Board approves consent items, contracts, staffing actions and summer courses; receipts noted

The Wisconsin Rapids School District Board of Education approved a slate of routine and consent items including meeting minutes, committee minutes, summer academy course proposals for grades 6–8, several service contracts, personnel actions and the district’s February receipts and disbursements as recorded in the meeting.

The Educational Services Committee recommendation (ES1) to offer six summer academy enrichment courses for current sixth- through eighth-graders — music composition and creation; pop choir; Spanish adventures (language and culture); summer sports and games; neuroscience (exploring the power of the mind); and Understanding Feelings, Friends and Community — was approved. The committee said these enrichment options will be offered alongside traditional remedial summer courses beginning summer 2025.

The Business Services Committee consent items included a CES A5 (contracted special education and related services) agreement for the 2025–26 school year in the amount of $394,836.80 to be paid from flow-through and other district dollars; a proposal to purchase 26 AED units from Lifeguards MD, Inc. for $46,712 to be paid from the 2024 community service budget; and an increase to the four-year-old (4K) pre-program contract rates (Head Start/Building Blocks/YMCA) by $50 per student, raising the per‑student rate to $2,475 for the 2025–26 school year. The committee also reported donations and a change in fuel vendor for transportation purchases.

The Personnel Services Committee reported approvals of listed support staff appointments, professional staff resignations, support staff resignations, six professional retirements (collectively described as 168 years of service), and a contract with Presence to provide speech and language pathology services during a staff maternity leave at the cost of $31,048.96, to be funded by the district’s special education budget. The motion to approve the Presence contract (PS5) passed.

The board noted February 2025 receipts totaling $9,490,605.72 and approved February disbursements, with public transcript reference to an exception for a check number read aloud during the motion. The transcript includes a line noting “check number 113381 in the amount of $4,012,121.39” as read during the meeting; the public audio on the record contained some garbled numbers when read aloud. Separately, a disbursement of $85,000 to the Boys & Girls Club (check number reported as 11381 in the transcript) was approved by roll call during the meeting.

All consent and committee motions listed above carried on voice or roll-call votes as recorded in the public meeting. The transcript does not specify movers and seconders for every motion; where roll-call votes were taken the record shows individual board members voting yes.