HUHS Board of Education Meeting & Annual Meeting- September 22, 2025

001Marie, are we ready to go? Okay, just a few more seconds. Good evening everyone. It is 5:45 and I'd like to call our first meeting to order this evening. This is our budget hearing meeting. Um Marie, would you please verify the statement of required meeting notice? >> Yes. The class one notice was published on September 3rd uh 2025 as well as uh posted in three places, the newspaper, the bulletin board by the main office and on our website. >> Thank you. And now, would you please take our roll call attendance of board members? >> Tracy Hennis >> here. >> Nolan Jacket >> here. >> Heather Barry >> here. >> Tiffany Stapleton >> here. >> Kenneth Mueller >> here. >> Thank you. Um would you please rise? The pledge of allegiance is going to be led

002by Laura Trap this evening. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. to the standy for all. >> Thank you, Laura. Is there a motion by a board member to adopt the agenda? >> So moved. >> Motion by Nolan Jacket. Is there a second? >> Seconded by Kenneth Miller. Any discussion about the agenda for the budget hearing? Hearing none. All those in favor of adopting the agenda as presented say I. >> I. Any oppose say nay. And that carries. The purpose of the budget hearing is described in section 64.90 subpr 4 of the Wisconsin state statutes. A public hearing is being held at this time in which any resident or taxpayer of the district shall have an opportunity to be heard on the 2025 2026 proposed budget. Do we have anyone

003signed up to address the board for the budget hearing? >> Looks like no. Okay. Thank you. So, we'll go on to our review and presentation of the 2025 2026 budget. I'm going to hand it over to Mr. Rob Nelson. >> Thank you. Hopefully, you can hear me. Okay. Um, tonight we're going to present the budget that the board approved back in June. Um this is our preliminary budget. Um I'll remind everyone that um it has changed since that time as we've hired more people um as the state budget was put into place. Um the last few pieces of the puzzle happen over the next month. Uh last Friday was our official third Friday count day. So that's the day that all school districts in Wisconsin have to count the number of students um that reside

004in their district uh and break them down into different categories whether they attend in our buildings or if they're going to another location under open enrollment or other uh types of of attendance plans. Um on the 15th um of October, the state will certify the amount of our uh state equalization aid that we'll receive that I'll talk through. That's a part of the revenue limit calculation. Um so at the I believe the October 30th is the date we have tenatively set uh for a special board meeting to certify our tax excuse me, we're going to approve the final budget and certify the tax levy um to all of our municipalities to support that budget, that final budget that the board will approve on the 30th. So, with that, um, these are the areas we're going

005to cover tonight. um state state revenue limit, go over our enrollment history, uh talk a little bit about state aid, um look at our fund 10 revenues and expenditures, uh discuss the fund 10 fund balance, uh talk about our other funds, and then uh present the levy amount that will be presented at the annual meeting at the conclusion of the budget hearing. So with that, we'll talk about the revenue limit. Uh the revenue limit is is mainly you take the number of students that that live in our school district. Um and we'll get to a graph on that pretty soon, but it's in that 1400 range. Um that's not the number of kids that are actually in our building. Um that would be kids that uh we have about traditionally about 200 students that open

006a roll out. So those are counted in that number for our revenue limit. And this year, um, we're at $12,571 per student that we get that makes up our revenue limit. That's, uh, a dollar amount that is set by the legislature. Um, the third Friday count will help us determine what that full number is. I budgeted a certain number. Hopefully, we're close to that one way or the other. Um, and there's two parts to that revenue limit. Um, property taxes and state aid. So whatever the number calculates to at that the number of students times the 12,571 on October 15th when the the state comes back and said this is the amount of state equalization aid you get. You subtract that and what's left is what goes to the property taxpayers. Now that's just fund

00710. We'll talk about our our debt service and some of our other funds that we're levying funds into as well. Uh that are part of the re excuse me of the tax levy um proposed. The revenue limit for us and it's different for every school district is about 91% of our budget for this coming year. um that's up a little few percentage points uh because when you look back the last few years with the ESRE dollars with COVID funds, there was additional dollars that were part of the budget that um we were able to offset uh our our either budget deficit or to get things done um within uh our budget to uh to maintain the educational level that we have at Harford Union High School. So this is that enrollment history. talk about membership.

008Uh my first year here was 2023. Uh we had a big freshman class that came in. So um when they do uh enrollment for the revenue limit, it's a three-year average to kind of take out those those swings. Um last year we were predicting and we came down to 1465. Um I projected this year dropping another 30 students. Um hopefully that number um again is fairly close. There are some exceptions in the revenue limit that um help us to make sure we don't drop too suddenly in any one year. Um the the three-year average is one of those pieces. There are some other things called hold harmless as well that help districts to to not see a sudden drop in one year. We talked about state aid. Um the estimate uh that we had in

009June uh was seven almost 7.9 million. Um I can tell you that the July 1 estimate that we received was a couple hundred,000 less than that because uh this round of of bianium the legislature did not put additional dollars into the equalization aid formula. It's a complex formula um that in general the more property value per student you have the less aid you get. So if you're a propertyrich district um and and especially think of some of our northern uh school districts in the state of Wisconsin where there's a lot of um uh people that don't live there but have lake property, things like that. They tend to get less um state aid because they have a high property value even though the the people that live there maybe have that income uh and the

010uh that property value just helps kind of that's why they say it's trying to equalize it across the state. That's one way to do it. So, um I I do know this number has changed and it will change again when we get that final number. Uh because what they do is they base it on all the expenditures of every school district in the state of Wisconsin in the prior year to help calculate that. And when you think of uh you saw the headlines, you even had our referendum, some of the big referendums in Milwaukee in the Madison area, um they're pushing up their expenses. So that affects the uh state aid formula and can adversely affect districts like ourselves. So there's a couple pieces that work there that um can can play into why we

011get more or less. Um I would say last year uh with the amount of money they put into it, they put more money in it last year. state standpoint and we actually went up about 25%. So we saw a large increase in our state aid last year and it decreased our tax levy. This year we're going to be a little bit different because they didn't put more money in and the fact that we passed the referendum and you'll see one of the other uh funds we're going to talk about is fund 39 referendum debt. We're bringing on almost $1.8 8 million of expenditures that we didn't have to to pay our um principal and interest payments for the first payment uh this year on that day. So this uh is our fund 10 revenues. We're

012projected to be about 20.8 million. Um about half of that comes from local sources which is going to be taxes uh think admissions, student fees, um interest revenue that we get on money that's in the bank that makes up uh almost just over half of our our revenues that come in for fund 10. Um our interdist sources are going to be mainly open enrollment. So again, when we count those students, uh students we get that come into our district, we get that as revenue. And those students that open and roll out is an expense to uh every to our school district and every school district. Um state sources is the other big piece. That's about 45%. Um that is going to be that equalization aid that we just talked about. Uh we get an amount

013called per pupil aid. uh the number of students we have times right now it's $742 per student that every district in the state receives and then we have other pieces that maybe some grants uh common school funds is money that goes towards our libraries or our library um that makes up uh the majority uh this year you'll see the federal sources is down dramatically as we've gotten all those uh co and esser dollars are gone um those are different title funs title one title two things like that that we have a relatively small amount. And then all other uh sources is just going to be things like our work comp dividend um and maybe some refunds from prior years of Medicaid reimbursement, stuff like that. So the board uh what the board passed in June

014had expenditures that were about $400,000 higher. Um and this shows our unawited amounts um for the past year uh when we when we did it as of the end of June. Um those are done now but kept it at those at those numbers uh at the end of June. Along with our budgeted amount so you can see salaries and benefits make up a large amount of our it's going to be in that 50 to 60% range uh for our fun 10. Um, purchase services are going to be things like transportation. U, we do different projects through buildings and grounds. If we pay a contractor to come in and put our new rooftop units in, that's going to be in that category. Uh, we pay our utilities and any other large projects that we hire a

015contractor to come in and do. Um, we're not doing it specifically with our people. We're paying an outside vendor to do that. And this is only the normal stuff. This is none of the referendum projects. That's As you'll see, that's uh separately. Uh has to be in a different fund. Uh 49 for that. Um supplies and equipment. Uh there's a lot of pieces that go into there. Again, that's going to be replacement stuff. Uh some buildings and grounds pieces that we do. Uh our tech area with Al and her team. A lot of those equipment pieces fall into there. And then the transfers is mainly our our transfer from fund 10 to fund 27 to balance out our special ed uh fund which we'll talk about in a little bit. And then there's just some

016miscellaneous items there that does add up to a fair amount of money. But just trying to give you an idea within that. Um and what I can say is the budget has matured as we talked before. Um if the if my estimates for enrollment, open enrollment and regular enrollment stayed the same, um that $400,000 deficit is down to about a h 100,000. And that was from uh the state increased the amount of of uh aid for special education reimbursement from roughly 32% to 42% for next year. Um that was a couple hundred,000. And then just the the hiring people, the balance of hiring people um from June to the start of school and any um of the uh benefits that they chose to take. So typically I budget uh most most people most open positions

017at a family for um health and dental and things like that. So if someone comes in and takes single that that's some savings or if they have coverage elsewhere and take the cash and loo option those are the things that help bring that number down. So hopefully once we get to the end of October and have our final numbers, you know, we're hopeful we could be uh close to um maybe a balanced budget this year, but we're not we're not sure yet till we get those final numbers fund balance. Um this year the number that shows down there for 2425 would have been what was budgeted. Um Excuse me. No, that was where it was at the end of June. So, it changed a little bit from there. Uh, if you remember in July, we

018approved um to move 400,000 of to our fund 46 to fund future uh capital improvement projects that are on our 10-year capital improvement plan. Um, we still had a couple hundred,000 that went into fund balance for fund 10. So, that number did go up a little bit. Um, and then the projected uh 2526 would have been that 400,000 down at the time the board approved it. So, I think we're sitting, you know, we're sitting in that 32% range. To me, that's a very good spot. We're not short-term borrowing. Uh, it allows us flexibility. If we have something big that comes up and we need to consider um spending money to do something, that gives us that flexibility of a little bit of time. And you know, with uh with budgets being tight, uh this last

019school year, we cut $1.6 million out of the budget. Um and a lot of that was staffing. Um so it allows us that time to we don't have to react as quickly. We still want to be projecting out what our what the future years are going to look like uh based on the information we have uh from the state, which next year should be a little easier to do because we're in the first year of the new bianium. We'll know what the second year is. funding standpoint. Um, so I think from a for a board perspective, I think we're we're in a healthy spot. Um, that allows us to be able to think longer term, especially as we start working on our strategic plan, uh, as to what we need uh, to do to continue

020the high level of education that we have at Harford Union. So these other funds that I'll walk through. Um fund 27 is our special education and the state requires that that is a self-balancing fund. So at the end of every year it has to revenues have to equal expenditures. So this year um every year we have to get to the end and whatever we don't have for revenues, it comes as a a revenue an expense in fund 10 and move that over as a revenue in fund 27 to balance those out this year with moving that percentage from roughly 32% to 42%. It's going to have a couple that had a couple hundred thousand dollar benefit to the fund 10 um to be able to to bring down that transfer amount. So, we're budgeting currently

021at about $2.8 million um what was put in at the uh at the June time of approval. Fund 38 is our nonreferendum debt that the district has had for a number of years. um that money comes from within the revenue limit. So that roughly $620,000 that you'll see on the next slide is coming from that u revenue limit calculation. So there's dollars that can't be used elsewhere. So we have two notes, two bonds that are outstanding yet. Um the smaller one is about $270,000 matures in two more years. And then uh 7.8 million original down to just over five million that matures 10 years from now. This fund is new for us this year. So, when the when the community passed the referendum last fall, um we had to we had to start using this

022um or we will start using it this year because we're going to um levy money as we talked about to pay our principal and interest payments. Our payments are in u April one and October one roughly. So, we're levying for the calendar year, but we payments in the fiscal year. So, our first payment um for this one will be in in uh April and the second part. So, you'll see here on the next page that um well, it shows 1.5 million. That's the amount we're going to spend next year in uh fund 39 in the fiscal year, but we're going to levy roughly $1.7 million and then the rest of that goes to make the October payment because we we levy the dollars uh in and send that off to the municipalities in early November

023and we start to receive that revenue uh from them in January uh to continue to run our operations. So, the first bond issue was this past April 1st. We will have the balance uh this year uh in April 26 to get us to that $25.8 million from uh and so that $14 million showed up as a revenue to us in fund uh third or excuse me in fund 49 this year. Then we have um our capital projects funds. So, two two of these have been around for a while. Um, our fund 41 is uh created in 2010. We levy funds in that every year because there's some advantage um from a from a state aid calculation um that it's better that we spend some dollars. So, the last couple years we spent we've levied about

024$350,000 in there as part of our tax levy part of the revenue limit. And then we spend it on projects um in buildings and grounds. So it's been a in and out uh the last two years and that's where we're projecting for this year. Uh the fund 46 was uh created in 2016 and that is only from transfers to fund 10 like you did in July. Um, and there is I I should state that the the July date uh if you do if the board approves it by the July 30th, you can uh go back and post it to the June 30th in the prior in that fiscal year. So, just backing up a month. So, we only had $1,50 in there um for the last couple years and then we put that $400,000 in

025again to be used for future um projects that we may have or will have on our capital improvement plan. And then the fund 49 is tracking all the referendum uh revenues and expenses. So fund 49 had that $14 million of revenue. Um we paid out um we've started paying out uh based on the projects we have going on um with oops sorry with CG Schmidt. And last but not least is our food service operations. Um and those have to be on their own. uh it has a healthy fund balance. I'll point out to Monica, this isn't the final number. Um uh this was again prior to our finalizing the audit, but it it too is self- sustaining. So if any if at any time that we got down where we didn't have fund balance, this

026would be another example where you'd have to pay money out of fund 10 to to get it back to zero. But, uh, through Monica's, uh, management and and her great team there, um, we've got a healthy fund balance. Um, prior to me getting here, I know there's a number of projects that they were able to do to upgrade some pieces of equipment in the food service area, but there's always that demand. Um, as as we have equipment that ages that can be expensive, um, it's a good opportunity to have those dollars there that we could tap into if we needed to to replace some of those pieces. So the proposed tax levy based on all that information right now again as the budget was was approved in June is for fund 10 is $10,37,650 for

027fund 10 for our nonreferendum debt. the fund 39, the $1.7 million is is again new for us and going forward. Um that number again will change each year uh just like fund 38 does uh based on the repayment schedule. We are letting $345,000 into our fund 41 again this year for a total of 12,716,191. And then we calculated the mill rate and what I did was took last year's property value and added 5%. Now we'll get that value here in a couple weeks, but it's going to be in the neighborhood of that 7 to 8% I believe on average. Each municipality can be slightly different. Um, but that calculates the amount per thousand of property value that you have in your home that you're going to pay for the school district portion. Um, what I'd

028like to point out is when we were going through the referendum, the mill rate calculation for the referendum was at 45 45 cents. So, take the 175 at 45, we're still right in that range. Even with having more money that we need to levy in fund 10 with the projected less dollars going into the state aid uh equalization aid formula. So from that perspective, um I think we're in a decent spot and this just shows the mill rate over the last couple years. Um we know through COVID um there were 15 20% increase in property value years. It really depends on on what your municipality does, how often they are doing a re-evaluation. Um but we get those totals from the revenue and tells us here's the property value that you're going to spread your

029your um tax levy over. And this just shows that that jump up. Again, we know we knew it was going to go up because of the referendum. So, it's it's a little bit higher than the last couple years. So the next steps um at the annual meeting that follows this we will look for a adoption of that tax levby we just saw on the prior um screen. Um we'll have the October 15th is when the state certifies the uh amount of aid and the property value. Um so we tenatively have October 30th set aside to adopt the final budget and set the final tax levy and then by the third, we need to get those certified amounts out to each of our municipalities and report it uh excuse me and then report it to DPI.

030So, are there any questions? Do board members have any questions? Looks like we're good. Thank you, Mr. Nelson for explaining that all so eloquently putting this together. At this point, is there a motion to adjourn the budget hearing? >> So moved. >> Motion by Nolan Jacket. Is there a second? >> Second by Kenneth Miller. All those in favor of adjourning the budget hearing. Say I. >> I. Any oppose? Say nay. That motion carries. We are adjourning the budget hearing. It is 6:11 and I would like to call our annual meeting to order. Uh Marie, would you please verify the statement for the meeting notice? >> Yes, ma'am. the annual meeting. Um, the class 2 notice was published in the newspaper on September 10th and again on September 17th and it was also posted on the

031bulletin board outside the main office on our website and in the paper. >> Thank you, Marie. Uh, we just did the pledge of allegiance not too long ago, so that is not a part of this agenda. Um but at our annual meeting, sorry I have to switch forward here. We do we do elect a chairperson. So at this time I call for nominations for a chairperson for this annual meeting. Are there any nominations? Are there any nominations for a chairperson for the >> I would nominate Rob Nelson for >> Thank you, Tiffany. We have a nomination for Rob Nelson to be chairperson. Are there any other nominations? Are there any other nominations? Last call. Are there any other nominations for chairperson? There being no further nominations, nominations are now closed. All those in favor of

032Mr. Rob Nelson serving as chairperson of the annual meeting, please indicate by saying I. >> I. >> Any oppose say nay. That motion carries. On a voice vote, I will now turn the meeting over to our elected chair, Mr. Rob Nelson. Uh, thank you, Miss Hennis. Uh, and good evening, members of the board, administration, and community. I'm honored to have the opportunity to chair this meeting and take care of the business of the district. Um, tonight, Marie Hoppy, administrative assistant to the superintendent, will serve as a secretary for the meeting tonight. Uh, every elector of a Union high school district of which HUS is one, is eligible to vote at the annual meeting. Uh this meeting and the proposed 2526 budget have been duly noted uh noticed according to state statute and this meeting will

033be conducted by Robert's rules of order latest edition. It is my privilege to announce that we have a parliamentarian for this meeting. It is Mr. Mark Caposious our school district attorney. Uh any questions regarding parliamentary procedure will be referred to uh Mr. Caposious. Each member of the electorate who wishes to speak on an item on the annual meeting agenda should also come up front uh to address uh the group and again it has to be something that is on the agenda item uh for the annual meeting. Uh all proceedings tonight are being recorded and if we have an amendment to a motion uh that comes to the floor uh before the electorate, it will be need to submit it in writing uh to me as your chair. I would suggest that tonight's voting by the

034electorate be conducted by voice vote unless there is a citizen request for a written ballot for a specific agenda item. If there are uh is a request for a written ballot, only those registered electors present at the time of the vote may vote on it. And an elector is defined by the state of Wisconsin as a United States citizen and a district residence. If we have uh the need to have a written ballot, uh we have two people that have volunteered to help tally those and that is Miss Steie and Miss Kathy like to thank them in advance if we do need their services. Uh I'd also like to thank those that served as registars when you entered into the uh drama lecture hall. Miss Desire Ramlo, Miss Kelly Frings, and Miss Monica Glorios. Thank

035you. We know that some residents don't attend the budget hearing but do attend meeting. So we will continue to register electors until the chair calls for the first vote at which registration will close. Do we have anyone that needs an oath of residency? No. Okay. So, with that, we are going to move along with the agenda, which everyone should been able to have a copy. I'm looking for a motion to approve the agenda of the annual meeting. >> So moved. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> We have a motion and a second. And and I should remind everyone that if this not just the board, this is if you are a member or if you live in the community, this is your vote as well. And your if you have a question or

036have some uh something during discussion to please uh please ask. So I have a motion or a second. Is there any discussion on adopting approval of the agenda hearing? None. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Oppos say nay. >> Mr. Nelson, can I just invite the the board members or our staff that are sitting on stage right now besides myself, Stacy, and Mark, if you would like to sit down in the crowd down there for the rest of this meeting until we go into our regular monthly meeting, please feel free to do so. >> Thank you, Mr. Nelson. Yep. Thank you. The next item on the agenda is the uh minutes from the October 28th, 2024 annual meeting. I'm looking for um a motion. Um, traditionally we've waved that full reading of

037it as it is printed in your uh packet. I have a motion to wave the reading of the October 28, 2024 annual meeting. Do I have a second? I have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Is there any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Oppos say nay. Uh, next on is the treasures report. Oh, okay. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. So, I'm looking for um a motion to approve the October 28th, 2024 annual meeting minutes. >> I'll make the motion. This is Tracy Hennis. I'll make the motion to approve the October 28th, 2024 annual meeting minutes. >> Have a motion to approve the uh October 28th, 2024 annual meeting minutes. Do I have a second? I have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion?

038Is there any discussion? All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Those opposed say nay. >> Thank you. Motion carries. Uh next up is the treasures report. Uh similarly looking for a motion to wave that. I have a motion. Do I have a second to wave the reading of the treasury? >> Have a motion and a second. >> Any discussion? All those in favor of approving the wave waving of the reading of the treasures report, please say I. I. >> Those opposed say nay. Same thing. Now we'll look to get a motion to approve the treasures report. >> So moved. >> I have a motion to approve the treasures report. Do I have a second? >> I have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Is there any discussion? Hearing none. All

039those in favor of approving the treasures report, please say I. >> I. >> Those opposed say nay. Thank you. Motion carries. Uh, now we'll move on to the district report. >> Thank you, Mr. Nelson. I would first like to extend my gratitude to all of the students, parents, staff, community, and school board for their connection to and support of our HUS family. In the next few minutes, I'm going to share our HUHS theme for the year, as well as some updates in the academic and career readiness, safety, operations, and wellness, and some of our next steps. Our theme and a few takeaways for the upcoming year are as follows. Life is good. Our theme began during the spring day of service with the life is good poster kickoff. Really about doing something good for others.

040and our student staff served approximately a hundred different organizations well across Washington and Dodge County. Huge thank you to Dr. Schley, Miss Trap, and many others for organizing and facilitating that process. Life is good is really about focusing on the joy in simple everyday moments and maintaining a sense of gratitude. And make no mistake, it's not about ignoring problems or pretending that everything is perfect. It's about acknowledging and accepting the challenges and having the confidence and belief that we're going to find a way to make things better. It's often the unnoticed efforts that keep our lives running smoothly. So again, I and on behalf of the board of education wanted to say a huge thank you to the families, the staff, the students, community members for the countless selfless hours of hard work, dedication, and

041love for our HUS family. You are appreciated. We are a team. We are us. So proud of what we've accomplish accomplished thus far. And in a few moments, I'm going to share of some specifics around those exciting accomplishments. As an HUHS community, we came and continue to come together to support each other. And that's what it's exactly what makes makes HUHS so special. While critical, our journey to success isn't about what each of us does solely as an individual, but truly about what we're building together. in the area of academic and career readiness. Wanted to touch on a few items. We offer over 76 wonderful classes and the expertise housed in this building is incredible and the impact on students is significant. Tonight, I will share highlights that only begin to touch on the opportunities

042that we provide. For example, we received Project Lead the Way Distinguished Program Honors, a recognition awarded to schools and demonstrating a strong commitment to increasing student access engagement and achievement in the PTLW STEM programs, which really focus on computer science, engineering, biomemed, and it really is our participation rates, our course offerings, and our student success that landed us here. Our science department continues to work alongside real world researchers to bring advanced science into our HUS classrooms. People like Mr. Martin, Miss Abraham, Miss Arnhold participated in things like the Marquette cellular boot camp for teachers, for example, while Miss Lowour was over on the shipboard guardian fellowship. In talking about real world within and beyond the walls of this building, you've heard us talk about Skills USA and Mr. D well and soon to be adding

043Mr. Garrettson leading that skills USA. We had a national champion in that area and when we talk about hands-on industrial industry partnerships uh truly amazing this year the vision house miss Lamb will touch on this a little bit during the regular board meeting as she is serving as our point person for the for the vision house. We want to thank Mr. Murphy for laying that foundation. And now this is the first time it's a work-based learning opportunity and we're thrilled to partner with the Hartford Rotary ANN and former student Mr. Mike Berger to engage in that amazing opportunity. A huge shout out too to our teched department for their work in preparing our students moving into our success of our ACT journey. You've heard Miss Lamb talk about the academic growth in the recent past.

044This growth is truly the work of our students and teachers, our staff, and continuing dedication, expertise here within this and beyond the building. Our composite ACT is now at 20.2 and continues to move in an upward direction. We just celebrate, as many of you have heard, the two amazing students, Miss Tolmes and Miss Ferman, with their perfect scores of 36. And Miss Tone has to has moved on to the national merit semi-finalist which truly is less than 1% of US high school seniors earn that distingu distinguished um recognition and we just continue to move in an upward direction. So truly proud of our staff in that area. Our English and math departments, for example, have continued to align questions and studies to ensure that their curriculum standards help students retain and apply their knowledge. Another

045area of strength wanted to highlight is our AP results. Our students with scores of three or greater was up again from 84.98% uh 77.3 last year and 68.37 in 2023. Our English lit and composition had over a 100% of students earning a three or greater. So, a huge shout out to our English department and others that support that huge accomplishments. Social studies, we've doubled our course registrations this year for our AP economics, our AP government politics. Our pass rate was well over 90% which is the highest pass rate in recent history. It's also worth noting that our most common score was five, which is the highest score possible. Wanted to also point out APSU, AP US history, 97% um and 2425, which is again our highest pass rate in recent history. Moving to academic and

046career planning, which has really been a development over the past few years. is grateful for Miss Ramlo, Miss Ellenson, and many others who led the charge in that area, taking it well beyond a standard requirement and really diving into what our students interests are, their pathways, career options. Um, we couldn't be doing this without our teacher support. And so, speaking of pathways, youth apprenticeship, we had 100 students last year participate in meaningful employment opportunities. We're at 118 this year. And meaningful is really the key. It's not just about the numbers. So, a huge thank you to Mr. Galy and others for their support of our students. We had 90 active employers last year. Anything from agriculture to health sciences to now um up to 103 and growing. So, that investment our community has is just

047unparalleled. Related to community, um HUHS and Rotary Vocational Committee is engaging in the career readiness program that kicked off this week. So huge thank you to the dozens of community members who are supporting that program. Um Forte Bank, Signiccast, Quad, Steelcraft, Mans, Brone, just to name a few. Um truly people coming out and selflessly giving of their time. You heard Dr. Schlle talk a little bit about our academic progress and connecting students to supports and enhancement. So we continue to offer that full range of support um intervention to gifted and talented. So, shout out to Miss Allen, our math intervention specialist and special education teacher. Sarah Ree, our English language learner. Uh, Mallerie Smith, our district instructional and coach and assessment coordinator. Many, many people supporting our students. Also, thank you. Wanted to mention to

048Miss Lamb and our IDLT for their work in facilitating the oral extension new this year. And so really an opportunity to provide additional support and interventions to students who need it as well as enrichment opportunities. Thinking about professional learning, wanted to just highlight a few um quick pieces there. So currently all of our instructional teams are meeting in professional learning communities, collaborating, sharing ideas, learning with each other, and the exchange of ideas among our teachers is truly remarkable. Within these groups, our DT is engaging in a 16-month transformational leadership process. And the focus really is on building strong leadership foundations rooted in trust and effective collaboration. And that process really indirectly but significantly contributes to more positive and effective learning environment for our kids. And really the emphasis overall is building those collaborative environments where

049educators feel valued and empowered. The board has put in several additional hours over the last several months in response to stakeholder feedback around board development. They continue to review expectations, refine procedures, and so a huge shout out to all of these groups that I discussed. You know, you need to be vulnerable, sincerely take feedback to grow and serve. So, thank you to to everyone who has engaged in those processes. Just wanted to mention before I jumped into safety, operations, and wellness, we're really working on maximizing those opportunities for a successful transition. So, thank you again to Miss Ramllo, our student board reps here tonight, student council, NHS for planning that jump start, which really happened um already in April. A lot of months go into planning. So, we had almost 300 students in attendance and

050over three dozen volunteers of upper classmen. So, the kids were just amazing in supporting those incoming freshmen. Moving into safety, operations, and wellness, we continue to have a robust health response team in our building. And so, you might have heard that we continue to work with Children's Hospital and Project Atom. Last May, we reuped our Hearts Safe School certification, and we'll continue to engage in those proactive drills. So, a huge thank you to Miss Hecker and our school uh our school nurse and as well as fire rescue and our Hartford PD. So, you may see us soon in a video supporting project at Adam that is to come. So, we I will continue to serve on that council and advocate for certainly for funding and grant opportunities so that we can keep up our equipment

051in this building as well. um because that safety is we're maximizing during the school day and well beyond. So I wanted to mention related to drills, we maintain our focus on preparation and response in other areas as well. So fire and evacuation and again a huge thank you. We have great collaboration with Hartford PD, Hartford Fire and Rescue, Washington County Sheriff's Office. We're really in this together and every opportunity really provides us the opportunity to gain experience and get feedback from our community, staff, students. Um, and so grateful for that work that Miss Slam and the team continues to lead to ensure that our school is well prepared. In discussing our referendum projects, we've been able to increase the security of our door access, which you've heard about last year. are um upcoming. We have

052165 cameras, some fun facts, 16 access controllers, 47 total um doors and camera enhancements. So, huge shout out to Miss Peterson who continues to lead that work. And a huge thank you to our community as well as that original SEFAC team who really facilitated that process to allow those opportunities to transpire. And thank you to the board for driving the need and supporting that communication around and the high level of community involvement. I think we're setting a new standard for involvement and excellence when there are needs that arise and projects that arise. So a huge shout out to everyone in that area. Um want to thank our tech department, Miss Ferhance, Mr. Hostad, Mr. Sellinger uh for their support as they navigated through just the typical ongoing projects that are occur during the year um

053you know in between all of those referendum projects we're in motion right now in terms of lighting we have cost savings for example in August um of $5,000 compared to last year. So even the initial lighting improvements, we're seeing the benefits of those. Um some smaller capital project pieces, we while not flashy, we have the small gym insulation and clearly we will not have any more water on the floor. There's soundproofing. So a lot of energy or efficiency and savings obviously through proper installation. Um, next big steps in terms of facilities, just wanted to mention we have the track coming around the corner in spring, the the pool by February 1, roofing and HVAC by next summer, some lighting as I noted, practice field. So, we have a lot coming forward um as we move

054forward. CG Schmidt and Bray Architects, just wanted to thank them. They've been highly effective partners and we're truly grateful for their ongoing work and collaboration. wanted to mention a few things in the area of wellness. Over the past few years, our mental health and well-being team really created a pathway for a number of supports across the system that is both logistically and fiscally um possible through grant opportunities. So, a thank you to our student service team and all of our staff truly um from the kitchen to the classroom that continue to support our kids across the school day. Mr. Molini, Miss Franks, Mr. Mr. Hoffman, Kaufman, Miss Kersh, uh, Miss Smith, all the sources of strength advisors. They actually led um, most recently the staff welcome back activity. It's really a student-led framework and super

055excited to see where that is going to go. We welcome back our therapy agencies in response to u parents who express interest in having those services at school. So that too is costneutral um, and based on parent consent. and we have a number of other student supports as well that we received positive feedback on that we are moving forward with through grant opportunities. I also wanted to mention um the speaking of for in terms of student supports I wanted to recognize the brighter smiles um piece that we just had thanks to Miss Hecker, our school nurse. We had a number of students signed up for cleaning, dental x-rays, sealants, etc. And so that again was no cost to the district. And then finishing with wellness, I wanted to mention the extracurricular area. We have, and

056many of you are aware, 26 different athletic teams as well as dance and cheer. And our participation numbers for fall continue to be great. We have approximately 20 swimmers this year. And this year is the first year we have a diver. So super excited about that. We won the Northshore Conference All Sports Cup for winning the most conference championships. We've earned the 2425 WIA ex award of excellence for outstanding sportman sportsmanship, leadership, and character. And a huge thank you to our student athletes, our coaches, our staff, our families, the athletic council, and our overall oral community for truly making this possible. Some fun facts, we also have 30 plus clubs and activities running this year. And new this year, we have the Magic the Gathering Club advised by Mr. Jan book club by Miss Baltimore

057and Miss Baker and we even have a bird club by Miss Pitterly. So opportunities also run through our PE classes and I know many of you who have either taken them as students but individual dual team just many unique opportunities here for our kids. So huge shout out and thank you to Miss Frings and Mr. Helms for their leadership as well as the number of paid volunteer or p volunteers that truly um come here every day. selflessly. So, coaches and adviserss and I believe that our extracurricular programs are truly a in a class of their own. Um, you've heard about the aviation Kettle Marine Youth Aviation Club. Just some really neat opportunities. Our another noteworthy area pride that I don't want to leave out is our nutritional services. And a huge thank you to Miss

058Glorioso and the solid food service team that we have. Our participation is at 64% and that significantly outperforms schools, area schools, which can range anywhere from 17 to 58%. Our student input in the foodie group, a little fun fact, 21,000 crispy chicken sandwiches last year. And so truly that student input on their needs um is critical. And Miss Glorioso and her team certainly get that feedback. They provide a variety of menu offerings. And I think something unique as well as things like the Aussie sauce for example are made from scratch. Really indicating that commitment to the quality um ingredients and this is with 14 staff members that provide to six area elementary and middle school buildings. Moving into a little bit about music, Miss Schumacher, Mr. Johnson, and Miss Miles. I just wanted to mention

059thinking about the way that they immersed themselves across the building in the community and many of you were able to be part of that cabaret last year as well as things like band camp and Christmas caroling. Um the solo ensemble where we had 30 at state and five of those events received top scores. So truly amazing. We had six students in October of 2024 at the state honors choir at the Overture Center and we have two in October of 2025. So truly wonderful. We received those four Jerry awards. So a huge shout out to the music students um and staff that support that program as well as the families in the community. You heard Miss Lamb talk a little bit about art in the community and we had two students that took home first and

060second place at the Museum of Wisconsin Art in Westben. So those banners were displayed all summer which I know some of you mentioned and showcased at City Hall forthcoming and will be auctioned off this year. So pretty neat. This year's art in the community class is actually going to do the steamroller paint making at the harvest of the arts festival October 2nd. I know many of you will be there and our students prints will actually be sold to raise money for art in the heart to create more public art in Hartford. And finally there we would just want to report that our art club is currently creating paintings on several 2x4s that are dropped off by the Habitat for Humanity and these will be incorporated into houses that are built and are really meant to

061support families receiving those. I would be remiss if I did not speak about staffing. uh people first. So we recently celebrated the remarkable individuals who shaped our school through their passion, their hard work, years of service. So it's about recognizing that unwavering dedication, resilience and unique comp contributions um that people bring. And when we think about the time Miss Hall 20 years, Mr. Doberstein, Mr. Ruters, Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Deonberger 30 years, Mr. for Rhettzlaw 45. Um, truly amazing. Operationally, our administrative assistants in several new roles are crushing it. Miss Rosema supporting our staff in Skyward, Minga, and beyond. Truly grateful for all of those administrative assistants that are working hard and many of them in new roles. Communication, it's essential to thrive and successfully serve our stakeholders. So, we continue to increase the quality and

062frequency of communication. A huge thank you to Miss Trap and our administrative assistant for the athletic director, Miss Wald, for showcasing our celebrations and overall information each week. And thank you to Miss Rosema and Miss Hoppy as well for communicating timely district information that we need to get out. So, I know we've gotten feedback that people are excited to see the amazing opportunities and activities. The families and community members that shared the sneak peeks into what students are doing is truly exciting. Want to end with the fiscal piece you just heard Mr. Nelson and the work that Mr. Nelson has done over the last two years is remarkable. We have a responsibility to our students, our family, our staff, our community to strategically plan and maximize our resources in a fiscally responsible manner. So our

0632425 budget year ended up on a positive note. We underspent our approved budget by approximately 3%. And Mr. Nelson, you jump in if there's any errors in my speaking, which allowed us to put 400,000 into fund 46, which can be used at a as a future date. So really proactively planning around those capital improvement needs. Our 2526 budget is trending in the right direction. So you just heard that information of our deficit of approximately 400,000 when it was approved in June. That number is now closer to a 100,000. And student enrollment really is that last piece as you heard Mr. Nelson talk about of the financial puzzle and that's really going to determine the amount um for the 2526 budget. So, thank you again to the community um for their engagement and support. Rotary um

064Chamber of Commerce continuing to connect the community with our high school this year. Parents, families, community members um really selflessly donating their time and ideas and feedback um has just been wonderful. Moving forward in terms of next steps, we're embarking on an upcoming strategic planning process. It's about creating a clear roadmap for the future of HUHS. So by setting priorities, focusing on resources, we're going to continue to align all of our stakeholders toward shared goals. And the focus really is to enhance the effectiveness and ensure our students we maximize student success. That's why we're here. You've heard about that success tonight. So let's continue that momentum. So from November through April, we're going to have district staff representatives collaborate to establish a common language and common process. This is going to ensure that down the

065road we have a strategic plan that's successfully implemented and truly becomes an integral part of our culture. So the staff representatives will design a process getting input from all stakeholders, families, staff, students, and then we will develop clear performance indic indicators to measure our pro our progress. And we're incredibly excited to collaborate with the community representatives this spring and summer to really define those KPIs or key performance indicators and move forward together as an HUS community. So, we know the power of input from our community in shaping our desired future. We're filled with a community of incredible expertise, passion, and love for our HUHS family. So, as we continue to roll into the 2526 school year, let's be intentional about expressing our gratitude, celebrate the efforts of our HUHS family, big and small. We are

066us. Our collective e effort is really truly what has made us special. So let's embrace this journey maintaining high expectations growth and let's be patient with ourselves, find joy in the process, model lifelong learning for our students. So thank you all for being the heart of the school. Life is good and let's make this year our best one yet together until the next. I would like to now hand it off to board president Tracy Hennis to expand on any additional thoughts from a board perspective from our collaborative district overview. >> Thank you, Stacy. As you can see up on the screen, our entire um slogan for this year is actually life is good. Go Orioles. Not only are we all committed to experiencing the good in every day, but the second part is go Orioles.

067Make no mistake about it, our community is surely cheering on and supporting our school district. Go Orioles is evident throughout our entire 20 225 square miles and beyond. Dr. Gay has already shared many examples of how HH is is on the go and I know our entire Orioles community continues to strive for our greatest potential. We know this is a school board on the go. We have a board of five highly engaged, committed and active members. Um I'll name our our board members right now. Currently myself, Tracy Hennis acting as president. Nolan Jacket acting as vice president. Heather Barry is our clerk. Kenneth Miller is our treasurer. And Tiffany Stapleton is our deputy clerk and treasurer. Last winter and spring, your board president, vice president, and clerk spent countless hours being on site in additional

068meetings and on phone calls. We did what was necessary to ensure HHS continues to move forward. and our two newest board members had their onboarding after the election in the midst of a challenging and illuminating time for our district. These new members jumped in, rolled up their sleeves, and got to work. All of our board members have demonstrated a commitment to do whatever is necessary in our rules for HHS to be the best it can be. This includes board development. Your board is actively engaged in discussions and trainings to better understand board rules, enhance board operations, run effective meetings, and other related topics. This month, the board participated in a training for high performing school boards with CISA 6, and we will continue further training, some of which will be led by a recently appointed

069legal council of Andre Law Firm. In fact, Mark Caposious is going to be leading us in a board training coming up in a month or two. Our board heard the feedback from stakeholders about the desired for shared goals and participation in formal strategic planning. The board is actively working with the administration to build strategic planning to ensure a common shared vision for HHS. The board is demonstrating a high level of commitment, professionalism, and teamwork and faces challenges head on. It is my honor and truly a pleasure to serve alongside these other members on our HUS school board who represent our who represent our community so well. Thank you board members. Not only is our board highly engaged, but HUHS has active engagement across our stakeholder groups. To our community and parents, thank you. In the

070past year, you've provided a record amount of feedback, emails, meeting attendance, completed surveys, reaching out to administrators or board members with your questions and concerns, and you showed up for voting. You volunteered for committee work, helped at events, and provided much appreciated donations. Your active engagement has been absolutely invaluable to the success of HHS. To our students, we have the best students here at HHS. Dr. Gain has already shared much about our students and I want to share just a little bit more especially about our student board representatives who are seated here in our front row. They attend our meetings and they are an example of Orioles not just having pride in current excellence here but also desire to see to it that HHS continues to be the school that students want to be at.

071They actively provide quality reports, feedback and perspectives as well as offer creative solutions for the board and administration. They don't just provide their own personal perspectives, but they have sought to get input from their classmates on particular issues such as jump start, ACT prep, and questions to ask schoolboard candidates. Last year, they got between 74 and 193 responses from their classmates in each of the examples I just stated. Thank you to our our students for providing your feedback at our meetings. You help us all to be better and do better every day. Our staff, our teachers, and all of our staff members are the biggest champions around for living the life is good. Go Orioles motto. Our teachers not only give of their time for committees to be mentors, club adviserss, coaches, but they contribute

072every day in countless ways to support students and encourage colleagues. Staff continues to partner with leadership and provide valuable feedback and constructive ideas for positive change. In terms of our leadership, our feedback received several months ago indicated that priorities for leadership at HHS include communications, human connection, strategic planning, teamwork, and collaboration. The board heard you, took it to heart, and continue are continuing to be intentional with our new district administrator, Dr. Stacy Gain, in our leadership practices. Dr. Dr. Stacy Gain has immersed herself in opportunities to s to strengthen substantial relationships within our district and our area of the state. Dr. Gain practices collaborative decision-making with our team of HHS professionals on cabinet district leadership team and the high school leadership team. We have several members of our district leadership team here this evening. Would

073you please stand up if you're in our audience? Just show people who's here. Thank you to all of you. Thank you for your leadership. In terms of communication, one of the prevalent concerns brought up when getting feedback was shared language and consistent messaging from and about HHS. We heard you and please know that Dr. Gain is seeing to it that there is more communication of information and messages amongst the staff and outwardly to our community. HS will be contin continuing to enhance the website and is committed to continue to send periodic print publications during the school year. The communication and input received regarding the referendum and projects at HHS has been absolutely invaluable. To all of our stakeholders, please continue to stay engaged and provide your perspective. The HOHS board is proud to report that

074the level of engagement from all stakeholder groups is high and we have leadership in place that meaningfully contributes to our community. I could not be more proud of this school board, our district leaders, high school leaders, teachers, staff, students, and this community for being active for HS. Life is good. Go Orioles. And that is the end of our district report. Um, so this is the current uh annual amount uh for each board member or each position of of the board. So, we're looking for a motion to uh set the rate for the 25 26 year. Do I have a motion? Okay. What is your motion? I guess in in in my couple years, it's either been a stated amount or a percentage increase, whatever you would like to uh present. So, we have a motion

075to not increase the from the current rate of pay. Is that accurate? Okay. So, I have a motion to maintain the uh annual amount at the same amount for each position. Do I have a second? I have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Mark or take the mic the other one the answer to the question would be is if there if there's if there isn't a I think there was a second so if this did not pass on a voice vote then they could make another motion on matter. Okay. Um or there could be an amendment to the original motion at this particular time and there'd have to be a motion and then there have to be a second on the motion. So we have a motion and a second to maintain

076the annual amount at the current rate. Is there any more discussion? Hearing none, I will ask for all those in favor of maintaining the annual amount for each board position at its current amount to vote. I those opposed, nay. Motion carries. The next item on the agenda is the authorization for the reimbursement of expenses for schoolboard members. And we are looking for a motion on that item. So, I have a motion to pay all actual necessary expenses of board members when traveling the performance of their duties as a board member. Do I have a second? Second over here. Is there any discussion? Any discussion? All those in favor of approving pay of actual necessary expenses of a schoolboard member when traveling the performance of their duties, please say I. Those opposed nay. Motion carries. The

077next item is to approve the tax levy and we're looking for a motion. Uh here we have it listed out by the four different funds for a total of 12,716,191. I have a motion. So, we have a motion to approve the tax levy as presented at $12,716,191. Do I have a second? I have a second. Is there any discussion? Any discussion? All those in favor of the tax levy being set at 12,716,191, please say I. Those opposed, nay. Motion carries. The next item is to give authorization to the school board to sell any property belonging to and not needed by the district. Do I have a motion for this agenda? I have a motion. Do I have a second? We have a second. So, have a motion and a second um to authorize the board

078to sell any property belonging to but not needed by the district. Is there any discussion? Any discussion? All those in favor of the motion to authorize the board to sell any property belonging to and not needed by the district, please say I. Those opposed, nay. The motion carries. Thank you. The next uh item is to authorize the school board to provide for the prosecution and defense of any action or proceedings in which the school district is interested. Do I have a motion? I have a motion to provide um authorize the board to provide defense for any action or proceedings in which they are interested. Do I have a second? I have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor of authorizing the school board to provide for the

079prosecution and defense of any action or proceedings in which the school district is interested, please say I. Those opposed, nay. Motion carries. The last uh item is to set the date and time of the next annual meeting. Uh the suggested date would fall on uh September 16th, 2026 be here in the uh drama lecture hall starting at 5:45. So looking for a motion to set the date of next year's annual meeting. So I have a motion to set the meeting date of September 16, 2026 for next year's annual meeting at 5:45 and the drama lecture hall. Do I have a second? I have a second. I have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion on the date of next year's annual meeting? That is a Wednesday. So, we're tying it to now our

080board meetings typically on Wednesdays with the exception of this one that was set last year for Monday. So, we have a motion and a second. Is there any other discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor of setting next year's uh annual meeting at Wednesday, September 16, 2026 in the drama lecture hall at 5:45, please say I. Those opposed, nay. Thank you. I have a motion to adjurnn. Do I have a second? Motion and a second. Any discussion? All those in favor of adjouring, please say I. Those opposed, nay. Thank you to everyone for being a part of our annual meeting. Look forward to seeing you next year. Okay, we're going to Take a 10-minute break before we start the regular school board meeting, which would put us at about 7:15. Nice job. Marie, looks like

081we have the board members all ready. Are you ready? Okay, thank you. It is 7:15 and I'd like to call our regular board of education meeting to order. Um, Marie, would you please please state the meeting notices? >> The meeting was published on our website um on the bulletin board by the main office and also in the newspaper. >> Thank you, Marie. And now, would you please do our roll call attendance for the regular board meeting? >> Tracy Hennis >> here, >> Nola Jacket >> here, >> Heather Barry here, >> Tiffany Stapleton here, >> and Kenneth Mueller >> here. Thank you. We are going to start this meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance again and we're going to have Laura Trap lead it for us again. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United

082States of America to the republic for its one nation, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you everyone. Is there a motion to adopt the agenda? >> So moved. >> Motion by Nolan Jacket. Is there a second? Second. Who was first? Tiffany, seconded by Tiffany Stapleton. Any discussion on this agenda hearing? None. All those in favor of adopting the agenda as presented, say I. >> I. Any oppose say nay. And that motion carries unanimously. Next on our agenda is our public comments procedure. Do we have anyone sign up to address the board this evening? Okay. Thank you very much. Next on the agenda is our September Rotary students of the month. I'll let Dr. Gain take it away. >> So super excited. We have two wonderful Rotary students of the month. First, we will

083talk about Asamina Vilobos. Last year, Mina received the Spade Award for having the highest GPA in the junior class. She has taken 11 AP courses, including AP Biology, AP Physics, AP Psych, along with three PTLW courses. After high school, she plans to major in biochemistry at either University of Iowa, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, or University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and then go on to medical school to become an anesthesiologist. While at HUS, she has participated in H club, math club, environmental club, math team, and national honor society. In terms of athletics, Mina has participated in both track and swim teams for HUHS as well as synchronized swimming for the Monomony Falls Dolphinets. This summer, Mina spent a week at Yale for the National Youth Leadership Forum for Medicine and Healthcare, and she is currently

084interning at the Medical College of Wisconsin through the Supremes program where she will get to conduct medical research. So, congratulations, Mina, if you wouldn't mind coming up and answering a few questions. Is it is it on? Mina, >> there you go. >> Yeah. Okay, go ahead. Okay, so my plans after high school, you already heard them, but I want to study biochemistry somewhere in the Midwest. Um, probably University of Twin Cities, Minnesota, um, University of Michigan or University of Iowa, so that way I can later go on to medical school and become an anesthesiologist. It's going to be a long journey, probably about 10 years, but um, I think it'll be a good long one. Um, my advice for incoming freshmen is just to push yourself all the way through high school. Um, you hear

085this a lot, but high school goes so much faster than you think it will. So, you just want to push yourself the whole way through. Some people want to take like an easy senior year, but I think you should just um take as many classes you as you can, fit everything in. Um, I know that's what I've tried to do to make the most of my high school experience, and I think it's really paid off. And then my favorite memory at HHS, well, I don't know if it's my favorite, but my most memorable memory at HUS is actually my first day here. Um, it was on eighth grade or my first day of eighth grade when I came here for advanced math. It was algebra 1 with Miss Helms and Mr. Sinsky. Um, it was

086a combined class, so there were about 70 kids right here in the drama lecture hall. And I didn't make it to school until about an hour after it started. Um, I got on the wrong bus, so I went to Slinger High School that day and middle school. Um, I went to the bus depot and after about 45 minutes there, I finally managed to get in. Um, when I did, I'd never been to the high school or at least the drama lecture hall. So, the student resource officer got to escort me to class. Um, it was really fun to walk in about an hour late by the resource officer to a class of 70 kids, but it started off my high school career pretty great and I'll remember it forever. So, thank you. and I'm so

087con like happy to be the September student of the month. >> Well, congratulations again, Mina. >> No doubt you will do great things. Our next wonderful Rotary student of the month is Brady Walters. Brady is ranked second in the class with a GPA of 4.4. Throughout high school, he has taken honors courses like Honors Algebra 2, Honors English 1, and Honors English 2. Brady has completed AP Gov, AP US History, AP Calculus, AB and AP Calculus BC, AP Lang, and AP Physics. Currently, Brady is enrolled in AP Micro Macroeconomics, AP Stats, and AP Lit. Brady is a varsity athlete in three sports, soccer, basketball, and baseball. And he volunteers in the community through H Club as well as the National Honor Society. During the summer, he works as a lifeguard at the Veterans Memorial Aquatic

088Center in Hartford. And Brady also has four years of experience as a referee for the Hartford Soccer Club. Following high school, he intends to pursue a bachelor's degree in either business analytics or data science. So, congratulations, Parade, if you don't mind coming up. [Applause] Hi, I'm Brady. Uh, my plans after high school, as you heard, were to pursue a bachelor's degree at in either data science or business analytics at one of W Whitewater, Vurbo University, Butler University, the University of Alabama, or Winona State. Uh, the advice I'd give to incoming freshmen is to challenge yourself. If you don't think you have enough time to challenging courses along with playing multiple sports, you're going to find time. Even with all the AP courses I've taken and being a three sport varsity athlete, I've been able to

089manage my time well and have time for my social life as well as school and sports. My favorite memory at HHS would definitely definitely be being able to play at the state baseball tournament in Apple this past spring. Uh, I was also able to pitch in our semi-final game against Mosquo, which we unfortunately lost, but it was a great experience. >> Awesome. A huge round of applause for our two wonderful Rotary students. No doubt Brady's going to do great things as well. >> Congratulations. Next on our agenda are our consent agenda items. We have meeting minutes from two meetings. Approval of vouchers, approval of treasures report, and approval of personnel recommendations. Is there a motion by a board member on the consent agenda? >> A motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. >> Motion

090by Nolan Jacket. Is there a second? >> Second by Kenneth Miller. Any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor of approving the items on the consent agenda say I. >> I. Any oppose say nay. and that has been approved. Uh, next we have reports starting with our student board rep report. All right. Well, good evening. Uh, it's a little chilly in here. I don't know if you guys feel it, too. >> Uh, but hopefully that warms up soon. There we go. Um, so I'll be talking over Jumpstart and um, the future for the student board reps. Um, so at Jumpstart we had 296 uh, actual freshmen participate. Uh, it's definitely boosted over like compared to other years because we made it an actual school day. Then we had around 30 upper classmen volunteer to help

091um, out. Some positives that we would like to uh include into this coming year is the school tour having it led more by students and it was really effective. Um keeping the same like type of volunteers. We took volunteers from NHS um N uh student council and a bunch of other uh volunteers. Uh students enjoyed like also the end of the day assembly. That's where we had um a game and then a couple of cheers uh just to have them have some energy towards the end. Um and when considering some things next year um we're going to definitely amp up the games to make it more fun for all around and make it more engaging. And then we're also going to find different ways to introduce information um rather than like just a bunch of

092slideshows. we're going to find more interactive things to kind of build on. And then as for the student board roles, uh once we have two of our uh you know freshman uh uh representatives, uh we will have more specialized roles within the representatives groups for each person. Um so starting off with an update on the college and career center. Um last May we ordered furniture and decorations for it. And for the c past couple of weeks we've been working on unpacking them and setting up the room, kind of deciding where we want certain furniture to try to give like a good aesthetic for studying and like working in groups. And so some of the furniture and decorations included posters, bookshelves, rugs, comfy seating, and lamps. And our goal is to make the space an area

093where students can come study and start thinking about plans past high school. And then an update on sources of strength for homecoming week. They're doing a pinning initiative. It's a little bit secretive, but basically it's they're going to make little pins with positive messages on them. And the aim with this is to bring students together and to gain HHS familiarity with sources of strength and to kind of learn what it's all about. All right. So, um I'm just here to give a little update on the PRACT that happened on September 15th. And then so on the 15th, freshman, sophomores, and juniors took the PRAT. And every year, Miss Lamb holds assembly with each grade individually to discuss individual test growth and motives for students to achieve an overall school goal. And so our school goal

094this year is by the end of 2020. the end of year 2025 through 2026, every student tested will demonstrate an increase on the preac and across all the subjects, English, math, reading, and science. Last year, the freshman improved a composite score of 16.3 to 16.5. Sophomores 17.7 to 18 and juniors from 19.6 to 20.2, which was a very big increase. And then so for we want to see for the freshman and sophomores a growth from the fall pret. And then for the juniors we would like to see growth from this fall to the real ACT. Hi, I'll be uh giving you guys an update regarding peer tutoring. So last year we left off on trying to find tutor and 2D participants for a mock test for the tutoring program. So our goal is by the

095end of this year's first school term, we're hoping to send out a survey asking for more participants as well as hosting a trial tutoring session to see what will need to be improved. >> Uh we have freshman's coming soon. We'll send out um information to the freshman about applications and all that and it'll be on the announcements for that. And then if you guys got any questions, we'll take them. >> Any questions for board members? I just want to re reiterate my appreciation and our board's appreciation for all of you. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Uh, next on our agenda is our rate funding yearly statement. Good evening. Um, so I have our yearly statement that I read every year. So here I start. Hartford Union High School participates in the federal rate

096program which is a program providing significant discounts on our internet and fiber optic connections and services for the technology infrastructure. We are required to teach internet safety and to have internet protection software in place to block access to harmful images. We have both. We are required to acknowledge this at a public meeting and to ask if there are any questions or safety about questions or concerns about internet safety. This year, DPI will be adopting the new informationational and technology literacy standards. And I was honored to serve as the committee responsible for rewriting these standards to ensure that we are current and we are relevant to our learners. I'm hoping to receive the word that these standards will be adopted in October, November from DPI. Once adopted, we'll work as a team to make sure all

097of these standards are integrated into our curriculum, ensuring full coverage within our required classes and during oral time at HHS. Let me know if you have any questions. Any questions? Looks like we're good. Thank you very much. >> Thank you for being proactive. I know that's a significant saving. So, thank you. >> Uh, next is our principal report from Miss Kelly Lamb. All right, good afternoon or evening everybody. I will say this has been, I believe, one of the best starts to the school year, especially with some of the changes that we made that I'll be showing. But it's been great to see kids really engaged in the learning and making progress. Sorry, technical difficulties. Oh, found it. Thanks, Val. Um, so I wanted to give you some of the beginning of the school updates

098and just what's been going around school. First and foremost, I again which Stacy and Tracy already talked about is kind of our life is good go orals theme for the year that we piggyback from last year. We did have all the staff sign it. So if you guys have a chance, please try to visit it and give it a signature. It is right in front of the small gym. So if you guys have time, we'd love for you to be part of that as well. So it has been life is good at HHS. During my principal reports, I'm really going to focus on the positives and the engagement that's going on throughout all different areas of HHS. So, you're probably looking at, oh, those kids look real happy to be outside, right? Um, but that's

099one thing that we are doing that's extremely important, and that is safety drills. So, that was the day of our first fire drill. And the day of our first fire drill, we do let everybody know it's happening just so everybody is prepared. Moving on to the future, we generally do not tell anybody because in order for us to improve and reflect, we want to make sure it's as real as possible while drilling. So in that way, we can kind of figure out what are some areas of improvement. So we've already done a fire drill. We went over Alice training, which Alice is our active shooter training. We have not actually completed it. We just kind of went through the slideshow. That will be done in the next month or two. And we need to have

100on the docket is an evacuation drill when we have to move off campus for either an active shooter or something like a gas leak. So evacuation is not just for an active shooter. It can be for other things as well and we have that all planned. Another thing is we also support um Lincoln and Central as a place for their off-site evacuations. So that's going to be happening in the near future as well. And it was great to see these group of gentlemen and others um show their support for everybody with 911 for memorial and they spent a lot of time putting up those flags as well as cleaning it up. So I do want to give a shout out to that group of individuals that continue to memorialize 911. This is really embarrassing. Okay.

101Um, as we said before, I'm getting out on site for vision a lot more this year than past years just because I'm going to be the liaison for any school related things and to also provide any information since they are kind of in my oral time group. So, anything they're missing, I do communicate with them on parent square or I like to go and see the progress. I do want to give a shout out to Mike. You can see the instructor upper right. has 100% taken this project and ran with it. He is so happy about it. He's loving being with the kids and they're really having a great experience. So, I'm very happy for those individuals and that we're going to continue to move vision forward in a positive manner. Then what I always

102like to see is sometimes the teacher is not the only teacher in the classroom. We did have a student teach Mr. McCauley and Mr. new tricks on how to change the lines in different programs. So, as we always say, sometimes with technology, the student can teach us. So, it's great to be in there and see the student actually teach both teachers at once. And then the last picture on this slide is our school spirit. Our kids are really getting involved, especially in our football games, volleyball games, and this was our coaches versus cancer game at Slinger. That was a really tough game, but the kids really came with energy and it was a fun environment for all. And if I'm not mistaken, do we raise around $20,000, Scott? So that's amazing. And last but not

103least, we have some kids in action learning and we're also celebrating Haley Tomes as she is a national merit finalist. So me and her got a quick picture outside. It was a beautiful day and to celebrate her again. The two middle pictures are of Miss Abraham's AP bio. This was kind of in the first two weeks of school when they were doing an intro to stats lesson. And actually, one of the girls gifted me their origami frog and we named it Gerald. So, if you would like to meet Gerald, you can come to my office. And then to the right, Troy Axford. He is in sculpture and pottery and he made this really amazing sculpture but he went above and beyond and it was almost like an engineering project because if you can see there

104is uh not very well but there is a door and you press a button and it goes up and down and then inside the sculpture there is actually a seat that you can adjust. So it's amazing the creativity of our kids and having hands-on learning where kids can really showcase their skills. And last but not least, the most fun slide you'll see is preCT assessments. As the school board mentioned, we did administer the preCT unsecure September 15th. I want to shout out Mallerie Smith for organizing that because that is not easy. And Mallerie Smith is our district assessment coordinator. And with the precise also has been planning um the PSAT and uh optional ACT that kids can take and that will be all done in September and October. So we always want to give kids

105more opportunities if they wish to take it. Also, as you know, cell phones are always a hot topic. So every class has a phone caddy. So we see Miss Axford and Miss Allen showcasing. She even called it the cell hotel. Very And then we have Mr. Bones showcasing how you put the cell phone in it. We're really working on this. Actually, I'll say the kids have been mostly great about it. There hasn't been resistance and they have been adhering to what we need to do. Obviously, there's always things that we can improve upon and that's just kind of still getting on the same page and we'll continue work on that, especially during oral time. I have been walking around oral time quite a bit and I can say um qualitatively that we see a lot

106more kids engaged in work because they've not been on their cell phones. So if you see this is Miss Altaltimore's class during OT getting work done and it's nice not to see any cell phone in sight. So that has been a positive and we'll just have to continue to ensure that we are continuing to utilize those. Any questions so far? >> How has the staff feedback been on the uh new cell phone restrictions? >> I'd say great. I haven't heard much push back. They actually prefer it because it is consistent. So, they're not teachers aren't being played against each other and it's something that is across the board which has been great. And actually, I've had a lot of teachers that were hesitant and said, "Wow, this is the best thing ever." So, there is

107one teacher that actually come up to me or a lot of teachers have come up to me thinking it wasn't going to work and there's going to be a battle and there really hasn't been a battle and I would say we've not suspended one kid or guning kids to the office regarding cell phones so that's a huge positive I'm not saying they're perfect they're still humans anything Thank you, Miss Lamb, for your leadership and truly our whole HUS family because it takes everyone collaboratively working together to really have that successful start to the school year. So, thank you and thanks to the families, too. >> Thank you, Miss Lamb. Next on our agenda is our superintendent report. And just wanted to mention um I know I shared a number of pieces in the annual report,

108but also wanted to mention a huge thank you to several individuals who really kicked off our school year with our staff. Our community continues to be so supportive. And so a huge thank you to Mr. Joel Lurman from the Great Outdoors Supper Club and Miss Holly Phillip, Mr. Ror Griffith, and Scoopville for really truly sincerely welcoming back our staff. And a huge thank you to all those families and community members that donated as well. Uh just didn't want to miss the opportunity to truly thank our community who continues to unselfishly donate their time um as well as resources. So thank you again. Thank you Dr. Gain. Um next is our schoolboard report. I shared a lot earlier as well. I just want to bring up that our board did have a workshop earlier this month

109where we worked on training regarding high performing school boards. I did find out um just this evening that a summary of that information has been shared with Marie. And so, um, as a board, we'll be looking at that one more time, probably at one of our next workshops, just to kind of finalize that and decide if that truly does look the way we want it to look moving forward in terms of being noted on our agendas or in any information about the board. So, look for that to come in the near future. And then we are also working on setting up some upcoming workshops as well. And that will be something that we get to talk about later this evening probably. um just in terms of looking forward at our upcoming dates outside of regular

110board meetings. So stay tuned for that later in the meeting. Um next we have our items for discussion and possible action. Um starting with policy 0141.1 student representation at board meetings. >> Yes. So as we continue to refine our practices across our district, we will continue to refine the policies. So, thank you to the board members as well as communities, families, and students that as we refine the processes, make note of our policies as well. So, great to see that everyone has taken a peek at that. So, for the student representation at board meetings, I would just point out that it really was revised to reflect the great work that Miss Raml and the student board reps are doing. And so we um it's revised to essentially indicate that we have two representatives um from

111each class if that obviously are willing and able to serve. So at the discretion we could have a total of eight representatives. So it's just reflecting our current practice and they would begin serving in September for that one-year term instead of August is what we had listed in there initially. So not major revisions necessarily from a practice standpoint. And I would just add as well that as we update these policies, we will also be looking at the administrative guidelines to ensure that the those align as well. >> Thank you, Dr. Gain. Nolan, did you have something you want to add? >> Okay. Any board members have any questions or comments? All right. Hearing none. Is there a board member who would like to make a motion on this policy? A motion to approve policy 0141.1

112student representation at board meetings as presented. >> And do we have a second? We have a motion by Nolan Jacket. Tiffany by sorry seconded by Tiffany Stapleton. It's been a long night. Um any further discussion hearing? None. All those in favor of approving policy 0141.1 student representation at board meetings as presented signify by saying I. >> I. Okay. Any post say nay and that carries unanimously. Next item for discussion is policy 5820 student government. And similarly we just essentially revise this to include the board reps as those are the students who are serving in the specific capacity. And again as we review policies and those are approved we will be also looking at the corresponding administrative guidelines. >> Any discussion? Is there a board member who would like to make a motion? >> Motion to

113approve policy 5820 student government at board meetings as presented. >> I'll second that. >> We have a motion by Kenneth Miller, seconded by Nolan Jacket. Any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I. Any oppose say nay. And the approval of policy 5820 has been passed. Um, next item for discussion is policy 2266, non-discrimination on the basis of sex and education programs or activities. >> Yes. And so the next several policies um that we have listed in here were essentially removing myself as the director of student services and inserting our new director of student services, Mr. Pat Dodie. And so that is reflected in both the name, the email address, as well as amending Mr. Nelson's title that now is the director of business services and human resources. Um other than that

114we are not making any significant modifications. Thank you. Any discussion from board members? Is there a board member who would like to make a motion? >> I'll second. >> Thank you. Thank you. We have a motion by Tiffany Stapleton, a second by Heather Barry. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. Any oppose say nay. That has been unanimously approved. Next item for discussion is policy 2260 non-discrimination and access to equal educational opportunity. Similarly, policy 2260 would be alternating or alternating the name um of myself and Pat swapping those out as well as the email address and amending Mr. Nelson's job title. >> Thank you, Dr. Kane. Any comments, questions, or discussion? Is there a motion? A motion to approve policy 2260, non-discrimination and access to equal educational

115opportunities as presented. >> Thank you. >> Motion by Nolan Jacket, second by Tiffany Stapleton. Any further discussion? Hearing none, we have a motion and a second on policy 2260, non-discrimination and access to equal educational opportunity. All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. I. >> Any oppose say nay. And that has been approved. Uh, next item for discussion is policy 2260.01 504 and ADA prohibition against discrimination based on disability. And again, essentially swapping out the name of Mr. Dodie and myself as well as the email address and alternate or changing Mr. Nelson's job title to reflect his current title. >> Thank you, Dr. Gain. Any questions or discussion from board members? One question I have Dr. Gain is if these are also similar, could they have been put into one item for approval

116or are they different enough or we should have kept them separate? I think policies in it of themselves are different enough and that's why they're essentially a policy um separate. So I think I would just recommend keeping them separate, but certainly that's something we could consider in terms of approving them all at the same time. Okay. Thank you very much. Um any further discussion? We have a motion and a second. We do. Correct. >> I don't think we have that. >> No, not this. Okay. Can Can we get a motion on policy 2260.01? >> Motion to approve policy 22 2260. 504 ADA prohibition against discrimination based on disability as presented. >> Thank you. Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> We have a motion by Kenneth Miller, second by Nolan Jacket to approve policy

1172260.01. 01 the 504 and ADA prohibition against discrimination based on disability. All those in favor of approving say I. >> I. Any oppose say nay. And that has been approved unanimously. The next item for discussion is a national FFA convention field trip update. This is an annual excuse me, an annual event that our FFA goes to. Um it is in Indianapolis and aligns with um the mission and vision of our FFA club. And certainly if there are more specific questions around um procedure with outofstate field trips, we have Mr. Helms or Miss Lamb who would be able to speak to those. Thank you, Mrs. Schew. Are there board members who have any questions about what is in the packet regarding the FFA convention field trip update? All right. Thank you. This was for information only.

118There is no need to approve this. And I would just thank um everyone involved in these field trips just for the specific nature of what they're sharing. and so the board and families have a very good idea of what that's going to look like when the kids head out on the field trip. So, thank you to everyone involved. Thank you. Next item for discussion is the world language field trip to France. Is there anyone who would like to talk about this with the board this evening? >> Mr. Helms or Miss Frings, did you want to talk at all to it or No. Okay. I don't have anything additional to add other than I appreciate the teachers um who are volunteering to facilitate this amazing opportunity. Um, if there are specific questions, certainly we can discuss

119those. Now, I'm just looking at the form. I see an estimated cost of 3,200. Is that correct? >> Correct. It looks like that's going to be um covered through fundraising. >> They are um I know they are gearing up to engage in the fundraising to obviously reduce the costs uh for the kids which I know they do each year um for this and other field trips especially when you're going abroad. Okay. Thank you. And this is the first time we're seeing this field trip. So, this is a request for approval, correct? >> Yes. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Do board members have any comments or questions regarding this field trip? >> Is there a board member who would like to make a motion for approval? >> A motion to approve the world language field trip

120to France as presented. >> Second. >> We have a motion by Nolan Jacket. seconded by Tiffany Stapleton. And now, will this be a roll call vote or a group vote just in case? Okay. So, we will do a roll call vote in case there's a cost of the district. We'll start with you, Nolan. >> I >> And that has been approved. Thank you very much. Next item for discussion and possible action is our schoolboard workshop scheduled for Thursday, October 2nd, 2025. Um why this is here is because our regional meeting for WASB actually has been scheduled for that same evening. Um so we don't want to deter or stop anyone from going to the regional meeting if they so choose. There is also an option to participate virtually. I believe it's sometime in November, but

121it does fall in the middle of the day, so it's not necessarily convenient for most of us. So, that is something up for discussion. Um, if if we would like to consider cancelling the board workshop scheduled for Thursday, October 2nd. We also did hear earlier this evening that administration would need the board to get together again by the end of October to approve the budget. I know we we tossed around October 29th and October 30th. Um so I guess we need to decide um which evening that would be best suited for as well. So I would recommend that we cancel the board workshop for Thursday, October 2nd and that we look to schedule an additional meeting in the month of October toward the end of the month whether it be October 29th or 30th. Are

122we planning an additional board workshop some other time in October? >> So, we have November 6th already scheduled. So, I would propose that we do the regular board meeting October 15th and hold the special board meeting either the 29th or 30th and then we would already a week later have the board workshop. As Stacy and I talked about it with those meetings all kind of falling so close together, that might make the most sense. Any comments or questions from board members? Is there a board member who would like to make a motion? >> I will make a motion to cancel the scheduled board workshop for Thursday, October 2. I think we can leave it at that and make a motion for the next one. >> Second that. >> So we have a motion in a

123second to cancel the board workshop scheduled for Thursday, October 2nd, 2025. All those in favor say I. >> I. Any oppose? Say nay. So that has been passed unanimously. Now thinking about what we else what we also need to accomplish in the month of October. Um, are board members prepared tonight to decide whether October 29th or 30th is a better date or has the administration already discussed it and one evening is clearly better than the other? I would say whatever works better for the board. If it's the 29th to stick to Wednesdays or if the 30th, we just throw out those two dates as options. >> Thank you, Heather. 29th Wednesday. >> Okay, >> I'm down for 29th. >> Okay, so I see at least three nods for the 29th, which would be a quorum

124of the board. Are we setting a mood in here? >> Um, Nolan, does the 29th work for you? >> Uh, yeah, probably. I don't know for sure, but I would imagine that Wednesday nights are usually pretty good for >> as I stated last month, I will likely be traveling on the 28th um from very far away. So, it depends upon the weather, but I I do plan on being back on the 29th. That's that's the plan. Um so, I will go ahead and make a motion to hold a special board meeting scheduled for October 29th, um starting at 5:45. Sound good? >> Are we allowed to do that without it explicitly being on the agenda? >> Well, we would have um specific to approve the final budget and the tax levy would be the two

125items that I would need. Um not sure there potentially could be some referendum approvals depending on how the bid pack 5 comes out. I just don't know exactly. That just might be another opportunity to to catch some of that stuff. >> I think they're not readyate having it listed in the agenda or not being able to actually set an official date. >> I think we would have to put it on the agenda for October 15th to add the date >> to vote on adding the date. >> Right. because we so we do have it down further on the future school board related dates, but it was not in the agenda as a discussion item. >> Yeah, the timing should still work out if we have it on the the 15th, right? It's still plenty of

126time. >> Okay. So, it's still enough time to get the notices out and sounds like board members can already kind of put it on your calendar. So, um, I'll with Who made that motion? >> I believe you did. >> Did I? Sorry. Oh my gosh. I'm gonna withdraw that motion and we will talk about it at our next meeting. Um, we have future school board related dates. Our second board workshop has been cancelled. Please consider attending the WASB regional 15 meeting. Um, always good to hear some updates from the WASB and see um, board members get recognized for their service as well as get a chance to talk with and network with schoolboard members from other school districts. Always interesting to get other perspectives. Um, we'll hope to hold a special board meeting at the

127end of October. We'll discuss it next month. And November 6th, as Stacy stated, is our next scheduled board workshop then. And that one will be led by Mark Caposious. If you have any input you'd like to give for upcoming board workshops, uh we do have a running list of things that we do hope the board can tackle, but there's always room to consider what board members have on their mind as well. So, please just let me or Stacy know if there's something you like to an upcoming board workshop. The next item on our agenda is a close session. This is close session. Close session pursuant to Wisconsin statutes 19.851c considering employment, promotion, compensation, or performance evaluation data of any public employees over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility 19.851C, specifically administrator evaluation.

128I make a motion that we go into close session for that reason. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Motion by Tracy Henn, a second by Kenneth Miller. We do a roll call vote to go into close session. So, we'll start with myself. I >> Heather >> I >> Thank you. We are going into close session. Thank you for being here tonight.