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June 27, 2022, at 6:30 p.m.

Agenda (Additional links to documents below are found within the agenda.)

All board members were in attendance, including Jon Bakken, Travis Bowman, Gary Michael, June Rezac, Jay Schneider, Jeff Stangler, and Jon Velishek. Administrators attending included Superintendent Joel Whitehurst and Principals Bobbie Jo Bastain and Jennifer Wilson. All present cited the Pledge of Allegiance.

The agenda was approved with no additional items.

The board approved the meeting minutes of the regular meeting on May 23, 2022 with no comments or changes.

The board approved the June financial transactions and finance report with little discussion.

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.

We had four community members provide comments regarding policy 504 – Student Dress and Appearance. One of the four also provided comments regarding 5th- and 6th-grade physical education. The board is reviewing policy 504, and the visitors wished to make their opinions clear on what they feel is appropriate for the student dress code. Thank you to those who were willing to provide their comments to the board. The board will take those suggestions into consideration when the policy is approved.

The board approved monetary donations. We received one donation from Jason Ziemer in the amount of $2,000 for the Jim Velishek Memorial Scholarship.

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has recognized WEM PBIS for progressing towards sustaining implementation (one of two districts in the state). Other than Burnsville School District, WEM is the only other district in the entire state that is recognized at this level for PBIS. PBIS, or “Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports” seeks to reduce or eliminate poor behavior school-wide through the encouragement of positive behaviors. The goal of PBIS is to create a positive school climate, in which students learn and grow. The key to an effective PBIS implementation is an “all-in” mentality among teachers and administrators in a school. For PBIS to produce positive change in a school’s climate, it needs to be employed schoolwide and with consistency. I am proud of our teachers, administrators, and our students for this recognition from MDE!

The board heard a presentation from Margaret Jewison and then approved the Ten-Year Long-Term Facilities Maintenance Plan for the district. The board then received another presentation from Margaret about the 2022-2023 preliminary budget, and it was approved as well.

The board heard the Joint Principal Report from Bobbie Jo Bastian, Elementary Principal / Jennifer Wilson, 7-12 Principal. As you can expect, there was not a lot to report on during the summer months, but we did get an update on summer school. We have 63 students K-8 attending and an additional 13 preschool students attending Little Bucs Summer Camp.

The board heard and discussed 5th- and 6th-grade Physical Education for next year. It was good to hear what the Principals are considering while making these important decisions. I trust our very qualified administrators to make the right decisions. If change does occur, we talked about monitoring its impact and being willing to find other alternatives if needed.

The board heard an update from the policy committee during board committee reports. It was clear that the policy committee has a difficult job when it comes to some of these policies, and they are more than willing to receive public input. The policy committee is currently waiting for an update on policy 504 from the Minnesota School Board Association (MSBA). Once they get that, they will be holding more meetings to look over what MSBA sends and then will make a recommendation to the full board at a later date. If you want to be involved or attend the policy committee meetings, feel free to contact the school for meeting details.

It was Joel Whitehurst’s last Superintendent update as he goes into retirement on July 1. He did not disappoint, leaving the board with many recommendations and advice covering many areas. Joel has been the consummate professional during his 20 years at WEM. He could have left without an update at all, but instead, he choose to hit on various topics of concern for the district and leave us with some advice on how to address those concerns over the next several years.

As a school board member, I have enjoyed working with Joel over the last 14 years. Joel has always had an open-door policy for board members, always willing to help, advise, educate, and discuss options when those tough decisions are at hand. Joel was always willing to take a late-night phone call or text (although not preferred).

Although to some folks, he may have been viewed as a more private, subdued individual, I assure you he has his passions. Joel loves this community and cares deeply for our students, his staff, and the success of the district. Although retired, I seriously doubt Joel is done helping the WEM school district. He has already told me he isn’t going anywhere and is a phone call away. That’s just the type of person he is, caring, dedicated, a professional at all times. Enjoy retirement, my friend!

The dates of filing affidavits of candidacy for 4 open WEM school board members are August 2, 2022, to August 16, 2022. I encourage all those that would like to become a school board member to please file. I am planning to run again, as I still have one more graduation to go, in a couple of years, and I’d love to be on the stage for it. However, if I were to lose to a passionate community member, especially a parent that wants to get more involved in their student’s education, fine by me. Please consider running for the school board! It’s not always fun and exciting, but it is so rewarding to know the difference you are making for all those kids.

The board discussed Policy 504 Student Dress and Appearance.

First Reading of Policies:

503 Student Attendance

The board approved the 2022-2023 MREA (Minnesota Rural Education Association) Membership for $1,912.

The board approved the following contract:

The board approved the following retirements:

Nancy has been with the district for 38 years! Nancy has helped me out with various fundraisers in the past. She was so dependable and willing to help when I didn’t know much starting out, Thank you, Nancy! To give you an idea of Nancy’s commitment to the district, check out her last day of work. That is the last day of summer school. She didn’t want to leave people stranded during summer school, so she waited to retire until it was over. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement, Nancy!

The board approved the following:

The meeting was adjourned at 8:35 p.m.

(There will be no work session in July.)

July 26, 2021, 6:30 p.m. Regular Meeting

507-330-0500, sba.email@yahoo.com

Note: WEM School Board meetings can be viewed live via Zoom video conferencing, and the recordings for past meetings are available on the website. The agendas and accompanying documents are also available online. 

From Superintendent Joel Whitehurst

Thank You!

As my time with the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown School District comes to an end, I want to extend a sincere thank you to the wonderful school boards, staff members, school community members, and most importantly our tremendous students. It has truly been an honor and a privilege to serve and reside in this beautiful community I have called home for the last 20 years. There is a golf adage that goes something to the effect, “When you leave the golf course, please leave it in better condition than when you started.” My hope is that can be said regarding my tenure at WEM.

Your support of our endeavors did not go unnoticed or unappreciated! Thanks again. I will always bleed Buccaneer green!

From Superintendent Ryan Jensen

My name is Ryan Jensen, and I am excited to begin my tenure as the superintendent of WEM schools. I’ve been asked to give a little bit of biographical information and talk about what I see for the future of WEM. So here goes.

My wife and I have been married for 24 years. We have three children. Our oldest daughter is 22 years old. Our son is 19 years old, and our youngest daughter is 14.

I grew up in a small town in the western part of the state, Campbell, MN. I attended Campbell-Tintah public schools and graduated with 23 other students in the class of 1986. From there I went to Concordia College in Moorhead, MN. I graduated in 1990 with a degree in social studies education.

My dad was my high school principal as well as my senior math and physics teacher, and he’s the reason I got into education. I’m really the boy who wanted to grow up to be like his dad. Calculus II in college is the reason I became a social studies teacher rather than a math teacher.

I began my career in education as a social studies teacher and coach (football, basketball, baseball) in Princeton, MN, about 30 miles east of St. Cloud. During my time there, I earned my master’s degree from the University of St. Thomas, and my educational leadership degree from St. Cloud State University. I taught at the high school for 12 years before becoming the assistant principal, a position I held for five years.

I left Princeton Public Schools to become the 9-12 principal of Rockford Area Schools, a position which I held for 7 years. I left Rockford to become the senior high principal at Winona Area Public Schools, where I spent two years. Following that, I was hired to be the 6-12 principal at Walker-Hackensack-Akeley where I have been for the past five years. While at WHA, I completed my certification for the superintendency and was fortunate to be hired to succeed Mr. Whitehurst as superintendent at WEM.

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown was an attractive position to me for a couple of reasons. First, having grown up in a small school and having most recently worked in a small school, I liked the fact the WEM is very similar in size to the district in which I currently work. I hope to be a visible presence both in the schools and in the communities, and I feel like that’s somewhat easier in a smaller district. Another reason WEM was desirable is because the district is in a good place financially and in terms of its facilities. The school board has been good stewards of the public’s money, and the communities have been supportive of the district, both pluses when looking at moving into the superintendency.

I have much to learn about WEM and plan to create opportunities for gathering input and feedback from students, staff, parents, and community members. I look forward to our conversations and getting to know as many of you as I possibly can.

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (WEM) Public School District is proud to announce The Minnesota Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) State Leadership Team has recognized WEM elementary and WEM junior high schools as 2022 Sustaining Exemplar Cohort Schools. For this honor, the schools will receive a signed certificate from the Commissioner of Education.

In addition to individual school recognition, WEM received the 2021-2022 Minnesota PBIS District Recognition. This requires that districts "demonstrate capacity for coordination, training, coaching and evaluation to support schools in their district to implement School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS)." Thank you and congratulations to everyone who made this possible.

WEM high school is selling tickets to Bend of the River Fall Festival to be held on the Minnesota State University campus in Mankato on the practice fields next to Blakeslee Stadium on Saturday, September 17, 2022. This all-day, all-ages, rain-or-shine event "will feature a Cornhole tournament, festival style foods, beer & beverages, interactive vendors, and more!" Those under 16 years of age must be accompanied by an adult.

Bring your own chairs. Gates open at 10:00 a.m. Music will start in the afternoon. Details will be available as the date of the event comes closer.

Musical performers:

Tickets are $40 each, which is a $5 savings over purchasing them elsewhere. Of that, $10 per ticket will be donated to WEM athletics and activities.

There is also an option to make donations online without purchasing tickets. Learn more and find links to order tickets and additional information on our website.

Teachers and staff teams have created their wishlists on Amazon. These are items they would like to have for their classrooms or groups. Anyone wishing to purchase items as donations to WEM can quickly and easily see what is needed. These lists may be updated at any time. We thank and greatly appreciate all of our generous donors. Find the wishlists on our website.

The "55 Alive" Driver Improvement course for people age 55 and better will occur in person again this fall as follows:

Sports screenings will be available at Mayo Clinic Health System locations in Waseca, Mankato, and New Prague.

Check the Community Education page of our website or contact them with any questions.

July 11-21 - Summer School

July 26 - School board meeting

August 25 - New teacher workshop

August 25 - School board meeting

August 29-September 1 - Teacher workdays (no school)

August 31 - Grades 9-12 orientation / open house

September 1 - Grades 5-8 open house

September 5 - Labor Day (no school)

September 6 - Grades 5-12 first day of classes and grades K-4 back-to-school conferences

September 7 - Grades K-4 first day of classes

September 24 - Homecoming formal dance

WEM has several job openings, including the following:

Applications are available on the website or by calling the district office at 507-362-4432.