Tri-County School District ISD #2358 Regular Board of Education Meeting January 8, 2025

The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Murray at 6:30 p.m. A quorum was determined.  

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Members Present were A Anderson ,R Hanson, M Koland, K Helling, S Murray, and K Oliver.

Members Absent were: D Olson

Also Present was Superintendent McKeever.

Reorganization Of the Board

Nominations for School Board Chair: Steve Murray. Other Nominations: None

Roll call vote in Favor: A Anderson ,R Hanson, M Koland, K Helling, S Murray, and K Oliver. Against: None UC

Nominations for School Board Vice Chair: Raeya Hanson. Other Nominations: None

Roll call vote in Favor: A Anderson ,R Hanson, M Koland, K Helling, S Murray, and K Oliver. Against: None UC

Nominations for School Board Clerk: Mark Koland. Other Nominations: None.

Roll call vote in Favor: A Anderson ,R Hanson, M Koland, K Helling, S Murray, and K Oliver Against: None UC.

Nominations for School Board Treasurer: Karrah Oliver. Other Nominations: None.

Roll call vote in Favor: A Anderson ,R Hanson, M Koland, K Helling, S Murray, and K Oliver

Against: None UC

Designation of Date and Time for Regular Meetings.

Motion by K Oliver, seconded by R Hanson to designate the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 6:00 pm as the official day and time for the regular monthly meetings of the Board unless change is necessitated by unforeseeable events and statute(s). UC

Special Meeting Notification

Motion by K Oliver, seconded by K Helling to post notices of special meetings on the East front entrance. 

2025 Board Auditing Committee 

Board members will be partnered with another Board member throughout the 2025 calendar year to review bills 30 minutes prior to each regular meeting. The dates will correspond to the approved Regular Board meeting dates as Follows:

January 8, 2025 Murray/Oliver

February 12, 2025 Koland/Helling

March 12, 2025 Hanson/Anderson

April 9, 2025 Olson/Murray

May 14, 2025 Oliver/Koland

June 11, 2025 Helling/Hanson

July 9, 2025 Anderson/Olson

August 13, 2025 Murray/Koland

September 10, 2025 Oliver/Helling

October 8, 2025 Hanson/Olson

November 12, 2025 Anderson/Murray

December 10, 2025 Koland/Hanson

January 14, 2026 Helling/Olson

Board Committees

Motion by K Oliver, seconded by M Koland to authorize the following committee assignments for 2025 UC

1.  MSHSL Koland

2.  NWRIC + Alternate Helling + Olson

3.  MREA Hanson

4.  MSBA Murray

5.  Continuing Education/ECFE Oliver & Hanson

6.  Certified Negotiations Koland, Murray, Oliver

7.  Administrative Negotiations Hanson, Koland, Oliver

8.  Classified Negotiations Hanson, Anderson, Helling

9.  Building & Grounds/Transportation Koland, Oliver, Olson

10.Athletic Boosters Oliver

11.Advisory Committee/Technology Oliver, Hanson, Anderson

12.Freeze Co-Op Sports Committee Oliver, Helling, Olson

13.Meet & Confer Committee / Policy Oliver, Anderson, Olson

14.Joint Powers Board Anderson, Koland, Murray

Motion by M Koland, seconded by R Hanson to designate the law firm of Knutson, Flynn and Deans, P.A. as the School District’s Legal counsel. UC

Motion by K Oliver, seconded by K Helling to:

1. Designate Prime Security Bank and MN Trust as the primary depositories of school funds;

2. To authorize appropriate investments of school district funds by the Superintendent during the year; and

3. To continue the use of the signature writer for payment of district obligations. UC

Motion by K Oliver, seconded by K Helling to designate the North Star News as the official newspaper of the District 2358. UC

Motion by R Hanson, seconded by A Anderson to authorize membership and participation in the following organizations:

1. Minnesota State High School League- MSHSL

2. Northwest Regional Interdistrict Council- NWRIC

3. Region 1- ESV

4. Northwest Service Cooperative-NWSC

5. Minnesota Rural Education Association-MREA

6. Minnesota School Board Association- MSBA

7. Adult Basic Education Program (through NWSC)

UC

Motion by K Oliver, Seconded by R Hanson to:

1. Set the annual school board member salary at $100 per meeting for regular meetings;

2. Pay $200 and room for attending the state school board convention plus $100 mileage;

3. Pay members’ mileage at the federal rate for non school board conventions, or school related business;

4. Pay members $100 per day ($50 per half day) while on school related business. 

UC

We are Proud

• Mara Gust: 

Thank you to Amy and Joyceln for the fun hot chocolate and cookie decorating for the students! 

• Mallory Schaumburg: 

We are proud of the full school’s participation in the food drive. Almost $600 was raised and many big boxes and bags of food were gathered. These donations are split between the Lake Bronson and Strandquist food pantries. 

• Gary Taylor: 

We are proud of the 2024-2025 Triple A (Academics, Arts, and Athletics) Award winners for TriCounty: Brynlee Reese and Straet Spilde. 

Brynlee is a member of the Northern Freeze volleyball and softball teams. She has represented Tri-County at the Area Art Contest as well as at different leadership conferences.

Straet is a member of our football, basketball, and baseball teams. He has been selected AllConference in baseball and was an All-District selection in football. Straet has represented TriCounty while performing during choir ensembles, having once won the “Best of Site” Award. 

Both Brynlee and Straet will be honored at an awards dinner in Mahnomen where they will be up against all the Region 8A local winners for selection as the Regional Triple A winner. Those students will then be announced at the boys AAA Championship basketball game and a state winner will be announced. This award is sponsored by the MSHSL. 

• Justine Teie:

We are proud of Brooke Anderson for completing her student teaching experience and graduating from UND on December 20th. She did a fantastic job in the 1st grade room with Ms. Justine and is ready to take on her next teaching adventure. 

• Ann Thompson: 

We are proud of the 4th grade class who sang the National Anthem at a girls basketball game in December. They learned about it in Social Studies and sang it every morning since September .

• Motion by member K Oliver second by member M Koland to approve the agenda as amended.

Adding H. Approve the hiring of Karen Reitan as the long term sub for the Kindergarten teacher. UC

Citizen Comments: None

Motion by K Oliver, second by S Murray to approve the minutes of the December 11, 2024 meeting as presented. UC

Pay Claims

Audit Committee: Murray/Koland

Motion by M Koland, seconded by S Murray to authorize payment for January, 2025 claims in the funds as presented in the total amount of $ 233,279.43. UC

FUND THIS YEAR PREVIOUS YR

01 GENERAL $80,546.42 $144,495.77

02 FOOD SERVICE $9,476.26 $6,234.23

04 COMMUNITY SERVICE $0.00 $2,452.76

07 DEBT REDEMPTION $124,525.00 $0.00

21 STUDENT ACTIVITIES $18,731.75 $145.23

TOTAL $233,279.43 $153,327.99 

Boards & Committee Report

1. NWRIC

2. MCC

3. MSBA

4. GMRTC Joint Powers Board

5. School Board Committees

Superintendent Report – January 8, 2025 

1) The beginning of the meeting will be filled with many reorganizational items that are done when new board members have been added and are done on a yearly basis. The meeting will begin with nominations for board chair and will continue as noted on the board agenda. 

2) I have assembled the certified seniority list for certified staff to review and alert me of any changes or discrepancies. Having none being brought forward, we will certify the list as presented. 

3) Each year, districts pass a resolution directing administration to review programs and positions should finances or enrollment require reductions or eliminations. This is a yearly resolution, and we do not plan to make reductions at this time. 

4) I am asking that you approve the hiring of Brooke Anderson to take over the 4th grade position and return Ann Thompson to the Title I program. Brooke student taught here this fall and did a great job! Her contract will begin once she is licensed by the state of Minnesota. In the meantime, we have her working in the classroom along with Ann to help in the transition period. We hope to have her licensed and fully take over the room by mid-to-late January. 

5) I am working on the agreement to purchase time from Greenbush-Middle River for the services of Lee Kobernick from now until June 30, 2025. We are also working on a schedule of when he will be in each school and how teachers will alert him of what needs to be done in their classrooms or on their computers. 

6) Amy has once again secured a Food Service grant from MDE to purchase a $19,000 mechanical salad bar. Thanks to Amy for continuing to pursue these grants as she has replaced most of the equipment in the kitchen area with these grants.

Principal Report

Prepping for Testing Season:

• Jan 10th - Juniors take the ASVAB

• Mid Year Dibels Screening (new screener)

• April - MCA testing and ACT is offered for any Juniors or Seniors needing to take

OCHS Spring Enrollment:

• Current Enrollment: 17 students 10-12th grade

TRIO Partnership:

• Parent FAFSA informational Meeting- Jan. 15th @ 6pm

ALICE Training:

• All Staff have been certified

• Kittson County Sheriff’s Office Partnership - Conduct Trainings on January 17th and 20th

Resolution directing the administration to make recommendations for Reductions in Programs and Positions and Reasons Therefore.

Recommended Board Action: Member M Koland introduced the Resolution Directing the Administration to Make Recommendations for Reductions in Programs and Positions and Reasons Therefore.

WHEREAS there has been a reduction in student enrollment, and,

WHEREAS this decrease in student enrollment must include discontinuance of positions and discontinuance or curtailment of programs, and,

WHEREAS a determination must be made as to which teachers’ contracts must be terminated and not renewed and which teachers may be placed on unrequested leave of absence without pay or fringe benefits in effecting discontinuance of positions.

BE IT RESOLVED, by the School Board of Independent School District No. 2358, as follows:

That the School Board hereby directs the Superintendent of Schools and administration to consider the discontinuance of programs or positions because of a reduction in enrollment, make recommendations to the school board for the discontinuance of programs, curtailment of programs, discontinuance of positions or curtailment of positions.

The motion for the adoption of the foregoing resolution was duly seconded by Member

K Oliver and upon roll call vote the following voted in favor thereof: K Helling, R Hanson, A Anderson, S Murray, M Koland, K Oliver and the following voted against the same: None

Whereupon said resolution was declared duly adopted. 

Motion by K Oliver, Second by K Helling, to approve the hiring of Brooke Anderson as 4th grade teacher contingent upon MN licensure. UC

Motion by R Hanson, Second by K Oliver, to approve the Classified Seniority list as presented. UC

Motion by M Koland, Second by K Oliver, to approve the purchasing of Service Time for Lee Kobernick as Technology Coordinator from the Greenbush-Middle River School District through June 30, 2025. UC

Motion by K Helling, Second by S Murray, to approve the resignation of Keegan Krantz as Technology Coordinator. UC

Next Regular School Board Meeting: Next Regular School Board Meeting: February 12, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. at   Tri County School Library in Karlstad, MN.

Motion by K Oliver, second by S Murray to adjourn. UC

 

Respectfully Submitted,

Mark Koland, Board Clerk

Steve Murray, Board Chair

(February 27, 2025)