Board of Education Regular Meeting
Meeting time: 6:00 PM
Location: District Office Board Room, AGWSR High School
The packet outlines a regular Board of Education meeting with a substantial consent agenda, a proposed $10.82 million general obligation school bond election, personnel recommendations, financial reports, staff handbooks, bids, a new student-conduct policy, and two matters scheduled for closed session. Administrative reports also provide back-to-school updates on enrollment, curriculum, facilities, safety, staffing, and student support.
Key Items on the Agenda
$10.82 Million School Bond Election
The board is scheduled to consider a resolution ordering a special election on the issuance of up to $10,820,000 in General Obligation School Bonds. The proposed resolution states that a petition was filed requesting an election and that the petition is to be examined to determine whether it meets the required signature threshold.
The proposed bond measure would finance:
- Remodeling, repairs, improvements, and equipment at the high school, including science and family & consumer science classrooms.
- High school HVAC, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, roofing, and site improvements.
- Construction, furnishing, and equipping of a multipurpose activities/recess facility, including site improvements.
- Remodeling, repairs, improvements, and equipment for the middle school locker rooms.
If the resolution is adopted as drafted, the special election would be called for Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The ballot would ask district voters whether the board should be authorized to incur indebtedness and issue bonds in an amount not to exceed $10.82 million.
The draft resolution identifies Grundy County as the controlling county and provides for filing the public measure with the county commissioner of elections, preparation of ballots and election notices, publication of the election notice, and mailing the full public measure to registered voters within the timelines specified in the resolution.
Sports Boosters Presentation
The agenda includes a Sports Boosters Presentation before consideration of the bond-election resolution. The packet text identifies the presentation as an agenda item but does not provide substantive supporting details about what will be presented.
Closed Sessions
Two agenda items are identified for closed session:
- An Emergency Operations Plan update.
- Consideration of a late-filed open enrollment application.
The packet does not provide substantive details about the matters expected to be addressed during those closed sessions.
Consent Agenda
The consent agenda includes approval of minutes, financials, administrative reports, personnel recommendations, and open enrollment information. Items may also be removed from the consent agenda for separate consideration.
Personnel Recommendations
The packet contains several employment recommendations for board consideration:
- Myah Brinker — HS Head Boys Track Coach: Recommended for the 2026–27 school year, replacing Bill Heubner. The compensation schedule is listed as Schedule B, Step 2, 8%. The recommendation cites Brinker’s experience as an AGWSR track athlete and volunteer assistant coach.
- Ken Saul — Part-Time Custodian: Recommended to begin August 24, 2026, at $15. The recommendation states that the position does not replace another employee.
- Dru Willems — JH Volleyball: Recommended to begin August 24, 2026, replacing Shaylee Hofmeister. Compensation is listed as Schedule B, Step 9, 5%.
- Tim McCloud — HS Language Arts: Recommended for the 2026–27 school year, replacing Teresa Janssen, at a salary of $68,597. The packet describes McCloud as having more than 30 years of teaching experience.
- Tate Hofmeister — Full-Time Substitute: Recommended for the 2026–27 school year at $210 per day. The recommendation says the district has been short of substitute teachers and that the position would serve all three buildings.
- Randi Buseman — HS Volunteer Assistant Cheer Sponsor: Recommended as a volunteer assistant position.
- Britny Okones — Student Behavioral Supports Coordinator: Recommended for the 2026–27 school year at $55,000. The packet describes this as a new position created in part because the high school counselor position was filled only half-time and because of increased behavioral-support needs. The position is expected to serve primarily the elementary and high school, with on-call/as-needed support for urgent situations at the middle school.
Open Enrollment
The consent materials include an extensive open-enrollment record covering current and prior applications. The document identifies resident and receiving districts, grade levels, submission dates, and approval status where available.
The agenda separately identifies a late-filed open enrollment application for consideration in closed session.
Financial Items
July 2026 Financials and Paid Bills
The consent agenda includes the district's July 2026 financial summary and a detailed list of paid bills across district funds.
The accounts-payable report covers transactions with check dates from July 15 through August 20, 2026 and lists a grand total of $947,924.39. Fund totals shown in the report include:
- General Fund: $750,729.96
- Student Activity: $19,473.36
- Management Levy: $18,648.00
- Local Option Sales Tax: $4,250.00
- PPEL: $122,877.61
- School Nutrition: $2,793.87
- Child Care: $17,934.98
- Self Funded Insurance: $10,654.54
- Custodial: $562.07
The PPEL expenditures include technology and facility-related costs such as $32,957.73 associated with iPad keyboards and smart technology, $27,237.36 for high school data cabling, $14,398.00 for an AAC playground fence, and $11,189.00 for high school vocal-area maintenance.
Fuel and Milk Bids
New business includes consideration of fuel and milk bids.
The packet includes a dairy quotation from Anderson Erickson Dairy for the 2026–27 school year. Quoted base prices include:
- ½-pint 1% milk: $0.3858
- ½-pint skim milk: $0.3738
- ½-pint skim chocolate milk: $0.4238
- 5-pound cottage cheese: $11.50
- 5-pound yogurt: $8.30
The dairy proposal states that prices are subject to an escalator clause tied to milk-market pricing and other supplier cost changes. It also states that the company furnishes and maintains milk coolers; where a school owns its coolers, $0.0100 per half-pint may be deducted.
The agenda also lists a fuel bid, but the extracted packet text does not provide substantive supporting bid details sufficient for comparison.
Staff Handbooks
The board is scheduled to consider approval of the district's 2026–27 Certified Staff Handbook and 2026–27 Non-Certified Support Staff Handbook.
Certified Staff
The certified handbook addresses employment provisions including grievance procedures, staff reductions, leaves, work hours and days, health and safety, travel expenses, evaluations, salaries, supplemental pay, insurance, vacancies, and reassignment.
Among the provisions included in the packet:
- Certified employees are required to work 188 days, with three reserved as workdays.
- The handbook identifies statutory salary benchmarks of a $50,500 minimum salary and $62,000 Year 13 salary.
- Educational lane changes provide listed increases of $1,250 for BA+15 and $1,250 for MA.
- Teachers covering another teacher during a planning period may be paid up to $30 per day.
- The district proposes budgeting $20,000 for extra-duty pay for 2026–27, with compensation distributed based on qualifying events worked.
- Supplemental coaching percentages include 8% for boys head track coach and 5% for junior-high football or volleyball, based on the applicable Schedule B structure.
Non-Certified Staff
The non-certified handbook covers employment agreements, wages and overtime, timekeeping, insurance, leave, workplace rules, evaluations, employee conduct, safety, and other personnel procedures.
Among its provisions:
- Employees working more than 40 hours in a workweek are compensated at one-and-one-half times their regular hourly rate through overtime pay or compensatory time, subject to authorization.
- Payroll is distributed on the 10th and 25th of each month.
- The handbook provides sick-leave schedules ranging from 11 days in the first year to 16 days beginning in the sixth year, with accumulation limits described in the handbook.
- Employees receive two personal-leave days per year, with provisions allowing accumulation up to four days.
- Full-time 12-month employees are listed as receiving eight paid holidays.
- The handbook includes rules concerning workplace investigations, harassment, employee conduct, confidentiality, district property, workplace violence, weapons, technology use, and safety.
Policy / Governance
New Policy 503.11 — Disruptive Students
The agenda calls for board consideration of a new Policy 503.11, “Disruptive Students.” The extracted packet identifies the proposed policy by number and title but does not include substantive policy language sufficient to summarize its specific provisions.
Emergency Operations Planning
The board is scheduled to receive an Emergency Operations Plan update in closed session. Administrative reports elsewhere in the packet note ongoing school safety work, including review of emergency evacuation and reunification planning, use of emergency-notification systems, staff badges for emergency communications, and technology and security-related improvements.
Administrative Reports
Elementary
The elementary administrative report lists 195 K–4 students and provides additional enrollment information for preschool and transitional programs.
Back-to-school priorities include:
- Fall FAST benchmark assessments beginning September 14.
- Implementation of Magnetic Literacy as the new literacy curriculum, including foundational skills, comprehension, vocabulary, writing, listening, and speaking.
- Continued emphasis on respect, responsibility, and teamwork.
- Back-to-school conferences for K–4 scheduled for August 20 from 4:00–8:00 PM.
- Continued repairs at Cougar's Den, including ceiling tiles, playground weed management, sign work, and an air-conditioning unit.
- Third-grade participation in the Franklin County agricultural fair on September 15.
Middle School
The middle school report lists 176 students as of August 14, 2026, including preschool enrollment reported with the Wellsburg Center figures.
Academic and operational priorities include:
- A goal for every student to demonstrate at least one year of growth in literacy, math, and science.
- WIN intervention time in reading and math.
- FAST assessments in fall, winter, and spring.
- Continued use of IXL and Cougar Time advisory groups.
- Implementation of Magnetic Literacy in K–6.
- Year two of OpenSciEd in grades 5–12.
- Implementation of TCI social studies curriculum in grades 5 and 6.
- A building goal of at least 95% daily attendance.
- Installation of CleverTouch smart panels in fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms and special-education rooms.
- Installation of a new phone system and continued use of Everalert and staff emergency badges.
High School
The high school report lists 181 students for 2026–27, compared with 205 in the 2025–26 column of the packet's enrollment table.
The report says the high school will continue its 60% assessment / 40% classwork and homework grading structure, intended to reflect both demonstrated mastery and ongoing student work. The school year's theme is “Believe,” with an emphasis on positive relationships between students and staff.
Fall sports began August 10, and administrators and athletic directors plan to continue work with coaches on a coaching handbook defining expectations for coaches, athletes, and programs.
What to Watch at the Meeting
The most consequential scheduled action is the proposed resolution that would place the $10.82 million school bond question before voters on November 3, 2026. The board's consideration of the resolution will determine whether the proposed high school, multipurpose facility, and middle school improvements advance to a public vote as outlined in the draft.
Other items to watch include:
- Whether the personnel recommendations are approved as presented, including the new Student Behavioral Supports Coordinator position.
- Board consideration of the fuel and milk bids.
- Approval or modification of the certified and non-certified staff handbooks.
- Consideration of new Policy 503.11 — Disruptive Students.
- The Sports Boosters presentation.
- Superintendent updates concerning the start of the school year, bond-issue communications, and tennis courts/pickleball.
- The two matters scheduled for closed session.
