REGULAR BOARD OF EDUCATION MEETING MONDAY, JANUARY 26, 2026 HS COMMUNITY FORUM ROOM Meeting called to order by President, Eric Kohl at 6:00 p.m. Meeting began with the Pledge of Allegience. Roll Call - Board members present: Kohl, aye; Ehrenberg, aye; Loehrke, aye; Gorchals, aye; Gerrits, aye. Board members absent: Jason Looker and Richard Wagner. Meeting properly noticed: Yes. Quorum: Yes. Administration present: Stacey Wester, Carmen O’Brien, Abigail Poliak, Kandi Martin and Andrew Schaller Administration absent: Don Ryan. Supervisors present: Hope Steiger. Others Present: Brittany Bartol, Adrienne Rice, Andrea Hudack, Devin Meeuwsen, Chamomile Nusz and Paul Krause. COMMUNICATION AND VISITORS VISITORS: None. ADMINISTRATION STACEY WESTER Mrs. Wester shared that she recently met with the leadership team to discuss the school calendar for the upcoming school year. She also noted that another Coffee & Community meeting will be held on February 11th and encouraged everyone to help spread the word, as all are welcome to attend. The meeting will include a student spotlight, and Mrs. O’Brien will lead a discussion on taxes. Mrs. Wester reported that she has met with Miron regarding the facilities study and representatives were in the building last Thursday and Friday. She also noted that a request for proposals will be going on this week for an insurance broker. Finally, in recognition of School Board Appreciation she thanked the board members for all they do to serve the students and staff. ABIGAIL POLIAK Mrs. Poliak noted that the first semester has been completed and that she has been meeting with staff to discuss curriculum updates. She thanked Jodi Gardner for her work over the last few years on the academic and career planning for students. She also announced that the ACT prep program began today for all of the junior students. She also noted that the ACT changed a little bit this year science and writing sections are now optional addons. Mrs. Poliak expressed her appreciation to the teachers for conducting workshops to help prepare students for the ACT. DONALD RYAN Mr. Ryan shared that high school students Isaac Leyva and Anna Van Maastricht have been working with elementary students every day leading different activities centered on kindness, empathy and promoting positive behavior throughout the school. He also reported that mid year iReady math testing has been completed. The results show that Fremont and Weyauwega students are making significant progress and closing the gap with math achievement, which is a direct reflection of the hard work that the staff is doing. KANDI MARTIN Mrs. Martin gave a shout out to Don Lederhaus and the Weyauwega Police Department who took the staff on the field trip last Friday to the Waupaca County garage which is where students and staff would go in case of an emergency situation at school. CARMEN O’BRIEN Mrs. O’Brien would like to let her report stand as printed and has nothing further to add. BOARD OF EDUCATION Mr. Ehrenberg thanked the district and board for allowing him to go to the State Education Convention. Mr. Kohl also looked into a few questions that some board members have had about discussions before a motion is being made and when someone calls point of order. Mr. Looker thanked Mr. Ryan on what he has been sharing with the board on the testing and how the new curriculum is going. The board also thanked the administrative staff for all they are doing. RECOGNITION AND SPECIAL GUESTS Devin Meeuwsen – School Resource Officer Mrs. Wester introduced Devin Meeuwsen our school resource officer. He spoke to the board on the what his job looks like. He is a resource for staff and students building a repor with the students. Prior he worked patrol and human services and has a unique mix of law enforcement and human services. Great time the last two months and making sure I am showing my presence and supporting the administration team. Greg Neuschaefer Donation – $5,000 Mrs. Wester recognized and thanked Mr. Neuschaefer for his donation of $5,000 to the district with the money going towards Science Olympiad, Water Forensics and Lab and a Science Fair Scholarship. Gulfstream Donation – Lumber Mrs. Wester thanked Gulfstream for their generous donation of lumber that was given to the Tech Ed Program. Update/ Overview Special Ed and Bilingual Programming Mrs. Martin has a presentation for the board on the Special Ed and Bilingual Programming in the district. STUDENT SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATIVE – Samantha Bailey / Lia Kiedrowski Ms. Kiedrowski congratulated the NHS members and the induction ceremony will be Feb 2nd. The drama club is putting on a play and practice will be starting this week. High Quiz Bowl the A team won their last meet and are currently first in conference. FFA parliamentary team competed and took first place in the senior division and they wanted to thank the FFA Alumni as they sponsored that trip. The band played at the hockey game in Oshkosh and band and music had the All Star Conference which was held in Amherst and lastly the math team will have a meet on February 4th. CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF VOUCHERS Motion by Gerrits, seconded by Loehrke, to approve the December monthly payments as printed. Roll call vote: Kohl, aye; Loehrke, aye; Gorchals, aye; Looker, aye; Ehrenberg, aye; Gerrits aye. Six (6) ayes. Zero (0) nays. Motion carried. Motion by Ehrenberg, seconded by Looker, to approve the December monthly cash receipts as printed. Roll call vote: Ehrenberg, aye; Kohl, aye; Gerrits, aye; Gorchals, aye; Loehrke, aye; Looker, aye. Six (6) ayes. Zero (0) nays. Motion carried. OLD BUSINESS CHARTER SCHOOL UPDATE Mr. Krause introduced Andrea to the board and noted that she has been a member of the charter board for the last two years. Ms. Nusz had a presentation for the board on their annual report. She noted that the yerts are moving forward as there have been a few delays due to the weather and the heating system will be done when it warms up. Final inspection will be done in the next month or two. She stated that Adam Keller has been great support for this project. CONSENT AGENDA Motion by Looker, seconded by Gorchals, to accept the consent agenda as presented. Six (6) ayes. Zero (0) nays. Motion carried. Under the Consent Agenda, the Board of Education approved the following: A. Committee of the Whole Meeting –1-12-26 B. Regular Board of Education Meeting –1-12-26 NEW BUSINESS Audit Presentation (Discussion) Mr. Minch was unable to present at tonight’s meeting but will be available at the next meeting. 2026-2027 OPEN ENROLLMENT PROGRAMMING (ACTION) Motion by Gerrits, seconded by Ehrenberg, to limit the number of open enrollment spaces as presented for regular or special education for the 2026-2027 school year based on current 2025-2026 staffing or potential new resident enrollment. Six (6) ayes. Zero (0) nays. Motion carried. CALENDAR & FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS February 9 – Committee of the Whole February 23rd Regular BOE Meeting The February Regular Board of Education Meeting will be held on January 26, 2026 at 6:00 PM in the High School Community Forum Room. Monthly Regular Board of Education Meeting agendas will be posted on the district website at www.wegafremont.k12.wi.us, the Weyauwega Public Library, Weyauwega City Hall, Fremont Village Hall, Neuschafer Community Library, Waupaca County Post, and at all W-F District locations. Dawn Loughrin Board Secretary CLOSED SESSION Motion by Kohl, seconded by Ehrenberg, to adjourn to closed session at 7:07 p.m. pursuant to Section 19.85(1)(c), Wis. Stats., for the following purpose of considering the employment, promotion, compensation, or performance evaluation data of any public employee over which the governmental body has jurisdiction or exercises responsibility. Discussion regarding a possible closed session discussion under Wisconsin Statutes section 19.85(1)(e) to review individual employee compensation will occur prior to any potential closed session. The requirement for the closed session to discuss negotiations with individual employees is due to the fact that the parties have not reached an agreement or determination for individual employee compensation levels, and the possible closed session will afford the Board the ability to be apprised of the status of negotiations with any individual employees and the establishment of potential counter proposals to be presented to such individual employees. Roll Call Vote: Kohl, aye; Ehrenberg, aye; Loehrke, aye, Gorchals, aye, Looker aye, Gerrits aye/nay. Six (6) ayes. Zero (0) nays. Motion carried. Motion by Gerrits, seconded by Ehrenberg, to adjourn closed session meeting at 7:59 p.m. Six (6) ayes. Zero (0) nays. Motion carried. Motion by Looker, seconded by Gorchals, to reconvene into open session meeting at 7:59 p.m. Six (6) ayes. Zero (0) nays. Motion carried. Motion to Ehrenberg, seconded by Gerrits, to adjourn open session meeting at 7:59 p.m. Six (6) ayes. Zero (0) nays. Motion carried. Trisha Loehrke Clerk Published March 12, 2026 WNAXLP
