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The Chisago Lakes School Board held their monthly meeting on Thursday, March 19 and although the agenda was light on time, there were a few important topics discussed at the meeting.

Superintendent Brian Dietz gave an update on his “Soup with Sup” tour of the district’s Career and Technical Education programs, giving the public a firsthand look at students’ work. “Our goal is to keep widening the arch of people who want to see the programs that go on within the school,” Dietz said. He explained that getting the public into the buildings to see what goes on is important.

The Wildcat Academy, which expanded to include grades 7-8 for this coming year, continues to grow. Dietz said the program is expected to fill its original target and is now expected to exceed 65-70 students, with the possibility of adding another instructor next year. Board Chair Lori Berg was curious if the numbers were about retention of current students or addition of outside students. Dietz said roughly 80 percent of participants are current Chisago Lakes students, with 20 percent coming from other districts. Dietz said plans are underway for supplemental online classes as well, combining online and in-person learning to expand opportunities for students both inside and outside the district.

There were some sizable donations this month, with $3,238 from CLPTO  for Lakeside School, $2,910 from the Primary School Social Committee, a $500 donation from Kathy Noyd for the Neva Noyd Memorial Scholarship, and $1,000 each from Peterson Companies and Empire Insurance for the CLHS Dance Team.

The district settled their two year contract with Chisago Lakes Education Minnesota teachers with a 2.5 percent increase in each year. Director of Human Resources Cory Becker said the district also increased its insurance contributions by 14 percent in year one and 10 percent in year two to align more closely with comparable districts, noting the district contribution for single-person coverage at $10,898 and family coverage annually at $20,254. The total two-year package increase comes to just under 10.5 percent, and the district went over budget by more than $350,000.  Becker noted the district will want to adjust the 2026-27 budget accordingly.

The meeting finished with some bad news due to projected enrollment declines that will result in budget reductions next year. Four elementary teaching positions will be cut, there will be an upcoming fee increase in activities, a reduction in middle school girls basketball, and a decrease of 1.5 coaches across programs. The varsity girls basketball program will move to a 7th-12th grade structure, which Dietz said actually mirrors many of the other schools in the district. Chair Berg stated, “I want to acknowledge the teacher reduction that they are humans and these are incredibly hard decisions,” acknowledging the difficulty of reductions while stressing the importance of adjusting staffing to match enrollment.

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