At the August 7 school board meeting, board members Jill Harstad, David Sowinski, Katie Priebe, Josh Thompson, Mark Johnsrud and Tom Keefe were present as well as Superintendent Ed Harris, elementary principal, Shane McBroom, and high school principal, Eric Nelson.
Reports
McBroom stated that the outdoor learning space and maker space room are coming along nicely. The tables have arrived and the prep work for the native prairie grasses has begun. He thanked the CEF (Chatfield Education Foundation) for their support of these projects. Back to School Conferences are scheduled for the Thursday before Labor Day (August 29) and the Tuesday after Labor Day (September 3). He was not able to schedule student pictures for these days, so the school pictures are scheduled for the morning of September 12.
Policy 503 Attendance was brought to the board again by Eric Nelson. This recommendation included clarification on student and teacher responsibilities related to absence; shifting college visits and participation in a school activity to the excused category; better defining tardiness and the procedures related to tardiness; and creating logical completion dates for students that are absent. The current proposal has moved family vacation from the unexcused category to the excused category. A few board members questioned whether a limit of days should be stated for these excused absences. In the end, it was decided that the proposed policy be approved with a possible amendment later on as handbooks need to be ready at the start of the school year. He also addressed the cell phone policy issue that board member Tom Keefe had raised at the June meeting. The legislature requires all districts to have a cell phone policy in place but didn’t provide any specific guidance. Instead, recommended policy has come from the two principal’s association. They have put forth an excellent cell phone policy development toolkit. Chatfield does have a policy but it needs to be examined. There is a need to have a thoughtful dialogue about this matter in the next few months. Nelson stated, “This is an increasingly challenging topic and there are strong feelings and divergent ideas held by various stakeholder groups. I would like to bring a longer-term recommendation to the board this year that reflects the work of a team representing a number of constituencies. I hope to include student, parents, and staff, and will update the board as we progress.
Superintendent Harris attended the program portion of the CEF Trail Ride and live auction and said it was a great and fun event with many contributions given. He reported that there is renewed interest in a press box by the Youth Football Association and the CCTV (City of Chatfield) pledging significant funds and assistance if the school district would agree to offset the remaining cost and approve the project. All parties met on July 24 to discuss the idea and the district will be moving forward with this. Regarding the FY 2024 budget, Harris stated that because of the low cost heating season this year and approximately $275,000 of budget cuts/new revenues, indications are that the district will be approximately $80,000 under budget. The multi-year projection indicates a potential budget shortfall approaching $400,000 for 2025-2026. The solar project is still being considered and a presentation by two vendors will be given at the October board meeting. Bids will be posted upon school board approval. Lastly, Harris presented his goals for 2024-2025, which are:
•Facilitate a process by which the school board may determine a long-range course of action relating to facility updates and budget management. This shall be done in a timely manner enough to allow for a February facility bond election if he school board chooses.
•Ensure that the business office re-establishes normalcy in a way that is effective and sustainable for staff.
•Study the merits of a 4-day school week. (Study groups will be implemented for this idea)
The following consent items were approved:
•July 10, 2024, minutes and July 10, 2024, special meeting minutes
•New hires: Emma Tollefson, child care assistant; Kyler Reps, JH football coach; Marcia Roger, Valleyland teacher; Cailey Rindels, ninth grade volleyball coach; Julie Sogla, seventh grade volleyball coach; Kate Johnson, long term substitute
•Resignations: Angela Severson, JH softball coach
•Job postings: Elementary 1.0 FTE kindergarten teacher
•High school and elementary student handbook
•High school discipline matrix
Under action items, the 2024-27 superintendent’s contract was postponed until the September meeting, the Truth and Taxation hearing date was set for December 11, 2024, the board agreed to purchase education services from HVED, and approved the Special Education MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the CEA. They approved the bids/proposal for the Solar for Schools Program with a 5-1 vote with Sovinski dissenting.
The meeting was adjourned.
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