Lodi School Board approves community survey, clears 3% staff pay increase and several contracts

The Lodi School District Board of Education on March 9 approved a community survey to gather input on an operational referendum and voted to raise district staff pay by 3% for the 2026–27 school year.

District staff described a multi‑page community survey developed with School Perception that asks residents whether they would support maintaining the current $5,980,000 operational referendum for five years, whether the district should move to a recurring referendum, and whether voters would back an additional $675,000 to raise certified staff pay toward 90% of market average. "The questions, the first one, would you support the school district maintaining the current level of operation referendum funding $5,980,000 for the next 5 years," a district presenter explained, calling the instrument both educational and a means to prioritize facility and programming projects.

The board approved the survey "as presented with adding students" to committee membership and a distribution plan earlier in April; the superintendent's office said staff will receive the survey on April 1 and the mailed packets should land in mailboxes the week of April 6, with a response deadline of April 22.

On personnel, the board voted unanimously to implement a 3% compensation increase for staff for the 2026–27 year after a personnel committee recommendation. A board member moved a package that directed a 3% increase across certified and most staff, with implementation details that apply the first $500 of the increase for PPG completion for professional exempt staff and specify a 2.63% increase for the district administrator. "The committee unanimously moved to the full board recommendation of 3% raise across the board for staff compensation for the 2627 school year," administration said during the presentation. The motion passed 7–0.

The board also took a number of other actions: it approved summer school course offerings and a renewal of the CESA 5 (CSA) service contract (a projected increase of approximately $940 over last year); it approved the consent agenda including minutes, vouchers and several personnel items; and it tabled a proposed update to the co‑curricular stipend schedule for further review after staff raised concerns about specific changes.

Administrators told the board the co‑curricular review used regional benchmarking, self‑reported hours and role analysis and that the net impact of the proposed schedule this year would have been roughly $6,272 added into the system; some stipends rose while others fell. Because of remaining questions from staff and committee members, the board voted to send the item back to the personnel committee for revision and additional conversations.

Other district updates included a student presentation on a fall exchange trip to Germany, reports on vision and hearing screenings (209 third and fifth graders screened in December with about 20% referred for follow‑up; 144 pre‑K and first graders screened in February with about 3% referred), and a community prevention grant update. Staff reported a $10,500 Wisconsin Department of Instruction grant to support life‑skills workbooks and noted $97,000 in congressional directed funds from U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin to support local prevention efforts.

What’s next: the district plans to finalize survey proofing and printing immediately after spring break; the board set upcoming committee meetings in early April and scheduled the next regular board meeting for Monday, April 13 (closed session at 5:30 p.m., open session at 6:30 p.m.).