Board approves travel, bills, personnel and moves to closed session; several administrative measures passed

The Elkhorn Area School Board on Feb. 24 approved a series of routine and program items and then voted to move into a closed session to discuss a proposed transportation contract.

The board approved an overnight travel request for Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) to attend the state conference; approved an overnight Washington, D.C., field trip for middle-school students scheduled for 2026; approved general and other fund bills totaling $596,488.83 (checks 154272–154547; wire 900–905; ACH 576–610); authorized a purchasing card agreement with BMO Bank; approved personnel recommendations; accepted school gifts; approved a revised personnel-complaints policy; and adjourned into closed session under Wisconsin Statute 19.85(1)(e) to discuss a proposed Durham School Services transportation contract.

The board recorded motions and seconds on the floor for each item and voted to approve each as presented. Several motions were made from the dais without a full named-mover attribution recorded in the public portion of the transcript.

The board approved the FCCLA overnight travel request. The district told the board the trip lodging and transportation costs will be paid from a mix of Perkins funding (bus), a Career and Technical Education incentive grant (lodging), the FCCLA club (food), and student-paid registration fees; students are expected to pay a $115 registration fee per participant.

The board approved an Elkhorn Area Middle School overnight field trip to Washington, D.C., proposed for June 2026. The presenters said a parent meeting is planned for March 12 and that the trip would be funded by families, fundraising, and registration fees; the precise per-student total cost cited in the presentation was not specified in clear dollars in the public transcript.

The board approved the routine financial bills presented by the district business office. The check range, wire and ACH numbers and combined amount were listed in the meeting materials and read into the record.

A resolution authorizing a purchasing-card (P-card) agreement with Bank of Montreal (BMO) passed; the district said the change is part of a bank switch tied to an investment cooperative and is intended to streamline control and vendor services. The board also approved personnel recommendations (new hires, transfers and resignations) as presented and accepted two school gifts: $1,000 to Tibbetts Elementary (donor Kevin Monti) and $875 from the Tibbetts PTA for the Tibbetts music program.

Before adjourning to closed session, the board approved a revised policy on public complaints about school personnel after a second reading.

The board moved into closed session pursuant to Wisconsin Statute 19.85(1)(e) to discuss a proposed transportation contract; the motion stated the board would not reconvene in open session.

Votes at a glance - FCCLA overnight travel request — approved. - Elkhorn Area Middle School Washington, D.C., trip (2026) — approved. - Approval of minutes for Feb. 10, 2025 (regular and closed session) — approved. - General and other fund bills (checks 154272–154547; wires 900–905; ACH 576–610) — approved; combined amount listed as $596,488.83 in the record. - Resolution authorizing P-card agreement with Bank of Montreal (BMO) — approved. - Personnel recommendations (hires/transfers/resignations) — approved (conditioned on background checks/drug screening where indicated). - School gifts: acceptance of $1,000 and $875 gifts — approved. - Revised policy on public complaints about school personnel (second reading) — approved. - Motion to adjourn to closed session under Wis. Stat. 19.85(1)(e) to discuss a transportation contract — approved; board stated it would not reconvene in open session.

The transcript records movers and seconders for each motion in the meeting record; the public audio does not consistently attribute every mover by name when the motion was made from the dais.