The regular meeting of the Pecatonica Area School Board was held on February 16, 2026, at 7:00 PM. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by President Reading. Roll call was taken; those in attendance were Trevor Doescher, Megan Reading, Grace Knutson, Kevin Jayne, Brian Schlafli, Cory DeSmet, Nick Huffman, and Mazie Theorin. Dr. Mark Stateler, Mr. Rogers, and Dr. Scott were in attendance for district administration.
The Pledge of Allegiance was stated. The meeting was properly noticed in accordance with Wisconsin §19.84.
Pride of Pecatonica awards were presented. This month’s recipients were Miri Schwery (elementary), Paityn Webber (middle school), and Reid Schlimgen (high school).
Consent Agenda:
Minutes of Previous Meeting – Minutes from the January regular board meeting were available in the board packet for review. No changes were noted.
Treasurer’s Report: Treasurer Jayne reviewed the treasurer’s report. No questions or concerns were noted.
Approval of Vouchers: Vouchers were reviewed.
Correspondence: None
President Reading asked if any Board members wished to remove items from the consent agenda for further discussion. No requests were made.
Motion by DeSmet, second by Doescher to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Motion passed 7-0.
Public Forum: Mark Hazlitt addressed the Board during public forum. Mr. Hazlitt encouraged the Board to look at all options to ensure smart spending during consideration of additional referendum projects.
Reports:
Board President: President Reading shared the next Anti-Bullying Ad Hoc Committee will be held February 23rd starting at 6:00 at Pecatonica Elementary School. She continued by sharing her appreciation to be able to attend the recent State Education Convention.
Committee Chairs: The Policy Committee met on February 9, 2026, and reviewed five policies: Policy 662.3 – District Fund Balance, Policy 224 – Board/District Relations, Policy 225 – Evaluation of District Administrator, Policy 226 – Non-Renewal of District Administrator, and Policy 165 – School Board Member Behavior, Communications, and Code of Conduct. Revisions to these policies will come before the Board during their regular February Board Meeting for their first reading.
Student Representative: Student representative, Mazie Theorin, shared several updates highlighting student activities and achievements. Both the Pecatonica boys basketball team and the Argyle-Pecatonica girls basketball team are performing well in conference play, with the boys currently in second place and the girls in first as they prepare for postseason competition. Individual milestones were also recognized, including
Griffin Noll reaching 1,000 career points and Kylie Butler of Argyle reaching 2,000 career points. The PA wrestling team placed first in the conference duals competition held at Pecatonica, and wrestlers recently competed in individual sectionals. Students also highlighted several extracurricular activities, including Mrs. Huffman’s Art Biz class organizing a successful Valentine’s Day cookie sale for students and staff. Additional student opportunities included participation in conference Honors Choir in Monticello and the upcoming Forensics competition, with appreciation shared for Ms. Rindy’s work as coach. Five Pecatonica band students also represented the school at the Tri- State Band event at UW-Platteville, where they rehearsed and performed alongside students from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa. Ms. Theorin concluded her report by expressing concerns about the cleanliness of the band and choir classroom floor. The current carpeted flooring presents sanitation challenges, as student musicians regularly empty condensation from their instruments during rehearsals. Because the flooring is carpet, this moisture can become trapped and is difficult to properly clean and sanitize. The Board directed Dr. Scott to begin exploring flooring alternatives for that learning space.
Administration:
Elementary: Mr. Rogers reported that the district has applied to partner with Wisconsin Reading Corps for the upcoming school year. K-5 teachers have begun exploring new math curriculum materials. Students met their January PBIS Voyager Ticket goal focused on cooperation and earned a Friday afternoon movie with popcorn as a reward. Mr. Rogers also shared appreciation for several staff members and initiatives, including Nancy Huffman and her students for providing
Valentine’s Day cookies, Amy Smith for securing a Blanchardville/Hollandale Area Fund grant to bring the SkyDome Planetarium to PES, and Nikki Cooper for organizing the PES Art Show opening night at the Blanchardville Public Library. He also thanked Maddie Kittleson and Kailey King for attending the CESA 3 Forward Prep Workshop, and Elizabeth Steele, Gayle Gronski, Kailey King, and Kim Helgeson for coordinating 4th grade NAEP testing. Additional updates included upcoming Parent/Teacher Conferences on March 11 and 12, and the transition of K-5 teachers to Classroom Dojo as their primary communication tool with families.
Secondary: Dr. Stateler reported that high school students have begun meeting with Ms. Henkle to start the course signup process for next year. This early step in registration helps the school begin building the master schedule and reduces course conflicts so students have greater flexibility and opportunities when selecting classes. Students also participated in several off campus learning and enrichment opportunities. The Small Animals class visited the Green County Humane Society and a veterinary clinic in Brodhead. High school choir students participated in the conference honors choir, and students took part in the FFA Writing Contest. Middle school students also attended the SkyDome program at the elementary school to enhance science learning experiences. Dr. Stateler thanked Mrs. Smith for organizing the program and securing grant funding from the Blanchardville/Hollandale Area Fund. Dr. Stateler also recognized several students who represented the school at the Tri State Honors Band at UW Platteville, including Sophie Howard, Scarlett Jacoby, Luke Leonard, Calla Stateler, and Mazie Theorin. Finally, he noted that winter sports postseason competition has begun, with wrestling regional and sectional events taking place and girls and boys basketball entering regional tournament play in late February and early March.
Superintendent: Dr. Scott shared a presentation with the Board which explained the history of school funding along with why the $325 per pupil increase in revenue fell to the local taxpayers. Dr. Scott ended her report by sharing the current amounts owed in food service accounts ($13,611) and outstanding fees ($7,294).
Information and Action Items:
Information – Highlights from the 2026 State Education Convention – President Reading and Dr. Scott shared highlights from their recent attendance at the 2026 State Education Convention,
Information: Summer School Update – Dr. Scott shared preliminary data regarding a possible summer school program, including the number of teachers who expressed interest in teaching, potential number of students served, approximated expenses, and the amount of student FTE which might be gained as a result of running this program. School Board members provided feedback that it might not be fiscally responsible to offer the program given the current data.
Information: Second Friday in January Pupil Count – Dr. Scott provided information regarding the District’s most recent student count. The District increased by one pupil from its last count which is held in September.
Action: Approval of 2026-27 Course Handbook – Motion by Knutson, seconded by Doescher to approve the 2026- 27 Course Handbook as presented. Motion approved 7-0.
Action: Driver’s Education Program – Motion by Huffman, seconded by Doescher to approve creation of a Driver’s Education program. This program would be open to anyone, not just Pecatonica students. Motion approved 7-0.
Action: Academic Excellence Scholarship – Motion by DeSmet, seconded by Knutson to approve Mazie Theorin as the 2026 recipient of the Academic Excellence Scholarship. Motion approved 7-0. Motion by DeSmet, seconded by Doescher to approve Loretta Tisch, Lukas Orloff, Scarlett Jacoby, and Austin Enloe as alternate recipients. Motion approved 7-0.
Action: Technical Excellence Scholarship – Motion by Schlafli, seconded by
Jayne to approve Ryder Berned as the 2026 recipient of the Technical Excellence Scholarship. Motion approved 7-0. Motion by Knutson, seconded by DeSmet to approve Austin Enloe and Tatum Kurschner as alternate recipients. Motion approved 7-0.
Action: Approval of Debt Service Payment – Motion by Jayne, seconded by Doescher to approve the debt service payment in the amount of $963,650.00 ($560,000 on principal and $403,650 on interest). Motion approved 7-0.
Action: Approval of Camp Pec Budget – Dr. Scott reviewed the budget for the 2026 Camp Pec Program. It was highlighted that fees for Camp Pec would be increasing by $5 per day. Dr. Scott also noted that Camp Pec would be held at the high school. Motion by Doescher, seconded by Knutson to approve the Camp Pec budget of $39,577.00 as presented. Motion approved 7-0.
Action: Additional Referendum Projects – Motion by Huffman, seconded by Schlafli to approve the construction of a 6,000 square foot parking lot in the vacant lot in front of the Middle School/High School. Motion defeated 0-7.
Action: Paid Time Off (PTO) Payout for Administrators – Motion by Knutson, seconded by Huffman to approve a PTO buyout for administrators that would pay $75 per day upon voluntary separation from the district after 5 years of service, and a payout of $100 per day upon voluntary separation from the district after 10+ years. Motion approved 7-0.
Action: First Reading of Board Policies – Motion by Huffman, seconded by Knutson to approve Policy 662.3 as amended. Motion approved 7-0. Motion by Doescher, seconded by Huffman to approve Policy 224 – Board/District Administrator Relations as amended. Motion approved 7-0. Motion by Huffman, seconded by Schlafli to approve Policy 225 – Evaluation of District Administrator as amended. Motion approved 7-0. Motion by Doescher, seconded by Huffman to approve Policy 226 – Non-Renewal of District Administrator as amended. Motion approved 7-0. Motion by Knutson, seconded by Doescher to approve Policy 165
School Board Member Behavior, Communications, and Code of Conduct as amended. Motion approved 7-0.
Action: Hiring and/or Resignations – Motion by Huffman, seconded by Knutson to approve the resignation of Jeanene Eastman. Motion approved 7-0. Motion by Huffman, seconded by Schlafli to approve the hiring of Jarod Gordon as the Head JV Football Coach. Motion approved 7-0. Motion by Huffman, seconded by Jayne to approve the hiring of Jason Klocek as the Varsity Football Offensive Coordinator. Motion approved 7-0. Motion by Schlafli, seconded by Doescher to approve the hiring of C.T. Knutson as the Varsity Football Special Teams Coordinator. Motion approved 7-0.
Action: Donations – Motion by Doescher, seconded by Huffman to accept the $200 donation from Hollandale Grocery in order to provide gift certificates to families in need during the holidays. Motion approved 7-0. Motion by Schlafli, seconded Huffman to accept the $208 donation from the Pecatonica PTO in order to purchase frames for the traveling art show. Motion approved 7-0. Motion by Knutson, seconded by DeSmet to accept the $150 donation from the Class of 2007, in loving memory of Ronald Daley. Funds are to be used to help pay for overdue lunch balances. Motion approved 7-0.
Action: Invoices Above $4,000 – Motion by Doescher, seconded by Schlafli to approve payment of the Baseman Floors, Inc. invoice in the amount of $10,708.27. Motion approved 7-0.
Action: Other Matters That May Legally Come Before the Board – None
Adjourn: Motion by Huffman, seconded by Knutson to adjourn the meeting. Motion approved 7-0.
Meeting adjourned at 8:30 PM. 4-2-1c-L-WNAXLP