GC School Board still discussing past compensation discrepancies
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send you a password reset link.
By Renee Bettendorf
GLENWOOD CITY-The Glenwood City school board held a shorter than usual meeting on Monday evening so that staff and board members could attend the middle/high school winter concert. The board had a discussion about past compensation discrepancies and approved a variety of items.
At their last meeting held on November 26 district administrator Patrick Olson went over a list of past compensation, process and procedure discrepancies. The list included: at least one instance where a breach of contract occurred; several instances where staff members got advanced benefits that were not comparable to their peers; two cases where staff went backwards in pay; two cases where teachers were placed outside of the district’s teacher model and one case where a teacher exceeded the pay schedule.
Olson presented the board with an update on the list and told them that he is not looking for any action from the board at this time because he and his staff are still investigating the extent of the discrepancies. Rather he just wanted to update the board on the matter and ask them their opinions on how to move forward.
“We’re still running numbers…this is going to take us some time,” said Olson.
He said that he and district accountant Deb Newman will keep working on the issue and they will continue to update the board and ask for direction on how to rectify past discrepancies.
“There are a lot of HR things that we are trying to clean up,” said Olson.
The board then had a fairly lengthy discussion on the possibility of issuing back pay, who should get back pay, whether or not contracts matched payroll records, how staff’s time is tracked and whether or not the law was broken.
“We need a deep dive,” said board treasurer Sally Standaert.
Board member Carrie Klatt said that decisions need to be made and asked about a timeline for making those decisions.
Olson said that more information and numbers should be available next month and he encouraged the board to think about what actions they may want to take.
Action Items
Olson told the board that the district was ruled noncompliant regarding the food service procurement policy according to the department of public instruction. He said this was because the former administration never followed through with changes to the policy.
Olson created some new policy and a procurement manual which needs to be submitted to the state by December 23. The board approved the first reading of the new policy.
The board reviewed a summary of school safety procedures and approved it. Standaert asked Olson if the board could set aside some time to review the safety procedures more thoroughly. He agreed that it would be a good idea to review the policy.
“We need to make sure it’s not out of sight out of mind,” said Standaert of the safety policy.
The board approved a quote from B&B Electric for $5,500 to hook up several pieces of equipment in the high school career and technical education classroom. Olson said they hope to have the electrical work completed by next week and the equipment should be available to students after Christmas vacation.
Olson said the school is working with the city to design logos and signs for the city. Students will use the new equipment to make the signs.
“The city is pretty excited to build that relationship,” he said.
The board approved $29,410 to come from funds 10 and 80 to pay for asbestos removal that took place last summer by the company VCI Environmental. Asbestos was removed from the weight room, art room, a hallway, the learning commons and room 421.
The board approved including sixth grade girls in the middle school basketball program for this year and the foreseeable future. According to a letter from athletic director Jake Score, a lower than anticipated number of seventh and eighth grade athletes are participating and he believes allowing sixth grade girls to join the team will enhance the program and provide athletes more opportunities to build their skills.
According to Score’s letter, sixth grade girls would be invited to be a part of the middle school girls basketball team in every way. He noted that several other schools in the Dunn-St. Croix conference have successfully implemented this same policy and the sixth grade girls were included last year as well with no issues.
In other business the Glenwood City school board:
• Approved Jill Wright as a high school English language arts long term substitute teacher.
• Approved the resignation of Megan Cave as long term second grade substitute teacher.
• Approved several donations including; $500 from John Roosen for the GAP fund, $3,171 and $500 from the St. Croix Valley Foundation Music Education Grant Program and $7,835 to the class of 2026.
• Approved Emma Jensen as a paraprofessional.
• Approved the resignation of Matt Lamb as football assistant/JV coach.
• Approved Maddie Williams, Amanda Sandor, Sarah Nichols and Taylor Deling as class advisors.
• Approved spending $7,352 to the building contractor Market & Johnson for some renovations they did at the school last summer.
