The Chatfield School Board met in regular session on March 4. Board members present included Scott Backer, Amy Jeffers, Katie Priebe, and Rick Lowrey. Matt McMahon and Lanny Isensee were absent. Also attending were Superintendent Ed Harris, Lorri Lowrey (administrative assistant), Krista O’Connor (business manager), and Luann Klevan (Community Education irector).
Superintendent Ed Harris shared information he’d recently received during a web conference call involving the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA), Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) regarding the coronavirus outbreak which has been in the news extensively. He said on March 2, he sent out information from the conference call to parents and staff. He summarized that at this time, the recommendation is to focus on the basics of disease prevention, which includes frequent handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when sick. Currently, there are no confirmed cases of the virus in Minnesota, and the greatest risk is to the elderly population. Harris said he will continue to get weekly updates from the Minnesota Department of Health regarding any further recommendations on this issue.
When asked if Chatfield Schools could use “e-learning days” if the coronavirus outbreak requires schools to close, Superintendent Harris said that Chatfield does not yet have an e-learning procedure set up, and likely would not have this option during the current school year, but he said the district will most likely want to consider implementing an “e-learning days” process at some point. He also added that if school closures were to be recommended due to coronavirus, then the state would provide guidance at that time.
Harris also spoke about the recent CEA Collective Bargain Agreement negotiations between the district and teachers. He stated, “I think from a district standpoint and a teachers’ standpoint, we came to a pretty sensible agreement… the salary increase is 1.73% for the first year, and the same for the second.” The board formally approved the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 CEA Agreement as submitted.
Harris asked the board to consider approving the initiation of the quoting process for the school to install an outside storage shed, which he said would be placed in the far northwest corner of the gravel lot. The board gave approval, and Harris said he will assure that any required permits are obtained as well.
Luann Klevan informed the board that the annual visit from the Department of Human Services was recently completed. She said that while “there were a few minor corrections” as a result of the inspection, overall it was a productive and helpful visit. She explained that much of the focus was on record-keeping and emergency preparedness. Klevan also said, regarding preschool, “Registration for current families opened March 1, and as of 3:00 today, I had one space left open, in our four-day program.” She said the program has been quite popular, adding, “It didn’t surprise me that it’s filled up so quickly.”
Chatfield Schools’ Achievement & Integration 3-Year Plan was formally approved by the board, as submitted. The board approved several planned field trips, including Art Club juniors and seniors to Minneapolis (May 15-17), fifth graders to Eagle Bluff (April 22-24), and eighth graders to Washington DC (June 13-20). Fall 2020 varsity coaches approved included Jeff Johnson (football), Jayna Harstad (cross country), and Brenda Strande (dance). Jamie Johnson was approved as a new hire (JH softball), and the board approved the resignation of Taylor Salisbury as varsity volleyball coach.
Non-certified Employment Agreements were approved regarding Dan Schindler (activity director), LuAnn Klevan (Community Education director), Barb Sass (data assistant), Damon Lueck (director of Technology), Steve Irish (head engineer), and Sue Tangen (School Age Child Care coordinator). Representatives from the Student Senate reported that the recent Snow Week and Snowball Dance events were a success, and well-attended. The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
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