District overview
Lavina K-12 Schools
Funding structure, how it compares to peers, and where major projects stand.
Can a 73-student school keep its building sound?
Lavina K-12 Schools serves about 73 students in Golden Valley County, Montana, in one building. A three-member Board of Trustees (Chair KJ Fauth, Dan Peters and Ben Lehfeldt) meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. Superintendent Nicole Hanson runs the district with Clerk Charly Tatom. Sports are shared with Broadview through a co-op. Much of the board's work this year was the aging building: a roof installed by Kirkness Roofing that leaks and is not up to code, window replacement funded partly by a Montana Historic Preservation grant, and foundation cracks.
Roof replacement
Kirkness will replace the non-compliant roof to current code in summer 2027. The alternative was a full refund. The minutes do not state whether the district pays anything more.
Windows and walls
BigSky Exterior Designs replaced the old building's windows. About $44,800 of the grant is left for wall cracks.
Money
A preliminary budget of about $1.29 million, a notice of intent to raise levies for 2027, and a warning of a possible 15% cut in federal Title funds.
Staffing
A two-year teacher agreement, a 3% raise for support staff, new math and reading hires, and a reading push funded by the Montana Literacy Grant.
The board votes unanimously on nearly everything and posts detailed minutes. It chose a contractor-performed replacement over a refund, and attached conditions to protect the building over the winter.
Where the district stands
Context: NCES count.
Approximate, per the superintendent.
Major projects
Roof replacement
scheduledKirkness installed the roof after a July 2025 board approval. It leaked, failed an outside inspection, and will be fully replaced to current code.
- Leaks reported; outside inspection ordered
- Board accepts replacement option
Funding
Not stated (contractor remedy; alternative was a 100% refund)
Old-building window replacement (Stahly project)
largely completeThe scope moved from basement concrete to upstairs windows. BigSky Exterior Designs won the bid, and leftover funds may go to wall cracks.
- Scope revised
- Matching funds committed
- Window bid chosen
- Windows and blinds installed
Funding
Montana Historic Preservation Grant with district match
Recent news
Board minutes and agendas posted on lavinapublicschools.com from November 2025 to October 2026, plus the 2026-27 Integrated Strategic Action Plan.
Get alerts for Lavina K-12 Schools
We read every agenda, packet, recording, and set of minutes, and write up the decisions that affect families — each one linked to the document it came from.
Copy the RSS link into your feed reader to get new published alerts.