School board OKs rides to games
By Andy Steinke, Dells Events
The Wisconsin Dells School Board agreed on a student transportation policy Monday night that will allow parents to transport their children, and others’ children, to or from district-sponsored activities outside the district with written permission.
The policy was created in-part because of a hockey cooperative with Reedsburg that will have players practicing and playing both in district and out of district.
Without written permission, students participating in extra-curricular activities outside the district must ride school buses or vehicles provided by the district.
A parent or legal guardian can obtain permission to transport his or her child home from an activity by completing a “return transportation agreement” form in the presence of a coach or activities director. Or, if the student participates in more than one activity outside the district on a given day, the principal or activities director can grant prior written permission for the student to be transported by his or her parent.
The board also stated in the policy that parents can request permission to transport their child for an individual activity or for an entire season. Some board members had objected in the past to a proposed policy that would’ve required parents to sign a permission form for every activity.
Those looking to transport children other than their own must complete a form and provide the following documents: A certificate of insurance with the district listed as a co-insured, a copy of a good driving record, a photocopy of the driver’s license showing they are at least 18 years old and a signed permission slip from the parent of each student being transported.
In another policy-related matter, the board voted to increase the pay for substitute teachers. The policy, which was created in 1975, has now been amended 17 times.
Full-day substitute teachers will make $100 per day, up from $95, or $50 per half day, up from $47.50, for their first 25 days of substituting in the district. They will earn an additional $5 per day, or $2.50 per half day, beginning the 26th full day of substitute teaching.
The district is upping its pay to remain competitive with surrounding school districts.
“It’s especially important at this time because we don’t know what’s going to happen to the teachers,” board member Gisela Hamm said in reference to the flu.
Board member Jesse Weaver asked if the $5 increase was even worth it.
District Administrator Chuck Whitsell said substitute teachers want to work everyday of the week, whether in their home district or in another district.
Board President David Schulz said the district has a lot of good substitute teachers in the district and it wants to keep them in the district.
In other business, the board did the following:
- Approved a short-term loan in the amount of $3.8 million from Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. Last school year the district borrowed $3.5 million and two years ago borrowed $3.4 million. The district is borrowing a little more this year because it is expecting a charge back payment to the village for over assessments at Noah’s Ark and Great Wolf Lodge.
- Approved two requests for early graduation.
- Were introduced to the visiting teachers from Japan, Kazuho Maeda and Takako Toji.
- Approved a contract for Amy Luebke to be a part-time math teacher at Lake Delton School.
- Approved co-curricular contracts for four volunteer cheerleader coaches and one teacher mentor.
- Approved a letter of resignation from assistant girls golf coach Wayne Stapleford.
-Accepted two donations from the Wisconsin Dells Art Association for $7,000 and a $3,000 donation from Mile Bluff Medical Center. It also accepted 10 donations of $1,000 or less.