The Mabel-Canton School Board held a regular meeting on July 17. Members present were Mark Weidemann, Jason Marquardt Chris Miller, Principal Michelle Weidemann, board chair Cristal Adkins, Superintendent Gary Kuphal, high school secretary Lynette Donald, Chris Loppnow, Diane Wilder and Liz Hershberger were present. Business manager Aimee Lake was absent. No student board representative was in attendance; Superintendent Kuphal said the board would determine new student representative(s) sometime after the school year opens, probably in September. No members of the public had requested to address the council.
The board approved the 10-year longterm facility maintenance plan as presented by Superintendent Kuphal. He explained that the school is not “locked into” the entire plan, because annual budgeting will still determine what upgrades or repairs will be done.
Principal Michelle Wiedemann said the school has quite a few job openings. Kuphal added that he’s open to considering any suggestions of ways that positions could be combined or tweaked to result in getting them filled. The board also discussed options and ideas for the school to offer a daycare option. Kuphal said that if the school enters into any type of situation involving daycare, “Conceptually, we want to work cooperatively, not competitively.” He added that the school is open to all options and ideas at this time. No formal action was taken.
Kuphal asked board if there are any specific agenda items to post regarding the upcoming joint meeting of M-C school board and the city councils from Mabel and Canton. Board members said a “generic agenda” is fine. The meeting is set for Tuesday, July 24 at 6 p.m. in the Media Center.
Chris Miller spoke in praise of the trap team and their successful season. He said the kids really enjoy it, and that trap shooting is the fastest growing school sport nationwide. He also pointed out that Minnesota has been on the leading edge of this trend.
Kuphal discussed possibly having a “volunteer day” when interested persons could help with a variety of projects in the school, such as painting and light maintenance. The date was tentatively set for August 12, with a “rain date” of August 19.
Kuphal reminded the board and the public that the filing dates for school board candidates will be July 31 through August 14. Diane Wilder, Chris Loppnow, and Liz Herschberger are the members who will be eligible for re-election this fall, if they choose to run.
Cristal Adkins shared that she has the evaluation forms that board members submitted regarding Superintendent Kuphal. He waived the option to have the evaluation in a closed meeting. After discussion, the board chose to table his evaluation until next month, so that board member’s feedback and scores can be combined into meaningful categories.
The board approved annual membership in the Minnesota School Board Association, as well as second readings of the extracurricular handbook, high school handbook, and elementary handbook. Year-long advisors and fall coaches were also approved. Coaches for winter sports will be approved in October, and spring coaches in February.
Back-to-School Night has been set for August 29, 3:30-6:30 p.m., and will run much as in previous years. The meeting adjourned at 7 p.m. The next regular board meeting will be Tuesday, August 21 at 6 p.m. in the media center. The public is welcome.