Lakota board approves student-fee updates, contracts to support hiring and federal grants
Summary
The Lakota Board approved personnel items, student-fee changes including an $18 optional PSAT fee, a contract for Frontline hiring and screening tools, and a contract for Dr. Wertzler to cover CCIP federal-grant duties.
The Lakota Board of Education approved multiple consent items on Sept. 22, including personnel actions, a student-fee schedule for the 2025–26 school year, a resolution declaring transportation impractical, contracts, donations and field-trip approvals.
On student fees, the board approved an $18 fee to cover optional PSAT tests taken outside a student’s junior year. The superintendent explained the district pays for all juniors to take the PSAT, and the $18 fee covers optional additional administrations for sophomores or others who choose to take the assessment as practice.
The board also approved two contracts the superintendent highlighted: an expanded Frontline agreement that adds a pre-hire screening assessment to the district’s existing absence-management and hiring tools, and a contract with Dr. Wertzler to handle the district’s Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Plan (CCIP) federal-grants work while the district has an unfilled executive director role and a recent staff departure.
Board members approved the consent agenda by roll call (Miss Casper, Mr. D and Miss Schaffer recorded as voting yes). The superintendent noted refunds will be issued if families paid any duplicated fees accidentally because of a software queue error earlier in the year; the district said it is processing refunds to the payment card used.
Ending: District staff said they will continue to monitor payment-system issues and provide updated guidance to families; the district will present a fuller report on fee and appropriation timing during the permanent-appropriations process.
