Pekin Special Election Cost District $8,600

PACKWOOD – The board looked over and approved an abstract for the September special election. The special election, to decide if school board seats would switch from being district based to at large, received 138 Yes votes and 244 No votes, resulting in the board remaining district based. Board member Mike Sieren stated that, between the four counties making up the Pekin district, the election ended up costing $8,606.09.

The board approved a personnel report featuring the resignation of School Board Secretary Cherie Westendorf, who will move to working for the Great Prairie AEA, and the hiring of Kaye Gilbert as her replacement. Superintendent Jeff Maeder wished Westendorf the best, noting that it may take years to get back to the level of quality Westendorf delivered. Westendorf stated that she had made it clear with the AEA when she was understanding that she would help train her replacement and that the AEA was very understanding. The personal report also featured the hiring of Frosty Striegel as head junior high wrestling coach, Trevor Northup as head junior high girls basketball coach, and Josh Arendt as a volunteer high school wrestling coach.

Maeder stated he had met with an architect and construction management company to discuss facility improvements, and been told that the district needed to have a more definitive idea on financing. Maeder stated he got the sense that the board wanted to be conservative with how they finance the project, and didn’t want to leverage too high against PPEL or SAVE funds. He stated the district would need to go to the community and request funding via a levy or possibly by expanding the current levy. Maeder stated he would have a 5-10 year master plan to share with the board during the next meeting.

Maeder stated he was working on finding time for Professional Learning Community (PLC) meetings in next year’s calendar. He stated PLCs improve teaching, and that it was recommended to have them weekly. Maeder stated that weekly early outs or possibly a four-day week were being considered.

Secondary Principal Shawn Dorman explained that, as part of PLC meeting, teachers were working on Essential Skills Plans, where teachers pick out specific skills that students need to know monthly, assess if they learn them, and adjust curriculum accordingly.

Dorman stated that Oct. 22 would be Pekin’s first community service day, where high school students would spend the morning going to the community and giving back, in part as a way to earn the mandatory volunteer hours for graduation. He mentioned that work at the Brooks Cemetery, Carl Craft Civic Center, Hedrick Park, Richland Childcare Center, and Pekin Daycare, helping a family in Hedrick move to a new home, and doing miscellaneous work at the school were planned, and that the school was looking for more places needing volunteers. Dorman stated he planned to hold another volunteer day in the spring.

Dorman stated that, due to new chronic absentee laws, he had to refer a few students to the county attorney. However, he also noted that attendance had improved and said it was great to have butts in seats.

Elementary Principal Liz Goodwin stated that there was difficulty with implementing new inter-reading curriculum, due to teachers not having the days necessary to prepare before teaching it. She stated that PD time was limited, that teachers had to come in on weekends, and that she felt it was unfair for them to have to give up time with their families.