The Monday, August 19, 2026 Kingsland School Board meeting began on a somber note as the board took a moment to observe the loss of senior Nathaniel Drees.
“As a school and a community we are hurting right now,” Superintendent Scott Klavetter expressed. “It has been a challenging few days since Nathaniel’s passing. We will be keeping him with us in spirit throughout the year. In the senior year there are a lot of milestone moments that will come up for Nathaniel’s family, for Nathaniel’s classmates and for our staff. It will be a year long process, honestly, to support each other through this. There’s not a playbook for this, but we’ll do the best we can to support our students, our staff and the Drees family.”
Facility Updates
“We have run into a couple of snags,” Klavetter shared with the board.
After installing the new bleachers it was quickly realized the bleachers had been installed incorrectly.
In the original plans, according to Klavetter, the middle front row on the north side was to be eliminated to leave a space on the floor for teams.
“We had a design, went through it many times with the company who designed them and manufactured them. We saw them and signed off on them. Then somewhere between the salesman and the shop they flipped the plans. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as just moving them to the opposite side, because the south side is wall-to-wall bleachers and the north side has doors on each end. So the north bleachers are shorter than the south side,” Klavetter explained during their Monday, August 3 workshop.
At that time they had yet to come up with any solutions.
By their August 19 meeting, the company had given the district two options to fix the issue.
“Our best option is to reorient the gym,” Klavetter said. “What they are going to have to do is basically take that top row from the south side to push those bleachers back enough for the teams and the scorers table. So they’ll take that top row out there and move it to the north side so we create enough space on the south side.”
The new design fix will have to go through the company’s engineers for design approval before it can be implemented. The plan is to have it completed between the volleyball and basketball seasons.
Klavetter noted the cost of the fix and any repairs to the school due to the change will be at the cost of the company.
Board members shared their frustrations with having their only options being fixes instead of taking the the bleachers out and putting them in the correct way.
“We are always supposed to accommodate their screw-ups,” board member Gary Broadwater vented.
Solar Project
Klavetter shared there was also a minor issue with the boring for the solar project.
When putting in the new transformer box for the solar project, a line that supplies electricity to the lights in the parking lot was hit. Luckily, it was in the area where they were already having to take out some concrete for the transformer, but an extended portion was removed to make the repair.
Klavetter again noted any repairs will be at the cost of the contractor.
Other Business
Klavetter shared he signed a petition on behalf of the district to support Love Your Lungs, which is a partner of the American Lung Association. Their focus is to get Olmsted, specifically, and surrounding counties to consider a ban on flavored vaping products. Several area schools have also given their support.
The board reviewed the 2026-2027 meal prices. The only changes are to the adult lunches which will go up $.25 to $5.30 and the adult salad bar, which went up $.10.
The flexible learning plan for this school year was approved. No changes were made from previous years.
The board approved a resolution calling for a general election for the three seats on the board.
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