MINNEOTA SCHOOL BOARD MEETING Monday, May 15, 2023

Head custodian Les Engler gave the Facilities and Grounds report and he brought the board up to date on projects that will be happening this summer. There will be a shed constructed at Kompelien Field to cover the pump. Matt Buysse will be helping with this. There will also be shingles replaced on the shed behind the school.
Landscaping will take place on the south side of the school. There are valves on the heating system which are beginning to fail. A quote has been secured and they will be replaced within six to eight weeks when materials are received. There are also valves on the water softener that need replacing. Two students, Parker Bradley and Brody Larson, have been hired to help with custodial work this summer. Keven Larson will again be caring for the grounds.
Elementary Principal Jennifer Mahan-Deitte reported that the MCAs are completed. The elementary concert was entertaining with dancing and music games demonstrated by the students. Thanks to Mary Kaye Rabaey and John Voit for their work on this concert.
Sixth grade graduation was held on Wednesday, May 16. Thanks to Alexis Buysse for her work preparing for this. The last Viking Valor program was also held on May 16.
Appreciation for the teachers and nurses was given by the elementary students during the first week of May. Many thanks also to Barb Knutson for her tireless work on managing the testing program.
The 2023-2024 schedule will be worked on before Principal Mahan-Deitte completes her work. She is busy preparing to pass the torch to Mr. Trent Johnson.
The high school has also completed their MCAs according to Principal Heather Anderson. The sophomores earned a trip to Thunder Road in Sioux Falls for their meeting their goals on the MCAs. The senior trip to the Twin Cities went well. It was helpful to have both the high school and elementary concerts the same week because it meant less set-up and take-down for the custodians.
There have been several language arts teaching applicants. The FCCLA kids are getting ready to head to Denver for the National Convention in early July. Spring Fling went well. The high school staff have been data mining for science, math, and reading. Goals and focuses are being set for next year based on this information.
Superintendent Scott Monson also acknowledged the efforts that went into graduation. Friday, May 19, will be a professional development day with work being done on the curriculum along with break-out sessions in the afternoon. The legislative session is all but over. It appears that elementary and secondary schools across the state will receive $2.2 billion but there are strings attached which need to be analyzed.
The district needs to fill two staff positions, which include a high school Language Arts instructor and the Elementary Administrative Assistant.
As of the end of April, the food service department served 115,123 breakfasts and over 65,000 lunches. Twenty-one percent of students eat breakfast with 78 percent of students eating lunch. Enrollment for 2023-2024 is projected to be up from this past year.
The financial report looks good with an increase in the cash flow of $60,236.08 from March to April.
The consent agenda passed. This included personnel hires of Erin Walerius as an elementary teacher, Keven Larson as part-time groundskeeper through November, Kathy Fier as part-time summer assistant, and Joey Clark as a summer technology assistant. QComp pay for Jen Mahan-Deitte and Heather Anderson of $1,500 was included in the consent agenda. A transportation contract with parent driver was also approved.
The special election was canvassed. Thanks to everyone who voted. Thanks also to everyone who worked on making the election happen. With this levy passing agriculture property owners will pay significantly less for the Tech Levy thanks to the Ag2School dollars from the state.
The 2022-2023 budget has been revised and was discussed. There have been changes in the revenue because of the levy, general education aid, COVID testing funds, etc. There have also been increases in the substitute budget and the busing costs. As of now, there will likely be a deficit in the budget. If there are questions, Mr. Monson would be willing to discuss this with you.
Other new business included athletic trainer services with Avera, MSHSL membership, district procedures for technology offboarding, service agreement with Johnson Controls, and there were 14 policies presented for their first reading. Three of these policies are new to the district.
A monetary gift from the Swede Home Cemetery Foundation of $1,000 was accepted to be used for Christmas Angels Food Donation.
The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, June 20, at 6:30 p.m. in Room 103.