Call to Order - Gary Michael, Chairperson
We called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. sharp with all board members present and all administrators joining in person or virtually. There were no additions to the agenda.
Side note: We are now back to holding in-person board meetings that are open to the public in the WEM school board meeting room.
Approval
The agenda, past meeting minutes, and financial transactions were approved unanimously by the board with very little discussion.
Visitor Comments
Please note that since we are returning to in-person board meetings, visitors are invited to comment during the appropriate time on the agenda. I also invite anyone with questions or comments to contact our board members anytime. Our phone numbers and email addresses are on the WEM website in the “school board” section.
There were no visitor comments this month.
Recognition
The board approved all monetary donations for September 2021. We received several donations, including $5,000 each from the Choose Kindness Foundation and Douglas and Linda Carnine to the Elementary and Junior High. The Steele-Waseca Electric Cooperative donated a $500 scholarship. We also received $2,500 each from Compass Insurance Solutions and Agri-Systems of Waterville to Athletics. Finally, we received a $50 donation to the football program from Jerome and Carrie Brown. Thank you for all these donations to WEM school programs!
Reports
The board heard reports from both Principals and Jeff Boran, Athletic Director. We approved a request for the 5th grade to attend Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center on a field trip.
The board heard a presentation from Mr. Boran regarding future preschool planning. Board members received an email from concerned parents regarding the preschool and its limited capacity. The presentation brought to light that the targeted classroom to expand our preschool capacity is still under renovation. The preschool program will be greatly expanded in 2022, according to Mr. Boran. If you want more details about the 2022 preschool program, feel free to contact Mr. Boran, I believe he has put together a good plan that should meet the needs of our community moving forward.
The board approved athletic workers’ proposed pay schedule.
There were no board member or board committee reports.
Information / Discussion
The board heard from Superintendent Whitehurst that district fall student enrollment is 746. This is 41 students more than the anticipated 705 students that the budget was built upon. This is excellent news and may result in budget adjustments that will benefit the district.
The board briefly reviewed school board committees and added new board member Jon Bakken to the negotiations committee as well as the Superintendent search committee.
The board discussed the Superintendent search going forward and agreed to hire Minnesota School Board Association (MSBA) to assist with the search. MSBA has the experience and expertise to assist in the search and the connections to help the district in the process of hiring our next Superintendent.
The board briefly discussed the student transportation - 2019-21 bus drivers’ contract.
Action
The board approved the following action items:
- Joel Whitehurst will serve as the Designated Identified Official with Authority for Education Identity Access Management (Iowa)
- Professional Development Handbook 2021-22
- Certifying "maximum" on pay 2022 levy - The Truth in Taxation meeting will be conducted at 6:00 p.m. on December 20, 2021, in the board room.
- MSBA will assist with the Superintendent search process
Personnel
The board approved the retirement of long-time (20 years, I believe) Superintendent Joel Whitehurst, effective June 30, 2022.
For my entire stint on the board, which I believe is around twelve years now, Joel has been the undeniable leader for the WEM school district. In my opinion, Joel has done an excellent job. Many districts have seen a decline in enrollment over the past 10+ years, especially in rural areas, and WEM is not an exception. However, those schools that did not have a strong, knowledgeable leader have struggled. With Joel’s leadership, in a unique district with many challenges, we were able to approve a building referendum that will provide secure entrances and other enhanced security, greatly update HVAC systems, add classroom capacity, increase student and staff safety, provide handicap upgrades, and deliver on an overall facelift to much of our school buildings. I believe this to be an awesome accomplishment.
Joel and his staff have also received the School Finance Award every year since I can remember. Most may not know this about Joel, but he has a keen sense for school finance. This is a talent that has kept the district in good financial standing for his entire career, and believe me, there are so many factors that go into a district budget, many of which are unpredictable.
I have always appreciated Joel’s upbeat attitude. I cannot remember the last time I saw Joel in the hallway or at a sporting event or even running into him outside of the school setting, where he didn’t flash that genuine smile of his.
Ok, so this is not goodbye yet. Joel is with us until June 30, 2022, but I could not help myself. If you see Joel in the coming months, check out that smile, and wish him well when he does hang up the tie and calculator or whatever it is he uses to crunch the budgets.
The board approved the following new hires:
- Nancy Delaske, Bus Route Driver - $17,850
- Brian Biehn, Custodian - B22/Step 6, $15.13/hour
- Alex Heuss, Peer Tutoring - $10/hour
We approved a lane change for Crystal Lamont, MS to MS+20.
We approve the following additional assignments:
- Sonja Fiedler, Minnesota Honor Society - $597
- Jennifer Wilson, AVID Coordinator - $2,580
- Sonja Fiedler, Junior High Volleyball - $2,261
Adjournment
Upcoming Meetings:
October 14, 2021, 6:00 p.m. Work Session (Tentative)
October 25, 2021, 6:00 p.m. Regular Meeting
