At their regular September 11 meeting, the Lanesboro School Board heard a report from Taher Food Services, the new vendor for the school’s lunch program. Taher’s district manager Brett Bauer and local food service director Emily Kiehne not only presented a report on the first few weeks of food service, but also set an attractive table and offered everyone treats of pumpkin … [Read more...]
Custodial Staff Named Hurricane Heroes in Houston
At the September 5 Houston School Board meeting, Superintendent Mary Morem declared the custodial staff the Hurricane Heroes for September. With lots of extra summer projects, the entire custodial staff put in extra duty and time; all of the projects were completed in-house with no outside hires. Morem shared that she and all the custodians met weekly about the projects’ … [Read more...]
Chatfield Board Looks at Five-year Plan
Special Meeting A special board meeting was held at 6 p.m., before the regular meeting of the Chatfield School Board on September 11. All board members were present with the exception of Tom Keefe. Other interested patrons were also present. The purpose of the special meeting was for Superintendent Harris to present information on two issues. One issue was the budget … [Read more...]
Kingsland School Updates at the Forefront of Wykoff Council Meeting
By Zech Sindt The Wykoff City Council meeting came to order at 7 p.m. on September 9. Mayor Ryan Breckenridge, City Administrator Becky Schmidt, Administrative Assistant Luann Hare, and city council members Kaleb Himli, Lyle Morey, Barbara Fate and Jeffrey Hare were all present. Kingsland School Superintendent Scott Klavetter attended the meeting to discuss some … [Read more...]
Homeschooling and Extracurriculars: What’s Legal?
In 1987, homeschooling officially became legal in Minnesota. At the beginning of 2020, the US Census showed that 4.6% of students in Minnesota were being homeschooled, but by October of that same year, that number had risen to 9.7% and continues to grow each year. Nationwide, 11.1% of students were being homeschooled at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year. Those … [Read more...]
Kingsland Board Discusses Referendum
The upcoming referendum was the main topic of conversation for the Kingsland School Board during their August 19 meeting. Pat Overom, of ICS Consulting Inc., reviewed the referendum handbook saying, “The intent of this is to outline your roles as board members and district staff, the process that was gone through, challenges the district is currently facing and it really … [Read more...]
Fall Sports Underway at Fillmore Central
At the August 27 Fillmore Central school board meeting, Superintendent Heath Olstad reported that a good number of students are participating in the fall sports season which is already underway. Nineteen students are signed up for cross country, 11 for cheerleading, 61 for football, and 38 for volleyball. The football field has been freshly painted and is ready for the first … [Read more...]
Rushford-Peterson Fully Staffed
The Rushford-Peterson School Board heard at its August 19 meeting that the school was fully staffed with licensed teachers for the 2024-2025 school year. As part of the consent agenda, the following employees were hired as well: Nikki Bunke, cheerleading coach; Nathan Whitacre, assistant football coach; Lacey Drinkall, JH volleyball coach; Jacquelyn Guyette, head dance coach; … [Read more...]
Spring Grove School Board Approves Contracts for Executive Team
At the August 19 Spring Grove Public School Board meeting, the board unanimously approved a 3% annual increase for Principal Luke Kjelland’s salary over the next two years and reduced Assistant Superintendent Morken’s contract from 1.0 FTE to 0.4 FTE. Morken’s title in the spring will be Interim Superintendent. The board unanimously approved Udstuen’s contract with an increase … [Read more...]
Caledonia Public Schools Begin 2024-2025 School Year
Caledonia Area Public School board members met Monday, August 19 at Caledonia Elementary School in room #162. Board member Mike Peterson called the meeting to order at 6 p.m., led with the Pledge of Allegiance, then conducted roll call. Board members present included Derek Adamson, Tim Gunn, Leigh King, Daniel Small and Spencer Yohe. Board member Melissa Marschall was absent. … [Read more...]
M-C Continues Discussion on Potential Bond Referendum
At the August 20 school board meeting, the Mabel-Canton School Board continued its discussion on a potential school bond referendum aimed at securing funding for facility upgrades. Chairman Cristal Adkins called the meeting of the Mabel-Canton School board to order at 6 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. The board unanimously approved the meeting agenda with one … [Read more...]
The Importance of Completing the Educational Benefits Application
During the 2023-2024 school year, students in grades K-12 got to enjoy one free breakfast and one free lunch at school as part of the Free School Meals for Kids Program. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed the Free School Meals bill into law on March 17, 2023, which took effect July 1, 2023 . With the Free School Meals bill, a concern for school districts had been whether or … [Read more...]
Six to Run for Lanesboro School Board
The Lanesboro community will see a total of six people running for the three positions on the school board this fall. At the regular August board meeting, board member Steve Snyder responded to the news with a chuckle, “I like competition!” He was just joking – his position is not even up for election. The board members up for election include Christine Troendle, Sarah … [Read more...]
Superintendent Harris Presents Goals for SY 2024-2025
At the August 7 school board meeting, board members Jill Harstad, David Sowinski, Katie Priebe, Josh Thompson, Mark Johnsrud and Tom Keefe were present as well as Superintendent Ed Harris, elementary principal, Shane McBroom, and high school principal, Eric Nelson. Reports McBroom stated that the outdoor learning space and maker space room are coming along nicely. The tables … [Read more...]
College News
Graduates List Spring 2024 Alexandria Technical & Community College: Bailey Wallace, Chatfield, Law Enforement Skills Certificate Iowa State University: Rachel Lenz, Harmony, BS, Biology (AGLS), BS Microbiology, Magna Cum Laude James Madison University: Jacob Stephens, LeRoy, MA, English Kirkwood Community College: Blake Jermier, Lanesboro, Certificate; … [Read more...]