Northland School Board: Board approves sale of construction bonds

   Jodie Zesbaugh, Senior Municipal Advisor  with Ehlers Public Finance Advisors presented the Sale Day Report for the Facilities Maintenance and Tax Abatement Bonds at the regular scheduled board meeting held Thurs., Apr. 21. During the report it was stated four bids were received with First National Bank North, Pequot Lake, Minnesota having a low bid of 2.65%. Board Chair Marc Ruyak motioned to approve the resolution awarding the Sale of Facilities Maintenance and Tax Abatement Bonds with board member Bill Wake seconding the motion. A roll call vote was cast with all members approving the resolution.

   Principal Mary Yakibchuk shared her report that included information concerning the changes in the elementary program. It was stated there will be two sessions in grades Kindergarten through third grade to allow teachers to have more one-on-one time with students. Grades fourth through sixth will only have on session. Yakibchuk mentioned with the changes some teachers would now be teaching grades they have never taught before, therefore they were trying to make sure to have grade level partners to assist them in acquiring the right tools to properly teach the students. Also, with the changes some teachers will be moving classrooms having smaller learners in smaller classrooms and the bigger classrooms for the larger class sizes. With this move, Yakibchuk said all teachers would need to box up personal items that they have acquired over the years by June 10, due to summer school beginning again.

   Activities Director/Assistant Principal Janessa Green shared in her reports even though it may not look like spring, spring sports are underway and have been practicing in the gyms. With the large number of students going out for baseball and softball, practice has had to rotate between Hill City and Northland with baseball at one location and softball at the other location. Green also mentioned a new policy of automatically locking school doors at 4 p.m. is being implemented. There were comments made that students were still being seen in the building at 7 p.m. when community activities were ending, and none of these students attending the activity. Green mentioned she wants the school to be a safe place for students, but students are able to access classrooms along with possible confidential information during this time, as custodians will leave classrooms unlocked in order to clean them. 

   Green then shared the disciplinary incidents for the year to date. Currently 75% of high school students have received  one or less referral, with the month of March being the highest number of referrals. Attendance and tardies is the highest type of referral with technology being the second. In elementary students 83% have received one or less referral with Oct. and Nov. being the months with the highest number of referrals. At the elementary level defiance is the number one type of referral.

   Superintendent Pat Rendle shared an update on the planed construction project. It was noted that bids have come in approximately 25% higher than expected, therefore the planned update to the air quality in the old gym will not be addressed. The new bus maintenance training center and field updates will continue as planned. Also, when Architectural Resources, Inc. bid the landscaping for the front area of the building it was way over budget. Therefore, Rendle reached out to Bloomers Garden Center and Landscaping in  Grand Rapids for a quote. Rendle showed a few renderings from Bloomers and will present more details along with a quote at the next board meeting. 

   A motion was made to approve the purchase of Superintendent  services from Hill City. The agreement stated Northland would pay 60% of the salary and 40% of benefits to Hill City for superintendent services. Board member Tyler Seifert stated with the two schools already collaborating numerous activities and pursuing other collaborations, the superintendent agreement should be a 50/50 split. There was discussion concerning how much time is currently being utilized by Northland and what the future looks like. The motion that was on the table to approve the purchase of service agreement failed two to four and a new motion was made to go back to Hill City with a 50/50 split agreement.  

   In other business, the school board:

   • Recognized Jenny Swankier for receiving the 2022 Minnesota Indian Education Association Liaison of the year; Trey Flowers for receiving the 2022-2023 Minnesota Indian Education Association ambassador title; Ojibwe quiz bowl team for winning 3rd place in the Minnesota Indian Education Association competition and Mark Gravelle for receiving Northland Teacher of the Year.

   • Accepted donations for Prom from Emily, Outing & Fifty Lakes Lakers Lions for $200, Northern Star Coop for $50 and Jerry’s Bar for $50.

   • Heard the student leadership report and the senior class trip agenda from Nathan Johnson.

   • Discussed late starts during bad weather and how the decision is made.

   • Approved Tandy Kibbler as yearbook advisor for 2021-22.

   • Approved the hire of Lisa Barrett as fifth grade teacher for 2022-23 with a start date of Aug. 26, 2022.

   • Approved the hire of Tristen Heller as band teacher for 2022-23 with a start date of Aug. 26, 2022.

   • Approved the hire of Mandy Jones as school secretary with a start date of Apr. 25, 2022.

   • Accepted the resignation of Dawn Poppema as paraprofessional, effective June 3, 2022.

   • Accepted the resignation of Nate Sharp as Storm Junior High Boys Football Coach, effective Apr. 21, 2022.

   The board has scheduled the following meetings: work session, Thur., May 5 at 5:30 p.m. and the regular meeting, Thurs., May 19 at 5:30 p.m., all meetings are held at Northland High School.