SENECA - Seneca will join Wauzeka-Steuben in forming a middle school co-op football team, the Seneca School Board decided at their February meeting.
The board passed the motion, noting some minor modifications they wanted made to the proposal from the Wauzeka-Steuben School District.
Seneca School Board President Shawn Lenzendorf made the motion and Mark Johnson seconded it.
In seconding the motion, Johnson noted it makes sense to form a middle school football co-op with Wauzkea-Steuben, with whom Seneca is already in high school football co-op.
The motion passed unanimously with board member Crisse Reynolds abstaining.
The Seneca-Wauzeka-Steuben football team’s head coach, Derrick Joy, attended the meeting. The coach asked if the co-op middle school team would have a paid coach from Seneca. He was assured the middle school team proposal calls for having a paid coach from each of the two schools.
Field improvements
Joy was in attendance to ask the board to consider doing some improvements to school’s football field. The coach acknowledgedthe field is used for just a few games, but said simple improvements like re-seeding and removing holes dug by gophers would be a big improvement.
The coach also asked for more dedicated storage area for equipment used at practices. He was assured that arrangements for more storage space had already been made.
In other business
In other business, the Seneca School Board:
• unanimously agreed to purchase the ‘Envision Math’ curriculum for elementary school use at a price of around $5,000
• learned the January student count was down two students from the September count
• was assured by finance manager Sara Sime that the numbers were dead on with the budget at this point
• agreed to approve a five-year contract with Southwest Transportation if increases in fees are negotiated
• learned the district would begin classes next fall on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, the day after Labor Day
• approved giving the Seneca Area School District Monthly Recognition Award to the school’s Spelling Bee Champs–Grace Varo, Violet Varo and Sam Gallagher
• approved hiring Trevor O’Kane as the school’s new head coach of track.
