School Safety Grant will help upgrade buildings’ security GC superintendent tells school board

GLENWOOD CITY — Tim Johnson, superintendent of Glenwood City Schools, told board members at their regular July meeting Monday evening, that the recent award of School Safety Grant from the Wisconsin Department of Justice “will truly benefit the schools’ safety”.

Glenwood City received a grant of $78,820 to improve and enhance security and safety measures in the district’s school buildings.

Johnson went through a laundry list of safety items, explaining each to the board at the July 16 meeting.

A security film will be attached to the windows and doors at the main entrance, outside doors and all inside security doors noted Johnson.

The superintendent did say that while the film is not bullet-proof, it will make it much more difficult and time-consuming to break through the film-covered glass allowing school administration and staff to implement safety protocols.

In addition, the film will also be applied to classroom door windows. Due to safety reasons, outside classroom windows can not be equipped with film as it would impede egress through the windows in other types of emergencies such as a fire.

Johnson said that all security doors along with 12 classroom doors would be magnetized and would be triggered by the “Panic button” that was installed following improvements provided by the district’s last referendum.

The addition to door prop alarms on all outside exits will alert school official to any open doors and signal which door(s) not properly shut and locked. Johnson said the alerts can go to a central location as well as to an app on smart phones.

The purchase of 25 new digital 2-way radios and new repeaters will be made with the grant along with more school staff training and an update to the school safety plan.

Johnson also gave an update on the district budget during his report to the board. He told members that the annual audit was set to begin today (Wednesday) and run through. He also asked for the board’s approval, which they officially gave later in the meeting, to transfer the remainder of this year’s unspent budget of approximately $150,000 to Fund 46, the district’s long-term capital fund.

The Fund 46 balance currently holds about $200,000, much of it from previous sparsity aids, and with the addition of $150,000 from this year’s budget and sparsity aid in the next fiscal year, the balance, Johnson hopes, could grow to $800,000 which could be used to make needed capital improvements.

In his administrative report to board members, High School/Middle School Principal Patrick Gretzlock, also reported on opportunities to make improvements, albeit on a smaller scale, through the utilization of Fund 60, which are funds earmarked for student-led organizations.

The fund has $10,000 in one activity account and $3,000 to $4,000 in another from monies collected from the hosting of local WIAA tournament games and reimbursements from the state meet expenses the district incurs  which could be put to use to make facility upgrades.

Gretzlock, who oversees the athletic department, has been working closely with newly appointed athletic director Jake Score and district accountant Ron Johnson on possible improvements.

A few possibilities that Gretzlock communicated with the board Monday evening included the addition of new cabinets, counter tops and a display case for the concession stand located in the high school’s main lobby adjacent the gym.

Gretzlock also talked about replacing the safety matting on the north and south ends of the high school gymnasium to better match the school’s colors and the potential to add a 4’ by 4’ record board some where on the gym’s wall.

In addition, Gretzlock said some remodeling of the ticket booth windows at the concession stand near the football field is being looked at as well. The two smaller windows would be replaced by a six-foot wide window with counter tops lowered from four-and-a-half to three-and -a-half feet and the addition of outside, overhead lighting.

Board member Lisa Logghe queried Gretzlock about the use of those funds to help correct the drainage problem at the baseball field. Gretzlock said that the student-led organization funds were not meant for that but instead would need to be addressed through Fund 46 or long-term capital monies.

Gretzlock said he is working with a pair of local contractors to collect bids on the aforementioned proposals.

Nicole Brite, Director of Pupil Services and Special Education, informed members of an opportunity for the district to host counseling opportunities for students and their families.

Brite has been in contact with Ranae (Ohman) Demulling, a former Glenwood City graduate and now the school-based coordinator for Family Therapy Associates, LLC, about using school space to offer and hold counseling sessions.

Brite said the company would simply use the school building to offer its services to students and families that needed the help.

There would be no cost to the district, said Brite.

“We would just provide a space to facilitate the sessions,” she told the board.

Families would be charged directly for the service by Family Therapy Associates which has offices in New Richmond and Menomonie.

“With the rise in mental health needs and concerns this may be a good option,” noted Brite.

Brite said it could be implemented for this coming school year on an as-needed basis.

“If there are enough students and families (requesting the service), it could be every day,” stated Brite. “Or if there are just a few maybe just once a week.”

The board will be kept updated on the progress of the opportunity.

The board also learned that this year’s annual meeting and budget hearing will be held on Monday, August 20. For the past several years, the annual meeting has been held the Monday following Labor Day.

In other matters, the board:

• Approved the resignations of Carly Kittilson as middle school volleyball coach, Rachel Mintz as student summer custodian and Brandi Caress as special ed paraprofessional.

• Approved the hiring of Bridget Oehlke as a volleyball volunteer coach.

• Approved the 2018-19 Glenwood City Elementary student and parent handbook, the high school/middle school student handbook and the athlete and co-curricular handbook.

• Approved and accepted the bid of $10,595 from Countryside Plumbing for the installation of 12 automatic-flush urinals. Two higher bids were also received.

• Held the first reading for 640 GCSD Supplement non-supplant policy which states that federal funds from ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) will not be used in place of local funding sources.