At the February 15 Lanesboro school board meeting, Steve Storhoff was officially seated as the newest school board member. He will fill Terri Scott’s vacated seat until her term is up.
Superintendent Matt Schultz noted that February 19-23 is School Board Recognition Week. “On behalf of the district, I want to thank all of you,” he said to the board members. “Thank you for your unique perspectives that you bring to this position.”
Superintendent Schultz has spoken with the Lanesboro City Administrator Michele Peterson about partnering with the city to renovate the ball field. He is hoping that they will receive a Twins Field of Dreams grant to help cover some of the costs. “I feel that we are pretty strong to get it,” he commented. In-kind or monetary donations will also be accepted.
The peer observation and teacher assessments are going well. The next round of observations will be held in March. Band teacher Katrina Schuneman has helped to coordinate the whole process and is pleased with how well it’s gone so far. While teachers have always set goals for the year, this is the first time that those goals have been written down and tracked. She is hoping to send out a post-observation survey to see what improvements can be made to the process next year.
“So first year, how would you rate it?” Board member Dave Lawstuen asked.
“There are definitely some kinks to work out, but it will get more comfortable as the years go on,” Schuneman replied.
The board thanked her and the rest of their staff for their dedication and hard work.
The Long Term Facilities Committee met with representatives from the architecture firm, HSR Associates on February 12 to discuss the proposed renovations and updates to the school. “We’re in the very beginning of the process,” Board member Steve Snyder noted.
The board approved the hiring of Tammy Gaultner as a custodian on the morning shift. They also approved the extra-curricular contracts. Alex Aitken will coach boys track and field; Lori Anderson, the girls track and field, and Krissy Overland will coach golf.
A motion was made and approved to move Tess LaFrenier to a 1/2 split classroom teacher position due to a reduction in enrollment numbers.
“We’re still looking for bus drivers,” Superintendent Schultz noted, adding that a shortage of bus drivers is a problem that many Minnesota schools are facing. Anyone interested in applying can call the school at (507) 467-2229.
The teacher seniority list was approved with no changes.
June 30, 2018, is the last day of Superintendent Schultz’s initial two-year contract. A motion was approved to start negotiations with him to begin a new contract on July 1.
Superintendent Schultz presented the Strategic Plan update. Last year, four goals were established for the district. The first goal is to strive for leadership in academic achievement through continual reviews of the curriculum and instruction. “We have had a fairly new focus on staff development,” Superintendent Schultz said, pointing out that the staff observations and peer reviews have been an effective way of working towards the goal.
The second goal focuses on aligning the early childhood programming such as ECFE, the daycare, preschool, etc. A committee is currently working on ways to do so using The Creative Curriculum across all platforms and focusing on social-emotional development.
The third goal seeks to enhance community engagement and connections with district alumni. All high school seniors, starting this year, will complete an online exit interview using a program that the district has just put into place. The program will also generate alumni lists.
The fourth goal will work to develop a communication plan to promote and highlight the district’s successes and initiatives to the community. Superintendent Schultz noted that the school has been receiving good reach on social media and launched a new website last fall that included an app.
The next Lanesboro School Board meeting will be held on March 15 at 7 p.m.
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