School board approves assigned parking
Board ‘willing to try’ designated spots, student designs for seniors
By Steve Van Kooten
The Prairie du Chien Board of Education received several updates, reviewed new policies and approved a request for assigned parking spaces in the high school’s parking lot at their July 8 meeting.
The board’s last action approved the district’s tax and revenue anticipation note, which gives the district a $1 million line of credit for one year.
Vicki Waller, the district’s business official, said the current note expired in June, and the board needed to approve a line of credit through Peoples State Bank at 5.1 percent.
Waller added that the district has not used their line of credit “in several years” but kept it in case of emergencies or unforeseen issues.
In attendance were board members Noah White, Dustin Brewer, Lonnie Achenbach, Nick Gilberts, Lacie Anthony and Board President Michael Higgins, Jr. Also present were District Administrator Andy Banasik, Waller and the district’s three principals. Board member Jim Hackett was absent.
Senior parking
High school and middle school principal Doug Morris asked the board to approve an assigned parking plan for senior students.
“I had a couple of seniors come to me with ideas about what to do for the senior class,” said Morris. “One of them was to allow seniors to have assigned parking spaces they get to decorate.”
During the meeting, Morris showed design ideas submitted by local students as well as examples from other districts that adopted a similar program.
The parking spots would be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and the administration would approve designs before they are painted. The tentative date for students to paint their spots is August 27.
“They already sent me ideas, and as you saw, there was nothing even remotely offensive,” Morris said after his presentation. “It’s just kids wanting to show their individualism [sic].”
The painting should not include a cost to the district, and the designs will be painted over by the incoming senior class each year.
Assigned spaces would only be designated for the students during the school day. Their spots could be utilized by the community during football games or other functions at the high school.
“How do we deal with graffiti and all the other things that possibly come with this because, ‘You don’t like me, and I painted my spot yesterday, and over the weekend, you’re going to ‘fix’ my spot for me?” Higgins, Jr. asked.
“Well, we have cameras for that,” answered Morris.
“Is that something we really want to spend our time doing?” Higgins asked.
According to Morris, there have not been many incidents of vandalism in the parking lot, other than during Homecoming Week, when some suggestive drawings were put on people’s cars.
Gilberts suggested students refrain from using oil-based paint for their designs to prevent peeling. He also said, “I’m willing to try it for a year.”
The board approved the assigned parking and design plan for senior students. The decision was not unanimous, with Higgins, Jr. opposing it.
CTE update
Banasik provided an update on the Career and Technical Education Center. The district, along with Carol Roth, continues to pursue grant funds.
“As we’re figuring out, with government, it takes a while,” said Banasik. “There are timetables, and it takes time to get information back.”
Banasik expects to have a “soft start” during the 2024–25 school year for grades 6–12.
The district continues to meet with organizations like Scenic Bluff Community Health and Southwest Technical College to explore options for programming, both for students and possible adult learners in the community.
AP data
Morris presented the district’s 2023–24 advanced placement results to the board of education.
AP classes are courses students can take in person or online to earn “local” credit at the high school level and national college credit accepted by the majority of higher-education institutions in the country, according to Morris.
“These are very difficult classes, and at the end, they have to take a federally standardized test,” said Morris.
For a student to earn credit toward their college education, they have to pass the test with a three or better rating out of five. If the student receives one or two out of five, they still receive credit toward their high school requirements.
According to the data, 91 Prairie students took AP courses last school year, with 60 percent earning college credit, which is an improvement from 37 percent during the 2022–23 school year. More students earned college credit this past year than in 2022, even though fewer students took advanced courses during the 2023–24 school year.
“We have some teachers doing amazing things with these kids. It is wonderful,” said Morris. “These AP scores are another national model for us to show the growth that we’re hoping for. We’re accomplishing it with master teachers pushing these kids to excel.”
Seclusion/restraint
BA Kennedy principal Laura Stuckey presented seclusion and restraint data to the board of education, which the district submits to the Department of Public Instruction each year in the fall.
Seclusion and restraint are methods utilized to work with a student who is considered an imminent threat to themselves or other people. Stuckey characterized the methods as “last resorts” in crisis situations.
The district’s three main schools did not have any incidents of seclusion or restraint during the 2023–24 school year. Stuckey credited procedural changes for the district’s improvement over the past several years. The district uses critical patient intervention training for staff to address crisis situations.
The district is required to report on private placements and other students who are not physically present on the district’s campuses. There were 33 incidents between three special education students this past school year.
Other business
• approved long-term substitute teacher positions for Geralyn Russell and Nicole Sanderson.
• approved the district’s Wisconsin Association of School Boards membership for the 2024–25 school year at the cost of $4,976.
• approved the first reading of the Care of Students with Chronic Health Conditions policy’s first draft. Banasik said the policy encompassed three policies that addressed students with allergies and other health concerns. The policy establishes training for staff and plan development for students. “We do not have anything in our district with this, and I would say about 10 percent of schools in the state have something,” Banasik said. The policy will likely go through multiple drafts and readings before it is completed. For staff training, third-party health professionals may be used because of the district’s struggle to fill their nursing positions.
