The Chatfield School Board met on July 16, 2018, in Room 212 at the high school. Board members present were Scott Backer, Amy Jeffers, Katie Priebe and Matt McMahon along with Superintendent Harris, Administrative Assistant Lorri Lowrey, and High School Principal Randy Paulson. Lanny Isensee was not present.
Under board committee reports, Jerry Chase reported that the contract with Superintendent Harris was settled and would be brought up for approval under new business. Scott Backer reported on his recent HVED meeting where there was discussion of a new configuration for the ALC (Alternative Learning Center). There will be a proposal coming on an efficiency survey that was conducted to determine an appropriate site for the ALC.
Randy Paulson began his report by thanking Craig Ihrke for his tenure as the elementary principal. Mr. Ihrke has accepted the position of superintendent at Caledonia. He wished him well and said he will miss working with him. New items at the high school will be the change of the starting time in the morning from 8:10 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. and new grading procedures for grades nine through 12 that will accommodate all of the different course options. A committee has been formed to help monitor struggling students and working with them so they can be successful.
Superintendent Harris also wished Mr. Ihrke well in his new position and thanked him for his service. The principal search is underway and 15 people have volunteered to be on the search committee. Harris said he has a process that should accommodate this larger number on the committee. To date there are 17 applicants and the interviewing will take place on July 31, 2018. Under the construction update, he reported it is still on budget and on time. School will be able to start on time but a few items will need to be completed after school starts that will not affect the school day. He also discussed the MnDOT Highway 52 project that will add compliant sidewalk access and curb and gutter near the football field entrance and the first meeting was held with the Wendel Companies to develop a site plan for the old swimming pool area for future needs of parking lots and driveways. The school board Activities Committee set a date to meet to review and evaluate behavior expectation for parents, athletes, and coaches as requested by board member Amy Jeffers. They will also evaluate current fundraiser practices and future needs. The school board Safety Committee set up ALICE training for the members to give them an accurate sense of the safety and security philosophy and procedures related to active threats. Harris also reported that Kindergarten enrollment is down this year with the fall projection of 50 students compared to a 60 student average in past years. They will still have three sections this year to ensure a solid start for these students in kindergarten but from a budget standpoint could not sustain these sections in coming years for this class, if the numbers do not increase. Historically, class sizes have been set in the low to mid-20s in grades one through six.
Under consent items, the meeting minutes for June 19, 2018, were approved, along with employee activity passes for school year 2018-2019. New hires approved were Kirk Affeldt, junior high football coach, and April McBroom, preschool teacher. Also approved were the fall 2018 coaches: Tom Bance, varsity football assistant; Josh Berhow, junior varsity football; Kyle Tollefson, ninth football; Bryan Neis, junior high football; Kathy Bernard, junior varsity volleyball; Nikki Ostby, eighth grade volleyball; April McBroom, seventh grade volleyball and Jayna Harstad, cross country assistant.
The following resignations were accepted: Craig Ihrke, elementary principal; Mark Eickhoff, varsity softball coach; and preschool teacher, Brittney Klug. The following job postings were approved for listing: elementary principal, varsity softball coach, part-time preschool assistant, and preschool teacher. The board also approved the Danceline Fund Raiser at the VFW Bingo in August.
Under new business, the 10-year LTFM (Long Term Facility Maintenance) was approved. This is an annual submission for all districts since the new LTFM funding system was put into place. The annual agreement with HVED to purchase education services for 2019 was approved along with an adjustment to the donation and grants received for fiscal year 2018. The superintendent’s contract for 2018-2021 was approved and Superintendent Harris thanked them for their consideration of his request. The other contract agreement that was approved was the support staff employment agreement for fiscal year 2019 and 2020. The school board committee approved a 2% salary increase for the first year and 1.5 % increase for the second year. They also added a twelfth step. There were some minor language adjustments.
The meeting was adjourned. The school board meets on the third Monday of each month at 7 p.m. at the high school unless otherwise noted. Summer office hours are Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
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