September 8, 2025 at 6:00 PM - Regular Meeting of the School Board

Discussion:  The Board of Education of Hermantown Independent School District No. 700 met in regular session on September 8, 2025. Vice Chair, Matthew Munger, called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M.

Discussion:  Members Present: Eric Griffith, David Hokanson (absent), Jodi McShane, Ashley McFarland, Matthew Munger, Tim Peterson, Wayne Whitwam, Superintendent, Lance Takkunen, Director of Business Services

Visitors: Jason Wilcox, Sarah Turcotte, Bill Wietman, Matthew Brunette, John Muenich, Lynda Nikko, Gretchen Appelwick, Brent Chouanard-Nguyen, Kristal Berg, Jess Witty, Scott Witty

Discussion:  Muenich. Recognized Mike Zagelmeyer and his efforts in securing funding for the new flagpole at the football field. He was able to honor longtime football coach and activities director Gary Bowen with the flagpole in his honor at the first game of the season on Aug. 29. This honors the history of the district and it looks outstanding, especially compared to the old flagpole that was too small. Mike did a lot of work behind the scenes to make all of that happen. 
Muenich, Wietman and Appelwick. Recognized the high school, middle school and elementary school staff members. They put in a lot of hard work during staff development and on their work days, and school started off great because of their work. 
Appelwick. Thanked the Kids Zone staff for their help the first four days of school dropping off and picking up kids. She also thanked the bus drivers, as they have had to stop at the Kindergarteners' houses for pick up and drop off every day. Parent drop off and pick up has been going smoothly, so far. 
Berg. Recognized Laura Meillier, who is the Coordinator of School Age Care. Once school starts, she puts her coordinating duties on hold and is on site at Kids' Zone to put her staff and kids first. 
Whitwam. Recognized School Board Appreciation Week. Thanked School Board members for giving of their time all year long, but especially now when it is an especially demanding time of year. 
Peterson. Echoed John's sentiments about the flagpole dedication ceremony and said that he thought it went off without a hitch. Praised that many people from the community showed up for that event. 
Munger. Gave thanks to all district employees for a successful first week of school. Mentioned that the communication leading into and during the week was great.

Discussion:  No Visitor Business. 

Discussion:  Matthew Brunette, Hermantown 6th grade history teacher, spoke regarding his experience helping with the 6th Grade Minnesota History Curriculum over the summer. Seventeen educators were invited to the Minnesota History Center for three days to have input on the Minnesota History Curriculum for students across the state. He was especially proud to have advocated for our community and for Northern Minnesota. Several of his regular classroom activities and assignments will be part of the curriculum that will be released in July for the 2026-27 school year.

Discussion:  Muenich. Things have been running smoothly at the High School, with a positive sense for both students and staff. The main focus the first week has been establishing good routines. 
Weitman. The main focus at the Middle School has been on building tours during advisor classes. This has built leadership skills for 7th & 8th graders, as they were trained to and now lead the tours for the younger grades. 
Appelwick. The Elementary School is focusing on building tours, as well, and falling into good routines. We have been practicing "Six Weeks of School" as developed by the school counselors. Breakfast is going well.

Discussion:  No Correspondence. 

Discussion:  Targeting some grade levels, specifically in the Middle School, and looking at offering spots to students on the waiting list. Currently sitting at 2,047 with our budget target number at 2,073. 

Discussion:  Buildings seemed eerily quiet when walking around the first days back, but that was a good thing because they had really hit the ground running. Everything seemed to fall together smoothly because of the hard work our staff did to prepare for students to arrive.  

Discussion:  Peterson and Griffith met as the Facilities Committee. Walked around the campus to check out old boilers in the Middle School and the football facility and outbuildings to see what improvements need to be made there. The boilers in the Middle School are from 1987 and are so large they require a chief boilers license to check off on. We currently pay a monthly fee for these check offs. The committee finished the meeting by talking about other projects, including the administration building. The YMCA is looking to the state for bonding money to fund $16 million of its $36 million project, that would include the administration offices. The School District would incur the expense of removing the current admin building and making it into a parking lot. 

McShane met with the Hermantown Legacy Fund. They are planning to incorporate all-ages BINGO into the Taste of Hermantown event, which is scheduled for Oct. 23.