Lisbon Schools approves 2026-27 class offerings
Lisbon secondary principal Jack Leighty outlined changes for the 2026-27 class offerings.
One of the big changes this year was adding an additional block of time to seniors and a block of free time to schedules for junior students. Ninth graders and sophomores have to have eight credit hours a day each school day. Juniors will have the ability to reduce down to seven credit hours a day, while seniors have six credit hours a day.
Leighty explained that many juniors and seniors take part in Kirkwood Community College career academies during the school day, and the block for those credits is to help with the needed travel time for those classes.
“We’re looking to limit when the open period is for juniors to take a credit hour off, trying to allow them to still utilize the Pride time for extra help they may need for assignments,” Leighty said. “For seniors, they are not required to take part in Pride time.”
There are a few new courses in career and technical education studies being offered this year as well.
Early retirement accepted by three educators
Cathy Awtry, Julie Light and Marilyn Pleasant will be taking early retirement from the Lisbon School systems this year.
More than 100 years of experience between those three will leave the district.
“When you look at the years of service, that still does not count everything they have given to the district over the years,” said superintendent Autumn Pino. “I want to publicly thank them for their service to our district.”
Lisbon School budget hearing slated for March 23
Lisbon’s first budget hearing is scheduled for March 23 at 7 p.m.
The board set the hearing date to make sure it was ready for mailers that go out to the members in the school district ahead of the hearing.
Business manager Stacey Matus said she is trying to levy the budget as high as she can, but that is made harder by not knowing what state supplemental aid will be.
“If we base our budget on an SSA that’s too low, and they come back with a higher number, we can’t lower our levy rate that we’ve established,” Matus said.
Lisbon superintendent Autumn Pino said that the district does their best to set a reasonable budget.
“We know other communities are grappling with whatever the tax rate will be,” Pino said. “We can still be reasonable with ours. We’re not in dire straits like others.”
Lisbon board president Jen Caspers said it is frustrating that the school district is regulated on when they have to set their budget, but the state is not adhering to when SSA needs to be set.
Recent numbers from the legislature have proposed an SSA of 1.75 percent for the coming year.
Lisbon schools sets flex accounts for different funds
Lisbon Schools has established the creation of flex accounts for categorical funds in the district.
Superintendent Autumn Pino explained that the district has been dinged by the state by having money in certain funds that have not been expnended.
The goal is to take some of the categorical funds and move funds to a flexible account the district can use when needed.
“It’s a lot like having another savings account set to the side, not to be used unless we need it, but frees the purse strings to flex for the needs of the school district,” Pino said.
Those flex account monies can not be used prior to a public hearing being held.
Business manager Stacey Matus said that spending any money would also spend down the district’s authority, which is another concern.
“If we lose all our spending authority, it is not the best outcome for the district,” Matus said.