family to attend the same schools as the older children. The board approved attaching the Book family to the district, and superintendent Eric Wright said it is now up to the Book family to complete the process.
The board also discussed the purchase of a new 74-passenger bus from Nelson’s Bus Service. The 2016 vehicle was approve, and will cost $82,790. In other financial business, the board also approved hiring Clifton Larson Allen to perform the district’s 2016 – 2017 audit.
Other topics the board covered included approval of the district’s self evaluation of the status of pupil non-discrimination and equality of education opportunities to be sent to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Wright explained the board gathers information for a report, which is then submitted to the DPI.
“If anyone in the district wants to see the completed document, it is available on our district website,” the superintendent stated.
The board also approved senior Colleen Olson as the district’s legislative scholarship winner for the Class of 2017. Sarah Sweeney was approved as Olson’s alternate.
During the meeting, the board also:
• Approved the resignation of special education aide Barb Strong due to non-work related injury.
• Approved replacing the carpeting in the fifth-grade classrooms and middle school office with epoxy flooring instead of more carpet, pending available funding.
• Received a reminder about the first district strategic planning meeting on March 9 from 5 – 7 p.m.
• Learned only one contract has been received for 2017 – 2018 school-based mental health services. SPOTS House was approved to provide occupational and physical therapy.
• Discussed Governor Walker’s visit to the high school and his proposed education budget.
• Learned of a joint board of education PAC meeting at the CESA 11 office in Turtle Lake on March 29.
The board then adjourned to closed session, where the decision was made to hire Kyle Hazen as an assistant high school track coach. The district has not yet received any applications for a new middle school track coach, so that item was not addressed.
