Construction continues to advance at Poynette schools | Local

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Summer construction projects at Poynette High School are advancing and approaching end dates. Updates were provided to the school board at a meeting on July 19.

The 1963 bathroom demolition at PHS is complete and construction to renovate the areas is underway. District administrator Matt Shappell said all work should be completed by the second week of August. There are three classrooms undergoing renovations at the high school. Shappell said work in these areas is almost done.

In addition, 10 classrooms at the college are being renovated. These take a little longer than expected because there was a 3/4 inch carpet stuck to the floors which “slowed things down a bit,” according to Shappell. He added that everything is “starting to fall into place” with all the summer construction and said all indoor and outdoor furniture for schools should arrive by the second or third week of August.

The high school swimming pool has been open for a month after construction. “Things are going well,” said Randy Tomlinson, school board clerk, who also sits on the district facilities committee.

Tomlinson also said the district wanted to improve the warning trail around the high school junior varsity baseball field, to accompany other field updates, but the estimated cost is around $ 18,000 to $ 20,000. $. Tomlinson said the project will be “on hiatus” for now, but the district will continue to try to resolve the issue in the near future.

The board approved several changes to the employee handbook. Among the most significant changes that Shappell noted, one was to update starting salaries for various positions and a few other minor changes. Shappell also noted that there will be an additional opportunity for professional development for all support staff.

“It’s an incentive to attract and retain employees, as well as to recognize all the hard work done for our children,” Shappell said.

District eSchool policy changes were also approved. Shappell said the policy won’t call it “eSchool,” but instead will be “JEDI-centric,” to explain what it is, how to apply, and more.

Students will be able to combine face-to-face and virtual lessons, but on a very limited basis. Shappell gave examples of a full-time JEDI student who will still be able to take an in-person orchestra and other similar district courses. Additionally, students who are full-time in person can still take a JEDI course or two if a similar course isn’t offered at his school – Shappell noted that taking an American Sign Language course on JEDI is the way to go. one of those examples.

High school students who choose the JEDI program must still meet all of the normal district requirements for graduation.

The only hire the board had to approve at the July 19 meeting was for Katie Kooistra, a new science teacher at the college.

The district currently has seven open positions – two full-time gatekeepers, a third-grade teacher and a physical education teacher for elementary / middle schools, an elementary / middle school assistant principal, an assistant cross-country coach. PHS and a seventh grade volleyball coach. .

During the community forum portion of the meeting, a mother spoke out against teaching critical race theory in Poynette schools.

She opposed “racist teachings” and did not want to “pit blacks against whites”. The mother was not at all opposed to the children learning about slavery, but not in the CRT way. She felt that it is important to learn about these history topics so that future generations do not repeat certain aspects of history.

She noted that one day her young daughter called her to take her home, not because she was sick, but later told her mother that she felt uncomfortable with it. which was taught in a classroom. The mother said the children were reading a book about a poem that mentioned the Blacks Lives Matter movement, which seemed to imply that all police officers are racist and kill black people. The girl was upset because two of her family members are police officers.

The mother said the CRT had painted “a large brush” on the overall subject. She concluded by saying that there should also be an emphasis on math, science and reading at all levels in the district.

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