Members of the Superior Board of Education met in regular session Monday evening after the high school spring music concert. All members of the board were present: Peggy Meyer, Brad Biltoft, Krista Tatro, Luke Meyers, Matt Bargen and Matt Sullivan.

Stephanie Corman presented an update related to athletics and activities.

The school has signed a five year contract with a distributor which will supply all athletic gear and equipment. It will supply the school’s merchandise store. The school will receive a six percent kickback from all sales.

Corman reported Connie Hayes and friends have provided funds for the track bathroom renovation and purchased black uniform tops for the girls volleyball team.

CAT cards will again be sold. Proceeds will be used to purchase black hoodies. All athletes will be dressed alike as they travel to events.

Corman stressed, “ One school, one team, one culture.” Everyone who travels as a Superior athlete will look alike.

Friday, April 26, Corman is planning a silent auction as part of the Superior High School athletic banquet.

“My goal is to raise enough funds that each team does not have to do fund raising throughout the year,” she said.

The funds will be used to purchase warm-ups and pay for team camps.

Corman is also working on a cooperative agreement with Deshler and Lawrence-Nelson to form a girls wrestling cooperative.

March claims of $593,212.28 were approved and the resignations of Cori Sheff and Cheneal Benne were accepted. Beene is the sixth through twelfth grade art instructor and Sheff is an elementary special education instructor. Sheff has accepted a position with less commute time.

The board approved three new hires. Cannon Blauvelt to teach junior and senior high physical education. Jett Stenson to serve the district as a speech language pathologist and Nathan Breland to teach art. Both Stenson and Breland are Superior High School graduates.

The past two years Blauvelt has served as secondary principal at Ravenna. Prior to that he was the activities director at Lichfield Public School for three years. He also had several years of extensive coaching experience at Litchfield and has taught physical education since 2012. His wife is an in-home child care provider, something Supt. Whetzal expects she will continued in Superior.

Most recently, Stenson has been employed at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in the acute rehabilitation unit. Prior to that she worked at a long term acute care hospital in Lincoln for five years. She will be one of two speech language pathologists employed by Superior Public School next year in addition to a part-time person from ESU9.

If you’ve been to Superior Estates Winery recently, you may have seen Breland’s art on display. Each of the last two summers he has returned to Superior and hosted an art show at the winery. This past year, he has taught art at Gulfport Central Middle School, Gulport, Mississippi. Some local residents may know him as a field scout for Superior Agronomics as he scouted crops for area farmers from 2009 until 2016 when he started studying art in Mississippi.

In addition, a contract for $83,500 plus benefits was extended to Cesar Torres to serves a school psychologist. He is also bilingual. A $175,000 contract plus benefits was extended to John Whetzal to serve as superintendent and sixth through12th grade principal. Audrey Parks will be the assistant principal and guidance counselor. Whetzal’s contract was a salary change based on the expanded duties of high school principal. He was hired last year with a two year contract.

Members of the board unanimously accepted a bid from Rutt’s Mechanical Service for a 10 Mitsubishi hyper heat recovery units and related installation parts and labor for $57,500. The bid compared with one from Scott’s Sales and Service, LLC for $59,957. Rutt’s installed the original units which heat and cool the school. It was suggested the board should consider replacing a unit each year.

Jodi Fierstein, elementary principal, said, “This is the week of the young child.”

Monday elementary student rehearsed for the music program. Tuesday they prepared a snack using a recipe in their room, Wednesday they made classroom forts or completed a STEM project and Thursday they are painting with water, liquid chalk or sidewalk chalk at recess.

Each class room teacher incorporated the eclipse into part of the day’s learning activities. All elementary students went outside to view the eclipse except kindergarten students.

Over the next several weeks, testing will be an ongoing process. The tests include MAP grow tests for grades kindergarten through fifth, the state accountability test (NSCAS) the dibels which is a reading screening test and the DESSA, a social emotional screening test.

Supt. Whetzal talked about the need for substitute teachers. “Our pay rate is significantly lower than all the surrounding districts.”

“I don’t know if raising the pay rate will help,” he continued, “But the substitute situation here is dire.”

Whetzal plans to secure a bid to slip seal the high school parking lot in coordination with contractors who serve the City of Superior.

He also reported there have been two official board meetings related to the day care. They will begin to advertise for a day care director and hope to have the day care open when school starts next fall. A survey of Brodstone Health Care staff and Superior Public School staff indicate the staff from the two institutions need day care for 32 children.

Supt. Whetzal also will be asking the board to evaluate the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) which has provided free breakfast and lunch for all students this year. The school has contributed $90,000 this year to food service.

The board went into executive session to discuss staff.