Waitsburg School Board selects Abel as board member

WAITSBURG - The Waitsburg School Board held its regular business meeting on Wednesday, August 20, at 6 p.m. Superintendent Monty Sabin, Board Chair Christy House, and board members Charlie Barron, Julie Karl, and Abby Grende were present.

After adopting the agenda, the board entered an executive session to discuss candidate interviews for the open board seat. The session ended, and the board voted unanimously to appoint Tylor Abel as School Board Director for position 3.

Secondary Principal Joe Wirtzberger was not in attendance due to personal reasons, and his report was not available.

Athletic Director Brittany Zuger gave the sign-up number for middle and high school fall sports. She said the high school volleyball team had 14 players and still needed 2 to 4 additional players. There were eight students on the cheer team.

Zuger reported that Caris Lynch has been hired as the assistant HS volleyball coach, and Savannah Castillo will be the MS varsity coach.

The transportation and facilities reports were not available for the meeting.

In Sabin's primary school principal report, he told the board that the Palouse Valley Community Center is offering an after-school program for Waitsburg students. The school will provide transportation to the center located across from Preston Park. The program, After-School Rocks!, is held weekly, from Monday through Wednesday. Registration is available at https://tinyurl.com/yc7m8kcc.

Sabin said Hilary Wheeler will be the Assistant Director of Special Education through ESD 112, replacing Dusty Wirtzberger, who accepted a position as principal in Warden, Wash.

The superintendent spoke on the recent reorganization of the school's classrooms and facilities. The middle school students will no longer have classes at Preston Hall. Sixth graders will join the K-5 classes at the Waitsburg Elementary School building. The seventh- and eighth-grade students will transition to Waitsburg High School as secondary students. Preston Hall will be used for storage and office space, and the gym will remain in use. It will also improve efficiency for the secondary principal, who will no longer have to split time between buildings.

Sabin said the move of the middle school classrooms required the district to create an internal entity with the primary and secondary designations. He said the district would still use elementary, middle school, or high school designations for students, sports teams, uniforms, and on diplomas. Seniors will still graduate from Waitsburg High School.

In his report, Sabin stated that enrollment was progressing well and he anticipated it would exceed the 250 students budgeted for 2025-26.

He concluded his report with a recommendation to purchase a Thomas 47-passenger bus equipped with a wheelchair lift. Board members Barron and Grende questioned the need for the new bus. They wanted to investigate smaller 15-passenger buses or vans that would not require drivers with Commercial Driver's Licenses (CDL), school bus, or passenger endorsements. Grende wanted to know if coaches and teachers could drive a smaller bus or van without a CDL.

Sabin said the new Thomas bus would be more efficient, require less maintenance, and could be on a depreciation schedule. The current bus is no longer eligible for depreciation. He also reminded the board that a bus bought this year would take a year for delivery.

Barron said he would like more information before making a decision. The board tabled the decision.

The board approved the employee, coach, and student handbooks, as well as the athletic, activity, and parent Codes of Conduct. Before the vote, the board discussed issues related to the disciplinary policy and its implementation.

The meeting adjourned after the board approved the fee and stipend schedules, Classified Employee Agreement, and the annual transfer of $11,500 from the general fund to the Capital Projects Fund.