Caleb Kleinhans

The Board of Canvassers convened to review and certify the votes from the Spring General Election. Key actions included the examination of poll lists, absentee ballot logs, tally sheets, and inspector's statements to determine the final vote count by municipality. Following the canvass, the Board completed and signed a Certificate of Election declaring the winner of the Three Lakes School District Board Member position for the upcoming term.

The board approved a large check register for accounts payable and payroll, received an administrator's report on the ongoing building project and construction phases, and reviewed a positive IDEA LEA Determination Report showing significant improvement. Additionally, the board approved an overnight student council trip, renewed cooperative sports contracts with Phelps for girls soccer and boys baseball, and considered but did not end the girls softball cooperative. New junior high courses for keyboarding and study skills were approved alongside the Academic and Career Plan (ACP)/Education for Employment (E4E) plan. Finally, the board noted the certification of recent election results and discussed upcoming service award ceremonies and WASB board member gatherings.

The board discussed several items, including the administration report on meeting notifications, approval of the treasurer's report, and updates on the ongoing building project. The meeting also featured reports on various district activities such as student team-building events, band and choir competition results, and academic testing. Personnel actions including a resignation and a retirement were processed. Additionally, the board approved an FBLA state competition trip and reviewed a proposal for a student-led garage construction project in the community.

The meeting included the administrator's report confirming agenda posting and notification procedures to various media outlets and town locations. Key financial discussions involved the successful retention of the A3 rating from Moody's and the closing of the second borrowing at a favorable interest rate of 4.06%, resulting in a projected savings of over $2 million compared to initial estimates. The administrator also reported on a productive preliminary meeting with contractors regarding the scope of work. Significant progress was noted on the Sugar Camp food service plan, receiving approvals from the County Health Department, DPI, and the Sugar Camp Town Board, adopting a model where meals are cooked at the district and transported. Updates covered numerous positive happenings, including student achievements in spelling bees and FBLA competitions, STEM challenges participation, the American Heart Association fundraiser, and various relevant field trips involving snowmobile engineering, job shadowing at AirPro, sports marketing, and cardiac surgery observation. The board also reviewed the Second Friday pupil membership count for January, noting a total enrollment decrease of nine students while maintaining the same membership count due to shifts in open enrollment. Additionally, a correction was noted for a personnel report from the previous month concerning a junior high head track coach title, and discussion occurred regarding the proposed new social studies elective course, "Psychology of Flourishing," focusing on student well-being and positive psychology.

The meeting included administrative reports on agenda posting and notification procedures, confirming the agenda was posted to various schools, towns, and media outlets. The agenda was amended to include establishing parameters for a sea sale not to exceed $4,600,000 in general obligation promissory notes, and agenda item L (approval of 26-27 course statistics) was moved to precede the new item I to accommodate high school staff and students. Routine approvals included minutes from the December 17, 2025 regular meeting and authorization of treasurer checks and payroll for the period spanning December 11, 2025, through January 21, 2026. Under administrator reports, there was an extensive update on the Three Lakes School District local report card, highlighting metrics on attendance, career and technical education participation (90%), rising dual credit course enrollment (60), student participation in co-curricular activities (62%), GPA averages (3.06 for 24-25), and ACT composite score improvement. Community connection highlights included fitness center membership data and local scholarship awards totaling $83,000 for the year. Staff qualifications were also noted, with 70% holding master's degrees and a 10:1 student-to-teacher ratio. Junior high updates included results from the spelling bee, where four students qualified for the regional competition, and staff congratulations for a master's degree completion and the welcoming of a newborn daughter. A major focus was the implementation of the Heart Challenge/Healthy Kids Week in elementary schools, which involved heart-healthy activities and a hands-on CPR training session for 35 students, indicating high demand for future CPR courses. Finally, the communications update reviewed the evolution of the district's communication strategy, including the implementation of a new phone menu system at the high school/junior high office.