At the April 9, 2025, school board meeting, board members David Sowinski, Josh Thompson, Tom Keefe, Jill Harstad, Mark Johnsrud and Katie Priebe were present. Also present were Superintendent Ed Harris, high school principal, Eric Nelson, elementary principal, Shane McBroom and student senate representative Alaina Armstrong.
Reports
Board committee reports were given. Jill Harstad met with the Community Education committee and said they talked about challenges with daycare and preschool numbers. The Activities committee discussed how they would facilitate gym usage when there is a shortage of space. Tom Keefe, who represents the district at HVED, stated that the rehab of the building in Winona is continuing and that they are considering reducing one director position and using that money for additional teaching staff.
Shane McBroom said that the sixth Grade D.A.R.E. program is well under way and thanked officer Kevin of the Chatfield Police Department for providing this valuable training. Kindergarten Roundup will take place on April 10 in the evening. Families will learn more about the building, meet the teachers and hear about the basics of being a kindergarten parent.
Eric Nelson reported that the second CHS Career Fair was a great success. Students were able to talk with local employers, of which there were about two dozen represented. Students were able to meet with representatives from a wide range of fields, including manufacturing, heavy machinery, emergency services, various trades, conservation and banking. He thanked Stacy Fritz of the Ag department, Sara Duxbury and Terri Dudek of the counseling office, and custodians and food services staff for putting on a great event. Nelson presented ACT scores from the last three years and indicated that our students’ scores continue to move in a positive direction and that is always encouraging. The Chatfield Speech team placed second in the sub-section competition and this weekend many of the individuals of the Chatfield Speech team will participate in the section meet with hopes of going on to state.
Superintendent Harris thanked the CEF (Chatfield Education Foundation) for donating $50,000 for elementary iPads. This purchase will enable the school district to use money in other areas now. The district applied for and received a grant from the MSHSL to purchase an AED (Artificial External Defibrillator) for the district. He discussed the repairs that will be made for a portion of the high school parking lot and stated that the city is looking at two areas for relocating the tennis courts from the high school property. One area is across the road from the elementary and the other is in the Mill Creek complex.
Consent Agenda
Under the consent agenda the following items were approved:
- Meeting minutes from the March 12, 2025, meeting;
- New hires: Isabelle Severson, child care assistant; Scott Kester, substitute custodian;
- 2025 winter head coaches: Jeremy McBroom, Kyle Tollefson, Matt Mauseth;
- 2025 spring head coaches: Brian Baum, baseball; Brent Berg, softball; Jeff DeBuhr, track; Paul Wagner, golf; Mike Lisowski, trap shooting; Demery Maughan, dance.
Action Items
The board approved the Resolution Proposing to Place Continuing Employees on Unrequested Leave of Absence of Marcia Schindler returning to full-time support staff and Tyler Simpson .17 reduction as a result of discontinuing Yearbook as a high school course. They also approved the Resolution Relating to the Termination and Non-Renewal of the Teaching Contracts of Probationary Teachers for Angie Brogan and Grace Myhre, who were on out of field licensure placements as no licensed SPED teachers could be found. They will be brought back if no licensed teachers can be found. The board approved the Rescission of Acceptance of Resignation for Bayli Shaw, as she is no longer leaving the district.
The meeting was adjourned.
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