Lanesboro School Board Hears Transportation and HVED Updates

At their September 9 regular board meeting, the Lanesboro School Board heard presentations from both Lanesboro Transportation Director Chad Wangen and HVED (Hiawatha Valley Education District) Executive Director Deb Marcotte.

Wangen shared that the DOT had once again visited to inspect the buses on the first day of school. Wangen reported the buses successfully passed the inspection. He welcomed new van driver Dean Hungerholt to the staff.

Once again Wangen reported the need for both van and bus drivers. One of the bus drivers will be retiring at the end of the school year. Lanesboro currently has six bus and three van routes as well as three SPED vans. There are 408 students enrolled this year (down two from last year).

According to Superintendent Matt Schultz, the goal is to have routes one hour long or shorter for students. If the school loses a driver, bus routes may have to be consolidated, resulting in longer rides for the students.

A full-time bus driver works three hours a day. The pay is $43 a route or $86 a day. The annual contract is about $16,000 a year; van drivers’ pay is around $10,000.

Schultz admitted that getting drivers is “the biggest thorn in our side!” The change in CDL licensure has affected getting drivers; the high cost of diesel fuel at $6 creates yet another issue. Private bus companies are able to offer hiring bonuses which the school cannot do.

Sarah Peterson suggested offering free admission to sporting events for drivers; she also suggested hiring drivers to do school maintenance to provide them more employment.

Wangen reported that the buses that had been held back to trade in for the electric bus program had been sold recently; one bus brought in just $1,001 while the other went for $1,010.

HVED’s Executive Director Deb Marcotte shared a timeline of obtaining the centralized HVED building in Winona and thanked both present and former board members for their work on it. “After visiting 44 sites, we picked this one!” Marcotte declared.

The building is now known as the HVED Campus and houses the autism program, the behavioral program and the ALC (alternative learning center). There are separate entrances for each program. HVED District offices are still housed at Bundy Blvd. in Winona, but will also move to the HVED Campus in the future.

“It’s amazing the difference it makes to be under one roof!” Marcotte enthused. The staff is easily able to have monthly meetings and work together to learn more about all students.

There are just over 100 people on the staff; the school serves just under 10,000 students. HVED consists of 12 member school districts and three charter schools.

The lease on the Hokah building has expired; the Kellogg building has been sold to a church as of January 2026. Safety and security are a top priority at HVED; the building was designed to best serve the needs of its population. Classrooms have attached bathrooms as well as homing rooms. Flex rooms and swings provide students calming spaces.

The playground is surfaced with a squishy material and the equipment was designed specifically to meet the students’ needs.

The school is fully staffed. Teachers are happy to be working there. The school has labs with stations such as construction, food services, offices, etc. for students to practice pre-employment skills.

The ALC uses a digital curriculum with student access available 24-7. HVED plans to collaborate with education classes at WSU in the future.

Business Conducted

In regular business the board:

• Hired head coaches Matt Asleson, boys basketball; Mike WIllford, girls basketball; Desiree Ferrie, fall cheerleader;

• Approved the certification of the tax levy at maximum; the final levy will be approved in December;

• Approved the 91 page crisis manual with no changes except to update the calling tree; the manual is kept private to maintain security;

• Discussed the upcoming informative referendum opportunities; the webpage has a referendum information page with a plethora of information available;

• Heard the concerns of Alicia Pearson during the public input period; Pearson asked the amount of funding that could be realized by the constitutional amendment on the ballot; Schultz replied that it would total around $7,000. Pearson suggested that Lanesboro should advertise the school more; she also asked that the high school students get outside more during the day.