Caledonia Area Public School Board members met Monday, June 16 at Caledonia Elementary School in room #162. Board member Mike Peterson called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m., then led with the Pledge of Allegiance. Board members present included Derek Adamson, Leigh King, Melissa Marschall, Spencer Yohe and Peterson himself. Board members Julie Augedahl and Chad Harms were absent. District employees present included Middle/High School Principal Nathan Boler, Elementary Principal John Wahlstrom, Community Education Director Gretchen Juan, and Business Finance Manager Barb Meyer. Superintendent Craig Ihrke was absent.
Adamson moved, seconded by Marschall, to adopt the agenda as presented. Motion carried.
The board graciously accepted a generous monetary donation from the American Legion Post 191, with the donation funds designated towards the Warrior Fishing Club.
No Board Showcase, Student School Board Member Report, or Public Comment took place.
“Any questions or discussions on the agenda?” asked Peterson. Adamson asked follow up questions in regards to the Schmitz Bus Service contract about students just outside the district, to which Business Finance Manager Meyer answered.
In a 5-0 vote the following Consent Agenda items received full board approval:
• The May 19, 2025 regular school board minutes.
• The Schmitz Bus Service two-year transportation contract.
• -Tenure being granted to Katie Block, David Lind, Mason Staggemeyer, and Rachel Staggemeyer.
• The hiring of Nicole Meyer as the high school’s full time math teacher for the 2025-2026 school year.
• The resignation of Maria Felten as junior class advisor.
• The maternity leave request of Hailey Frideres to begin October 2025.
• The 2025-2026 District Employee Handbook, the Coaches Handbook, and the Middle/High School Student/Parent Handbook.
• The Use of School District Facilities and Equipment #902.
The board unanimously approved the bread product bid from Pan-O-Gold, the dairy bid from Ziebell’s Foods, the gas/fuel bid from Kwik Trip, and the budget all for the 2025-2026 school year. Rachel Stackhouse, the district’s director of Food and Nutrition Services had recommended Pan-O-Gold due to the cost-effectiveness.
Principal Boler proudly stated the middle/high school is currently fully staffed. Summer school took place over the last two weeks with 12 classes being recovered. He acknowledged that this was good for kids to take advantage of. Boler stated there to be a lot of projects taking place over the summer.
Elementary Principal Wahlstrom gave a brief presentation on the i-Ready diagnostic program. He noted that he shared i-Ready data with the board earlier in the school year. Wahlstrom explained that i-Ready is a tool used to measure student growth over the course of the year. The data can be analyzed by grade level and by classroom. The program includes two assessments – reading and math – and is currently used for students in grades K–5.
Principal Boler chimed in, informing that they are looking to expand iReady through grade eight. “I really like iReady data schoolwide!” praised Wahlstrom. He added that iReady, unlike MCA testing (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment), is nationally normed. Wahlstorm said it is good to compare student data to not only the state norm, but the national norm. Throughout the school year, trends are looked at within the Caledonia Area Public School district. iReady is especially useful as the district can view data for K-2 students, who do not yet take MCAs.
Principal Wahlstrom added that the district uses iReady as their math curriculum, with iReady providing workbooks and teacher resources. iReady is not used as the reading curriculum, Wahlstrom acknowledged that what the district has been doing with reading has been going well already.
Community Education Director Juan and Business Finance Manager Meyer briefly presented their administrative reports.
Both Principals Boler and Wahlstrom discussed the anonymous staff survey results. Two things Boler took away from the results were communication and appreciation. When staff were asked what kind of appreciation they would prefer to see, Boler was told they would like his presence in their classrooms more – even for just 15 minutes. Wahlstrom shared, “I was really happy with it,” referring to the results.
The meeting adjourned at 6:19 p.m.
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