Horicon H.S. Principal Announces Retirement

The School District of Horicon Board of Education met on Monday, Jan. 19.
Present at the meeting was a new member to the board, Kyle Herring, who is filling the vacancy left by the resignation of Jim Grigg.
The board accepted several upcoming retirements. The staff retiring effective June 2026 includes Dawn Stortz, Elementary Administrative Assistant; Emily Firari, Middle/High School Administrative Assistant; and Lisa Giese, Middle School Teacher. Additionally, Teresa Graven, High School Principal, will be retiring at the conclusion of the current school year.
The district will also be hosting two new student teachers, one in the elementary school and one in Kaylee Brown’s third-grade classroom.
A major discussion point was the successful refinancing of the remainder of the bond issued in 2018. Superintendent Katie Schwartz reported that the final refinanced amount was $12,784,302.76. This move resulted in a debt service savings of $557,056, with an additional $155,000 saved due to favorable interest rates and other conserved amounts, increasing the total savings to $727,125. “It’s going to help our levy by $120,000…per year, starting in 2027,” Schwartz stated.

The district received the silver recognition for its Advanced Placement (AP) program for the second consecutive year. To earn this award, 50% of students were required to take at least one AP exam. The notes indicated that 36% of students scored a three or higher, and 19% took five or more exams.
The board passed approvals for the 2026-2027 district-wide calendar, adopted the district emergency nursing plan effective this month, and accepted the 2024-2025 audited financial statements. The board also set the 2026-2027 open enrollment non-resident space availability, which includes 241 regular openings, two for speech and language, and two for early childhood (half-day).
It was shared that the Horicon FFA announced that it is currently taking strawberry orders until February 27, with prices set at $30 for one flat, $20 for half a flat, and $5 for a single, one-quart container. Pick-up for the orders will be the week of March 9.
In athletic news, it was also noted that interviews for the football and golf coaching positions are ongoing.