State of education in Waseca County

The superintendents of the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva (NRHEG), Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton (JWP), Waseca and Waterville-Elysian Morristown (WEM) school districts schedule a monthly get-together to discuss elements of their programs that they have in common and which will benefit from collaboration among their schools.

The first such meeting for the 2023-24 school year took place August 4. Present were NRHEG’s Michael Meihak, JWP’s Jeremy Erler, Waseca’s Eric Hudspith, and WEM’s new leader, John Regan.

As one spokesperson explained, a major project for the state’s school districts over the summer has been coping with a wide array of changes implemented  by the state legislature in spring.

“It’s not the changes that are a problem,” said Hudspith. “It’s the time frame we were given to make them.”

Other voices chime in, mentioning the abrupt change which now allows certain district employees to collect unemployment during the summer. Also sudden was the pronouncement that Juneteenth was now a mandated holiday. NRHEG, for example, had to move its regular third-Monday-of-the-month school board meeting to a different night with relatively little notice.

All district offices had to adapt to the procedures and bookkeeping called for by the unemployment rules.

Not only that, but the ramifications and requirements of some legislative changes are still being determined in early August, with the expectation that they will be followed by the end of the month.

“It’s been challenging, there’s no doubt,” observes JWP’s Erler.

Some of the new legislative requirements entail adding new staff; one example is an expansion of arts education which, in smaller districts, is likely to require the addition of a “fine arts” instructor at the elementary level. With many new schools suddenly looking for an additional arts teacher, districts are having trouble finding applicants.

On the other hand, Hudspith points out, rural districts received additional funding under the legislative changes, which was a pleasant surprise since many outstate districts have felt the legislature has been  consistently “metro-centric” with past funding increases. “As we dig deeper into the information, there may be some sources which will be even more help to our programs than we realized,” observes Hudspith.

NRHEG’s Meihak mentions a regional opportunity through the South Central Service Cooperative (SCSC) which may provide area schools with a “Career and Technical Education Workforce Coordinator” to help increase opportunities for students in the hands-on education areas of food science, agriculture, construction and business.

Also a possibility for the districts is the “Hope Squad,” a program intended to support student mental health and sense of well-being.

Asked to share something they’re excited about for the coming year, WEM’s Regan mentions becoming acquainted with the staff after spending the summer working on administration-focused work.

Waseca’s Hudspith says he is excited to continue working on the district’s five-year plan, which includes a focus on individual education for each learner. By helping students examine their own education and career plans, he says, the program helps students take advantage of opportunities selected to help them advance those goals.

“We’re working to assure all changes and additions are made with purpose and attention to the needs of our students, families and staff.”

Meihak mentions that NRHEG’s focus on expanding its offerings and programs is providing “dividends” in the form of increased enrollments for the district. He attributes this to the quality staff and facilities NRHEG has been building ever since the revamping of the district’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) facilities.

JWP’s Erler takes pride in the continued growth his district has shown in its advanced metal sculpture, life skills, and elementary art programs. “We’ve been asking for funding to make these improvements for years,” he said. “Now at least one of those new positions has been supported financially by the legislature.”

In addition to their scheduled monthly collaboration sessions, the four superintendents mention that they communicate among themselves quite freely as they face shared questions or tasks. “It helps us serve our districts more efficiently,” observes Erler.

And thinking of the shared complications presented by winter storms, Hudspith jokes, “The text chains become very active around 5 a.m. when there’s weather moving in.”