Officers retain their roles on Board of Education

At its meeting Monday, the Rice Lake Board of Education officers were all re-elected to their positions of leadership with Keven Jensen as president, Steve Bowman as vice president, Miriam Vavra as clerk and Doug Kucko as treasurer. All committee appointments will remain the same as well.

The board discussed changing its board meeting time, on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. Some were for it and some against. The matter will be brought back to their next meeting as an action item on the agenda.

In other business, the school board:• Was given a petition of 57 signatures of students concerned about the loss of the social worker and one counselor next school year. Senior Hanna Johnson, who presented it, said although she will be in college and it won’t affect her, she is concerned for her friends who will still be in the school district who rely on mental health services.

• Gave Student Recognition Awards to Lee Whited, a third-grader at Haugen Elementary School; Evan Peterson, a third-grader at Hilltop Elementary School; Kenlie Petit, a fifth-grader at Rice Lake Middle School; and ShyAnna Sharpley, a junior at Rice Lake High School.

• Approved the employment of Donn Williams as a custodian at the Middle School; Jorge Mongelos Melgarejo, lunchroom and playground supervisor at the Middle School; and Sophia Becker, part-time lifeguard at the swimming pool.

• Approved AP chemistry and psychology textbooks as recommended by the Curriculum Committee.

• Will observe Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week in the district, May 6-10.