Watertown Area Public Schools meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

Watertown school board hires four administrators, sets bus contract vote for Aug. 24

The Watertown Area Public Schools board approved contracts for four administrators at a special meeting Aug. 17, including a new director of curriculum and instruction and a dean of students. The board also reviewed hiring policies and health insurance options in committee meetings over the past two weeks, and will vote on a five-year bus contract and health insurance renewal at its regular meeting Aug. 24.

Administrator hires

At the Aug. 17 special meeting, the board unanimously approved contracts for:

• Theresa Janke-Oestreicher as RMS Dean of Students (unanimous)
• Carl Millard as Director of Curriculum and Instruction (unanimous)
• Jesse Domer as WHS Career and Technology Education Coordinator (unanimous)
• Jamie Stearns as Special Education Coordinator (8-0, 1 abstention)

The board met in closed session to interview finalists before reconvening in open session to vote.

Committee reviews and discussions

Several committees met over the past two weeks, but most took no formal action.

• **Policy Review Committee (Aug. 12):** Forwarded four redlined hiring policies, including Policy 1900, to the board for a first reading. It also referred screen time and technology policies back to Educational Services for continued monitoring, requested legal counsel review of Drug-Free Workplace guideline language (ag4122.01) regarding searches, and recommended bereavement leave policy language be sent to legal counsel. The committee agreed to add a link to the Neola Policy Platform on the district website.
• **Educational Services Committee (Aug. 11):** Reviewed the 2026-27 assessment calendar, special education policies and procedures, screen time usage data, and Constitution Day activities. No action was taken.
• **Human Resources Committee (Aug. 17):** Reviewed draft consent agenda items for staff appointments, resignations, and retirements, and discussed ten open teacher vacancies. Held a closed session to review health insurance RFI results, but made no decisions. Recommended the administration explore an employee stipend program and added items to the Aug. 24 board agenda, including a resolution to renew Quartz Benefits for 2027.
• **Fiscal Management Committee (Aug. 19):** Reviewed a contract for special education transportation for 2026-27, safety updates, and drill logs. No action was taken.
• **Curriculum Committee (Aug. 19):** Discussed course guide updates, a definition of classical curriculum, the 7-year curriculum cycle, and a world language review. No action was taken.

Other board activities

• **Aug. 11:** The board held a professional development session on WISEdash Local and toured the Watertown High School construction project. No decisions were made; the meeting was adjourned by unanimous voice vote.
• **Aug. 18:** Board members attended the Watertown Educator Chamber Breakfast at Maranatha Baptist University. No official business was conducted.

Coming up

The regular monthly board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 24. Key action items include:

• **Resolution #9537:** A five-year transportation contract with D&H Enterprises, Inc., at $6.06 per certified mile for regular routes, $1.50 per mile for extracurricular trips, $57.26 per hour for the first hour of in-district trips, and $25.13 per hour after, running Aug. 1, 2026 through Jul. 31, 2031.
• **Resolution #9540:** Approval of the 2027 Quartz Health Insurance Renewal as recommended by the HR Committee.
• **Resolution #9539:** Approval of WUSD Special Education Policies and Procedures based on the Wisconsin DPI model (July 2026).
• The consent agenda includes one resignation and seven appointments, including Sean Douglass as English Teacher and Amy Montoya as Kindergarten Teacher.

The board will also hold first readings of several policies (e.g., 1900, 1901, 1902, 3120) and second readings of administrative guidelines (e.g., ag1100, ag2260.01A).

On Aug. 25, the board will attend a staff welcome-back lunch at Watertown High School, 825 Endeavour Dr., Watertown. No official business will be conducted.

Watertown School Board sets math and literacy as 2026-27 focus; most recent meetings await minutes

The Watertown Area Public Schools Board's only confirmed decisions in the past two weeks came at its July 28 retreat, where members identified improving math and literacy as the board's focus area for 2026-27 and scheduled two retreats. Most other recent meetings were agenda-only with minutes not yet published, so their outcomes are not yet in the official record.

Board Retreat — July 28 (decided)

According to official minutes, the board:

• Reviewed Board Evaluation Survey data from May 2026.
• Identified improving math and literacy as the 2026-2027 board focus.
• Scheduled 2026-27 board retreats for January and May.
• Confirmed WISEdash Local professional development for August 11, 2026.

No formal votes on policy or spending were recorded.

Regular Monthly Board Meeting — July 27 (agenda only)

Minutes are not yet published. The agenda called for the board to consider:

• A consent agenda including hiring Josh Barnett as Dean of Students, plus nine other certified staff appointments and six teacher appointments starting August 2026.
• Donations reported: Bank of Lake Mills $1,832.90; Ad-Tech Industries $1,089.84; K&S Manufacturing $1,000; Generac Foundation $1,000.
• Strategic discussion on the 2025-26 ACT 12 incident report and a student screentime reduction campaign.
• Approval of minutes from June 22, July 14, and July 20, 2026 meetings.
• Reports from curriculum, fiscal, HR, planning, and policy committees.

Committee Meetings — July 20 and 22 (agenda only)

Both committees met for discussion only; no formal action was taken.

Human Resources Committee (July 20):

• Discussion of Curriculum and Instruction Position Classification.
• Review of Consent Agenda and Human Resources Summary.
• Review of June action items, including the Co-interim Superintendent contract and the addition of Tammy Fournier to the USI RFI process team.

Fiscal Management Committee (July 22):

• Pool agreement with the City of Watertown.
• Summer construction update for high school renovation.
• Waste and recycling contract.
• Three purchases over $20,000: two vans, a USI benefits contract, and Frontline Absence Management.
• Movement of middle school co-curriculars to Fund 80, with mill rate impact analysis.

Closed Session — July 20 (agenda only)

The board intended to conduct interviews for the 2026-27 Interim Superintendent position. Minutes are not yet published.

Cancelled Meeting — July 30

A special closed-session board meeting scheduled for July 30 was cancelled. It had been set to interview finalists and vote on Resolution #9528, a WHS Dean of Students employment contract effective 8/24/26.

Coming Up

• **Aug. 3 — Special Board Meeting, closed session:** Finalist interviews and consideration of Resolution #9529, a WHS Career and Technology Education Coordinator employment contract effective 8/24/26.
• **Aug. 4 — Special Board Meeting, closed session:** Scheduled votes on Resolution #9531 (WUSD Communications Specialist, effective 8/10/26), Resolution #9532 (Special Education Program Coordinator, effective 8/11/26), and Resolution #9533 (Joseph Brachmann as Music Teacher at Douglas Elementary School, effective 8/24/26). Finalist interviews are also planned for the Communications Specialist and Special Education Program Coordinator roles.