October 19, 2020 at 7:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Description:  Barsness, Christianson, Gugisberg, Holtberg, Meyer, Reichmann, Zavadil

Description:  Barsness, Christianson, Gugisberg, Holtberg, Meyer, Reichmann, Zavadil

Description: 

• Andrea Gullickson- MA billing. Big Gains @ W.I.N Academy

• At a prior board meeting, school board members asked to learn more about Marilyn & Ellsworth Erickson. The Erickson Trust has been very generous to the Minnewaska School District.  Finance Director, Vicki Moen has done some research and learned the following:

Ellsworth Erickson sold the school district the land where Minnewaska Area High School is located.  The Erickson Pork Chop is noted on the Minnewaska House Menu

Marilyn and Ellsworth were married in June 1958. They farmed for years--crops, dairy and hogs. 

Ellsworth was involved with the Green Valley & Minnewaska Township Schools prior to starting school in Starbuck as an 8^th grade student. Ellsworth was active on the Pope County Swine Board, White Bear Lake Township Board and Cenex Boards. He mentored students and had a love of music playing trombone with the community band for years.

Karen Erickson, a daughter and administrator of the Estate, said "Education meant everything to Ellsworth and Marilyn". The Minnewaska Area School District has been a proud beneficiary of the Erickson's generosity.

Karen Erickson - Starbuck - Daughter and estate administrator lives in Starbuck and can be reached at 320 424-0040.
 

Description:  Recently, the MAS administration has been informed that the United States Department of Agriculture has determined it will extend the waiver for meals to be available to ALL students through the end of the 2020-2021 school year. 

Specifically, this means that once MDE provides final guidance, all meals (breakfast and lunches) we serve during the 2020-21 school year may be provided at no cost to our families.  In addition, we were also authorized to go back into the students lunch accounts and credit any payments they made at anytime during this school year to their account balances.

Currently, we await final guidance from MDE to ensure there will be funding to allow this before it can be formally announced to our families.  

Description:  Rich Ragutz, Ideal Energy Representative has been in contact with Interim Superintendent Ellingworth about the possibility of installing a Solar Panel Field on Minnewaska property.  Sometime in the previous year, Mr. Ragutz met with a school board subcommittee to make an initial presentation but when COVID became our reality, the discussion was dropped.

It appears MAS has ample property upon which a solar field could be installed and the energy savings to the district may be substantial.  For example, MAS has averaged electrical annual bills of approximately $220,000 over the last three years and as much as $238,000 was paid in FY 20.  At an estimated discount of 20% annually, installation of the solar panel field could save the school district between $45,000 to $50,000 annually.

Mr. Ragutz will reference the exhibits attached to this agenda throughout his presentation.

Following the presentation, the administration requests school board direction on how it wants the administation to proceed.

 

Description:  Earlier this fall, the MAS School Board directed the administration to work with representatives from Palmer Bus Company to develop viable options to improve before and after school transportation services to MAS students.

Thursday, October 8, Wyatt Gaulke, local Palmer Bus Representative attended the school board workshop to present the newly proposed plan (attached to agenda).  Planning was focused on shortening bus routes between 5-45 minutes thereby reducing student riding time, and also scaling back bus arrival and departure times at schools to improve efficiencies as well as capture time staff can use for preparation.

In addition, Thursday, October 15, Interim Superintendent Ellingworth sent a letter (attached to this agenda) to MAS staff/parents identifying a couple changes to the plans that were inspired by parental concerns that will hopefully alleviate "drop-off" concerns parents had expressed after reviewing the initial plan.

Following school board discussion, a motion is requested approving the overall plan and authorizing the administration authority it needs to continue revising as the plan, once fully implemented, evolves.

Description:  MAS Elementary Principal, Scott Lempka, will be in attendance to present the MAS 2020-2021 Weather Related eLearning Plan.

Minnesota Statute requires Minnesota School Districts to adopt and publicly post the Weather Related eLearning plans annually. Pending school board adoption, the administration will post the eLearning Plans of the District website as well as send communication to families sharing how the plans will work. 

Following Principal Lempka's presentation and school board discussion, a motion approving the plan, retroactive to September 1, 2020 is recommended. 

Description: 

 Monday, October 12, 2020 at the regularly scheduled weekly meeting the COVID Command Team determined, by consensus, beginning Tuesday October 20, 2020 (Monday is a teacher inservice day and no school for students is scheduled) the plan for the  7th-12th grade daily schedule will be to remain in HYBRID but discontinue the Wednesday Distance Learning Day and replace it with a HYBRID day of learning.  Consequently, the 7-12 high school plan will change.  The "Distance Learning Wednesdays" will be discontinued and replaced with a "Hybrid" day of learning. There is NO CHANGE to the "Distance Learning Choice" option if that is your family preference.

Following school board discussion, the administration requests formal school board approval adopting this Learning Scenario change.

Description:  Interim Superintendent Ellingworth will share school level discussion related to the request to identifying the six  days shown on the proposed calendar as "Scheduled Distance Learning" Days for 7-12 grade staff to have time for planning throughout the next months.  The proposed amended calendar is attached to the agenda.

These calendar changes should not represent a hardship on families as the students will be distance learning and yet the 7-12 grade staff will have needed time for planning.

Description:  Principals Sarah Suchy and Nate Meissner and Rick Ellingworth will lead discussion with the school board around the idea of changing how the 4th-12th grade teachers/students do Distance Learning beginning with the start of the 2nd quarter (4th-6th graders) and 2nd semester (7th-12th graders).

Description:  Board members Chad Christianson and Jeff Holtberg (Chad Barsness was out of the area) , Finance Director Vicki Moen and Superintendent Ellingworth met on Tuesday, October 13 at 7:30 am to receive a report on COVID expenditures to date.  The report is attached to the agenda as an exhibit.

Description:  The School Board's Personnel Subcommittee met at 6:00 pm on Monday, October 19, 2020 to consider personnel request(s) presented by the administration and learning of specific staffing concerns the district is faced with.

These concerns revolve around:
1. Consideraton of a Memorandum of Understanding to provide benefits to an employee with health concerns.
 2. Difficulty finding employees to carry out COVID related duties.
 3. Consideration of a proposal to offer "Meet and Confer" option to allow school board to directly confer with employees, if requested by either party.

Following the subcommittee's presentation, action to approve the Memorandum of Understanding is requested.

Description:  At the September 21, 2020 School Board meeting, the school board tabled a request to process the newly amended 2020-2021 MSHSL dues request for participation in Minnesota State High School League activities. 

One of the primary concerns in paying the requested dues focused on the unfairness of the manne in which the dues are assessed.  Please see the exhibits attached to the agenda for review.

The second exhibit, created by the Superintendent of Schools in Springfield, Minnesota, shares a dues structure that is balanced and identifies the same cost for every Minnesota student enrolled in 9-12 grade schools across Minnesota.

10-16-2020 we received a response to the letter the School Board sent to MSHSL leadership. It is attached as an exhibit.

Following discussion, the administration requests the school board consider if it wishes to move the item from being "tabled" to taking action.



 

Description:  Board Chairperson, Chad Christianson recently participated in Advanced Training conducted by the Minnesota School Board Association. One of the important topics discussed in the training was being prepared to temporarily replace the sitting Superintendent during these times of COVID.   Mr. Christianson has some ideas he would like to share with board members.

Description:  Currently, MAS houses the Head Start program led by West Central Communities Organization. Annually, it is necessary to review and approve the agreement between the two organizations that establish terms and conditions to work together during the next year.

The attached contract has been reviewed and the administration recommends the school board authorize Board Chair Christianson to sign the contract for the 2020-2021 school year.

As a footnote, in return for housing the Head Start program in Starbuck, MAS has asked to receive a monthly rental amount of $450 per month. In addition, some building improvements were made at WIN and as much as $2500 will be forwarded to MAS to offset construction costs.

Description:  Interim Superintendent Rick Ellingworth will present the School Resource Officer Agreement with the City of Starbuck calling for a three year agreement (2020-2021, 2021-2022 and 2022-2023)

The agreement calls for an increase from 175-178 days annually as well as a 3% increase annually in contract costs. Please see the agreement, attached to this agenda for details.

Following school board discussion, action authorizing the agreement is requested.

Description: 

Adds provisions and procedures regarding storage and return of drugs

Or medication and regarding unclaimed or abandoned prescription

drugs

Description:  Adds language regarding dyslexia screening

Description:  Describes documentation that may verify student’s age admission

Description:  Is there interest in focusing this School Board Work Session on scheduling a "Meet and Confer" meeting the MTA and the entire School Board to directly discuss COVID related concerns.

Description:  This item serves as a reminder of the special board meeting sceduled to canvass School Board Election Results. If everything is in order from our various election sites, the meeting should be relatively short (15 minutes or less).