By Rich Palzewic
Staff Writer
DE PERE – The De Pere school board held a special virtual meeting Tuesday, Sept. 8, to discuss a positive COVID-19 case, the stadium project and pay increases for district staff.
COVID-19 case
Superintendent Ben Villarruel said Heritage Elementary School had a positive case of COVID-19, and families of students were notified Sept. 7 via email.
“We received the phone call we were hoping we wouldn’t get, but know we’ll be getting throughout the school year,” said Villarruel. “The person who tested positive is quarantined. Working with the De Pere Health Department, we felt it best all students and staff from the same classroom be quarantined for at least 14 days as well.”
He said the letter and communication with the parents went as well as could be expected.
“We’ve already learned some things we can do better in the process,” Villarruel said. “I thank everyone for their cooperation.”
Villarruel didn’t say whether the person was a student or a staff member, or the gender of the individual.
Classes for all other students at Heritage resumed Sept. 8.
The email to parents said if a student/staff member wasn’t in direct contact with the positive individual, their family won’t be directly contacted by the district or the health department.
De Pere principals said the first week of school went well and students/staff were adjusting to the new safety protocols.
“It’s been a positive start,” said Dickinson Elementary School Principal Luke Herlache. “I’m proud of the effort everyone has made. Even though the smiles are covered by their masks, you can tell the students are happy to be back. Some of the things we were worried about have been positives.”
He said the staff have been “phenomenal.”
“We’re using the mantra ‘all hands on deck,’” Herlache said. “The teachers are making sure the kids are keeping those masks on and keeping their distance. We’ve also gotten lots of positive feedback from the parents.”
Stadium project update
John Kneer from Rettler Corporation gave an update on the Redbird Stadium project.
Work on the $3.06 million project, which began this past spring, included a new home grandstand with seating for 2,000, improved press box, visitors’ side seating for 500, a new plaza and walkways, energy-efficient lighting, stormwater drainage improvements, areas for track and field events and storage areas below both bleachers.
“The project has come a long way since earlier this spring,” said Kneer. “We’ve worked all through the summer, and it’s pretty much completed at this point. We recently did a walkthrough and identified some of the final items needing correction – we have a few things to finish up.”
Kneer said since the beginning of the process, the finances have been managed, and the project will come in below budget.
“We have some landscaping to finish up and will wait for the site to green up in the next couple of weeks,” he said. “Everything will be fully restored before winter hits. We feel this has been a successful project for the district.”
Salary increases
A 1.81 percent salary increase was approved by the board for certified teachers, support personnel and exempt and administrative staff for the 2020-21 school year, after administration worked with the De Pere Education Association.
The substitute teacher pay rate was set at $162 per day, also a 1.81 percent increase from the previous rate of $159.