At their regular board meeting August 12, the Lanesboro School Board announced they will be holding an informational meeting August 26 about the upcoming operational referendum. The meeting will be in the Forum beginning at 7 p.m.
A link called Operating Referendum has been added to the school’s webpage. On that link residents can find information on state and school finance, a tax impact calculator, an explanation of the ballot and a list of frequently asked questions and answers.
A mailer will be sent out about the referendum to all district residents. By state law this mailing must be sent no earlier than September 19 and no later than October 19.
A second informational meeting will be held later prior to the election; the board will set that date at their September meeting.
Beginning of the Year
Superintendent Matt Schultz shared that Lanesboro is now using Bound, a new athletic/event schedule website. A useful feature of this site is that residents can purchase tickets and passes for events on the site.
Fall sports begin on Monday, August 17. New teachers will report on August 21; the full teacher workshop is August 24-27.
The first day of school at the high school is September 1; elementary students have conferences the first two days of school with the first day of classes on Thursday, September 3.
With the board’s approval of the hiring of Caden Hoarn as the vocal and general music teacher, Lanesboro School is fully staffed for the year.
The board approved the hiring of Ayla Madland as a daycare aide and accepted the resignation of daycare aide Emma Jakobi. The board approved a FMLA leave for Ally Evans, director of daycare, beginning December 3, 2026.
Schultz once again asked for van drivers and substitutes. The school needs a van driver substitute full-time for the first month of school.
New Business
The board passed a resolution which requires the tallying of write-in votes in elections only if the number of write-in votes exceeds the number of votes received by the lowest vote-getting ballot candidate. Chair Steve Snyder was the lone opponent of the resolution. While he understood that this would save time counting votes, he felt the public deserved to know how many votes the write-ins got.
Snack, milk and juice prices were set for the year. For the entire year snacks will be $96; milk will be $112; juice will be $120. Snack and milk will be $208. and snack and juice will be $216 for the year.
The three-year Mayo Athletic Trainer Contract was approved. The contract provides for a 3.5% increase each year of the contract. The 2026-2027 contract will be for $9,594. This provides an athletic trainer for some home events as well as trainer visits to the school to work with athletes.
The Truth in Taxation meeting was set for December 9 at 7 p.m.
The board approved posting a RFQ (request for quotations) for snow removal services for the school year. Snyder pointed out that they are not required to accept the lowest bid, but can accept the one that best suits their needs.
Donations totaling $2,200 were accepted from the Booster Club. The funds will be used for basketball, golf and track and field.
Public Comment
Alicia Pearson announced that a school supply drive was once again being held in the community. Last year, 21 students were helped as well as teachers.
Pearson once again asked for time for older students to go outside during the school day, noting that it’s been scientifically proven that students benefit from this. She suggested that perhaps they could do this during homeroom or other free periods.
Open House at HVED
HVED will be holding an open house at their newly remodeled central facility in Winona on August 26 from 2-6 p.m. This is a great opportunity for residents to tour the school.
Candidates for School Board
Superintendent Schultz told the board that three people, Steve Storhoff, Kevin Horihan and Byron Rodger had filed for the three open positions on the board. Steve Snyder had chosen not to file.
Leave a Reply