Gilman schools denies request to pick up students in Flambeau
The Gilman School District prepared to welcome students back through its doors for the 2025-2026 school year during the school board meeting on Monday, August 18.
Transportation rates will go up by 1% to $4.11 per mile for independently-contracted bus drivers. District administrator Walter Leipart reported that the transportation payout for this year will be a bit lower than the previous school year with the retirement of one of the bus drivers. The district hired Riteway Transportation Group to fill that gap after offering the additional miles to the remaining drivers with the cost difference in the school’s favor.
Leipart also informed the board of two requests for bus pickups that fall outside of the district’s usual policies. The guardians of one student have requested that a bus from Gilman enter the Flambeau School District, where the student lives, to transport that student to and from school. Another request asks the district to travel down the student’s driveway rather than stopping on the road for pick-ups and drop-offs.
“I think we need to think about the unintended consequences,” Leipart said, stating that if the district makes a request to travel into the Flambeau district, they would be expected to allow Flambeau to enter Gilman’s district for student transportation as well. He noted that, in the past, the district has made exceptions for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEP’s) or for safety purposes when a stop may be too dangerous for younger students. Leipart explained that neither of the students in question have an IEP nor are their pick-up and drop-off locations considered unsafe.
“I think it opens a can of worms,” said board president Darrell Thompson.
“There is a current situation where we go door-to-door but for a student with an IEP with mobility issues, there are extenuating circumstances,” Leipart continued.
Leipart stated that he would deny both requests with the board’s support.
The board also discussed options for snow removal services as their long-term contractor is retiring. The district has two bids up for consideration; Fellenz Excavating put in a bid at the rate of $280 an hour for a crew of workers to plow and shovel which includes the use of a skid loader. The second bid came in from Olynick Management at $100 per hour for truck plowing and salting, $125 per hour for a skid loader and $40 per hour for labor such as shoveling. Olynick Management is operated by recent Gilman graduate Brayden Olynick.
There was some debate over which option would ultimately save the district money as Fellenz Excavating has access to a crew of workers at the same hourly rate while Olynick Management’s bid is lower, but could require more time to remove snow. Leipart reported that last year the district averaged five snow removal events each month at a total cost of $10,190 for the season. The school typically enters into a four-year contract for snow removal, but discussed changing the contract length in the event that their selected service comes out higher than anticipated.
“I think we need to go back and get more information,” said board member Derrick Romig. The board asked Leipart to return with additional details at the next meeting and tabled the topic until then.
The board also heard that the liquified petroleum gas (LP) contract will remain with River Country Co-op at a bulk rate of $1.49 a gallon.
Leipart stepped out of the room as the board talked about and approved a CARES counselor contract through his company, Empowered Partners, LLC. Director of business services Cheryl Rosemeyer reported that the school had already been granted funding for the counselor contract through Aspirus for all of this year and a portion of next year.
In other action, the board:
• Heard from Leipart that while funds have been released by the governor, schools have been told to expect “a lot of push and pull” with that money. He stated that schools may be required to utilize a priority points system, meaning that Gilman may not get as much as voucher schools or districts with factors such as higher percentages of low-income families or existing achievement gaps.
• Discussed ways to increase membership within the district, such as appealing to homeschooling families. Leipart reported that increasing membership would give the school more state aid and decrease property taxes in the area. He posed the question, “If we can create a program that fits your ideals, then would you be willing to enroll in the district?” Leipart stated that there were options to make programming work for homeschoolers, such as enrollment into eSucceed which only requires utilization of five classes to be counted, leaving additional time and space for other homeschooling activities important to families.
Board vice president Lynn Rosemeyer stated that recent legislation changes allowing homeschooled students to enroll in district sports has contributed to declining enrollment as sports are sometimes an incentive for families considering public school. Thompson suggested an open house or temporary open hours after the regular school day or on weekends to allow homeschooling families to enter the building and see firsthand all the school has to offer, though no decisions were made on that topic.
• Learned that HSR Associates will be in the district today, Thursday, to take a video of the building which will be used for referendum planning. Leipart stated he continues to hope to ask less of taxpayers within the district as his goal is to grow eSucceed which brings money into the school. Growth in eSucceed could mean fewer dollars levied from the community. Thompson urged Leipart to be wary of shorting the school of much-needed funds with smaller levies, stating that expenses will continue to climb year after year. Leipart reported that they have considered that, and his projection model plans for inflation accordingly. “I think we're in a good position to actually reduce the request for the referendum,” he said.
