At the April 28 Fillmore Central School Board meeting, Superintendent Heath Olstad gave the elementary and high school reports. On April 16, the district conducted its annual tornado drill. The next day, actual tornado warnings gave the opportunity to practice in real life. Both buildings had to delay dismissal as students and staff sheltered in place. Olstad gave kudos to the Preston and Harmony Fire Departments as both reached out with information that day to assist. “It was handled very well,” Olstad commented. “We learned some from this.” Several small changes will be made for future tornado drills based on what was learned from the event, such as changing how communication with parents will be handled.
The MCA testing is wrapping up as is the school year. Superintendent Olstad noted that right now is a very hectic season as many field trips are being scheduled, music concerts are taking place, and Summer Strength and Agility is being organized, along with several other events.
Currently 73 children are enrolled in One Block at a Time daycare and 64 in SAC. There are 35 places filled on the waitlist. The daycare holds a fire drill each month as required. SAC summer activities are being planned and staff has been lined up to work this summer. The daycare, SAC and 3/4 preschool groups are working on creating art to give to residents of Gundersen Care Center in Harmony, Preston Veterans Home, and Traditions of Preston for Nursing Home Week in May.
Breanna Dietrich was hired as a long-term substitute custodian, Princess Dowel as a volunteer coach for the spring play, Ruth Mikos as the high school art teacher for the 2026-27 school year, and Ashley Gusa and Karen Skretta as daycare substitutes. Tim Ostrom was hired as the Summer Rec coordinator, MaryBeth Ostrom as a van driver and coach, and Maddie Topness, Amelia Ringer, Joey Pederson, and Ryan Schroeder as student coaches. Walker Ward and Logan Walker were approved as baseball coaches. Travis Malley was hired as the head volleyball coach, Shelly Topness as the JV coach, and Abbey Hellickson as the volunteer coach. Andrew Pederson was hired as the head strength coach and Amanda Janssen as the head cheer coach. The football coaches were also hired and included Chris Mensink as the head coach, Andrew Pederson as the assistant coach, Andy Todd as JV coach, David Broadwater as the ninth grade coach, Ty Sloan as the eighth grade coach, Brady Ristau as the seventh grade coach, and Kurt Bockoven, Aaron Janssen, and Gary Sloan as volunteer assistants. Connie Lindstrom’s contract was terminated. Resignations were accepted from Nancy Broadwater, Anna Lane, and Ben Starr as JV baseball coach.
The board reviewed the 2025-26 revised budget and noted some changes that had been made due to changes in various student numbers.
An agreement with Chris Lannin as the district’s contracted licensed media specialist for the rest of this school year and the next was approved.
The collection agency that has been providing services for the district is no longer available to do so. The school will be handling the NSF check fees in-house for the time being. The collection agency had been charging $30 for NSF checks, but the district will be able to reduce that to $10 to cover bank fees and additional staff time.
A contract with Houston Public School for physical impairment and traumatic brain injury services was approved.
The board approved hours for the Early Childhood Special Education extended school year with Cari Ledin and Connie Berg serving as the teachers for the program this summer.
The elementary walk-in freezer needs to be replaced. Several quotes were received, but the board decided to approve the bid from Kingsley Mercantile as their bid included electrical, plumbing, etc. It was noted that they also offer a good warranty and local service.
The quarterly donations were reviewed and approved with gratitude.
Sports agreements with Mabel-Canton and Lanesboro were approved for the next school year.
Several open enrollment requests were approved.
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