Elkhorn school board renews CCA charter, approves Williams Bay agreement, removes open‑enrollment caps and signs routine bills

Elkhorn Area School District trustees on Jan. 26 approved a suite of routine and policy items, including a five‑year charter contract renewal for the Career and College Academy (CCA), an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with Williams Bay School District, no caps on open‑enrollment seats for the 2026–27 school year, and personnel and financial items.

Charter renewal and governance changes: District staff explained the five‑year renewal for the CCA and said a nonstock corporation will govern both Career and College Academy and the newly formed Southern Lakes College Academy (SLCA). Staff said the renewal clarifies inclusion of the Sophos program and aligns the contract with Department of Public Instruction requirements. The board moved and approved the charter contract as presented.

Intergovernmental agreement: The agreement with Williams Bay cleans up consortium language, removes references to Lake Geneva, incorporates Sophos and updates dates and formatting; Williams Bay had already approved and signed the agreement and the board approved it without amendment.

Open enrollment: Staff recommended, and trustees approved, placing no caps on open enrollment for regular education students and for special‑education students who qualify for district programs for the 2026–27 school year. Staff noted there are grade‑level pockets with limited seats and that placements may be made at alternate schools when needed; special‑education students with unusually high costs will be handled via billing adjustments with resident districts.

Finance and minutes: The business office presented check, wire and ACH numbers and a combined bills total; the board approved general fund bills. Transcript readings contained an inconsistent rendering of the combined bills amount at one point, but the roll‑call motion and later readback show the combined total as $441,401.47, which the board approved.

Personnel and retirements: Trustees accepted the retirement of Heidi Johnson (27 years as administrative assistant at CCA) and approved several personnel moves, including the appointment of Catherine Dennis to administrative assistant (Dennis had served in the role for approximately five months); approvals were conditioned on passing background checks and district drug screening.

Student and staff reports: Student representatives highlighted recent extracurricular successes, and district community engagement coordinator John Anselmo described partnerships, facility rentals and student employment programs.

What’s next: Staff will provide an enrollment update at the next board meeting and return with sponsor and financing details on the stadium board/sound system before any purchase contract is signed.