Merrill Area School District board approves Head Start grants, staffing change, tech refresh and strategic objectives

The Merrill Area School District Board of Education on Wednesday, March 19, approved the district’s 2025–26 Head Start federal grant and related plans, authorized summer maintenance projects and a high‑school technology refresh, and voted to pursue hiring a full‑time district psychologist instead of contracting for those services.

The approvals came during the board’s regular meeting at the MAPS Central Administration Building Boardroom. Board members also approved the district’s strategic planning Phase 2 objectives and several routine personnel and contract templates. Two agenda items — the updated staff handbook and a proposed shared choir‑teaching change — were tabled for future consideration. The board additionally voted to move into a closed session to discuss personnel matters.

Why it matters: the Head Start approvals fund early‑childhood services in the district for the 2025–26 program year and the move to hire a district psychologist shifts evaluation and 504/IEP workload from counselors to a specialist on staff. The technology and facilities votes direct planned capital and maintenance spending for summer projects and classroom equipment.

Head Start and related plans The board voted to approve the district’s 2025–26 Federal Head Start grant, the Head Start five‑year strategic goals, a Head Start cost allocation plan for 2025–26, and the CESA 9 Head Start training and technical assistance plan for 2025–26. Ryan Martinovich and Mark Powell were listed as the topic authors on the related materials. Motions on these items were moved and seconded by board members and carried by voice vote.

Summer maintenance and facilities The board approved a package of summer maintenance projects, including roofing and paving work, “as funding is available.” The motion came from the Facilities Committee and was passed by board voice vote.

Summer School Academy and curriculum changes The board approved the 2025 MAVS Summer School schedules, course offerings and registration materials. Administrators said the academy includes a new K–3 early literacy boot camp influenced by Act 20 to support students below certain testing thresholds and that math placements for summer programming will be guided by grade‑percentage thresholds and teacher recommendations.

High school CAD/FabLab computer refresh Board members approved purchasing CDW and MSI workstations for the Merrill High School CAD and FabLab refresh. The agenda listed the amount as $39,653 to be taken from the technology fund. The district described the purchase as a planned refresh; the machines replace systems that in some cases are seven years old.

Psychologist staffing The board approved hiring one full‑time district psychologist beginning with the 2025–26 school year and funding the position from the general fund (the motion cited an estimated cost of $68,000). Board discussion noted the district currently contracts with CESA 9 (CISA/CESA) for school psychologist services and that increasing volumes of Section 504 plans and evaluations have fallen to counselors. Administration said the in‑house hire is intended to reduce that workload; board members and staff noted the district will post the position immediately and that the district may revert to contracted services if a hire is not secured by early June.

Contracts and compensation The board approved the CESA 9 shared‑services contract for 2025–26 with a projected cost of $464,001 and approved the district’s 2025–26 professional and teacher contract templates and the coaches compensation plan. Trustees discussed that some coaching positions are contingent on participation numbers and that athletic program participation is tracked season to season and through feeder programs.

PTO Bank and personnel items Trustees approved a PTO Bank policy and supporting language; administration said the policy includes updated medical‑verification language and fiscal‑year clarifications discussed at committee. The board approved several other consent‑agenda items, including vouchers and personnel reports, and acknowledged donations that were listed in the packet.

Title IX policy and tabled items The board voted to remove policy 22‑64 (non‑discrimination on the basis of [text redacted in packet]) and reinstate an earlier policy, 22‑66, returning the district to the policy that existed in June (the motion cited federal guidance as the reason for the earlier change and the recent motion to revert). The board tabled the staff handbook revisions and a proposal to reduce a shared choir teaching position from 1.0 FTE to 0.5 FTE pending further administrative presentation.

Strategic planning Trustees approved Phase 2 of the district’s strategic planning process, which moves the work from vision and pillars toward measurable objectives and a set of potential metrics. Administration said the metrics list will be refined to a smaller set of measures that provide the “best bang for the buck” and be tied to year‑by‑year action plans.

Executive session At the end of the meeting the board voted, by roll call, to enter closed session under Wisconsin Statute § 19.85(1)(c) and (f) to discuss administrative compensation, teacher performance evaluations and contract renewal/nonrenewal considerations, applications for college‑credit programs, and parental requests related to state assessments. The roll call for the closed‑session motion recorded all board members present voting aye.

What’s next The board listed committee and meeting dates in April, including a Head Start policy council meeting on April 8 and committee meetings on April 9. The next regularly scheduled board meeting is April 16 at 5:30 p.m. in the boardroom.