Ironwood School Board approves snow-plowing bid

By MEGAN HUGHES

news@yourdailyglobe.com

Ironwood - At a Monday meeting, the Board of Education for Ironwood Area Schools approved snow-plowing bids for the 2024-2025, 2025-2026, and 2026-2027 school year as presented.

The overall bid was awarded to Jake's Excavating and Landscaping LLC of Ironwood at the rate of $7,475 per year.

The bid covers the school parking lot, the West Pabst Street entrance doors and loading ramp, the north entrance and driveway, and the south bus drop-off drive on campus. It also includes the bus garage on Ayer Street and the spare bus garage on Lake Road.

The board briefly discussed and subsequently approved the Career and Technical Education contract with the GOISD as presented. The school and the GOISD share the costs of several of the CTE programs, which go toward providing materials, supplies, equipment, instruction and more for the course.

Also at the meeting, the board discussed the personnel report and the role of team leaders within the faculty. The Ironwood Area Schools has implemented a team leader system for varying age groups. Such leaders act as guides and support and help to provide ideas for classrooms that fall under their respective teams.

The school's team leaders are as follows: K-2 Team Leader Alexis Deadly; 3-6 Team Leader Nicole Lavender; Math Team Leader Lisa Fechter; Science Team Leader Bonnie Flaubert Bissell; English Team Leader Trisha Winn; Social Studies Team Leader Sarah Pope; and Specials Team Leader Carol Karianen.

In other news, the board:

-Heard an update from K-12 principal Melissa Nigh. She noted that 23 students in AP courses are set to take a total of 41 AP tests this semester. She added that 22 AP Seminar students will take the AP test for that course. At the board's December meeting, members will see data on Ironwood students' AP tests performance over the past five years.

-Heard Daniel Niemi, assistant principal and athletic director, regarding his perceived needs for upgrades or repairs on the football field. These include replacing field stencils and line markers and purchasing a pair of metal benches to be used by sports teams, as the current wooden ones are showing their age. "What we are looking at doing is potentially getting one aluminum bench on each side, to seat seven/eight kids on each side," he said.

- Approved the Finance Committee minutes as presented

-Approved the minutes as presented.

- Approved the agenda as presented.

-Approved the NEOLA September update to Policy 2264 regarding nondiscrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities (technical correction).

-Heard the superintendent's update.

-Heard the personnel report.

-Heard the attendance report and noted that attendance is in the mid 90% range, which pleased board members.

-Heard the strategic planning update.

-Read the service director's update.

-Heard the food service update.