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Cadott School Board; Board gets early look at 2021-22 calendar and budget

By Julia Wolf The Cadott School Board looked ahead to the 2021-22 school year, Feb. 22, as they saw early drafts of school calendar options, during a Committee of the Whole meeting.

Superintendent Jenny Starck brought three options before the board for input.

“I did do a parent survey, but I will say, you’ll see that there are not a lot who returned it,” said Starck.

One option featured an earlier spring break, at the end of February, to avoid interrupting spring sports. One concern Starck says she heard with the earlier spring break, is that is could conflict with the post-season of winter sports.

Another option matches the spring break with surrounding districts. A third option presented, had no long break, but did include more long weekends throughout the year.

Starck says the parent survey and a staff survey garnered tight results for which option is most favored, though she says the matched spring break was slightly favored.

“The one piece everyone was adamant on, is they wanted to try to be done by Memorial Day,” said Starck.

Mark Schley, board member, says he doesn’t feel students should be gone a full week, because of district-wide scores and how much school students have already missed in the past two school years.

“We’ve got a lot to catch up on,” said Schley.

Board member Brad Sonnentag agreed, and said he could get behind the shorter breaks, but would like to see them limit the long learning gaps.

Starck said she was recommending the matched spring break option, because it was slightly favored. She said if she surveys people, she should take the results into consideration for her recommendations.

Members also saw an early look at the budget parameters for the 2021-22 school year. The board talked about the balance of paying down debt and doing things now.

Starck noted, as state aid increases over time, the mill rate could go down again, as it has the past few years.

Board president Rod Tegels said he thinks faster debt payments should become more of a focus, as interest payments don’t create value for the district. He says he doesn’t think they should keep reducing the mill rate, when they could use that to get out of debt.

Schley agreed it would be better for the district to get state aid on things spent for the school, than get aided on interest payments.

Tegels said, if they leave the mill rate where it is, the funds coming in would be higher.

“But you’ve got to answer your taxpayers on why the mill rate is so high, when it could be down lower,” said Sue Shakal, director of finance and human resources.

Starck says the district did have a jump in the mill rate the year she started, which generated phone calls from the taxpayers. She says the biggest help, is the increase in property tax values.

Shakal also reminded board members that it is really early in the budgeting process and added they won’t have firm numbers until October.

In another information item, Starck shared this year’s graduation plans.

“One of the advantages for this year, is we believe our facilities will be open,” said Starck.

She says they are looking at an outdoors ceremony Friday, May 28, since that would allow more people to attend and everyone to spread out more. She said one major disadvantage, is the weather. Starck says they could do a rain date of Saturday, May 29, if there is inclement weather, or keep the original date and move the ceremony indoors, with fewer attendees.

“I realize, as soon as we get off that date, some family is going to have a graduation party scheduled, or something else,” said Starck.

Board members said either option sounds good to them.

Members also saw eSucceed grades for Cadott students who are attending the online school full-time. Starck says there are some students who have not engaged at all, with grades that reflect that.

Tegels asked how they plan to catch those students up. Starck says most of those students have returned to Cadott’s classrooms and many of them are not academically behind, they just need to do the work. She says they are working with those students.

Becca Blanchette, board member, asked why those students were not engaging, when they knew it would be virtual going into it.

“It was sometimes different for different families,” said Starck.

Starck says online learning takes a lot of discipline to be able to focus for that amount of time.

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