Lake Holcombe School Board; Data shows elementary hit hard without in-person class

School has been back in session for some time this year, and as such, the Achievement Gap Reduction (AGR) reports are showing preliminary numbers. As Lake Holcombe School principal Mark Porter said during a board meeting Feb. 23, late summer of last year, the district adopted a reopening plan, after COVID-19 lingered on to the 2020-21 school year.

During that time, the DPI recommended that students not be assessed immediately, but be given a chance to acclimate to in-person programming. Once that took place, a meeting was held with teachers.

“What we tried to do,” said Porter, “was extrapolate data and compare the beginning of the year data, to the middle of the year data, to see what progress has gone on.”

Porter says he does not have much to go on, as of yet, to compare with last school year.

“If I was to pull from the data an opinion that I would make, would be that our younger students in grades first and second, are probably the ones hardest hit, by not having any in-session programming with teachers,” he said. “It seemed like with our older students, it was easier for them to do things remotely.”

Also reported to the board, was that a parent group has taken on the spring prom (April 10 at Eastbay Lodge) and that high school graduation is planned for the end of May. Superintendent Kurt Lindau also said winter sports are wrapping up and even with COVID protocols, the season went well.

“We had quite a few successes,” said Lindau.

Moving to the business portion of the meeting, members approved the annual CESA contract, dealing with things such as special education and other services, in the amount of $122,825. Lindau says that contract is similar to last year’s.

The board also accepted $33.20, from Eastbay Lodge, to the music department; $1,000, from Northwestern Bank, for the weight room project; $200, from Eastbay Lodge, for the weight room project; $50, from Joe and Shannon Repka, for the after-school program; $1,621, from the Youth of Lake Holcombe Endowment Fund through the Community Foundation of Chippewa County, for the maple syrup sugar shed project; $855.60, from the Lake Holcombe Education Foundation (LHEF), for the cider press project; and $630.90, from the LHEF for a 4K book program.

Also accepted, was the resignation of Kelsey Linley, firstgrade teacher, who has been with the elementary school for the last four years.

My time at Lake Holcombe has taught me so much, wrote Linley, and has provided me the opportunity to make significant growth as a person and educator.

Linley says in her time with the district, she has found that she is especially passionate about supporting mental health and children affected by trauma. With that in mind, she has chosen to pursue a graduate degree in school psychology at UW-Eau Claire and will be unable to continue as a full-time teacher, after the close of the 2020-21 school year.

I am, and always will be, invested in the students and school that I have come to know so well, wrote Linley. Thank you for allowing me to be part of this excellent district.

As a note to the public, because of an administrative confl ict, the next meeting has been changed to Monday, March 22, at 6 p.m.