W-MU begins planning 2016-17 school year

BY KARYN SPORY

Mt. Pleasant News

WINFIELD ? The Winfield-Mt. Union Community School District may be only half way through the spring semester, but the school board is already looking towards the 2016-17 school year.

On Wednesday night, during the school board?s regularly scheduled meeting, the board approved several items in order to get the upcoming school year ready to go.

With two options to choose from, the board selected the first calendar for the 2016-17 school year.

Board President Klay Edwards said the only slight difference between the two plans was that the first calendar had shorter breaks and allowed students to get out earlier.

Superintendent Jeff Maeder added this was the calendar faculty and staff preferred.

?I would like for us to get them (students, staff and faculty) out before Memorial Day,? said Dan Schurr, board vice president.

The 2016-17 academic school year will begin on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016, and end on Thursday, May 25, 2017, with graduation taking place on May 21. Winter break will be from Dec. 21, 2016, to Jan. 3, 2017.

In regards to the 2016-17 school year, the board also approved increasing student lunch prices.

Maeder said lunch prices had not risen since the 2014-15 school year, and the increase was state mandated. ?They are recommending an increase of either $2.05 or $2.10,? he said.

In other news, High School Principal Dave Edwards said W-MU has been selected to be a part of a pilot scholarship program, Raise.me Scholarship Program.

According to the Raise.me website, high school students can receive micro-scholarships by earning an ?A?, joining a team or club or volunteering in the community. The website goes on to say that Raise.me motivates students to do better in high school and better prepare for college.

Edwards said W-MU was selected for the program because the district has the highest number of students receiving free and reduced lunches in the county.

The program is set up to help students receive money for their achievements, but is also geared toward low-income students.

?This sounds like a great opportunity for us,? Edwards added.

During the meeting, the board also decided not to revise board policy and stock Epinephrine Auto-Injectors (EpiPen) in case student or staff has an allergic reaction.

Currently, students with allergies requiring an EpiPen have prescriptions in the nurse?s office. The revision would have allowed the district to keep EpiPens in the event a student or staff member that had not been diagnosed had an allergic reaction. The board viewed this policy during its February meeting, but decided to table the issue to research it more.

Meader said he had spoken with both a local doctor and surrounding school districts about the policy. Meader said he spoke with the doctor about his concern of giving a dose when it wasn?t needed or accidently giving an adult dose to a child. According to his talk with the local physician, giving a child an adult dose would not be a ?life or death issue.?

?I checked with eight other schools and no one is adopting it at this time,? he said.

Another thing to keep in mind, he told the board, was the cost of keeping an EpiPen on hand. Each dose is roughly $500 and the pens last for a year.

The board decided not to adopt the measure.

Also during the meeting, the board approved a locker bid from V.I.P.S., for $41,481.25. The lockers would go in the first floor and simply replace the lockers there.

Lastly, the board agreed to table retrofitting the building?s lights with LED lighting. The district is considering future improvement projects and wants to be sure they wouldn?t be replacing lights only to tear them down. Meader said he would consult with the firm that is working on a construction proposal.

In other business, the board:

? Set the public hearing date for the 2016-17 budget for April 13, at 6 p.m., in the media center.

? Approved the 2014-15 audit review.

? Approved a policy for electronic signatures for check writing.

? Approved a resolution for early payment approval.

? Approved the hiring of Robert Helgerson, assistant High School girls track coach; Mark Janecek, assistant golf coach; Joel Keller, Junior High boys? track coach.

? Approved the resignation of Logan Vander Wiel, band (jazz, pep and marching); and Lauren Vander Wiel, resource associate.

The next meeting of the W-MU School Board will be on Wednesday, April 13, at 6 p.m., in the school?s media center.