The Waterloo School Board had a relatively busy start to the year, approving several contracts for multiple projects in the district, appointing a new principal for Waterloo High School and listening to a sizable report from a representative of Rogers Elementary.

One of the most impactful action items came at the very end of the meeting, as the board appointed the high school’s interim principal Tim McDermott to the position full-time.

McDermott had previously served as WHS assistant principal under Lori Costello, who stepped away from her principal position at the end of last year.

Read more about McDermott by clicking here.

Following McDermott’s appointment, the board also approved the employment of part-time and full-time speech-language pathologists along with a full-time elementary music teacher.

Prior to the employment items, the board approved several contracts, the first of which allows Waterloo Superintendent of Schools Brian Charron to enter into agreement with Daikin TMI LLC for $49,900.

The agenda item noted the contract was for “reducing the VRV System in construction area and relocation of VRV System Intelligent Touch Controller at W.J. Zahnow Elementary, and Charron clarified the contract was needed to adjust the school’s HVAC system given the construction which will begin later this week.

He specifically noted that area of the building which currently houses the main offices will later be used as a multi-purpose space, requiring greater ventilation given the substantial number of students who could be filling the space.

Another contract was approved involving Quality Testing and Engineering Inc. for an estimated $17,746.82. This contract also concerned the Zahnow project, with the district needing to hire an inspector to verify that materials for the construction are of the quality required by law and are in line with what the district paid for.

School board member James Yaekel offered his thoughts on this contract, noting several bad experiences he had had involving construction work which did not have such material  quality verification.

Still another contract concerned the Zahnow project, this one involving Thouvenot, Wade & Moerchen, Inc. for an estimated $14,900 for surveying services.

The final contract item was for $13,552 with Commercial Bathwares, LC for bathroom renovations in the high school.

Charron explained at the meeting that this contract was for the three boys bathrooms at WHS – as well as the boys locker room – which have not yet had enclosures installed around urinals as was done with two of the busier restrooms at the school this past fall.

Charron said his office had also received estimates for such renovations at Waterloo Junior High School, though that project would be more complicated as the urinals in those bathrooms are closer together and thus require architect analysis, though he added that the project is simply taking time to plan and would be presented to the board at a later date.

Another substantial action item saw the board award a bid total of $213,645.60 to Huebner Concrete Contracting for work involving the concrete pads and sidewalk at the junior high school athletic field.

Director of Building and Grounds Will Hulett offered some insight into what that project entails.

“We are gonna bring that whole area up to ADA specs,” Hulett said. “Some of this concrete work will be to hold the new bleacher that we’ll be moving as part of another bid package. We’re gonna be moving the high school visitor’s side bleachers into the junior high track area, but mostly make it safe, make it ADA accessible.”

He further noted the project is expected to be completed by June 1. Charron noted that junior high track meets will be moved to the high school.

Hulett added the junior high south gym will be closed through the summer for indoor bleacher replacements.

The board also approved a graduation date for this year: Sunday, May 19 at 1 p.m.

There were also a number of donations accepted by the board as required for any donations to the district exceeding $500.

The first of these included a collective $2,500 to the WHS Construction Activity Account from Nicole and Charles Harrison and Jason and Kara Roth as well as the Monroe County Electric Co-operative.

The second totalled $1,000 for the WHS Football Activity Account from the Monroe-Randolph Regional Office of Education. Charron said Regional Superintendent of Schools Kelton Davis had gotten hold of several of the school’s football players to help with a move into the ROE’s new office in Red Bud.

The third was $500 for the WHS Speech Team Activity Account from Bradford and Karen Barnes.

“We appreciate individuals and the organizations that do make donations to help support a lot of the activities that are going on here,” Charron said. “And I’m glad we’re going through this process so we can give recognition to these people and the organizations.”

One action item, consideration of discipline of a paraprofessional employee, was dropped from the agenda as per a motion made by board member John Caupert at the start of the meeting.

The board saw no public comments as the one individual signed up to speak, Kristina Hedtkamp, was absent. Charron said she had hoped to attend the meeting as it was originally scheduled for the previous Monday, but she had a scheduling issue.

The board did hear from Waterloo Classroom Teachers Association President Jim Prather, who serves as a third grade teacher at Rogers Elementary.

Prather spoke with great enthusiasm about his work at Rogers, noting how hectic but nevertheless enjoyable it can be to teach his students.

“I came up with ‘controlled randomness’ to describe our building,” Prather said. “I know that sounds kinda derogatory at first, but it’s ‘the apparent or actual lack of pattern or predictability in a process.’ That describes us to a T right now, and, again, it’s not in a bad way, but, man, if you’ve been around third graders…”

Prather presented a top 10 list of statements about the school, as selected by the second and third grade students. These items included the fact the students are both crazy and like to be fascinated, they love their teachers and would like wider hallways to accommodate all the students rushing from room to room.

The students also had a list of 10 questions for the board, asking about their taste in music, whether or not they travel to other schools – to share how great Rogers is – and what the best part of their job is.

Prather spoke about many positive aspects of working at the school, also noting positive progress being made among students as well as various activities and events going on.

He noted attendance is something of an issue for Rogers, as there seems to be an idea that students can simply make up any missed days through remote learning, though he said this simply isn’t the case as demonstrated by the strain seen during e-learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, Prather emphasized how much he enjoys working at Rogers and in the district.

“We’ve had some ups and downs, from staff to students, but we always seem to rally,” Prather said. “We vent, we complain, we cry, we laugh, we do it all. It’s just a good place to work. And I’ve been fortunate enough to coach for 25 years here. So I’ve gotten to know the high school climate, the high school teachers. Zahnow was a great place to work. I haven’t had a bad experience. I just want you guys to know we appreciate you having our backs on stuff.”

One other item of discussion at the meeting concerned the solar eclipse expected on April 8 and whether or not the district should have school that day.

It was expressed among the board that they would want to consult with teachers and parents in the district before making a decision.