MPCSD school board approve pandemic pay resolution through closures, discuss end-of-year activity plans

MT. PLEASANT - The Mt. Pleasant Community School District school board approved an extended pandemic pay resolution for district staff as well as the district's fiscal year 2021 budget. The board also discussed closure related items, including semester grades and end-of-year activities.

The board received an overview of the following year's budget from Ed Chabal, the district's director of business and finance. In his review of the budget, he noted the district is proposing a tax rate of $13.89 per thousand in taxable valuation. He also explained expenditures are expected to go up nearly $340,000 in the following fiscal year. The board unanimously approved the FY21 budget.

The board also approved a pay resolution for district employees that extends through the April 30. The original resolution that was passed extended only through April 13. The resolution still stipulates that 'employees shall receive their customary and regular pay they would have been entitled to receive absent the closure.”

During his report, Superintendent John Henriksen began discussions about school closure related items including semester grades, graduation and prom.

Henriksen noted the 'unofficial guidance” from the Department of Education 'is do everything that you can do as a school district … to help seniors get across the line.” Henriksen said the district remains in contact with the DE about how to help students.

In discussions about graduation plans, MPHS principal Todd Liechty shared results from a survey he sent to parents and seniors. Over 86% of responses noted students and parents would prefer an event where seniors could celebrate together. The survey also revealed about 80% of students and families would be able to make a June graduation. The original date set for graduation was May 17.

Liechty added several viable options have been suggested including holding the graduation at McMillan Park where people could participate from their cars on the track and space on the grandstand would allow people to keep a safe distance from one another.

Currently, the district is continuing to wait for Gov. Reynold's decision on the length of school closures before making further decisions.

'If the governor shuts us down, we will automatically say we are not doing the 17th. We'll try to go late June on a Sunday and then give them a choice of facilities,” Liechty said. The principal added that prom has also tentatively been pushed to July 11.

The board approved the Penny Sales and Service Tax Spending Plan, which will go toward funding several buildings and ground projects including a restroom remodel at the middle school, pea gravel for playgrounds at Lincoln, Van Allen and Salem and multiple exterior projects for schools. The board also approved the Physical Plant and Equipment Fund spending plan, which allocates $943,078 to various technology related expenses including network software and upgrades along with classroom technology. During their meeting, the board also awarded a bid for the construction of the district's pickleball courts to Meyers Construction, who sent in a base bid of $188,300.

In a brief update to the board, director of instruction, Kathleen Gavin gave a report on the district's online participation among students. Though the district officially began their voluntary enrichment opportunities this week, Gavin noted there have been 283 total logins to the iReady program, which is used by the district's elementary buildings for math and reading. The district aims to engage students with 49-60 minutes of digital learning a week in each content area. Currently, about 70% of students who are logging into the program are using the program 'in that sweet zone of online learning,” Gavin reported.