Merton Community School District Board of Education Minutes

Merton Community School District Board of Education Minutes MERTON COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Board of Education Monday, February 23, 2026 6:00 p.m. Merton Intermediate School Little Theater President Imes called the meeting to order at 6:02 PM. The Pledge of Allegiance followed. President Imes announced the meeting was properly posted. Board members in attendance were Nicole Cotton, Dean Dobbertin, Rebecca Imes, John LaFleur and Patrick Griffin. District Administrator Russ was in attendance. There were no reporters and one citizen in person. Approval of Agenda Motion by Dobbertin second by Cotton to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried 5-0. Community Forum Student Showcase Our Student Showcase this month highlighting our new Intermediate Robotics team will be rescheduled. Parent Liaison program Lauren Mullendore, our Special Education Parent Liaison, spoke to our Community about her role in supporting families. The Parent Liaison program, supported by WSPEI, identifies a parent in the district with experience in Special Education and provides them with training so that they can guide other parents with Special Education needs. Approval of Consent Agenda Items Motion by Griffin to approve consent agenda items with the removal of personnel items to be heard separately. Second by Cotton (Approval of Minutes, Approval of Financial Report, Bill Listing and Donations). Motion carried 5-0. A. Approval of Minutes Approved Board Meeting Minutes from Monday, January 26, 2026, at 6:00 PM. B. Approval of Financial Report, Bill Listings, and Donations Approved Direct Deposits #900067499-900067617 in the amount of $191,602.03. Payroll Wire Transfers #202500208-202500233 in the amount of $375,690.31. Total Payroll in the amount of $567,292.34. Accounts Payable Checks #57423-57477 in the amount of $128,921.32. AP Wire Transfers #202500223-202500236 in the amount of $5,706.08, Credit Card transactions #12026 and 13026 in the amount of $10,910.75. ACH/Direct Deposit #252600051-252600061 in the amount of $1,303.59. Total Accounts Payable of $146,841.74. Total Disbursements in the amount of $714,134. C. Personnel Actions (Action)-addressed separately from other agenda items. Motion by Dobbertin to approve Janine Stolpa's letter of retirement as presented. Second by Griffin. Motion carried 5-0. Delegations to be Heard There were no delegations to be heard. District Administrator's Report/Principal's Report Our Principal Reports this month had our administrative team reviewing the Family Survey conducted in November with the Board and Community. Dr. Russ discussed the results. The results overall were very positive. The leadership team is working on improving school discipline perceptions. Communication is also a point of emphasis. We want to continue to meet the goal of communication regarding student progress, as well as increase family engagement. We need to consider the best utilization of staff time, and how we can show the work that goes into the supports and programs we provide. Family survey will be coming later this year. Dr. Russ provided an update on transportation. The feeder schools and AHS continue to meet and collaborate to solve AHS issues while also keeping things functional for all districts. There is a discussion of cost-sharing, and there are multiple proposals to consider. Everyone has a stake. There will be more to come on this issue. A major change to start/end times is not anticipated. Donations No donations Open Records Requests None Committee Reports The Student Achievement met on Monday, February 23, 2026, to discuss the topics below: Science Curriculum and Renewal and Design Report. Maria Kucharski, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, and a science team took time outside of the classroom to evaluate the current science program in our district, and to make recommendations for modifications and improvements to the program. There is a tremendous amount of detail in the report. A budget proposal for resources and professional development for this curriculum will come in March. Continuous Improvement Update: The Student Achievement Committee put together an update on our progress toward our Strategic Planning Goals for the school year. The administration is feeling really good about where we're at and feel like we will be able to achieve all of the goals in the document. New Business A. Final review of the 2026-27 District Calendar (Action) The administration had previously presented two options we were considering. After reviewing Arrowhead's final calendar, and reviewing the financial impact of transporting students without any other AHS districts in attendance, the administration is recommending Option 1 to be our final 2026-27 District Calendar. This calendar will result in the last day of school being June 4th. The Administration is recommending the Board make a motion to approve the 2026-27 Calendar, option 1, as presented. Motion by Cotton, second by Griffin to approve the 2026-27 calendar, option 1. Motion carried 5-0. B. Approve 2026 Summer School Dates (Action) The DPI requires the Board of Education to approve the upcoming Summer School dates. The administration has set summer school programming dates to be June 15, 2026 - August 26, 2026. These dates will include our traditional summer school programming, Camp Invention, transition activities, and any other opportunities that may be created that would qualify for summer school participation reimbursement requirements. Motion by Griffin, second by Cotton to approve as presented. Motion carried 5-0. C. First Review of K-8 Science Curriculum (Discussion) We talked briefly about the curriculum previously. There will be a final review in March. There is a set dollar amount in the budget and we anticipate that we can work within that budget. Thank you to Maria Kucharski and her team for all of the work on this D. Discuss and potentially take action on Intermediate School Library and Classroom renovations The administration recommends the Board make a motion to not exceed $125,000 for improvements for the Merton Intermediate School Library and classrooms which will include paint, ceiling replacement, carpet, and furniture, prioritizing new bookshelves. We can repurpose or sell the current bookshelves and should be able to recoup some of the costs for the new ones. We are working on a new layout and reorganization of the current space. Motion by Griffin, second by Cotton to approve up to $130,000 for the library refresh. Motion carried 5-0. E. Discussion and potential action regarding the establishment of an intergovernmental agreement with the Village of Merton for the purchase of school/community resource officer services The Village of Merton and the administration has been discussing a potential agreement for school/community police services. The proposed contract has been reviewed by the district, village, and Waukesha Sheriff's Department. There would be a Waukesha County Deputy assigned to the District to be available to assist with safety planning, make regular visits to the district, and build some relationships with families and students. The Deputy would average two hours of service per week during the student calendar. Movement by Cotton, second by LaFleur to approve the agreement as presented. Motion carried 5-0. F. Approve 2026-28 66.03 Agreement with Elmbrook Schools (Special Education Services) Each year the district contracts with the Elmbrook Schools for unique special education services surrounding students who are deaf and hard of hearing as well as for vision services. These very unique services are above our staff's expertise. We are only billed for the services we receive, on an as-needed, hourly basis. Motion by Cotton, second by Griffin to approve the agreement as presented. Motion carried 5-0. Future Agenda Items and Meetings 1. March 23, 2026 @ 6:00 PM (Open Session) a. Monthly Meeting w/Community Forum to begin the meeting 2. April 27, 2026 @ 6:00 PM (Open Session) a. Monthly Meeting w/Community Forum to begin the meeting 3. May 2026 TBD @ 6:00 p.m. (Open Session) a. Monthly Meeting w/Community Forum to begin the meeting Motion by Dobbertin, second by Cotton to adjourn at 6:51 p.m. Motion carried 5-0 . Respectfully submitted, Nicole Cotton District Clerk WNAXLP April 22 2026 LWIX0500327