The upcoming school board election and a series of district business items were major topics at the latest school board meeting from Monday night.
A School Board Candidate Forum will take place Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. in the high school Media Center. The event is sponsored by KILJ Radio and the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance. Rachel Lindeen, Vice President of the Chamber Alliance, will serve as moderator. The forum is open to the public and will be livestreamed on KILJ.com and broadcast live on 105.5 FM.
The election itself will be held on Tuesday, May 13th. Early and absentee voting options are available; voters can contact the County Auditor for more information. There will be one polling location, set at Manning Hall, adjacent to St. Alphonsus Catholic Church. The decision regarding the polling site was made by the County Auditor, not the school district.
In other business, the board approved the 2025-26 Employee Compensation Packages for non-union employees. Here’s a summary of the approved increases:
- Building Secretaries: Total package increase of 5.161%, starting hourly wage now $15.31.
- Bus Drivers: 3% wage increase (wage only, due to part-time status).
- Managers in Buildings and Grounds, Technology, and Transportation: 3.8% total package increase.
- Administrators (including the Superintendent and Director of Finance): 3.19% total package increase.
- Central Office Staff: 3.53% total package increase.
- Food Service Staff: 14.04% total package increase, raising starting wages to $14.00/hour for new hires in food service.
The board noted that these adjustments are aimed at keeping district wages competitive regionally, as the district has historically lagged behind neighboring districts.
Lastly, the board approved pricing for the 2025-26 afternoon milk program. The milk program will now serve only preschool and kindergarten students, based on feedback from principals and teachers. The cost will remain 40 cents per half-pint of 1% white milk, even though the district’s current cost is about 34.2 cents per carton, reflecting efforts to keep the program affordable.
The meeting concluded with a reminder that the Candidate Forum is on Wednesday evening and the election follows on May 13.