School Board Meeting April 28, 2025
Motion by Pawlak, second by Higginbotham to approve the agenda. Motion carried.
Motion by Pawlak, second by Higginbotham to elect Russ Ewert as President. Motion carried.
Motion by Barney, second by Pawlak to elect Eric Brown as Vice President. Motion carried.
Motion by Brown, second by Barney to elect Michael Loth as Treasurer. Motion carried.
Motion by Higginbotham, second by Loth to elect Tom Barney as Clerk. Motion carried.
Motion by Barney, second by Brown to elect Tracy Pawlak as CESA #1 Delegate Representative. Motion carried.
Superintendent Dr. Chris Reuter provided a District Administrator Update welcoming Jeff Voyer as a new School Board Member and sharing the results of the employee engagement survey.
The Germantown School District Student Representative provided an update on what is happening in our schools. AMY BELLE: Families attended Dinner with the Arts where students displayed their artwork and held a talent show, students raised $249.49 towards Archie’s first birthday fundraiser, and the PTA will host a spring book fair. COUNTY LINE: Students participated in an all-school assembly to learn about courage, 5th grade students are learning about DARE, students raised $2700 for the Washington County Humane Society in honor of Archie’s first birthday, and students collected litter around campus in honor of Earth Day. MACARTHUR: Students are participating in the PTA sponsored Fun Run and preparing their auditions for the talent show. 4th graders visited Madison and 1st/2nd graders attended a play at First Stage Theater. ROCKFIELD: Students are learning about courage and participated in the Rockfield Talent Show, Scholastic Book Fair, and a schoolwide Paw Sale. 3rd grade students visited Riveredge Nature Center. KENNEDY MIDDLE SCHOOL: Students are excited to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, 8th grade students will participate in a dance, and 8th grade students will hold their Promotion Ceremony! GERMANTOWN HIGH SCHOOL: Students have finished ACT/Pre-ACT testing, AP testing starts soon, many students will attain the Industry Recognized Certification, and students are supporting hearing screenings, leading a blood drive, and competing in DECA Nationals.
MacArthur Elementary School Principal, Tony Gonzalez, introduced four 5th grade students who shared their mathematical expertise by solving complex math problems. Two students shared how they figured out how to attend a Brewer game on a budget.
School Board President Russ Ewert shared information from the Village of Germantown Planning Commission meeting. Director Tracy Pawlak shared information from the Park & Rec Commission meeting.
Motion by Barney, second by Higginbotham to approve Consent Agenda items A-F. Dr. Reuter highlighted the donations. Mr. Nowak shared the process of securing teacher contracts for the 2025-2026 school year. Motion carried.
Barney provided an update from the April 1, 2025 Policy Committee meeting mentioning that 46 policies were reviewed; 3 are new, 27 are revisions, 4 are replacements, 3 are rescinded, and 9 were required to be updated at the federal level.
The Policy Committee brings forward a positive recommendation to the Full Board to approve the additions, updates, and modifications to District Policies 0100 - 9800.01. Motion carried.
Pawlak provided an update from the April 21, 2025 Ad hoc Transportation Committee Meeting sharing the process on how a transportation service provider was selected to begin contract negotiations for transportation beginning with the 2025-2026 school year.
Motion with a positive recommendation from the Ad hoc Transportation Committee to start contract negotiations with Go Riteway for student transportation services starting in the 2025-2026 school year. Motion carried.
Pawlak provided an update from the April 21, 2025 Personnel Committee meeting mentioning that we are ahead of schedule regarding hiring for the 2025-2026 school year, a new coaching contract, new clubs, and the support staff compensation study.
Motion with a positive recommendation from the Personnel Committee to approve the Assistant Girl’s Softball coaching contract for Michael Kerr. Motion carried.
Motion with a positive recommendation from the Personnel Committee to approve the Washington County Trail Sharks Mountain Biking Club and Board Game Club for the 2025-2026 school year. Motion carried.
Motion with a positive recommendation from the Personnel Committee to approve the implementation of a years of service stipend process for Support Staff employees. Motion carried (Barney - abstain).
Pawlak provided a report from the April 28, 2025 Buildings & Grounds Committee meeting mentioning the updates on the Germantown High School and Kennedy Middle School sinkhole repairs, the Amy Belle window replacements, and the facility condition report and how to approach categorizing the report. Also reviewed was the Germantown High School RTU 6 cooling coil replacement and the District Office DX Unit #2 replacement, both of which were given a positive recommendation to the Finance Committee to move along to the Board of Education for final approval.
Loth provided an update from the April 28, 2025 Finance Committee meeting mentioning the approval of vouchers, the March variance report, the work in progress sponsorship guide, and the following monthly purchase requests exceeding $15,000: 2025/26 vision education services contract, the District Office DX Unit #2 replacement, the Germantown High School RTU 6 cooling coil replacement, the smart board replacements, the Germantown High School and Kennedy MIddle school chromebook replacements, the Rockfield Elementary School smart boards, and the Germantown High School server room upgrade.
The Finance Committee brings forward a positive recommendation to the Full Board to approve the Vision Education Services of Wisconsin LLC contract for the 2025-2026 school year, not to exceed $112,000 and be funded out of the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) Flow-Through Grant. Motion carried.
The Finance Committee brings forward a positive recommendation to the Full Board to hire Butters Fetting Co to replace DX Unit #2, in the amount of $60,915.00, funded out of the Capital Improvements budget (Fund 41). Motion carried.
The Finance Committee brings forward a positive recommendation to the Full Board to hire Butters Fetting Co to replace the cooling coils in GHS RTU 06, in the amount of $44,130, funded out of the Capital Improvements budget (Fund 41). Motion carried.
The Finance Committee brings forward a positive recommendation to the Full Board to purchase six Smart Boards through Bluum for $16,770. Motion carried.
The Finance Committee brings forward a positive recommendation to the Full Board to approve the purchase of 62 Chromebooks and corresponding Google licenses from BDJ Tech for an amount not to exceed $18,274.50 using Common School Library Aid. Motion carried.
The Finance Committee brings forward a positive recommendation to the Full Board to purchase six Smart Boards through Bluum for $16,770, pending Board approval of the donation from Rockfield PTA. Motion carried.
The Finance Committee brings forward a positive recommendation to the Full Board to purchase the four parts of the GHS Server Room Update project for a total of $37,675. Motion carried.
Director of Teaching & Learning Jake Misiak led discussions on the 2025 summer school contracts. Motion by Barney, second by Pawlak to approve the summer school contracts as presented. Motion carried.
ACP Coordinator Mrs. Alex Fischer led discussions on the Education for Employment Plan. Motion by Pawlak, second by Higginbotham to approve the annual Education for Employment Plan. Motion carried.
Superintendent Dr. Chris Reuter led discussions on the overnight travel requests. Motion by Higginbotham, second by Barney to approve the overnight travel requests for Germantown High School and County Line Elementary School students and advisors. Motion carried.
Motion by Barney, second by Higginbotham to approve the early retirement agreement for Vicki Niehus. Motion carried.
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UPCOMING MEETINGS:
Regular School Board Meeting — May 19, 2025