Lake Holcombe School Board - 4K will move to five days next year

Debbi Readinger (left) and Jamie Tester-Morfoot took the Oath of Office, April 28, after being reelected to the Lake Holcombe School Board. Photo by Joy Dain

By Ginna Young

Next year, at Lake Holcombe School, the 4K program is expanding to five full-time days a week, as approved at the board of education meeting, April 28.

“We already do full days, there are still school districts that are doing half days,” said district administrator Kurt Lindau.

There’s no financial incentive to increase from four days, but Lindau believes it would be a good thing for everyone.

“We think this would be an opportunity to provide more consistency, increase socialization…those extra hours in school, we think our kids will be better prepared for kindergarten,” he said. That extra day will give more time for play-based learning and would work around parents’ schedules.

“This is a daycare desert,” said Lindau. “This would give parents more flexibility.”

The district will need to employ their 4K paraprofessional Fridays, while food service and busing is on board. However, there will be a few “off” days built into the schedule, to allow the 4K teacher to have child development days/screenings.

Board member Tess Engel questioned when the district would evaluate if it’s a good thing they want to continue, which Lindau said will be likely be every few months throughout the next school year.

The activity code and coaches handbook was also approved, with one item made note of, that it could change. On request of board member Jamie Tester-Morfoot, playing eligibility was discussed.

Morfoot would like to see the district monitor grades more often than at the end of each quarter, like they are now. Morfoot’s reasoning was that if a student knows they have until the end of the quarter to “sneak by” on grades, they won’t try to do their best the entire time.

“And there’s no accountability to keep their grades up throughout the quarter,” she said.

Every two weeks was the suggestion of Morfoot, to review grades and if they weren’t up to par, then the student is not eligible to play.

“Athletics are extra, academics come first,” said Morfoot.

Because there are many things to be taken into account, such as making sure grades are entered on time, it was agreed to kick the idea back to athletic director Todd Senoraske for more consideration.

“If we’re going to do this, I think it needs to have a lot more thought put into it,” said board president Brian Guthman.

Senoraske is also researching having a Hall of Fame at Lake Holcombe, something the school has bounced around as an idea the last couple years.

“We’ll see if that takes any legs,” said Lindau.

Lindau also reported that the Vulcan steamer oven in the kitchen “bit the dust,” and it’s estimated at about $4,500 to repair it and $9,000 to purchase a new one.

“So, we’ll be replacing that,” said Lindau.

The board also approved the “everything behind the school” project, with a bid awarded to Monarch Paving, with the low bid of $117,289.45, to redo the blacktop behind the school.

“It will be nice when it’s done, but blacktop is expensive,” said Lindau.

Members also approved the resignation of middle school volleyball coach Pam Luethi, and accepted $325, from the Lake Holcombe Haunted Trail, to the afterschool program; $100, from LeRoy Berg, for business ventures; $100, from Walter and Ruth Johnson, to the Angel Fund; $210, from the Holiday Shoppe, to the elementary teachers for classroom needs; $300, from the Lake Holcombe Lions Club, to forensics for meals; and $2,500, from the Lions, to the school for the ice fishing contest directed donations.