The Glen Lake Community Schools Board of Education received a wide-ranging set of updates at its June 8 meeting, covering the PTO’s annual fundraising, summer staffing struggles, ongoing construction projects, and a new student cell phone policy.
The district currently has an “Away for the Day” phone policy in grades K-8, which Glen Lake Superintendent Jason Misner noted is one option in compliance with the state’s phone policy requirements. The board’s new policy moves to a “bell to bell” restriction for grades K-12.
Misner pointed to broader shifts in how students socialize. “I think we’re seeing a pendulum swing in society,” he said.
Misner did describe groups of student bringing hacky sack back and a lot more noise in the common areas with students interacting, but the staff would still like to see more of that and less of phones.
“We’re not having them interact as much as we’d like,” Misner said.
Under the new disciplinary structure, a second phone violation results in a parent phone call, while a third violation moves to more serious disciplinary action. Misner said he’s heard support from parents for the change. “It’s not going to be much different for our kids. I’ve heard from a lot of parents that they want us to do this,” he said.
The district is juggling multiple open positions heading into the summer as it prepares for the fall semester.
“Calling people for a first round or second round interview has led to some conversations of people taking a job elsewhere at another district,” Glen Lake Superintendent Jason Misner said. “We’ve always felt it, but this is the year we’re feeling it the most, to the point of almost not letting someone leave the interview before offering them a job.”
Misner said Glen Lake is focused on hiring quality candidates, but getting them to commit has become a challenge this year.
An elementary physical education teacher departed, and the board approved a replacement elementary kindergarten teacher. Internally, a fourthgrade teacher is moving to third grade, and the district has posted openings for first-and-second- grade teachers on its website.
“We are grounded in hiring principles and a robust process to hire the best people and be a desirable place to work,” he said.
The district came close to hiring a secondary math teacher before the candidate’s current district made a counteroffer to keep him. Glen Lake had been searching for two math hires and is now back to zero, Misner said. Additional athletic department openings are also in progress and will come before the board for approval soon.
On the special education front, Northwest Education Services is working through a series of meetings with area schools to determine how special education funding will work going forward. Glen Lake could pursue funding reimbursement for a special education supervisor position to bolster its services.
Looking further ahead, every school district will be required to have a literacy coach starting in the 2027-28 school year. Currently, that function is filled through a Northwest Ed position that comes to the district, but Glen Lake will need to weigh how to handle the role going forward, including the possibility of funding its own position down the road.
“All things to make the schedule work and give kids a robust offering in school,” Misner said. “We are not going to settle.”
Glen Lake announced that the district’s old steam boilers have been removed, and the building has fully transitioned to a hot water heating system.
“We’re fighting off a lot this summer,” Misner said, describing another busy season of construction projects.
Crews are installing quarry tile throughout the secondary renovation project, including in the 300 and 400 hallways, with new plumbing outflow work being completed before new flooring goes down. Classrooms in the 300 and 400 sections are being remodeled with horizontal to vertical unit ventilators, along with hot water and climate control upgrades. Common areas throughout the building, from the superintendent’s lobby down through the secondary lobby to the kitchen and cafeteria, will also be remodeled.
“It will look completely different. I really hope when folks come back in the fall for the open house, there will be significant improvements,” Misner said.
The front of the building, including the superintendent’s office area, is expected to be the last piece finished, and could push into the start of the school year if delays occur. Misner said the district is hopeful the work stays on schedule, but acknowledged a lot could still affect the timeline. Technology upgrades and door control upgrades throughout the schools are also planned for the summer.
Separately, the district is still waiting on a bid for tennis court resurfacing work, which is expected to take place in July. The board’s next meeting isn’t until June 22, leaving a tight window to approve the bid in time. Misner said the district could have tackled the tennis project in phases over multiple years, but is positioned to handle it all this summer financially and get it staged on the contractor’s schedule. The courts will be power washed, have the old surface torn off, and recoated ahead of the fall season, with closures lasting a couple of weeks.
