Tara Betlach

The Board of Education retreat focused on board development, facilitated by a member from the Sun Prairie Area School District Board. Working agreements were established, including seeking shared values, demonstrating mutual respect, and employing skillful listening. Discussions covered the achievement of previous year's priorities, ongoing work on updating the equity statement, and a structured review of self-assessment results and administrative feedback, highlighting themes like communication and preparedness. The Board explored ways to better integrate staff stories without overstepping operational roles and examined the tension between governance and operations regarding high-stakes decisions. Personal goals for the year were shared. Logistical impacts on effectiveness were considered. The Board decided to implement a new board debrief reporting process starting at the March 16th meeting to improve accountability. Finally, the need to revise and clarify the board's governing commitments (GCs) was addressed, and goals for 2026 were set, emphasizing refined GCs and improved Board-Administration relations.

The meeting commenced with confirmation of proper notice and quorum verification. Key agenda items included the adoption of the board agenda, a public forum, and reports. The WASB Delegate Assembly report highlighted the passage of a resolution for state-funded student lunches and an emergency resolution on special education funding. The Superintendent's Consent Agenda approved items including the Employment Report, Open Enrollment for 2026-2027, Administrator Contract Renewals, and Capital Projects bids. The Board's Consent Agenda approved minutes from a previous closed session and board meeting, and several summary statements related to budget and financial planning. A comprehensive review was presented by the Chippewa Valley Montessori Charter School regarding their Strategic Change Task Force findings, academic performance, and charter status implications. Monitoring reports for OE-11 Asset Protection and OE-5 Student Success were discussed, with a directive issued for Administration to include historical information on all OE's in future reports. The meeting concluded with a board debrief and adjournment.

The meeting commenced with a move to Closed Session to consider employment, promotion, compensation, or performance evaluation data of a public employee. Upon reconvening, the Board adopted the agenda and recognized National Mentoring Month, specifically honoring a student for a community blanket project. The public forum included comments from two citizens. Key reports included a Legislative Liaison update detailing several pending assembly bills concerning communication policies, mandatory donation instruction, investigation transparency, and increased recess time. The Superintendent's Consent Agenda involved approving numerous items, including employment reports, cash balances spanning July through September 2025, financial reports for July through September 2025, various gifts received, payments for bills and payroll for July through September 2025, Head Start Grant Approval, the 2026-2027 School Year and Early Learning Calendars, and a Capital Project Bid. The Board's Consent Agenda approved the Minutes of the December 15, 2025 Board Meeting, a Proclamation for National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the Board Summary Statement for Academic Performance, and ratification of the ECASD and ECAE Master Agreement. A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to a presentation from North High School detailing their three-year continuous improvement journey, which resulted in measurable gains in student outcomes, staff performance clarity, and school report card scores. Monitoring reports for Financial Planning (OE-9) were accepted, while the motion to accept the Financial Administration (OE-10) monitoring report passed after an initial motion to move it to future consent failed. Finally, the Board instructed its WASB Delegate on voting preferences for multiple Resolutions to be considered at the Wisconsin Association of School Boards Convention in January 2026.

The meeting began with the adoption of the agenda. Key segments included recognition for National Special Education Day and Meadowview Elementary School's community efforts, and a public forum where five citizens addressed the Board. The Legislative Liaison provided an update regarding the City of Eau Claire's proposed resolution on itemizing school district levies for private school vouchers. The Board approved the Superintendent's Consent Agenda related to Human Resources and the Board's Consent Agenda, which included accepting minutes from previous sessions. A monitoring report on R-2 Academic Performance was presented, detailing district-wide progress, noting a state accountability score of "exceeds expectations" (71.1), while also highlighting persistent achievement gaps for specific student populations. The Board accepted this monitoring report.

The meeting began with the adoption of the agenda. Key actions included the approval of the annual health insurance renewal, which detailed increased costs and necessitated adjustments such as increasing the stop loss to $250,000/specific event, requiring staff to use Rx Valet for specialty drugs, and increasing employee premium contributions effective July 1, 2026. Following this, the Board held a work session to discuss revisions for governance policies, specifically GC-2 (Governing Commitment) and GC-7 (Board Members' Code of Conduct), focusing on framing policies positively and embedding mission-driven and equity-focused language. Discussions also covered Board member roles, onboarding, and policy concern mechanisms.