EACSD Board attends closed session at Central, holds pair of budget public hearings and approves consulting contract with former administrator
by Susan Cantine-Maxson
The Eastern Allamakee Community School District (EACSD) Board of Directors held a series of meetings this month, including a special session Wednesday, April 9 and its regular monthly meeting Monday, April 14.
The following board members were present for the April 9 meeting: Bobbie Goetzinger, Heather Lutz, Melanie Mauss, Joe Manning and Arla Wagner, as was Board Secretary Michele Martin. That April 9 special meeting was held at Central Community School District in Elkader, with which the EACSD shares the services of Superintendent of Schools Nick Trenkamp, who was recently placed on administrative leave due to concerns with social media posts. Meeting minutes reflect only that the board entered a closed session under Iowa Code 21.5(1)(i) to discuss personnel matters, concluding the session more than an hour later that evening, with no further action being taken prior to adjournment.
The same EACSD Board representation was also in attendance at the April 14 regular session held at Kee High School in Lansing, with the exception of Joe Manning. In addition, the following were in attendance April 14: EACSD PreK-12 Principal Donna Thomas, EACSD Intervention/Prevention Specialist Chad Winters, School Business Official Kris Smith, and visitors Tommy Martin, Coady Heiderscheit, Tyler Verdon, Ross Kolsrud, Shari Lubahn, and Sarah Murray.
At the April 14 regular meeting, the board addressed a variety of issues, including contract approvals, upcoming budget plans, and staffing changes. The board held two public hearings on the district’s budgets, as the Fiscal Year 2025 Amended Budget and the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget were both presented without public comment and later approved. Kris Smith, School Business Official, provided an overview of the Fiscal Year 2026 budget during the hearing.
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