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At its regular monthly June meeting, the School Board agreed to approve a request naming the middle/high school gymnasium in honor of Scott Schmitz, longtime physical education teacher and head wrestling coach (he has also been an assistant golf and volleyball coach through the years).
Go to the one hour, 28 minute mark of the video: https://youtu.be/gB1DJeCrCdY
Vickie Dahl and George Fiedler help make the presentation to the Board.
The Wrestling Club and the Mineral Point High School Athletic Department made a request in naming the high school gym. Coach Schmitz coached wrestling for 32 years in Mineral Point. His teams compiled 480+ wins with nine conference championships, 17 regional championships, 11 sectional championships, five team state championships, two team state runner-up finishes, along with 26 individual state champions.
Coach Schmitz was the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year six times and the WWCA State Coach of the Year three times. He was also the National Federation of High Schools Sectional Coach of the Year in 2003. He was inducted into the Allen E. Bauman Mineral Point Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009, the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2013, and the George Martin Hall of Fame in 2016.
Coach Schmitz was a longtime teacher and coach for the Mineral Point Unified School District starting in 1987 and retired as head wrestling coach after the 2018-19 season. More recently, he retired from teaching physical education at the end of the 2022-23 school year. The gym was his physical education classroom, but Scott also initiated the lifetime physical education program. The curriculum included archery, canoeing, golf, frisbee golf, pickleball, badminton, and weight training. He has worked for the District for a total of 36 years.
The Wrestling Club has made significant donations over the years, not just to our wrestling program, but to improve our District facilities as well. They have been able to fundraise to help the wrestling program purchase mats, uniforms, and equipment and have made donations to improve our gyms including the floor, mat hoist, and curtains.
The Board voted 6-0-1 (with Rachael Bergstrom abstaining and Will Harris absent) to name the high school gym Scott Schmitz Community Gymnasium.
Other business:
— The Board honored the following for their achievements: 2022-23 District Retirees (Vickie Dahl, Benita Schmitz, Scott Schmitz, Jenny Wahlin), State Civics Games Team, State High School Track & Field participants, State Middle School Track & Field participants, and State Runner-Up Golf team. (This begins the meeting video)
— The Board unanimously accepted (with Harris absent) the retirement notice of Jenny Wahlin, High School Spanish Teacher, and the resignations of Jim Deutsch, Elementary Night Custodian; Lesley Macaulay, Middle/High School Art Teacher; and Jessie Van Overmeer, Elementary Art Teacher. (Go to the two hour, 16 minute mark)
— Following closed session, the Board unanimously approved (with Harris absent) each of the following hires:
- Chris Carr, High School Phy Ed Teacher/Middle & High School Athletic Director
- Preston Dubey, Elementary Special Education Teacher
- Mike Hadfield, Middle/High School Art Teacher
- Valerie Martin, Middle/High School Business Teacher
- Amy McDaniel, District Psychologist
- Brooke McGraw, 6-12 Assistant Principal with Middle School Focus
- Ryne Ponsler, High School Spanish Teacher
— The Board discussed what businesses/organizations they may wish to nominate for this year’s Wisconsin Association of School Boards’ Business Honor Roll. (Go to the 17 minute, 15 second mark)
— The Board heard an Operations Committee meeting report. (Go to the 21 minute, 45 second mark)
— The Board heard monthly reports from building principals. (Go to the 37 minute, 15 second mark)
— Superintendent Mitch Wainwright provided his monthly budget comparison. (Go to the one hour, 21 minute, 15 second mark)
— The Board unanimously approved (with Harris absent) the second reading of Rule 458 – Education for Homeless Children and Youth. (Go to the one hour, 49 minute, 45 second mark)
— The Board unanimously approved (with Harris absent) the annual short-term borrowing line of credit, this year from Farmers Savings Bank with a lower interest rate than Mound City Bank. Short-term borrowing is needed throughout the school year, in between state aid payments. (Go to the one hour, 51 minute mark)
— The Board unanimously approved (with Harris absent) the fee schedule for the 2023-24 school year. Lunches need to be increased by $0.10 according to DPI. The student activity passes will now be paid for separately for middle and high school students, as it has been for elementary. The other new fee is for high school media class participants. (Go to the one hour, 54 minute mark)
— The Board unanimously approved (with Harris absent) the budget amendments as presented. (Go to the two hour, one minute, 45 second mark)
— The Board unanimously approved (with Harris absent) the 2023-24 preliminary budget. This will allow the district to start making purchases on items needed to start the school year, but does not yet include what salaries will be for staff next school year as the district is still waiting on more budget information from the state. (Go to the two hour, six minute, 30 second mark)
— The Board unanimously approved (with Harris absent) the credit card statement and bills payable. (Go to the two hour, 12 minute, 30 second mark)
— The next regular meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 10 at 6 pm.