Deb Marcotte, executive director of HVED, attended the Lanesboro School Board regular meeting March 12 to update the board on the progress on the remodel of the former Winona Mall into a centralized location for HVED services. HVED (Hiawatha Valley Education District) provides special education services to area schools.
Marcotte informed the board that she is putting a monthly snapshot slideshow of the $15 million remodeling project progress on the district’s website www.hved6013.org. Although permission from the state has not yet been received for the remodel, staff has cleared out the building and completed asbestos abatement. At this time, HVED plans to move into the building during winter break of 2025.
Portions of the building that HVED will not be using have been fully leased, which brings in $12,000 per month in revenue for HVED. Renovations for two restaurants on the site, Ocean Sushi and Backwater BBQ, are completed. The east end of the HVED property houses HWY 61 Liquor, which will be leaving when its lease expires. Restored Blessings, a thrift store, will be relocated long term to the east end of the building.
The HVED building will house a behavior program currently located in Kellogg, an autism program currently in Hokah, and an ALC (Alternative Learning Center) located at this time at the Bundy Blvd. site. It will also serve as homebase for the itinerant teachers who spend most of their days at an assigned member school.
Breakfast and lunch meals for HVED students will be provided by Steak Shop catering. Member districts provide the transportation for their students to and from HVED; the district does have several vans to transport students also. At this time they transport a student from Spring Grove to Kellogg and back and a student from Dover-Eyota to Hokah and back each day. Having a centralized location will save on a lot of travel time and expense. The HVED district will be hiring paras and drivers.
Superintendent Matt Schultz thanked Marcotte for her work on the project; Marcotte in turn thanked Schultz for his “rational thinking” as a member of the oversight committee for the building project and his leadership among the superintendents.
Sarah Peterson shared her appreciation that HVED is there to care for students with high needs.
PBIS
Superintendent Schultz introduced Rochelle Gathje to update the board on PBIS at Lanesboro. PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) which has seven staff members on the committee has made a comeback at Lanesboro School. The emphasis this year has been on helping high school students become better leaders as they build rapport with the younger students.
A check-in, check-out program has been established to help students who are not on IEPs (Individualized education programs). By checking in on student work and having parents also check on the work, staff builds rapport with the struggling students.
A matrix of expectations for students has been created and will be posted all over the school next year. This winter, class officers created “expectation stations” videos and presentations. K-12 students paired up to rotate among the stations. The videos presented appropriate behavior in various locations such as the hallways, buses, etc. Next year the presentations to the entire school will occur at the beginning of the year.
Burro kickbacks, tickets for positive behavior, are issued to students to enter into a drawing for a drink and treat held at various times throughout the year. Gathje noted that the students really look forward to those drawings.
At homecoming, a special part of the celebration was a cupcake activity at which high school students mentored elementary students as they enjoyed cupcakes and a pepfest together.
This winter, some high school students once again mentored elementary students as they decorated holiday trees in Sylvan Park while others decorated their own class trees. Gathje called the project “very positive and rewarding!”
Business Conducted
The board conducted the following business March 12:
• Prior to the regular meeting, the board held a retreat to discuss the school strategic plan, local, state and federal revenue and post secondary options.
• Approved spring head coaches: Tim Opat, golf; Lori Anderson, girls track and field; Alex Aiken, boys track and field;
Certified the staff seniority list.
• Approved the second reading of policy 524–Internet, Technology, and Cell Phone Acceptable Use and Safety Policy.
• Gratefully accepted donations totaling $4,050 for the Scholarship Fund.
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