Lanesboro Schools Hires Own Business Manager

At their regular meeting February 12, the Lanesboro School Board approved the hiring of Garrett Stadsvold as its full-time business manager beginning February 16. Stadsvold will work four days a week on site and remotely the remaining day. This approval came immediately after the board cancelled a contract for such services with School Management Services (SMS) which originally had provided only one day a week before expanding to two days a week.

Stadsvold will have no issues beginning the new position; he was the SMS employee who served Lanesboro. While it will cost  more, Superintendent Matt Schultz said it will be worth it to have access to the business manager on a daily basis for the staff. Stadsvold will have a three-year contract. He will be provided time and opportunity for professional development.

Public Comments

Sheila Gatzke addressed the board with her concerns about AI use and technology in the school. A former teacher, Gatzke declared that she’s found no research that shows ed tech helps students with test scores. In her opinion, the school would be better served if it invested in long-term sustained teacher training in math. Gatzke feels any math curriculum works; teachers just need to “really love math.” 

Tamara DeGarmo once again came to ask the board to stream their meetings. She was happy to see that the possibility would be discussed later in the meeting.

Discussion of Streaming Meetings

Chair Steve Snyder added the streaming of board meetings to the discussion item section of the meeting. He had researched and found pros for it included the fact that people in business use streaming all the time and people who are not able to physically attend the meetings could then access the meetings. Cons that Snyder pointed out included the fact that some people are uncomfortable with cameras so discussion might be hindered, potential board candidates might not run if meetings were on video and things might be taken out of context and misinterpreted if such video was available. 

Mark Holmen asked the public would be able to comment without attending the meeting. The consensus was that they would need to attend the meeting in person. 

Sarah Peterson said her primary issue with streaming was that as a small business owner what she says could be taken out of context and then spread and possibly damage her business. Peterson suggested that perhaps a transcript could be provided, however. 

Steve Storhoff asked about the technology and staffing that would be needed. Schultz will check on that.

Snyder pointed out that all meetings are announced three days ahead of time; regular board meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the forum room. The agendas are posted on the school website for easy access for the public. He urged the public to use the information available and attend the meeting in person if they want to address the board. 

Other Business

In other business, the board:

• Increased the board members’ annual compensation by $200 per year with the negotiators and HVED district representatives receiving an additional $100 per year; this was after Schultz researched what nearby schools were paying;
• Approved hiring Sue Miehlisch as SPED van driver; Olivia Holtegaard as SPED paraprofessional at the elementary; Courtney Graves as head volleyball coach;
• Approved the 2025-2026 calendar with school beginning the Tuesday after Labor Day and ending for students May 29; there will be a small schools conference day for teachers October 15 (no school for students);
• Discussed the school board governance model and Robert’s  Rules of Order;
• Gratefully accepted donations of $10,040 for scholarships; $2,000 for visual arts; $2,600 for senior class fund raiser;
• Set a board retreat for March 12 at 5 p.m. to be held in the forum room prior to the regular board meeting; the retreat is used for discussion about school finances or other topics such as PSEO (Postsecondary Enrollment Options).