SPRING VALLEY – The Spring Valley School Board’s Aug. 19 meeting addressed referendum project and strategic plan updates, as well as the introduction of a new communication system for students, …
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SPRING VALLEY – The Spring Valley School Board’s Aug. 19 meeting addressed referendum project and strategic plan updates, as well as the introduction of a new communication system for students, staff and parents.
Supt. John Groh said overall, referendum projects are “going very well but we will be using every minute until the students come on Tuesday morning to get major things completed and finished.”
Over the weekend of Aug. 21-23, the flooring was being installed in the middle/high school. Groh, who has been through five school building remodels/new construction over his career, said all school construction projects have a similar theme: the summer slam, trying to fit everything in before students return to buildings in a compressed timeline.
“We’ve had 50-70 contractors onsite over the past few weeks,” he said.
For some teachers this past week, it was business as usual setting up their classrooms; for others, especially tech ed, limited access to classrooms could be attributed to finalization of mechanical and HVAC work throughout their spaces.
“The staff has worked really hard to get ready,” Groh said. “We’re so thankful for them as being flexible is important. There will be punch list items and certain projects that will continue into early to late fall, such as interior windows that aren’t here.”
When students file into the middle/high school this week, they’ll be greeted by many updates, including new central air, a new sprinkler system, new LED lighting, updated flooring in all corridors and the common areas, remodeled special education classrooms, updates to the fire alarm system, refurbished locker rooms, new scoreboards, sidewalk/concrete repair and seal coated parking lots. A new large video display scoreboard will also adorn the gym, but this was paid for by business sponsors, not referendum dollars, Groh said. The district also added a wellness room for new mothers/employees with a sink and refrigerator.
“The track is being constructed right now,” Groh said. “The stairway and switchback ADA ramp, all the foundations were poured. The drainage systems are going into the inside layer of the track.”
The gravel base has been laid and asphalt and rubber coating should be going on in September.
“It’s really an overhaul of our nearly 30-year-old building. It’s nice to get it modernized,” Groh said.
Communication platform
The district is planning to sign a contract with ParentSquare, “an all-in-one digital communication and family engagement platform used by K-12 school districts and schools. It connects school administrators and teachers with parents and guardians through text, email, app notifications, and web portals,” according to their website.
Groh described ParentSquare as a one-stop shop that will allow families to connect with school staff, sign forms, message teachers, get updates on grades, all in one place. It will eliminate the need for multiple communication apps, such as Remind, Band App, etc., which can be confusing. It will also eliminate the need for coaches to text students from cell phones, and all communications will be archived.
This new communication tool will help the district be in compliance with state law. Wisconsin passed Act 89 last year, which “defines how staff members, employees and volunteers can and cannot communicate with students,’ Groh said. “It’s meant to protect students from grooming and students being put on risk. It does happen rarely and we don’t want it to happen here.”
Act 89 requires all public school districts, private schools, and independent charter schools to adopt formal staff-student communication policies by Sept. 1, 2026, and provide annual staff training on identifying and reporting grooming and boundary violations.
Football field naming
The board held an open discussion on a request submitted by Jerry Hannack and Russ Keehr June 17 to rename the football field “Bob Thomas Field” in honor of late Spring Valley educator and coach Robert Thomas.
Thomas taught at Spring Valley school for 25 years and coached baseball, football and track and field. Under his leadership, he led the Cardinals to the Division 5 State Championship in football in 1978, a 49-game winning streak and an overall career record of 119-79-4. He also helped introduce wrestling in Spring Valley, becoming the head coach in 1976 and mentoring 29 state tournament participants and two state champions.
Groh said overall the comments have been positive, including nearly 50 on the district’s Facebook post and several signatures on the original proposal. The district has received three written letters requesting the district name the field “Cardinal Field,” citing the fact that “Spring Valley has had a lot of amazing coaches and will have more amazing coaches in the future.
The school board members asked Groh to reach out to Thomas’s family to get their thoughts and ask how they would like next steps to be determined. The item will possibly be on the agenda for a vote at the September meeting, which is right before Dam Days and a home football game.
Other business
