November 22, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. - Regular Meeting
Call to Order - Gary Michael, Chairperson
Board members in attendance were Jon Bakken, Gary Michael, June Rezac, Jay Schneider, and Jeff Stangler. Also in attendance were Superintendent Whitehurst, Principal Wilson, and Community Ed/Athletics Director, Jeff Boran. Not attending were board members Jon Velishek and Travis Bowman.
Additional Agenda Items
We approved the
agenda, meeting minutes for the regular meeting, October 25, 2021, and financial transactions for November.
Visitor Comments
There were no visitor comments. Comments from visitors should be informational in nature and not exceed 3 minutes per issue. The Board will not engage in a discussion or debate in those 3 minutes but will take the information and find answers if it is appropriate. As part of the protocol, visitors must keep their ideas and opinions related to policy issues. It is unacceptable for any speaker to slander, engage in character assassination or discuss student or personnel issues (i.e. teacher, coaches, bus drivers, principals, Board Members, etc.) at a public board meeting. The person wishing to address the Board must stand at the provided lectern.
Recognition
The board approved a monetary donation of $300 from Elysian Auto for the Volleyball program. Thank you to Elysian Auto for your support!
The board offered congratulations to June Rezac for being placed on MSBA's Honor Roll for completing all four phases of school board training. This is no easy task and should be noted how quickly June completed the training. Well done, June!
Reports
Some highlights from joint Principal Report by Bobbie Jo Bastian, Elementary Principal / Jennifer Wilson, 7-12 Principal included the beginning of Quarter 2 on November 9 and the Parent-Teacher conferences on November 22-23. It always amazes me how time goes by so quickly, and to think that we are well past the first quarter of school completed. At WEM we pride ourselves on attendance of parents at conferences because we know an involved parent creates a more successful student. Next month, I will be reporting on the percentages of parent/teacher conference attendance, and I’m hoping to see high numbers. Obviously, in-person, attendance is not always possible, so we encourage parents to set up virtual or phone conferences if needed. Be sure to check out the reports linked in the
agenda to read more about some of the programs the administration put together for our students this past month.
The board also heard reports from Jeff Boran, Community Education & Activities Director, Joel Whitehurst, Superintendent, board committees, and we approved the MSHSL Resolution of Application to MSHSL Foundation.
Information / Discussion
The board discussed the MSBA Leadership Conference, which is to be held January 13-14, 2022. This is a free conference to board members that highlights some of the exciting things that various districts are undertaking. It is an opportunity for our board to get ideas and information from other districts around the state. We also have the opportunity to hear from the Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner and other keynote speakers. I have been to many of these and plan to attend this year as well. I learn something new every year. The board members that attend will report back to the full board at the January meeting, so stay tuned for that.
Action
The board approved a Fiscal Year 2021 Fund Balance Transfer of $50,304. This was a one-time transfer of Community Education funds to the General Fund to allow more flexibility with the use of the funds.
Personnel
The board approved the following personnel items:
- Letter of retirement from Julie Hayford effective the end of the 2021-22 School Year. Julie has been with us since the Fall of 1986.
- Letter of resignation from Jason Roemhildt as 2nd Assistant Boys Basketball Coach
- Coaches:
- Boys Basketball
- Matthew VanHoudt - 2nd Assistant, $3,004
- Owen Casteel - Junior High, $2,261
- Blake Seesz - Junior High, $2,261
- Jason Roemhildt - High School Volunteer
- Brian Nutter - High School Volunteer
- Carrie Brown - High School Volunteer
- Girls Basketball
- Tobin Pope - Junior High Volunteer
- Wrestling
- Shaun Murphy - Volunteer
Adjournment
Upcoming meeting dates:
December 9, 2021 6:00 p.m. Work Session (Tentative)
December 20, 2021 6:00 p.m. Regular Meeting
