Along with presentations from district staff and community members alike, the July meeting of the Waterloo School Board on Monday also saw votes for a superintendent contract extension and tentative budget preparation.

Taking place in the Waterloo High School cafeteria one hour after the scheduled start time of 7 p.m. due to an extended executive session, one of the meeting’s more notable moments came during a vote to extend the contract of Waterloo Superintendent of Schools Brian Charron.

The motion, as read by Waterloo School Board President Lori Dillenberger, described that the contract was effective July 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2028.

The board had previously accepted an “irrevocable letter of retirement” from Charron effective June 30, 2027, in October 2023.

Following the meeting, Charron clarified he originally submitted his intent to retire at his first eligibility but communicated a desire with the board that he stay until eligible for full retirement benefits in December 2028. Thus, this contract agreement centered largely around the revised retirement date.

Following a motion to approve and prior to roll call, board member Nathan Mifflin spoke briefly to explain his impending “no” vote, saying that though he disagreed with some items in the contract, he would respect the decision of the board and would expect the board to continue working together for the benefit of the community.

Board member John Caupert also made a statement prior to the vote, voicing his intent to approve.

“My vote on the extension of this man’s contract sends a vote of confidence to every administrator, every teacher, every coach and every staff member in this district, and I emphatically support this contract,” Caupert said.

Waterloo School Board Secretary Amanda Propst also spoke in the middle of the vote to discuss her decision, saying the contract was premature given Charron’s previous letter of retirement.

Waterloo School Board Vice President Neil Giffhorn, Dillenberger, Caupert and board members James Yaekel and Jodi Burton voted in favor, and Propst and Mifflin voted against.

Another split vote came earlier in the agenda as the board voted to amend compensation for Waterloo High School Assistant Principal Margaret Herring to $77,521 for 2025-26 and $82,560 for 2026-27.

Mifflin also spoke prior to the vote here, speaking on the importance of paying district staff well while also being fiscally responsible for the community, further expressing concerns about how the district decides individual compensation matters.

Propst likewise spoke prior to her own vote.

Caupert, Giffhorn, Yaekel and Dillenberger voted in support while Burton, Mifflin and Propst voted against, with the motion ultimately being approved.

Another item approved by the board concerned a tentative budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year, approving for Charron to begin preparing the budget for review and also setting a budget hearing to be held Aug. 14, the budget available for 30 days prior to the hearing.

Extra-duty assignments as well as the volunteer list were also approved, as was the first reading of board policies Press Plus Issue 119.

The board also approved a matter concerning the teacher evaluation process, with Charron explaining that since 2012, student growth had been a legally required component of teacher evaluations, though this requirement was recently dropped.

The employment of a full-time elementary teacher for the coming school year was also approved.

Regarding presentations, the first to address the board was HSS President Anne Riley, who spoke on behalf of the Monroe County Coalition for Drug Free Communities and was joined by Christy Gardner, the coalition’s youth director.

Riley, followed by Gardner, spoke about the coalition and their efforts with teens in the county, particularly when it comes to establishing Operation Snowball clubs at the county’s high schools, groups focused on drug prevention and mental health awareness.

“What we focus on is developing leaders. Basically what it can do is, we work with the kids,” Gardner said. “They would come in, they would have a club, and they would come up with different ideas on maybe prevention strategies for vaping, smoking, drinking and drugs, and then from there maybe they have some ideas on having youth activities outside of school.”

Gardner explained that, in establishing an Operation Snowball club at WHS as has been done in Valmeyer and Columbia as well as at Gibault Catholic High School, they would not need any financial support from the district and are simply pursuing approval.

Gardner, herself a substitute teacher in the district, would serve as the group’s supervisor, at least to begin with.

The board also saw a presentation from district technology media specialist Amber Cruser, who spoke about the Parent Square software and the benefits it will provide the district in regard to consolidating communication among staff, faculty, students and parents.

Also presenting was Waterloo Junior High School art teacher Annette Rau, who spoke on behalf of the Waterloo Classroom Teachers Association about individuals in the district who had received grants for various projects.

Much of Rau’s presentation focused on her own grant from Fund for Teachers which allowed her to participate in some personally-curated professional development, traveling to England to learn about embroidery and various other elements pertaining to fabric and art to incorporate in her classroom.

“It’s been an amazing opportunity for me to get out and learn from professionals,” Rau said. “I’ve really, really appreciated this opportunity, and I feel like there’s so much I’m going to be able to bring back to our students.”

Additionally, prompted by Mifflin at the start of the meeting, Andy Mayer spoke about an agreement between the district and Morrison-Talbott Library. Mayer is a trustee on the library board.

“With this agreement, every student would have access to a library card and to the databases that Morrison-Talbott offers,” Mayer said. “That also includes all full-time staff, so any teacher can use any of the databases and be eligible for a card regardless of where they live.”