At the July 8, 2026, school board meeting, board members David Sovinski. Tom Keefe, Jill Harstad, Josh Thompson and Mark Johnsrud were present. Board member Katie Priebe was not present. Also present were Superintendent Ed Harris, elementary principal, Shane McBroom and high school principal, Eric Nelson.
Reports
Board member Dave Keefe informed the board that he is working with a few teachers and gathering information to work on a cell phone policy. In the next few months he will meet with teachers, parents and students to determine what, if any, changes need to be made to the policy.
Principal McBroom had a short report, as the first two weeks of summer school has ended. He stated the summer cleaning crew is doing a great job and have a good system in place. Camp Invention was again a success and the kids really enjoyed themselves with all the activities provided.
Principal Eric Nelson said the students who enrolled in the summer school program to make up credits were very successful and their work is getting them back on track for graduation. He thanked Jodie Daniels for her work helping the students with course work. He then spoke to the policy language changes proposed for the Board Policy 620. The board approved the policy that adjusts the concurrent enrollment ratio to match the 4/1 that exists for PSEO classes. This will begin with this SY 26/27. In talking with instructor Mike Christy, parents and chaperones, he has decided to review some of the protocols, expectations, and communications that are used with the eighth grade Washington D.C. trip. He feels they should be looked at every few years to ensure they still match the program objectives, technology trends, supervision capacity and the logistics of large group travel. He sees opportunities for improving the overall experience for the travelers. He stated that this trip is a long standing tradition that exposes the students to our nation’s government and history. He wants to make sure that it continues to serve as a tremendous learning opportunity for students. Nelson reported that he was impressed with the number of students who are availing themselves with the morning strength and fitness training with Steve Smith. Steve has four one hour long sessions so that students can train in smaller numbers. Students have numerous objectives for training, including athletic performance gain, injury prevention and general fitness. Areas of emphasis for the participants include strength training, flexibility, speed and agility.
Superintendent Harris noted that the board had met before the board meeting to start the discussion of his performance evaluation and goals. Tom Keefe stated the board thinks that Harris is effective or highly effective in all areas. They will meet again and talk about goals for the coming year. Keefe also thanked him for his expertise and leadership. In other business, Harris recommended raising the per diem for staff and students because Chatfield’s rates are very low compared to others and have not been adjusted for inflation in many years. The board approved his recommendation. Other items brought to the board by Harris were the Long Term Maintenance Plan that is required to be submitted each year to MDE. This was approved along with the 2026-2027 Activity Fund Fundraisers and the 2025-2026 donations of $216,990. These donations were from individuals, booster clubs, organizations, and businesses. Superintendent Harris said we as a community are so fortunate to receive these donations from the public.
The approval of the elementary solar project was brought forth by Harris. The funds for this have been set aside for the district with the state providing 70% of the cost. The remaining 30% will be reimbursed via a federal rebate program. The district will carry the 30% from operating capital until the rebate comes in. It is expected that this will show a savings for the first year of approximately $26,000, with the savings increasing every year. During discussion about the contract, Dave Sovinski indicated that he was opposed to the project. He feels the risks are too high and that the school would be responsible for many things that would take money away from the savings. He is worried that this may do damage to the roof, creating another problem. He also feels solar energy is an intermittent and unreliable power. The board approved the contract with Solar Connections with Sovinski voting against it.
The meeting was adjourned.
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