The Lennox School Board met Jan. 13 with a tour of the high school expansion project.
Junior high/high school principal Chad Allison noted that the performing arts center is about 2-3 weeks behind schedule but construction crews plan to make that up in the winter months. He expected to have an updated completion schedule soon.
The board approved the resignation of activities director Chris Buckmiller effective at the end of the school year. In a letter to coaches, Buckmiller said, “…After much thought and reflection, I wanted to share with you all that I have made the difficult decision to resign as Activities Director, effective at the end of this school year.
“Serving in this role has been a fulfilling position that I’ve truly enjoyed. Working with each of you to build, support, and grow our athletic programs has been an incredibly rewarding experience. I have seen firsthand the dedication, hard work, and passion you bring to your teams every day and I am proud of the positive impact you continue to make on our student-athletes.
“While this decision was not easy, I feel confident that this is the right time for me to announce my decision in order to explore new opportunities while also providing the district adequate time to fill my position. That said, I remain fully committed to finishing the year strong. Over the coming months, I will work diligently to leave all programs better than I found them and ensure a smooth transition to set our programs up for continued success in the years to come.
“Thank you for your consistent support, especially this year, and for the incredible work you do. I look forward to seeing all of our programs finish this year on a high note and celebrating the achievements that I know are still to come in the future.…”
The board also approved new substitutes for worker’s compensation including Levi Gebhard, Jon Merrigan and Taylor Olsen.
Board president Scott Sandal noted the classified employee resignation of Jacob Ziegler as Lennox HIgh School custodian and the new classified staff work agreements for Katlyn Finkral as Lennox Elementary special education assistant and Jazlyn Gayle as Worthing Elementary special education assistant.
The board approved the 2025-26 school calendar that has the first day of school on Aug. 20, the last day of school on May 19 and graduation on May 9. The calendar also has no school on Aug. 29, the Friday of Labor Day weekend, and Christmas break will be Dec. 22 through Jan. 4.
They set the school board election date for April 8. Board members Clayton Wulf and Nick Butler’s positions will be open. Petitions can be picked up starting Jan. 31 from the business office and are due Feb. 28.
The board approved a resolution to oppose the proposed school voucher program that is expected to go before the state Legislature this session.
They declared a Sky 200NE Unit Cutting-Edge Endzone camera unit as surplus since they bought a new one.
The board also approved the Sunshine Preschool rates for the 2025-26 school year. The monthly rate remains the same but the registration has a $10 increase.
Sandal noted that they will meet Jan. 25 at 8 a.m. for candidate selection and Feb. 1 at 8 a.m. for interviews with the finalists. Seven community members are involved in the process. The board discussed how long candidates can remain confidential. Sandal wanted to be able to contact the finalist candidates’ school district, while Butler thought giving questions to their search consultant to ask references would also be an option.
The board adjourned at 6:35 p.m.