The Mabel-Canton School Board held a regular meeting on November 20. Present were Jason Marquardt, Chris Miller, Business Manager Aimee Lake, Principal Michelle Weidemann, Chris Loppnow, Diane Wilder, Liz Hershberger, student representative Payton Danielson and Superintendent Gary Kuphal. Mark Weidemann, high school secretary Lynette Donald, and Board chair Cristal Adkins were absent. No members of the public asked to address the board.
Superintendent Kuphal gave a report on Mabel-Canton’s “World’s Best Workforce” (WBWF) goals and progress. He shared that some of Mabel-Canton’s previous WBWF goals have been met, while others have not. He then shared the “tweaking” that was done to attempt to maintain the goals already met (or in some cases raise the expectation further), and to work toward meeting goals that have not yet been achieved.
Kuphal stated that, “World’s Best Workforce has been in existence for… about four years… We put together five goals that we shared with staff.” He went on to explain that the broad goals are required by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), but then each school district determines what specific steps they will take to work toward achieving each goal. He summarized that the five goals are: having pre-school/kindergarten students ready for school (as measured by academic assessment), achieving grade-level literacy (for third grade), closing the achievement gap between student groups, having students college-ready by graduation, and having all students graduate. The board approved sending the report to MDE as recommended by Kuphal.
An annual financial audit summary was presented by Jason Boynton, representing Smith Schafer & Associates. He shared that enrollment is the biggest factor in the school’s revenues, and with enrollment being down by six students compared to this time last year, revenues are therefore also down slightly. He shared overall revenue and expense trends over the past several years, and showed Mabel-Canton’s current fund balances. Overall, he said the audit resulted in an unmodified (or “clean”) report for the school. The board voted to accept the audit as presented.
In the “Good Things Happening” portion of the meeting, Lonnie Morken was recognized for being named Section 1 Volleyball Coach of the Year. It was also pointed out that he has received that honor many times in the past. Kati Bergey talked of a mini grant recently awarded to Mabel-Canton from the Lions Club, which will be used to replace outdated calculators.
The board welcomed student representative Payton Danielson, who participated in the meeting for the first time. The board also recognized Traci Livingood, who was voted onto the board and will officially start her term in January.
Jason Marquardt pointed out that recent test scores showed Mabel-Canton students performing very favorably when compared to nearby schools, as well as against statewide comparisons. Principal Wiedemann said she was pleased and shared that overall, parent-teacher conferences were held for 43% of Mabel-Canton students, including 100% of Kindergarten and first grade, 90% of second grade, and 86% of third through sixth grades.
The board discussed a request for an additional half-time kindergarten teacher. There was mention of possibly using a paraprofessional for this purpose, for now. Jason M. clarified whether the board would still need to approve an individual being hired for this position, whenever that person is determined. Kuphal said yes, that would be necessary, explaining, “All you’re doing now is approving the position.” The board approved the request. The board also considered and approved a request for one FTE additional SPED para position.
The board also approved a two-year contract for snow plowing. The board approved the November school board election results as read. Those elected onto the board include Diane Wilder, Lizzie Hershberger, and Traci Livingood. The meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m. The next regular board meeting will be Tuesday, December 18 at 6 p.m. in the Media Center. The December meeting will begin with the annual Truth in Taxation hearing. The public is welcome. Other upcoming regular meetings of the school board include January 15 and February 19.
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