REGULAR MEETING Board of Education
February 17, 2021
Ind. School District 739, Kimball, MN
Chair Schreiner opened the meeting at 7:00 p.m. with all members present. The Pledge of Allegiance was said by all.
Motion by K. Helgeson, seconded by Becker, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried 6-0.
Kyle Walters with ICS was present to share the bid results for the Indoor Air Quality project at the Elementary building. Ebert Construction was the low bidder for the General Construction portion of the project, Sentra-Sota Sheet Metal, Inc., was awarded the bid for the Mechanical portion, and Willmar Electric Service Corp. was low bidder for the electrical portion. The total bid amount for the project comes to $1,975,200.
Motion by K. Helgeson, seconded by Mahlum, to accept Elementary IAQ bids as recommended by Mr. Walters. Motion carried 6-0.
Celebrations and successes of students and staff included winter sports and activities off and running. The high school robotics team hosted a live tournament in January, and there was a live elementary VEX robotics tournament held at Kimball over the weekend. We have been asked to host a large robotics tournament in April. About 180 A and B Honor
Roll students will be recognized on -February 23.
Motion by Becker, seconded by E. Helgeson, to approve the Consent Agenda. Motion carried, 6-0. The consent agenda included:
• Approve minutes from January 20, 2021, regular meeting.
• Approval of Bills.
• Treasurer’s Report.
• Approve hiring Alissa Scattarelli, part-time evening high school custodian, Category II, Step 6 of the Non-Licensed Agreement, starting January 25, 2021.
• Accept resignation received from Carolyn Schlawin, Enrichment Lead, effective February 12, 2021, pending approval of Title I position.
• Approve hiring Carolyn Schlawin, Title I paraprofessional, Category III, Step 6.
• Accept resignation received from Megan Schindler, Cubs Club Assistant, effective February 12, 2021.
• Approve hiring Myles Durga, Elementary Paraprofessional, Category II, Step 1 of the ESP contract, beginning February 1, 2021.
• Accept request for leave of absence received from Megan Daoust, beginning on or about May 13, 2021, through the end of the school year.
• Accept resignation received from Michelle Lauermann, Pre-School and Enrichment paraprofessional, effective February 19, 2021.
• Approve continuation of leave of absence for Brianna Arns for 2021-2022 school year.
• Resolution Accepting Donations from: Rob and Jen Hennen, Charities Aid Foundation, Harvest Bank, Kimball Sports Boosters, Kim and Dean Pelzer, Bank Vista, and Hendricks Bus Service.
Ms. Bonnifield reported on:
• Paul Sandell is retiring after more than 27 years; he will be very much missed.
• Things are going well; it will be great to have all of the students in the building for four days starting next week, and for five days starting March 1.
• The COVID planning team has been meeting quite frequently since July 2; thank you to the high school team for their participation.
• The 2021-2022 Course Guideline for grades 9-12 was reviewed; some consideration is being given to the need for weighted credits for some of the courses.
• Ms. Bonnifield thanked the board and superintendent for allowing for her participation remotely so that she has one more evening to be with her family.
Mr. Timmerman reported on:
• Great staff doing great things despite everything that’s going on.
• The elementary COVID team has also been meeting frequently; thank you to those members.
• In the upcoming months, the Elementary building is trying to hire several positions; Mr. Timmerman is interviewing for social worker tomorrow; -Carolyn Schlawin moved over to Title I leaving a vacancy in Enrichment; there are para openings in ECSE and K-5 special education. Some of these positions are hard to fill.
• Parent-teacher conferences were held virtually and went very well.
• The food pack program has started; food is put in lockers for students to take home for weekend meals.
• Kindergarten registration was held virtually as well; to-date we have 40 students registered. This is about a dozen more than last year following the registration night.
• Next week, the elementary will be celebrating I Love To Read Month.
• Mr. Timmerman and staff are “excited” to see what packing up classrooms will look like as preparations are made for the IAQ construction over the summer.
• The Achievement and Integration budget application has been prepared for approval later in the meeting.
Mr. Widvey reported on the following:
• A COVID update – planning to bring all students back five days per week beginning March 1. To accommodate the required additional 30 minutes of prep time for teachers with distance learners, planning time will need to be figured out, but looking for consistency for the students.
• A follow-up meeting was held with Moody’s Investors Service with regards to the potential improvement of the Districts’ bond rating; we should receive the outcome next week.
• The superintendent and principals met with Meeker County for a Safe Schools meeting on the 4th. The district has been working with Stearns County for several years.
• February 21-27 is School Bus Driver Appreciation Week.
• At the last round of teacher negotiations, the district had their legal counsel present to work through concerns. After asking the board’s preference, Mr. Widvey will request this service again.
Other reports included Benton-Stearns – Gallagher.
Motion by Becker, seconded by Mahlum, to approve the Course Catalog for 2021-2022 as presented. Motion carried, 6-0.
Motion by K. Helgeson, seconded by Becker, to accept resignation received from Stephani Donnay-Peters effective February 24, 2021. Motion carried, 6-0.
Motion by E. Helgeson, seconded by Gallagher, to approve the Achievement and Integration Budget for FY22 as presented. Motion carried, 6-0.
Policy 503 – Student Attendance was presented and reviewed for the first reading.
The next Benton-Stearns Education District meeting is March 17th, at 3:30 p.m. The next Regular School Board meeting is on March 17, at 6:00 p.m.
Motion by E. Helgeson, seconded by Mahlum, to adjourn at 8:23 p.m. Motion carried, 6-0.
Eric Helgeson, Clerk
Published in the Tri-County News Thursday, March 25, 2021.