The 2026 organizational and regular school board meeting was held on January 20 in Mrs. Peter’s Science Room number 50. The meeting opened at 6 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the approval of the revised agenda and the minutes from the December 16 board meeting.
Board members present included Jason Marquardt, Dustin Tollefsrud, Traci Livingood, Diane Wilder, Amber Tripp, Mark Weidemann and Chris Miller. Student Representative Darian Hershberger was absent.
The first order of business was the election of board officers. The board immediately confirmed the slate of officers for 2026 which are the same as last year: Chris Miller will continue as Chair, Dustin Tollefsrud as Vice-Chair, Jason Marquardt as Clerk, and Diane Wilder as Treasurer.
Consent Agenda
The board quickly approved the consent agenda, which included several authorizations for financial operations, such as wire transfers, check issuance, and investment of district funds. The use of facsimile and bitmap signatures for payroll and voucher checks was also authorized. Official designations were confirmed for the district’s newspaper (Fillmore County Journal), law firm (Kennedy & Graven), and depositories (MN Liquid Asset Fund, BMO, and First Southeast Bank of Canton). School board salaries were set (Chair at $90 per meeting, officers at $80 per meeting, directors at $70 per meeting, and additional meetings set at $40 not on the same night as regular meetings), and communication channels were reaffirmed, including Midwest Radio Family/WIZM, KDEC, KVIK, KTTC/FOX 47, and Remind 101. Regular board meetings will continue on the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in Mrs. Peter’s Science Room.
Personnel actions included hiring Brooklyn Werner as a long-term substitute thirdgrade teacher and Bonnie Paus as a media center paraprofessional.
The 2025-2026 budget and claims report were also approved as presented.
Reports
Reports were delivered by PreK-12 Principal Michelle Weidemann and Superintendent Gary Kuphal, with the board receiving the monthly enrollment report as usual. At the end of December 2025, there were 246 students.
Weidemann shared that at the end of the semester, the school holds a reward day for students in grades 7 through 12. The celebration rewards positive behavior. To be eligible, students must be passing all their classes for the first quarter, have no late tests or quizzes to make up, have no more than one detention, have no more than one excused absence, and, if suspended, be automatically out. She said that they have been doing pretty good the last few years.
Southeast Service Cooperative (SSC) elected representative Marquardt reported that the Minnesota Healthcare Consortium (MHC) meeting was held on Wednesday, January 14, and he was elected vice-chair. He explained, “This is the group that actually makes the decisions on the healthcare. So, like, teachers use SSC for their healthcare. So, this is the group that actually works on that and tries to get them the best rate.”
Kuphal said, “It’s good to have somebody like you on that committee.”
Representatives from Kraus-Anderson attended the school board meeting, reviewed the construction bids received, and explained why approving the bids tonight should be tabled. Project Manager Charlie Sweeney also reviewed the overall project budget with the board. The board unanimously voted to table the bids until no later than the February board meeting. The board was given a heads-up that a special meeting is likely to be called before the February meeting.
There were no changes in committee assignments for 2026. The board approved the list of committee assignments as follows: HVED-SPED – Diane Wilder, Community Ed – Mark Weidemann, Negotiations – Chris Miller, Jason Marquardt and Amber Tripp; Minnesota State High School League – Diane Wilder, Facilities and Capital Outlay – Mark Weidemann and Chris Miller, Staff Development – Dustin Tollefsrud, Comprehensive Achievement & Civic Readiness – Dustin Tollefsrud, Policy – Jason Marquardt and Amber Tripp, Meet and Confer – Chris Miller, Calendar – Traci Livingood, and SSC Board Elected Position – Jason Marquardt.
In other business, the board:
- Approved Resolution 26-04 directing the Administration to make recommendations to reductions in programs and staffing. Kuphal noted that this rarely happens, but it has occurred in the past.
- Combined the district’s polling places into one polling place for 2027.
- Approved the teachers’ seniority list.
- Approved designating Kuphal as the Identified Official for the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) External User Access Recertification System.
The board unanimously authorized the posting of a 0.4 FTE Superintendent position for the 2026-27 school year, consistent with the current arrangement held by Kuphal.
Leave a Reply