At the February 20 Lanesboro School Board meeting, Superintendent Matt Schultz informed the board that construction has begun on the facilities project. A project meeting is planned to be held the following week.
Schultz noted that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is pushing for legislation making Earth Science a required credit for high school. The class is currently offered at Lanesboro, but is not a requirement. “The trouble with mandating these things is you give them one more class they have to take, and that keeps the students from taking one more elective that they want to take,” Board member Steve Snyder commented. Schultz noted that the school has three science class requirements for the high school students, and Earth Science is one of the only three that are offered so students are already taking it. The legislation would simply make it required for a different grade than the one in which it’s currently offered. He will keep the board updated as he hears more.
Schultz has been reviewing the bus routes for the 2020-2021 school year. A school bus will need to be purchased for next year and it has to be ordered by March for it to arrive in time.
Thanks were extended to the school board members by Schultz as the week of February 16-22 was School Board Appreciation week. “I want to say thank you to the six of you for leading our students by example by participating in local government,” he said.
Resignations were received and approved from daycare director Nicole Kirchner, high school paraprofessional Chris Howerton, and kitchen worker Katie Lobland. Becky Stocker was hired as a high school paraprofessional, and Ashley Franzen as a long-term substitute for elementary special education.
The certified teaching staff seniority list was reviewed and approved. A resolution accepting gifts to the Lanesboro school district was also approved, with $8,790 received for scholarships and $362 for the milk fund.
Snyder said that he has received multiple inquiries about why the public library hasn’t been moved to the school building instead of being operated at the community center, adding that he feels there would be positives and negatives to doing so. Currently, the district does not have a high school library so having the public library on school grounds would give students more access to resources. “It’s time to bring up these out-of-the-box ideas,” he said. Board member Christine Troendle was not in favor of the idea, noting that the public library has been recently renovated and is a beautiful space with better public parking than what the school could offer. “There are ways to collaborate, but I have a big problem moving something that seems so nice,” she stated. Board member Dave Lawstuen pointed out that if the library were moved to the school, the district would need to make sure that the only access to the library would be from outside and that there would be no access to the school for the public. Schultz suggested speaking to the City of Lanesboro to see what their thoughts are on the matter before bringing it to the school’s facilities committee.
The board discussed the current policy on administering semester tests for students who miss more than five days or 40 hours of school a semester or whose grades drop below a B. Lawstuen felt that it is a positive measure that encourages good attendance. Snyder said that parents will call him at home occasionally to discuss the value of it and thought it was worth reviewing periodically. Board member Mike Willford commented that it could be unfair if a student is sick for two weeks. “They can’t do anything about that so they shouldn’t be penalized by having to take the test,” he said. Troendle disagreed. “That’s a life lesson too. Sometimes you can do everything right and things still don’t turn out the way you want,” she said. “It needs to be looked at as a reward.” She noted that it is effective as it deters students from skipping school. The policy committee will review the policy at their meeting next week. “Good discussion,” Lawstuen noted. “I appreciate everyone’s input.
The next Lanesboro School Board meeting will be held on March 19 at 7 pm.
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