Boyceville school board ties up loose ends, begins preparation for new school year

By Cara L. Dempski

BOYCEVILLE — The Boyceville Board of Education heard reports regarding a few remaining pieces of business from the 2016-2017 school year before turning its focus to the upcoming year.

The board met July 20 for a short meeting that included updates from the district administrator on school events and staffing before moving on to a report on the district’s academic and career planning services, the 2017-2018 Wisconsin Model Academic Standards, and the 2017-2018 Student Guidebooks.

Superintendent Kevin Sipple kicked off the meeting with the news that the Wisconsin legislature still has not made firm decisions on the 2017-2019 biennial budget. His written report noted the failure to have a timely biennial budget in place has not happened for approximately 10 years.

This forces the district to fall back to the previous year’s budget in order to continue operations. Sipple said he hoped to have an update on the budget by the next meeting.

His report did indicated the Department of Public Instruction estimates the Boyceville school district will receive $5,200,399 in General Aid for 2017-2018, which is a .57 percent increase (approximately $29,556). The report noted an increase helps lower the local tax levy, but stipulated this is only an estimate and the actual number should come to the district by October 15th.

Sipple informed the board the track resurfacing is complete and looks great despite the number of weather factors the crew from Fisher Tracks had to work around. The work was timely, since he also announced at the meeting that the 2018 Division 3 sectional track and field meet will be held at Boyceville High School after Colfax moved up to Division 2.

The next item under discussion at the July 20 meeting was the district’s new Academic and Career Planning document.

The ACP indicates the plan is a “student-driven, adult-supported process in which students create and cultivate their own unique and information-based visions for post-secondary success, obtained through self-exploration, career exploration and the development of career management and planning skills.”

The DPI requires public school districts to provide academic and career planning services to students grades six through 12 beginning with the 2017-2018 school year; the planning requirements connect district education for employment plans and programs to the new academic and career planning requirements.

Legislation indicates districts “shall provide access to an education for an employment program approved by the state superintendent. The purpose of education for employment programs is to prepare elementary and secondary pupils for employment, to promote cooperation between business and industry and public schools, and to establish a role for public schools in the economic development of Wisconsin.”

Boyceville plans to implement the ACP for students with the support of education and guidance staff, and community resources to culminate in students building an electronic portfolio supporting their academic/career plan for success following graduation.

The plan is a process broken into four parts called “know,” “explore,” “plan,” and “go.”

In the know portion, students will participate in periodic self-assessment of interests and strengths, engage in reflection and goal-setting, gain financial knowledge and understanding of resources. They will be expected to begin with academic courses and skill preparation while learning behavioral and employability skills.

Students in the explore step will explore career activities and opportunities, learn about the world of work and labor market needs, and gain understanding of – and do comparison of – post-secondary education and training options.

Under the plan section, students will develop planning skills, develop goals, and set a route to reach their career goals. Students will then “go” by executing their plans, updating existing plans with new information, engage in conferencing and mentoring, and transition from middle to high school, or from high school to adult life.

The plan document presents numerous ways students can engage in career planning and district resources available to assist them. It also lists current labor statistics for Dunn County and change projections for all industries over the next decade. The information is presented to assist students and families in understanding what the labor force will look like in the near future.

The ACP concludes with the outcomes for each of the four plan parts for both middle and high school students. By the time students graduate, they will have a portfolio including interest inventories, ability profilers, skills assessment, personal activities and interests, and school assessment results, will have work and/or volunteer experiences, and have participated in occupation-related competitions through organizations like FCCLA or FFA, will have an education plan and career planning activities filed, list post-secondary school selections, and have completed job shadowing, and will list actions and accomplishments, scholarships and applications, and apprenticeships.

The district has a team of educational, guidance and administrative staff who will review the plan on a quarterly basis.

The ACP was approved unanimously, as were the 2017-2018 Wisconsin Model Academic Standards. The standards serve as goals for learning and teaching, and set high standards to enable students, parents, educators and citizens know what students should have learned at any given point in time.

The district approved adoption of academic standards in agriculture, food and natural resources, art and design, business and information technology, dance, early learning, English language arts, environmental education, family and consumer sciences, health education, health science, information and technology literacy, marketing, management and entrepreneurship, mathematics, music, nutrition, personal finance, physical education, reading, school counseling, science, social studies, technology and engineering, theater, and world languages.

The standards received unanimous support.

In other business, the board:

• Approved the resignations of middle school football coach Brent Klefstad and food service worker Debbie Mittlestadt.

• Approved hiring Matt Leach and Luke Hellmann as middle school football coaches.

• Approved Donna Weber’s retirement from driving bus.