NORTH CRAWFORD - The North Crawford School Board started their meeting on Thursday, Jan. 25 in executive closed session.
The board spent over an hour discussing the non-renewal of administrator contracts (not performance related) and the mid-year evaluation of North Crawford School District Superintendent Brandon Munson.
When the board reconvened in open session at 7:03 p.m., they unanimously approved the non-renewal of the contract for North Crawford Elementary School Principal and Special Education Director Julie Kruizenga for a non-performance related reason. They then unanimously approved the non-renewal of the contract for North Crawford High School Principal and Athletic Director Toby Tripalin for a non-performance related reason. Voting in favor of the motions were Wade Dull, Mary Kuhn, Terry O’Donnell, Judy Powell and Jesse Swenson. School board members Aaron Fortney and Jim Dworschack did not attend the meeting.
The purpose of serving the non-renewal notices was to comply with state law to allow for any re-organization the district might undertake next year involving the contracted employees.
“The existing contracts for both of our principals includes a secondary responsibility,” district administrator Brandon Munson said when contacted after the meeting. “Per Wisconsin State Statutes we needed to non-renew those contracts by the end of January to allow us time to re-evaluate the roles and responsibilities of all of our administrative staff.
“These contract non-renewals were not performance related, rather (they were) a way for the board and administration to re-assess our administrative staff to assure we are best meeting the needs of students and staff,” Munson explained.
In other business, the North Crawford School Board:
• learned that the elementary school students in every grade identified being too loud as the major problem they needed to work on for the rest of the year
• heard a report that a grant was being used to introduce innovative seating options in Amy Anderson’s second grade class
• learned that middle school guidance counselor Zoey Elderbusch was working on a program to address drug and alcohol awareness among the students
• received a financial report from business manager Demetri Andrews that showed there had been no “major surprises or expenditures” to date and that an unexpected payment from FEMA for 2006 flood damage had produced some unexpected revenue in this fiscal year
• learned from Brandon Munson that the district was considering hiring a company to conduct a survey of the connectedness and engagement of students, staff and the community
• learned a proposed increase in sparsity aid from the state would increase revenue in the district by $45,000 for next year’s budget and there is bipartisan support in the state legislature for the effort
• were informed by director of maintenance Harry Heisz that the school’s roof had no major leaks and two minor leaks had been repaired
• approved the third Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. as the new day and time for regularly scheduled board meetings.
• accepted the resignation of bus driver Nicole Nelson
• approved Jimmer Chellevold as another volunteer chaperone eighth grade trip to Washington D.C.
