At the March 20 school board meeting, board members Jill Harstad, David Sowinski, Josh Thompson and Mark Johnsrud were present as well as Superintendent Ed Harris, Elementary Principal Shane McBroom, and Trista O’Connor, business manager. Student senate members Ella Lane and Anna Bernau were also present. Board members Katie Priebe and Tom Keefe were not present.
Reports
Student Senate members reported that they are sponsoring a March Madness contest in which students can earn prizes for successful matches. They also have instituted a daily trivia question so that students are encouraged to read the daily announcements.
High school principal, Dr. Eric Nelson was not present as he was on the senior class trip to Florida. In his written report he congratulated the Chatfield wrestling team on their state championship in Class A and the individual wrestlers who placed at state. Registration for next year’s classes has been completed. The only major change is the increasing involvement of students in the Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO). He stated we want to support students in this endeavor to be successful, but he is concerned about the overall campus atmosphere with the absence of top senior leaders. It also reduces significantly the viability of courses such as calculus and college physics when top juniors and seniors opt for PSEO. On the positive side, Spanish III will be available for the first time in several years.
Shane McBroom, elementary principal stated the elementary is continuing to review the reading curriculum and are waiting on the Minnesota Department of Education for guidance on which curriculum will be accepted. Plans for getting started on the new reading training OL LA/CORE (Online Language and Literacy Academy) have been sent to MDE for approval. Kindergarten Round-up will be on Thursday, April 11. McBroom urges anyone who has not signed up their child, to do so now by calling the elementary office.
Superintendent Harris brought up the Burr Oak extension that the City of Chatfield is looking at. This extension would be another route to Highway 52, as right now there is only one for a large number of residents. Harris called on Paul Novotny, a city council member, to explain this endeavor. Novotny said no decisions have been made on the four possible options and that they wanted to include the school district’s input in discussions as this extension would benefit school property. They agreed to keep on open dialogue in the future planning of this project.
Under consent items the following were approved:
- Minutes of the February 7, 2024, meeting
- Annual overnight field trips for the Art Club to Chicago, fifth grade to Eagle Bluff, eighth grade to Washington, D.C. and 2025 senior class trip next spring.
- Resignations from Brandon Himle, seventh grade baseball coach; Brenda Strande, varsity dance coach; Nikki Ostby, seventh grade volleyball coach; Dave Ahern, high school custodian (effective March 29, 2024), Kia Virgin, high school math teacher; and Josh Berhow, assistant varsity football coach
- Job postings for varsity dance coach, high school custodian, and high school math teacher
- New hires: Andy Harstad, assistant golf coach; Belle Berge, assistant softball coach; Maddison Flicek, Valleyland teacher; Jeff Johnson, JV baseball coach; Michael Christie, social studies teacher; Elizabeth Wess, Valleyland teacher; Grace Scott, Valleyland teacher; Kyler Reps, junior high baseball coach; Ron Henry, assistant baseball coach; Eli Kayfes Valleyland aide; and Grace Myhre, in-house daily sub.
Under action items the school board approved the Achievement and Integration Budget application. This application provides monies mostly for providing classroom teachers for students that have gaps in reading and math and are not meeting standard expectations. It is also used for professional staff development. The board also approved the Facility Project Review submission to MDE with a 3-1 vote, with Sowinski voting no. Sowinski had stated earlier that he would like to wait until the fall to submit the review. This submission would contain the plan for projects, including costs and design. This is required if ever the district were to go forward with an election on facility projects. This does not mean an election is forthcoming but the Facility Study Group would continue discussions and the project review would be in place if needed.
The meeting adjourned. The next meeting will be a 7 p.m. in the high school Forum room on April 10.
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