Mascoutah School Superintendent Announces Retirement

Dr. Craig Fiegel

The Board hopes to
name the District’s new
superintendent by January

By Keith Gillett
Herald Publications

MASCOUTAH – After 11 years as superintendent of Mascoutah District 19, it was announced at the monthly meeting of the District 19 School Board that Dr. Craig Fiegel will be retiring at the end of the current school year. Dr. Fiegel has served as superintendent for the past 11 years.
The Board will immediately undertake a search for Dr. Fiegel’s replacement, which is expected to take five to six months. As part of the search process the Board approved a professional services contract with the Illinois Association of School Boards for $12,000 to help with the search.
The Board intends to name the District’s new superintendent by January, and have that individual in place by July 1 for the 2023-24 school year.
During his 11-year tenure with District 19, Dr. Fiegel has guided the District through a period of rapid enrollment expansion, which has included the construction of a new elementary school and an addition to the present Mascoutah Middle School.
In other business the Board:
• Heard a presentation from Mascoutah City Manager Becky Ahlvin and Mascoutah Mayor Pat McMahon on obtaining the District’s support for extending TIF 2B. The TIF district covers much of the southeastern part of Mascoutah, including parts of the downtown area.
Mascoutah is preparing to ask the State Legislature to delay the expiration of TIF 2B from March 20, 2023 until March 20, 2035 – an additional 12 years. Mascoutah has used TIF 2B to leverage over $6.3 million for public service projects and community improvements programs, which have included street improvements, façade improvement grants for businesses, roadway reconstruction improvements, Mascoutah Plaza improvements, resurfacing of Killian and Railway streets, manhole rehabs, and sanitary sewer rehabs.
Ahlvin and McMahon told the Board that an extension of TIF 2B will result in the continuation of improvement projects.
They also briefed the Board on a new 250-house subdivision planned east of 6th Street. The development will be located just north of property that the District has purchased for a proposed new Mascoutah Elementary School.
• Approved coaching assignments for Mascoutah High School for the upcoming school year to include: Aaron Hilgendorf as football head coach, and Troy Medvick, Jason McGovern, Frank Campbell, Morio Montgomery, Scott Finch, Tym McDonnell, L.P. Wills, Zach Thurston, and Frank Evans as assistants or volunteers;
Don Eddy as baseball coach, with Scott Doehring Jay Voss, Larry Pierson, Jared Klier, and Tim Casey as assistants or volunteers; Cole Schoemaker as boys basketball coach, with Cody Reynolds, Brian Rudolphi, Quincy Allen, and LP Wills as assistants or volunteers;
Mark Tubb as bowling coach with Derek Crain assisting; Darren Latham as cross country coach with Patt Cook and Ernie Kopp assisting; Cody Reynolds as boys golf coach with Ryan Florek assisting; Jack Guse as boys tennis coach with Hung Nguyen assisting;
Darren Latham as track and field coach with Pat Cook, Patricia Heiman, and Ernie Kopp assisting; Chris Lindsay as wrestling coach, with Mark Speicher assisting; Frank Evans as girls basketball coach, with Chelsea Steritt, Katie Elbe and Claire Norrenberns assisting; Ryanne Sirtak as cheerleading coach, with Abigail Benner and Caitlyn Black assisting;
Mary Ann Kolda as girls golf coach, with Jerry Kolda assisting; Lauren Stepp as girls soccer coach with Nick Carr, and Kenny Daniels assisting; Scott Simon as girls tennis coach with Samantha Ellis assisting; Todd Gober as girls volleyball coach with Breanna Gober, Nancy Frey and Lexi Gober assisting; and Amy Roberts as dance team coach.
• Approved a motion establishing a process to recycle and dispose of outdated technology equipment.
• Approved the September 13 Board meeting as the hearing date for the FY23 budget. The proposed budget has been open for public view since it was approved at the July Board meeting.
• Approved a contract with Missouri Reading initiative for a consultant to work with ELA teachers and coaches on implementation for the current school year – for $18,000.
• Accepted a bid from Netcom Bid for boring and fiber run between Mascoutah High School and LCL House for $18,848. The Districtr owns a private Wide Area Network between existing schools and the addition of the LCL House requires an extension of that network.
• Approved architect services with FGM Architects for the Mascoutah High School pod building project on an hourly basis, not to exceed $230,000.
Approved the following certified personnel actions:
• Hired Allison Cugier as school counselor at MMS; Bethany Harry as general music and 5th grade band teacher at SES; and Megan Seemann as Kindergarten teacher at SES.
• Transferred Brandy Bryant as a social worker at MMS to social work at MHS.
• Accepted the resignations of Lydia Oseguera as music teacher at SES effective July 20, 2022; Brandon Bauer as Kindergarten special education at SES effective July 28, 2022; and Laura Kehr as third grade teacher at SES effective August 1, 2022.
Approved the following certified actions:
• Jen Perkins as a replacement bus driver, Mandy Phillips as an individual care aide at SES, Michelle Haas in food service, Michelle Lewis in food service, Tiffany Bartlett as an individual care aide at SES, Melyssa Hauf as a supervisory aide at SES, Megan Ihm as a supervisory aide at SES, Kathleen Bleisch as a supervisory aide at MES, Kaycee Griffeth in food service at SES, Roberta Keck as a replacement bus driver, Tristan Newell in food service at MHS, Kimberly Steiger as a supervisory aide at MMS, Katrina Parker as a supervisory aide at MES, Charles Eckert as a supervisory aide at WES, Megan Hazzard as an instructional aide at MMS, Scott Nolda as a supervisory aide at MES, MarieWoodward as an instructional aide at WES, Kennedi Kehrer as an extended time care aide at MES, Rebecca Ledee as an instructional aide at MMS, and Mark Clem as an instructional aide at MHS.
• Approved the transfers of Angela Sova from food service at WES to food service at MES, Dawn Peters as a custodian at MHS to food service at WES, Kenya Cutchin as an extended time aide at WES to instructional aide at WES, and Olivia Aitkin from extended time aide at MES to individual care aide at MES.
• In his report to the Board, Superintendent Dr. Fiegel also reported that John Harris will be stepping down as chairman of the Mascoutah Achievement Awards, a position he has served for 25 years. The District will need to name a replacement.
• Dr. Fiegel also said that the District’s Covid back-to-school plan has been posted on the District website. It appears that the CDC has almost removed restrictions regarding Covid.
The next regular meeting of the District 19 School Board will be September 13 at the Administrative Support Center.