Marathon to consider more course offerings
The Marathon Board of Education last Wednesday tabled a decision on adding new art, mathematics and technology education classes to next year’s high school curriculum.
School board members want to obtain from Marathon School District administration what it would cost to give art teacher Jackie Imhoff, who Marathon shares with Edgar, more instructional hours next school year to teach two additional art classes.
Jodi DeBroux, Marathon School Board president, wants to schedule a special school board meeting before the school board’s regular monthly meeting on the second Wednesday night in December. This way the school board can make an informed decision on whether or not to approve the additional course offerings for high school students next year, before the class booklets are printed.
Dave Beranek, Marathon Prices good through Nov. 30, 2022 High School principal, would like to add two art classes consisting of AP art and design programs and dual credit digital photography to next year’s student course offerings. He also wants to add AP pre-calculus in the mathematics department along with technology education classes including advanced computer Scout Troop 458 attends Marathon school board meeting
aided manufacturing (ACAM) and intro to computer aided manufacturing (CAM).
Marathon High School’s technology education department would stop offering project lead the way classes (PLTW) because although they are good, they are also too scripted and expensive.
Rick Parks, Marathon schools superintendent, said on behalf of Beranek who was excused from the school board meeting, that pivoting from PLTW will allow the technology education department to work with all of its CAM technologies it has acquired and still save much of the annual $6,000 registration fee PLTW requires to run one of the courses for 15 students or less.
He said every piece of the technology department’s CAM equipment requires training and upon receiving this training, students will be much more adaptable and suitable for many work environments, instead of just engineering. The technology department would also remove the introduction of engineering and principles of engineering class next school year.
In other news:
The Marathon School Board accepted the retirement of Spanish teacher Caterina Kotchkoski.
School board members Lia Klumpyan and DeBroux are up for re-election to three-year terms on April 4, 2023.
People residing in Marathon School District must file a Campaign Registration Statement and a Declaration of Candidacy before 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, at the Marathon City School District office, located at 204 East St., between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. If a primary election is necessary, it will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023.
The school board voted to keep 403 (b) retirement plans with vendors WEA Benefits and AXA Equitable for Marathon School District employees and remove vendor Riversource because no employees are signed up for it. The school board approved a provision for the “Qualified Birth or Adoption Distributions” to the employee 403 (b) plans.
Parks informed the school board the school district has hired Express Employment Professionals to provide a second shift custodian working at Marathon Elementary School/Marathon Venture Academy, after the school district couldn’t find anyone on its own to fill the open custodian position during the summer and fall.
He said if the custodian turns out to be a good match, then the school district could hire the employee from Express Employment Professionals.
There are 28 high school girls basketball players, 38 boys high school basketball players and 22 boys high school wrestlers participating in this winter sports season.
Parks announced last school year Marathon High School students attempted 196 dual credits with Northcentral Technical College for a total savings of $30,772 in college tuition for high school families.
