Dodgeland School District board meeting, Aug 24, 2026

1 h 20 min · 2 videos

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 1 h 20 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
  2. Bruce HaanTreasurer
  3. Dennis BednarskiMember
  4. Jeffrey G. CaineVice President
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Part 1 · 48 min

Dodgeland board approves increasing school nurse contract to 2 days per week 32:28

  • A speaker at public comment thanked the board for taking in students and teachers. 10:01
  • The board approved a revision to the 2026⁠-⁠2027 CESA 5 school nurse contract after discussing its cost and whether to hire a district nurse instead. 32:17
  • The board approved a 2026⁠-⁠2027 cooperative agreement with the Eastern Prairie School District for a principal, administrative assistant and director of business services. 39:13
Item by item (10)
  1. Opening and agenda approval 0:03
    • The board took roll and a motion was made to approve the agenda as presented. 0:16
  2. Public comment 0:48
    • A speaker at public comment thanked the board and administration for choosing collaboration and partnership with another district. 1:18
    • Speakers said summer events and communications made families feel welcomed and prepared for the school year. 1:18
    • A speaker said the board agreed to take all of the students from the speaker's district and many of its staff, and thanked the board for opening its doors. 10:01
  3. Consent agenda 14:17
    • The consent agenda included several teacher hires, minutes from July 27th, payment of vouchers of $487,213.77 and a second reading of revised board policies. 14:17
    • The hiring and voucher items were pulled for questions, and a staff member said all positions replace existing staff except the middle school special education teacher. 15:47
    • A staff member said the hires and voucher amounts were in the preliminary budget numbers. ~16:58
    • The board approved the consent agenda except the two pulled items, then approved the hiring and vouchers. 16:13
  4. Financial statement and budget update 18:27
    • A staff member reported one account ended at $375,561, the commercial account ended at $336,623 and a Landmark Credit Union CD held $817,825. 19:11
    • The staff member said the LGIP account had a total of $1.15 million. 20:03
    • A speaker said the finance committee would decide at its next meeting whether board reporting should be a line item budget or a bucket budget. 20:23
  5. Administrative reports 21:12
    • A speaker said the district entered a contract with the Psychotherapy Center of Wanakee to have a counselor at school one day a week, with a mental health grant covering the district's cost. 21:45
    • A speaker said schedules were released Friday and the first home football game ended in a forfeit after lightning postponements. 25:59
    • A speaker who arrived late to public comment thanked the district and its administration. ~29:10
  6. Seclusion and restraint report 30:36
    • A speaker reported no incidents of restraint and 17 incidents of seclusion across the different sites for 6 different students. 30:46
    • Asked about training, a speaker said all staff have the verbal component and special education staff would be recertified Wednesday. 31:36
    • The motion to approve the report carried. 32:17
  7. Cooperative agreement for administrative positions 39:13
    • The agreement covers a principal, administrative assistant and director of business services from the partner district. 39:13
    • A staff member said no money would change hands and the staff would help with the transition of incoming students. 40:06
    • A staff member said the position was housed in Houston and was a 1-year arrangement. 42:30
    • The agreement was approved. ~43:40
  8. Cooperative agreement for student services 43:44
    • A staff member said the district's director of student services would support the partner district's students, and the district would invoice for a portion of the director's costs. 43:57
    • The agreement was approved. ~45:28
  9. Future agenda items 45:28
    • A speaker said there needed to be a discussion on approval of vendor contracts. 45:43
  10. Upcoming dates and adjournment 46:54
    • The chair listed September 1st as the first day of school and September 28th for the finance committee at 5:45 and the regular board meeting at 6:30. 46:54

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Part 2 · 33 min

School board hears 26⁠-⁠27 budget at annual meeting, takes up $4,909,173 tax levy 5:02

  • The meeting also took up the treasurer's report, legal action for the collection of school fees and board salary. 2:48
  • A presenter delivered the budget hearing for the 26⁠-⁠27 school year, estimating revenues of about $14.3 million and expenditures of about $13.2 million, leaving just over $1 million in surplus. 5:02
  • The presenter said the estimated property tax levy would be just about $4.9 million with a mill rate of 6.95, and that the figures were still estimates with official numbers expected in October. 8:08
  • A motion was made to approve a tax levy of $4,909,173, and the chair called a voice vote, but the transcript does not state the result. 29:47

Until Nov 4, lines where a board member takes a side don't name the member. Why →

Item by item (7)
  1. Opening, chair and clerk, minutes 0:04
    • Jeffrey G. Caine called the annual meeting to order at 6:30 and led the Pledge of Allegiance, and those at the table introduced themselves. 0:04
    • One board member nominated a chair for the meeting and called a voice vote, after which another board member presided and appointed people to take minutes. 1:28
    • Jeffrey G. Caine moved to dispense with the reading and approve the minutes as presented, and Dennis Bednarski called for a voice vote. 2:34
  2. Treasurer's report 2:48
    • Bruce Haan reported that Fund 10 started with a balance of $1,991,895, had revenues of $11,352,818 and expenditures of $10,975,046, and increased by $377,772 to $2,369,668. 2:55
    • Bruce Haan reported a transfer to the special education fund of $1,241,045 and said the Fund 39 debt service ending balance went down slightly to $300,597. 2:55
    • Jeffrey G. Caine moved to approve the report as presented, and Dennis Bednarski called for a voice vote. 4:37
  3. Budget hearing 4:57
    • The presenter estimated total student membership at around 667 and the revenue limit at just short of $9.4 million, including a $700,000 operational amount passed last spring. 5:00
    • The presenter said equalized value was estimated at just over $706 million, 14.5% higher than last year, and private school vouchers were estimated at about $90,000 more than last year and made up 15% of the levy. 5:00
    • The presenter said the meeting was held in August rather than October to put the district in a better position to short-term borrow for payroll and bills. 5:00
  4. Tax levy 29:32
    • Dennis Bednarski asked for a motion to approve the tax levy, and a motion was made to approve a levy of $4,909,173 and seconded. 29:32
  5. Legal action to collect school fees 30:09
    • Dennis Bednarski presented an item to authorize the administration to take legal action for the collection of school fees, and a motion and second were made. 30:09
  6. Board salary and expenses 30:47
    • Dennis Bednarski asked for a motion to fix board salary and authorize payment of actual and necessary expenses. 30:47
    • A motion was made to keep pay at $55 a day with a board president salary of $1,860, and it was seconded. 30:57
  7. Next annual meeting date and adjournment 31:20
    • A speaker noted the listed date was off, and the date was corrected to the 4th Monday in August, August 23rd. 31:33
    • Jeffrey G. Caine moved to schedule August 23rd, 2027, as the date for the next annual meeting, and Dennis Bednarski called for a voice vote. 31:59
    • Dennis Bednarski asked for a motion to adjourn, and a motion and second were made. 32:15

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “Board of Education Meeting 8.24.26”