Gym upgrades continue at Wakefield-Marenisco

WAKEFIELD — Window replacements in the gymnasium of the Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 School have been proceeding nicely, according to superintendent Jason Gustafson.

He told Board of Education members on Sept. 30 that construction workers have been operating effectively even in the presence of students.

But he added, “The construction workers even came in on a Sunday to eliminate some disruption to the school day as they worked.”

The board also voted to accept a bid for $4,279 from Baseman Brothers Inc. of Johnson Creek, Wisconsin, for the cost of refinishing the gym floor over Christmas break.

In other news, board members discussed a recent training session they attended regarding superintendent evaluation.

Adjustments to the evaluation system for superintendents and teachers were recently established as law.

Board members decided to evaluate Gustafson this year so they could get accustomed to the evaluation tool.

Gustafson — who does not need to be evaluated this year because his prior evaluation was classified as “highly effective” — agreed with the board that using the tool this year would be a good idea while the training was fresh in their minds.

An annual evaluation will be held in December, followed by a mid-year evaluation in June of 2025.

Board members also:

— Adopted the superintendent’s goals for the year. He said they are built around student growth, school safety and community outreach.

— Adopted wage scales for non-union school employees, who consist of the superintendent, the business manager and the school secretary. The scales created by Gustafson and Hand were necessitated by recent changes to the Office of Retirement Services, which now requires the wage schools. Information for the scales was taken from the current three-year contract and the prior three-year contract. The tables are used by ORS to monitor wages as an employee nears retirement.

— Accepted the resignation of Ashley Zeckovich from the kitchen/custodial staff and voted to hire Kristen Ceno as her replacement.

— Received from Gustafson a list of staff members who had signed up for extracurricular assignments for the current school year.

— Heard an update from Gustafson on a recent superintendent conference he attended in Traverse City. “It is always nice to go to hear the most recent legal and special education updates,” he said. “It’s also nice to have time with colleagues who do the same work I do.”

The next meeting of the Wakefield-Marenisco School Board will be on Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. at the Marenisco Township Hall.