August 2022

Welcome Back!

My how things have changed at the school this summer! We are so excited to welcome you all back for the 2022-2023 school year. We still have a few loose ends with the building project and a few more months to go on the music rooms and auditorium, but generally speaking, we’re ready to welcome you in.

Staffing Changes

We are excited to welcome the following new employees for the 2022-2023 school year:

Whitney Berns - 5th Grade Teacher

Adeline Finley - 3 Year Old Preschool Program Lead

Kelsey Jacobs - Middle School Counselor

Kaia Johanningmeier - 7th & 8th Science Teacher

Alexis Kroeger - 4th Grade Teacher

Kendra Philipp - 2nd Grade Teacher

Chaddwick Plotz - 6th Science & Social Studies Teacher

Heather Plotz - 1st Grade Teacher

Kristin Wahlert - 4th Grade Teacher

Special Election - Mark your calendar

It is time to ask our community to renew an important funding source that we call PPEL, or the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy. The district will be using the September 13 Special Election date to present the renewal question to the community.

School administration has a responsibility to remain neutral regarding elections, but we also have the responsibility to provide factual information about any item appearing on the ballot. In this case, the facts are simple. The upcoming election will ask for a renewal of the levy at the same tax rate, $1.34, for ten (10) years. No changes to the allowable uses are being proposed.

The Alburnett district uses PPEL funding in three categories - technology, transportation, and facility needs. PPEL funds cannot be used to operate the district. That means the funds cannot be spent on salaries, instructional supplies, fuel, etc.; only the items that appear on the ballot. When categorized in these three categories - technology, transportation, and facility needs - the district is able to make budget projections to keep these items updated on a yearly basis.

For technology, the district updates one-third of the student computers each year and one-third of the staff computers each year. We also do periodic updates to hardware such as servers, switches, and access points.

For transportation, we have been able to gradually improve our fleet with the purchase of one new bus and one new support vehicle each year. While we still have a somewhat aged fleet, the annual purchase with PPEL funds has yielded five new buses and four new support vehicles since 2019. Simply put, we’ve gained a lot of ground since our last PPEL related election.

For facilities, expenditures vary depending on needed repairs and maintenance. For example, during the 2021-2022 school year, the district increased security cameras, purchased furniture for the building project, and purchased a new vacuum to name just a few items.

There is still plenty of time to ask questions before the election on September 13. The question on the ballot will be very straightforward - may the district renew the same Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) at the same levy rate for ten years.