The La Crosse School Board held two meetings and one workshop in September. The meetings featured school showcases, presentations, reports, and board action. The School Showcases included introductions from Leadership Team members at three elementaries, the Supervisor of Instructional Technology and Library Program and a presentation about Central HS’s “Build Moto” program where students learn to build and modify motorcycles.
Regular business included the Board’s acceptance of monitoring reports on the Instructional Program and Asset Protection.
The Board also heard several presentations at these meetings. The Supervisor of Instructional Technology shared how the District is working to create instructionally-aligned technology, including the creation of a Tech Advisory Council last spring and staff development in every school in ‘26-’27. He also described how the District’s technology infrastructure is shielding students from prohibited content.
The Executive Director of Budget explained the process for school budgeting and presented this year’s Proposed Budget.
An update on referendum construction noted that at State Road the new classrooms, the playground and the gym should be completed by November 1 with the Hogan building envelope closed up by then as well. A flood in the Central HS building over Labor Day weekend has led to repairs in offices, the art room, the library and the need for a new gym floor.
Other informational announcements included Polytechnic’s receipt of an Apple Distinguished School Award for innovative use of Apple technology to improve teaching and learning, the announcement of new student Board reps from the three high schools, and the District’s work on a branding initiative, which includes an official name, a tag line, and a new logo.
A workshop following the September 28 regular Board meeting focused on middle school facility planning. A representative from Bray Architects shared maps of proposed renovations for Logan and Longfellow Middle Schools and Central with budget summaries for each. The Board favors
renovating Logan and Longfellow over building a new school or converting Central High to a 7-12 facility. At the end of the workshop the Board received a staffing update. All teaching positions are currently filled with only six support positions remaining to be filled.
~Observed by Jean Hammons
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BOARD OF ESTIMATES
September 1 Board of Estimates Materials
The Board of Estimates (Mayor; Common Council and Board of Public Works Presidents; members of the Finance & Personnel Committee, the Executive Committee; and the Director of Finance) meets each year, on or before the third Tuesday of October, to approve and submit a proposed city operating budget for the following year to the whole council.
The board met on September 1 for a first review of proposals for the 2027 operating budget, all of which aimed to eliminate a nearly three million dollar deficit.
Three scenarios proposed balancing the budget through:
- department expense cuts, fund balance transfers, and a 0% tax levy increase;
- department expense cuts, fund balance transfers, and a 1.6% tax levy increase; and
- department expense cuts, no use of fund balance transfers, and a 2.13% tax increase.
Discussion of the budget highlighted the difficult position faced by La Crosse as well as municipal governments throughout the state in spite of the state’s nearly $3 billion surplus. Local governments struggle to sustain public services under the burdens of an inflationary economy and state-imposed spending controls.
BOE members have asked the mayor and staff to return for a second review on October 12 with the addition of a more specifically detailed account of where cost cuts are being proposed.
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COMMON COUNCIL MEETING
September 10 Meeting Materials
On September 10, the council met to conduct regular business. Notable actions included
- approval of a bid for concrete placement for new accessible bubblers,
- a 30-day referral to amend sections of the charter to add a one-year probationary period for department heads,
- a 12-month waiting period for a beer and alcohol license for Citgo and 10-day license suspensions for Bennet O’Riley and Del’s Bar,
- approval of a Concession Agreement with La Crosse Concession Services, Inc. for the La Crosse Center.
Innovative Public Advisors led a substantive presentation and discussion on leadership systems in Wisconsin cities comparable to La Crosse. Following the discussion, the council voted unanimously to direct the finance staff to identify all options for funding the cost of a hiring a city manager or administrator for 2027, 2028 and possibly 2029 and to present those proposals in writing before holding any further meetings to discuss a change in city administration.
~Observed by Nora Garland
The Village of French Island Board met twice in September. They adopted a new Village charter and established committees with suggested assignments for certain trustees. The village also discussed the city sewer agreement after meeting with representatives Brad Pfaff and Jill Billings. Because there has been no sewer contract with the city of La Crosse since 2018, French Island has been required to pay surcharges for use of the sewer treatment plant in La Crosse — 25% because they do not reside in the city plus 10% because they don’t have a contract with the city. The Town of Shelby is in the same situation. These communities are each trying to find out why the city is not settling or renewing sewer contracts or whether they can be compelled to do so. Also, because French Island does not have a sewer agreement with the city of La Crosse, the city is denying all requests for new sewer hookups.
The Village Board also heard updates about PFAS testing from UW-Madison Geosciences; they took 11 samples near sites of 1970, 1971, 2001 plane crashes and in the 5-block neighborhood directly south of the airport. The board is waiting for results from the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene.
The CJMC held a joint meeting with Common Council and the County board focusing on the Pathways Home project on homelessness. The presentation noted that the city’s role in Pathways Home is housing and the county’s role is health and social services. The report also shared that the homeless population has been reduced by 1/3, from 300 to 200 individuals. The less severe cases are in housing, and the most severe cases are unsheltered, primarily in the downtown area. Shortage of housing continues, especially for the most severe cases that need 24/7 supervision which is very costly.
~Observed by Margaret Larson
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HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
The Health and Human Services Board’s September meeting featured several county employees’ reports to the board on their work in tracking and monitoring cases of communicable diseases in La Crosse County. Service providers focus both on those determined to have a communicable disease and those who were exposed to it through others with the goal being reduction in transmission of such illnesses. Last year in La Crosse County approximately 1000 cases were identified; the majority were sexually transmitted diseases but others included food poisoning.
The Health Director reported that county workers are reaching out to the Amish Community to discuss the use of vaccines. This report also mentioned a measle’s outbreak in southeast WI. No cases have been found in La Crosse County, possibly because our vaccine levels are higher than state averages.
The Human Services Director reported that county workers would attend a national conference on the needs of aging and disabled clients held in Wisconsin Dells on December 21-23. He also reported that a recent review of the child care subsidy program found that our county program was in compliance with state regulations.
~Observed by Stephen Minnema
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JUDICIARY AND LAW
At their September meeting, the committee heard reports from the boat patrol, the jail’s chaplain, and jail’s clinical therapist.
The boat patrol reported on a productive summer working with the DNR and the city. In spite of staffing shortages for all three groups, the patrol is out every weekend. Their most common stops are no-wake violations, boats over capacity, and expired registrations.
The jail chaplain reported having met with 473 individuals in the last 8 months. He is a full-time employee of the La Crosse Jail Ministry, which contracts with the county to provide spiritual direction, rehabilitation support and connection to faith communities. He also provides materials to inmates such as notepads, calendars, stamps, books and clothing.
The jail’s Clinical Therapist reported on his work in the jail providing a wide range of mental health services to inmates. In a year he conducts 600-700 visits and 180-220 suicide assessments. They have recently hired a therapist through the opioid settlement monies who is working on MOUD (Medication for Opioid Use Disorder); another doctor comes in every two weeks to provide diagnostic clarification and prescribing recommendations.
~Observed by Chris Haskell