The Rushford-Peterson School Board held their first meeting of the new year on the frigid evening of Monday, January 13. Chris Grindland called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. He nominated Amy Woxland to take over from himself as chairperson of the board. Other nominations were Ken Sawle as treasurer, and Matt Helgemoe as clerk. All were elected to their respective positions.
The calendar for 2025 board meetings was reviewed. In general, meetings will be the third Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. The exception will be February, when the meeting will be moved to February 24 to accommodate President’s Day.
Other new-year business included a vote to keep pay for board members the same for 2025, and accepting various donations totaling $4,838.
Moving on to new business, middle/high school principal Jake Timm gave a report on the updates being made to the class schedule. Mr. Timm has been working on this project for a long time. The plan is to go from six to seven periods in the day, with each period being a little shorter and passing time between periods decreasing by one minute. There is optimism that this new schedule will allow students to take a greater range of elective courses.
Mr. Timm also updated the board on other recent happenings for middle/high schoolers. Art students have their works displayed at the Lanesboro Arts Center from January 11 through February 2, as part of the 2025 High School Art Show. R-P also recently hosted a one-act play competition at the school, which provided a great opportunity for students who might not be into sports to participate in a competitive event.
Elementary school principal Angela Shepard filled in the board on a new Americorps member who has been working with students at the school. She works one on one with those who need a little extra help with reading, and has been well received by everyone.
Superintendent Bernard reported that enrollment is generally steady. He then initiated a discussion regarding the potential for the district to make additional use of the disaster relief program that originated from the 2007 flood. The program leaves the door open for the district to utilize cost sharing funds until 2034. Bernard stated that while there is no specific proposal in mind at this time, the long time frame to bring a project to fruition means the window will soon be closing for the district to make maximum use of this program. The board expressed their support for Bernard to continue examining this matter, though no formal action was taken.
The board wrapped up its business in just under an hour, giving participants a chance to catch the rest of the boys basketball game taking place in the gym.
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