Access Board Meetings Online: Community members can stay informed by watching every board meeting on our YouTube channel, MCPASD TV. In the recap below, we have provided timestamps for the various sections of the meeting. These will help you follow along and jump directly to the parts of the video that interest you the most.
16:11 - Superintendent's Report
The Board of Education meeting started with the Superintendent's Report delivered by Superintendent Dr. Dana Monogue. Dr. Monogue announced that it is Homecoming Week, and the community is encouraged to join the parade around the high school campus on Wednesday evening, followed by festivities at the stadium. The first class will be inducted into the MCPASD Hall of Fame before the football game on Friday night, and the dance will take place on Saturday.
She also invited the public to the first "Safety and Security" night event at Pope Farm Elementary School, scheduled for tonight at 5:30 p.m. Attendees will hear from the Safety and Security Coordinator, Asher Torbeck, who will discuss the efforts being made to ensure the safety of schools and facilities.
Additionally, Dr. Monogue highlighted the success of the Marching Band, which is having a very successful competition season this year. The band will compete at the state Marching Band Competition on Saturday at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
17:50 - MCPASD Education Foundation Update
The MCPASD Education Foundation, led by Director Amber Kiggens-Leifheit, presented its annual report to the Board of Education. The report highlights the Foundation's activities and achievements for the 2023-2024 fiscal year, as well as its plans for the upcoming year.
Key points from the report include:
Mission and Leadership:
The Foundation's mission is to foster excellence within the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District by funding innovative educational opportunities, supporting equitable access, and building community partnerships.
The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of 15 members.
Programs and Achievements for FY 2023-2024:
Scholarships: Awarded $92,000 to 99 students (24 Foundation-held scholarships and 75 community scholarships).
Inspiration Grants: Provided 17 grants totaling $17,300. Over the program's lifetime, 155 grants totaling about $155,000 have been awarded.
Band Instrument Funding: Raised $26,000 to help purchase small band instruments for middle school students.
Caring Closets / Personal Hygiene: Funded $6,000 in personal hygiene supplies, helping about 100 families.
Weekend Food Program: Contributed $20,000 to provide over 6,500 weekend meal bags, working with seven area churches.
CAPS Program Support: Used Room Sponsorship pledges to support the Center for Advanced Professional Studies at the high school.
New Initiatives:
Installation of murals promoting equity within schools and recognizing donors.
Priorities for FY 2024-2025:
Continuing support for equitable access and essential needs programs.
Maintaining inspirational learning experiences through grants and music instrument funding.
Ongoing scholarship support.
The report emphasizes the Foundation's commitment to supporting MCPASD students through various programs aimed at promoting equity, providing essential needs, and enhancing educational experiences. The Foundation continues to adapt its focus to meet the changing needs of students and the district.
33:14 - Comprehensive Staffing Report
Dr. Barb Buffington, Director of Employee Services, and Sherry Smith, Talent Recruitment and Retention Specialist, presented the October 2024 Staffing Report to the Board of Education. The report highlights significant progress in staff diversity and retention rates, with the overall staff retention rate improving to 91.74% in 2024, up from 84.4% in 2023. Notably, the retention rate for staff of color reached 97.58%, exceeding the District's goal of 95%.
The District has made strides in increasing staff diversity, with 13.59% of total staff now identifying as staff of color, up from 12.1% in 2023. Bilingual staff representation has also grown to 8.51%. For the 2024-2025 school year, 27 staff of color were hired, representing 28.42% of new hires, a substantial increase from 20.26% in 2023. These new employees come from various local districts and states as far as Minnesota, Indiana, Arizona, Texas, and Tennessee.
Current staffing levels show 1,047 full-time and 116 part-time employees, with a majority identifying as White but with increasing representation from other ethnic groups. The District has successfully reduced vacancies, reporting only 6 support staff and 2 certified staff openings as of October 9, 2024, an improvement from the previous year.
The report also addresses the substitute teacher management system, with Edustaff contracted as the provider since July 1, 2024. The current fill rate averages 78%, slightly down from 79% the previous year. To support this, permanent substitute teachers have been assigned to various schools. Additionally, the District hosts 52 practicum and student teachers, viewing this as a valuable recruitment pipeline.
To further improve recruitment and retention, the District has implemented various strategies including open interview events, career fairs, one-year licenses with stipulations for hard-to-fill positions, salary market adjustments, climate and culture surveys, HR listening sessions, and professional development opportunities. While challenges remain, particularly in retaining support staff and maintaining substitute teacher fill rates, the overall trend shows significant progress towards the District's staffing goals and commitment to diversity and inclusion.
50:35 - Middle School Schedule Analysis and Changes for the 2025-2026 School Year
The Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District is looking to revise its middle school schedule for the 2025-2026 school year. The presentation was given by Middle School Principals Ken Metz (Glacier Creek) and Dominique Ricks (Kromrey), along with Dr. Jan Chynoweth, Director of Secondary Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment.
This potential revision is part of the District's strategy map goals and aims to increase instructional minutes in Math and English Language Arts (ELA).
It's important to note that this proposal was an item for Information/Discussion and has not been approved by the Board.
The need for this potential change arose from the Board of Education's request during the 2023-2024 school year to review instructional minutes in ELA and Math. Currently, 7th and 8th grade core classes, including ELA and Math, are 45 minutes long. However, newer curriculum requirements for these subjects call for 55+ minutes per day.
The proposed schedule revision includes four main shifts:
Eliminating the semester literacy course.
Moving technical education to an encore course in 7th and 8th grades.
Changing 7th grade general music from a required course to an elective.
Integrating Academic and Career Planning (ACP) into a 6-8 grade experience.
These proposed changes would allow for increased instructional time in Math and ELA while aiming to preserve student choice in exploratory courses. As this is still under discussion, the Board will need to review and approve any changes before they can be implemented. The District administration will continue to work on the details of this proposal and provide updates to the Board as the discussion progresses.
1:06:00 - Act 95 Waiver for Clark Street Community School
The MCPASD is seeking a waiver from certain requirements of 2023 Wisconsin Act 95 for Clark Street Community School (CSCS).
Act 95 requires schools to create class rankings based on grade point averages (GPAs) for guaranteed admissions to the University of Wisconsin System. However, CSCS uses a competency-based grading system and does not issue traditional grades, making it unable to produce GPA-based rankings.
To address this, the District is working with CSCS Principal Jill Gurtner to apply for a waiver from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). The process involves explaining why CSCS cannot comply with the GPA requirement, proposing an alternative ranking method, holding a public hearing, and obtaining Board approval to seek the waiver.
The waiver application will be on the agenda for the Board meeting on October 28, 2024. If approved, the District will then submit the request to DPI for consideration.
1:16:28 - Official Third Friday Enrollment
Superintendent of Operations, Jerrud Rossing, presented the final Third Friday Enrollment count for MCPASD. This important annual count, which takes place on the third Friday of September in Wisconsin, helps determine our state funding and provides a snapshot of our student population.
Rossing reported an increase of 100 students compared to last year's count. However, he noted that this growth primarily comes from open enrollment - students choosing to attend our schools from other districts - rather than an increase in local residents.
While open enrollment brings some additional revenue, Rossing explained that we also have to pay for our residents who choose to attend schools in other districts. When looking at the total number of "full-time equivalent" students (FTE), which is how the state calculates funding, we actually have 53 fewer FTE students than last year. This is because some students, such as those in 4K (four-year-old kindergarten), are counted as less than one FTE.
Third Friday Enrollment is crucial for our district as it impacts our funding, helps us plan for resource allocation, and allows us to calculate important metrics like teacher-to-student ratios.
1:24:26 - Code of Conduct Approval
The newest updates to the Code of Conduct were reviewed and discussed with the Board at the September 23, 2024 board meeting. The Board approved the recent document with minor revisions, and the finalized version will be distributed to all stakeholders later this week.
A Code of Conduct is essential for our organization as it establishes clear standards of behavior and ethical practices.
1:36:16 - Appoint Board Member to Sustainability Committee
The District is creating a Sustainability Committee for the purpose of planning, recommending, implementing, and supporting sustainability initiatives across the District. These initiatives will specifically focus on the areas of Facilities, Operations, Curriculum/Instruction, and Community and Culture.
Board member Catherine Kells has agreed to join the committee.
Click this link for the most recent expanded agenda/past agendas/minutes
Directions to access agendas and minutes:
Click the red link above
Select "meetings"
On the left-hand side, you will see a display of all of the meetings
Select your desired meeting
Once you have selected the meeting, select "view agenda" or "view minutes."