Fort Board of Education elects officers, assigns committees

By Kim McDarison

The School District of Fort Atkinson Board of Education during a special meeting Monday electing officers, assigned board members to committees and approved several annual housekeeping items. The board also approved extending a deadline to allow teachers who qualify and might be looking to retire to apply for post-employment retirement benefits. 

Lisa Haas, administrative assistant to the superintendent and school board, served as temporary chairperson and conducted the meeting until officers were elected.

Each officer was the only nomination for the office to which they were unanimously elected. 

New officers are Kory Knickrehm, president; Amy Reynolds, vice president; Rhona Buchta, treasurer, and Robyn Selle, clerk. 

After his election as board president, Knickrehm conducted the meeting. 

The board next elected Chris Rogers as its representative to the CESA (Cooperative Educational Service Agency) 2 convention. 

School District of Fort Atkinson Superintendent Rob Abbott described CESA 2 as a regional consortium of school districts. The convention is held virtually in June.  

Additionally, the board elected Reynolds as its representative to the Wisconsin Association of School Boards, Inc., Delegate Assembly. Reynolds served in the same capacity last year. 

The board elected Knickrehm as an alternate delegate. 

Abbott told board members that the annual convention is held in Milwaukee in January. 

“We do hope to have some, if not all of the (board) members attend some or all of that conference as well. As part of that annual meeting there is a delegate from each Wisconsin school board,” Abbott said, noting that there are 421 school boards across the state. 

Delegates are able to vote on what he described as “a number of positions or actions.” 

“Does this organization act as a lobbyist of the Legislature?” Rogers asked.  

Abbott said that it did. 

Committee assignments

Members next learned about the board’s five standing committees and chose committee assignments. Each committee is represented by two board members Abbott explained. Members serve on committees for one year. 

Abbott offered a brief description of the responsibilities of each committee. 

Abbott described the Certified Staff Committee, which, he said, included negotiations. The committee’s work typically begins in February and March.

He described the committee as having a “condensed timeline” and not a year-long process.

“This year we did sort of re-formalize our negotiations with the FEA (Fort Atkinson Education Association). As you may recall from our last board meeting, we approved the result of that negotiation,” Abbott said, adding that board members installed on the committee Monday will work through the negotiation process next spring.  

“With CPI (consumer price index) as it is now, I do anticipate that group may be doing some additional work than perhaps they have the past years,” Abbott said.

Rogers asked if labor contracts were negotiated for one year.

Abbott said they were. 

Rogers asked if the district had ever considered having a contract for more than one year.  

Said Abbott: “To be honest with you, I’m not sure that you can at this point. It is set to the annual CPI that FEA can negotiate at, only base wage up to CPI, so I believe that it’s something, at least at this point, that has to be done annually.”

Buchta and Rogers were placed on the Certified Staff Committee. 

Describing the Finance and Operations Committee, Abbott said: “This works in some cases with (Director of Business Services) Mr. (Jason) Demerath … or the director of human resources. Given that we are looking at the potential of two referendums this year or next, I do believe that committee again will not be burdened with a lot of extra meetings, but I do think there will be some conversation outside of regular board meetings related to those issues.” 

Reynolds and Buchta were placed on the Finance and Operations Committee. 

Abbott next outlined responsibilities for those serving on the Personnel Committee, noting that the committee’s role is to hear proposals for changes to the staff handbook or to other operating procedures related to staff. 

“If we were looking at a significant change in benefits, we have in the past executed a benefits advisory committee,” he said, adding that board members serving on the Personnel Committee would also be included, would the need arise, on a benefits advisory committee.  

Knickrehm and Selle were selected to serve on the Personnel Committee. 

The board also has a Policy Committee, Abbott said, adding: “I believe the board is aware that we do contract with an organization called Neola for board policy, so we do get updates that are reviewed by myself and others in the district, then provided to the Policy Committee for their review. There are times where we meet; there are times where we review separately then connect on any questions or thoughts people may have.” 

Rogers and Reynolds were selected to serve on the Policy Committee. 

Two board members, Selle and Knickrehm, were selected to serve on the board’s Sponsorship Committee, which, Abbott said, was charged with “looking at a potential definition of sponsorship opportunities and a potential for sponsors throughout the community for our buildings and facilities.”  

In addition, the board approved a resolution authorizing depositories and financial accounts used for all monies received by the school district during the 2022-23 fiscal year. 

A second resolution approved by the board gave authorization to the director of business services to invest the district’s funds. 

The board also was asked to “reaffirm” is schedule pertaining to regular meeting dates. Traditionally, Abbott said, the board meets on the third Thursday of each month. 

Reynolds noting that several meeting over the last year had been moved to accommodate differing sets of circumstances. She suggested the board discuss the possibility of choosing a different meeting schedule. 

Abbott requested that the board consider keeping the traditional schedule, noting that it allowed time for staff to adequately prepare board packets in advance of meetings. 

He acknowledged that three meetings had been moved from Thursday to Monday over the past six months to accommodate various requests. 

The board opted to keep the traditional third Thursday schedule. 

Other business

In other business, the board approved the appointments of two teachers. They are Brittany Vils, who will teach science, and Allison Cofta, who will teach math. Both will work at the high school. 

The board also accepted the resignations of two teachers. They are Jeffrey Lehr, a technology education teacher, and Laura Swan, a math teacher, both of whom will be leaving jobs at the high school.  

Rogers asked it the board’s role in accepting resignations was a necessity or a formality. 

Abbott said it was a formality.

Abbott described some of the dynamics involved with teacher retention, noting that recently the district has had situations where teachers accept contracts working elsewhere prior to their contract ending with the district. 

Rogers asked if there was a financial penalty associated with leaving the job before the district’s contract expires. 

Said Abbott: “We do have liquidated damages that are tiered based on the date of resignation. So we did have a few teachers, as did virtually every other district — as I was talking to superintendents last week — a new phenomena is for teachers to be moving districts mid-year, which is something that just simply didn’t exist (until) within the last year or two. But in the state meeting of district administrators last week, it was a very prevalent issue for everyone.” 

Abbott said penalties for leaving mid-year in the form of liquidated damages sometimes serves as a motivator to keep teachers in their districts until the end of their contracts, but for others, he said, “it doesn’t have a significant impact.”  

Rogers asked Abbott to describe what might motivate a teacher to leave mid-year. 

Abbott cited financial reasons, including family circumstances, and job opportunities that might have earlier been unavailable. 

“We are also seeing some pretty heavy recruiting from other districts, which is a new phenomena as well. And again, this is not Fort Atkinson-specific; it’s just the way things have been changing literally in the last year or perhaps 24 months. We have had — some of the people that we’ve lost this year, mid-year, have been actively recruited out of the district,” Abbott said. 

The board also approved a resolution offering a one-time extension to eligible certified staff to declare their intent to retire at the end of the 2021-22 school year. The extension offers the opportunity to make that declaration by May 18. 

Said Abbott: “We are requesting the board to reopen the retirement option for those employees who might consider a retirement from the district. Generally speaking, those are employees who are afforded post retirement benefits based on when they entered the district for employment.”

Abbott said the provision that provided the option closed in February.  

“We are asking the board that you consider reopening the ability for teachers who meet these requirements … Given how things have continued to change in education, now that financial decisions have been made, or benefit decisions have been made, we may have a teacher or perhaps more, that are looking to activate that retirement clause now as opposed to waiting until next year. As you are aware, we are actively looking for efficiencies in our staffing attritions. So this is in no way an attempt, trying to manipulate anyone into making a decision, it’s just simply affording them an opportunity now that they’ve had another month or two to think about things, if that’s something that they might want to consider,” Abbott said. 

Rogers asked if a teacher could retire at any time.  

Abbott said they could, adding: “it’s a matter of whether or not they can access their post retirement benefits.” 

Rogers asked Abbott to explain post retirement benefits. 

Abbott said that, in some cases, the benefit is a payment of a portion of the employee’s insurance for a period of years after they leave their employment. 

Abbott noted that the benefits from the district were not associated with the employees’ state pensions. 

District-sponsored benefits are afforded to some employees depending upon when they were hired, he said 

Said Rogers: “What I’m familiar with is if there is unused say vacation time or paid on leave or something like that, they can use that money to pay for health insurance.”

“That is not the case in this district. That varies by district — that’s negotiated — it used to be a negotiated item or as a benefit that can be afforded by the board,” Abbott said. 

Rogers asked for examples of the types of benefits retiring employees might have. 

“Continued health insurance is the primary, if not the only benefit that is afforded post retirement for certified staff.” Abbott said. 

The district continues to pay a portion toward the employee’s health insurance, depending upon when the employee was hired, he said.  

“it depends on what was in place when they were hired,” he added.  

“Is that something we do frequently?” Rogers asked.  

Said Abbott: “It’s something that was part of the agreement when they were hired. So currently, people who are new to our district are not afforded post retirement benefits.”