At the October 8 meeting school board meeting, board members Josh Thompson, Tom Keefe, Jill Harstad and Mark Johnsrud were present. David Sowinski joined remotely and Katie Priebe was not present. Also present were Superintendent Ed Harris, high school principal, Eric Nelson; elementary principal, Shane McBroom; Community Education Director LuAnn Kleven and student senate representatives Aspen McBroom and Julia Goldsmith.
During district patron time, Pam Nelson addressed the Title IX statement by the president of the United States that states any school that allows participation of transgender individuals in sports would lose federal funding. She was happy to see that this issue was not on the agenda. She sees this as having civil rights implications and there is no need to rush this decision.
Reports
Aspen McBroom and Julia Goldsmith reported that homecoming week went well. Students were able to participate in a bonfire, and the boys enjoyed a volleyball game while the girls played flag football. The dance on Saturday evening was very well attended.
Board member Keefe reported that the progress of the construction of the new HVED facility in Winona is on time and on budget.
LuAnn Kleven shared that this year the number of children in preschool is slightly higher than last year; however there are still some spots open. The ECFE Family Fall Festival held on September 20 was well attended. Highlights of the evening were a bus ride around the school property, the petting zoo and ice cream provided by the Kappers Big Red Barn. A Senior Symposium was held on October 2 at the Chatfield Center for the Arts. The purpose was to promote the senior scene and to gather input from seniors regarding what they would like to see offered. Game Day for seniors began this month and any senior is invited to attend on Wednesday from 2-4 p.m. in the studio at the Center for the Arts. No registration is needed.
Principal Nelson stated that students are finishing up their first assessment for reading and math using the Fastbridge platform, which uses computer-based screeners that ask students a battery of questions. The artificial intelligence in the system presents a set of questions that is responsive to correct and incorrect answers. Correct answers result in tougher follow-ups. Incorrect answers result in less challenging follow-ups. This process creates a profile for each of the students and places them into one of four groups, ranging from no concern to significant concern. This information will now be used to determine what students need interventions at various levels. Homecoming week offered a lot of great activities for Chatfield students, with a terrific turnout for the volleyball and football games and the dance. However the week was not without its challenges. Toilet papering of friends’ houses is expected but this year there were serious issues of targeting homes of employees, negatively interacting with Chatfield community members and engaging in unsafe driving. Nelson voiced his concerns with student leadership groups and grades 10, 11, and 12 but it did not have the impact that he had hoped to see. He stated, “I feel that this is a conversation that needs to continue to redirect the evolving culture. I am greatly concerned that we could have a tragedy or lose the critical support of our community if the pattern that we saw this year continues.”
Principal McBroom stated that as part of the Read Act they are using a new assessment tool called CaptiRead Basix. It is designed to assess students that are needing additional interventions. The elementary students celebrated homecoming by participating in a color run, a kickball tournament, grill out night and a pep fest on Thursday. During Fire Prevention Week the local fire department came to the school to meet with students and provided them with materials on fire prevention. Students also participate in the Fire Prevention Poster Contest.
Discussion Items
Board member Harstad brought up an issue of a fundraiser that she didn’t think had approval of the board. Superintendent Harris agreed with her questioning and stated that new fundraisers should be looked at more closely to make sure they are appropriate.
Action Items
The board did not approve the 2026-2027 school calendar, as more information is coming from the state as to when practices will start, etc. Since Labor Day is late next year, the start of school may be earlier than usual, which creates some issues that need to be looked at before approving the calendar. The board will act on it at the November meeting.
The board did approve the teacher contract with the Chatfield Education Association. The total package agreement that included pay and health insurance increases for 2025-2026 is 4.3% and for 2026-2027 is 3.75% that included a 403b increase. The contract also gave a 2% raise for coaches and advisors and an hourly rate increase from $30 to $40.
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