Updates from the Monona Grove School Board

School Board meeting highlights from September 11

Click the thumbnail above to watch the September 11th Board meeting. Find the meeting agenda on our website.

Materials and Livestream/recording

The School Board uses BoardDocs to share materials, including attachments, for its Board meetings and committee meetings, as well as Board policies. When you open the BoardDocs website, navigate to the upper right corner to select either Meetings or Policies.

Meeting locations are noted on the relevant agenda; regular meetings are always streamed live and archived for later viewing on the Monona Community Media YouTube page.

Budget-related action items

The following budget-related action items were taken up by the School Board on September 11, 2024:

Resolution Awarding the Sale of a $7 million Taxable General Obligation Promissory Note

Kevin Mullen of Robert W Baird joined Assistant Superintendent for Business Services, Operations and Human Resources Kristin Sobocinski to present three resolutions. The first of these is the $7 million operational loan that the Board first approved moving forward with on August 22. Three lenders responded to that bid, with interest rates ranging from 4.88% to 6.05%. Terms were negotiated with Webster Bank to meet the district's needs. The loan is payable in full beginning May 1, 2029, with the ability to prepay up to $250,000 before that time. The Board approved the resolution. (begins at 50:45)

Resolution Authorizing the Issuance & Establishing Parameters for a Temporary Borrowing in an Amount not to exceed $7.6 million Pursuant to Section 67.12(8)(a)1, Wis. Stats

The second resolution is a more traditional cash flow borrowing. The parameters resolution authorizes the school district administration to act to meet the needs of the district without calling another special meeting. The timing of these temporary cash flow notes are critical to uninterrupted operations. This loan is through Lake Ridge Bank. The Board approved the resolution. (begins at 1:00:04)

Resolution Authorizing the Issuance & Establishing Parameters for a Taxable Tax & Revenue Anticipation Promissory Note for Cash Flow Purposes in an Amount Not to Exceed $5 million Pursuant to Section 67.12(8)(a)1, Wis. Stats

The third and final resolution is for a line of credit should it be necessary due to cash flow and timing of when revenues are received from the state. This credit is also through Lake Ridge Bank. The Board approved the resolution. (begins at 1:11:07)

Policy Revision - po0155 Committees

The Policy Committee met on September 10, 2024 to revise Policy 0155 - Committees. 

At the September 5, 2024, School Board meeting, the Board directed the Policy Committee to create a standing committee, per Policy 0155, to establish a Finance and Operations Committee. This committee would discuss financial and operational matters and bring relevant items to the full Board for consideration. The schedule of monthly accountability reports and actions is included in the attached presentation. 

In addition, the revised policy includes a process that Teaching, Learning, and Equity (TLE) and Finance and Operations (F&O) committees shall have community and staff members appointed based on feedback from the September 5 meeting. 

The Board approved the new policy. Community members interested in serving on either the TLE or F&O committee can contact Superintendent Fredrich. (begins at 1:13:17)

Annual Meeting summary from September 9

Click the thumbnail above to watch the September 9th Annual Meeting and budget hearing. Find the meeting agenda on our website.

The Annual Meeting and Budget Hearing was held Monday, September 9.

Superintendent's Report Dr. Fredrich provided an overview of several items such as enrollment numbers, class sizes, family survey results, school nutrition, transportation, staffing and budget. This report can be viewed at 2:45.

Budget Report Assistant Superintendent of Business, Operations and Human Resources, Kristin Sobocinski, led the budget hearing with a presentation (begins at 10:22). She gave an overview of how school districts in Wisconsin are funded (similar to the report she gave to the Board on August 22). This presentation included information on the 2024-25 budget: the preliminary budget was approved by the Board on September 6. A final adjusted budget will be presented to the Board for approval on October 30.  

Adoption of Tax Levy Meeting participants voted unanimously and the tax levy was set at $33,155,219. (begins at 24:21)

Authorization of Salaries for School Board Members Meeting participants discussed at length the amount of the Board stipend/salary. The stipend from 2023-24 was set at $4,000. A motion and second was made to set the stipend at $4,120 (an increase of approximately 3%). That motion failed, and was followed by a motion and second to set the stipend at $0; that motion also failed. A third motion and second was made to set the stipend at $2,000 which passed. (begins at 25:59)

Reimbursement of School Board Member Related Expenditures Following a meeting participant question, School Board Member, Peter Sobol, explained the expenditures consisted mainly from the annual WASB conference in Milwaukee. Board President, Elizabeth Cook expressed her opinion that since MGSD staff will be cutting down on conferences this year, the Board should as well. After discussion and the vote, it was approved that School Board Members would be reimbursed for related expenditures. (begins at 46:20)

Authorization of the 2025 Annual Meeting & Budget Hearing Meeting participants voted in favor for the School Board to establish the date, time and place of the 2025 Annual Meeting & Budget Hearing. (begins at 58:02)

Superintendent Entry Plan Update: 60 Days

It's been 60 days since Superintendent Tanya Fredrich began as Superintendent of Monona Grove. She has a 100-day entry plan and has shared updates on that plan every 30 days. These updates include a summary of community engagement and progress made toward the full 100-day plan. Click here to view the message from Superintendent Tanya Fredrich: 60-Day update.

5301 Monona Drive, Monona, WI 53716  Phone: (608) 221-7660  Fax: (608) 221-7688