By Steve Van Kooten

On Sept. 15, the Wauzeka-Steuben Board of Education had their minds on the district's Annual Meeting this fall and the impending operational referendum in the spring.

For the Annual Meeting, District Administrator Dan Olson said there are several items that are allowed at a district's annual meeting; however, very few of them are required.

"The statutes are — to be blunt — archaic, and I did some research to confirm the minimum resolutions you must have at the meeting. You must adopt the tax levy, the salary of board members and any reimbursements of board members. Those are the only things that you must do on an annual basis," he said.

Olson continued, saying there are other powers that can be used during the annual meeting, such as buying property, but, unless the district plans to do that over the ensuing year, it doesn't need to be on the agenda.

He recommended paring down the meeting's agenda to only the resolutions that are "really necessary."

Board Member Thomas Martin advised alerting the public to the change before the meeting and requesting feedback from community members.

"I just think being upfront is appreciated," he said. "We're going into a time in which the public needs to trust us."

"If we hear that people prefer it the other way, we can go back," said Board President Nikki Asleson.

Olson also briefly discussed the spring operational referendum with the board, focusing on the district's objectives and communicating with the public.

Olson told the board he wanted to approach the referendum considering two things: what are the needs for the district to maintain where it's at now, and what are additional funds that are necessary or that would be helpful.

Olson said he had the district join the Wisconsin School of Public Relations Association (WSPRA) to help facilitate communicating the district's needs and actions to the public.

"They'll have a lot of materials for us to help explain the state budget and so on," he said.

The board did not take any actions on either matter during the meeting.

Agreements

The board approved two non-athletic co-op agreements during the meeting.

The district renewed their agreement with Highland Community School District to employ a Spanish teacher who will work in both districts.

Wauzeka-Steuben entered a new agreement with Richland School District. One student from the district will attend Richland's iThrive Academy.

The Academy is an education program targeted toward "highest-need" learners with a goal to mainstream students back to traditional classroom settings.

According to Special Education Director Kevin Killburg, the arrangement will be cheaper and closer than the district's previous agreement. He added that Wauzeka-Steuben will still be responsible for transporting the student on a daily basis.

Other business

• The district received two donations: one from Boscobel Lumber and another from the Rock and Roll Reunion. Olson said the district has not determined how to use those funds as of yet.

• Received an update on the school's phone system, which has encountered several delays from the provider, CenturyLink. Olson said the district is exploring other possible providers. No action took place.