VIRGINA — Lynn Hilde will serve another term as chair as the ISD 2142 school board rolled three meetings into one Tuesday in Virginia, combining a working session that included a look at practical realities of running a geographically large, rural district, the traditional start-of-the year organization meeting, and a business meeting to address policies and other items.
Hilde, who represents the Cherry area, and Chris Koivisto, who represents Northeast Range, were both nominated for the chair position, with Hilde prevailing on a narrow 4-3 vote.
Koivisto was re-elected as vice chair, Tower-Soudan representative Ron Marinaro was chosen clerk, and North Woods representative Jarrett Bundy was selected to be treasurer.
Working session
Paul Peltier, executive director of the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools was a guest for a working session discussion outlining district priorities.
While numerous items were discussed, district finance director Kim Johnson took time to outline the scale of the district’s transportation challenges, noting that ISD 2142 drives far more miles than similarly sized districts.
“One of our biggest problems is that we drive 1.4 million miles a year, and we’ve got under 1,800 kids,” Johnson said. “We’re very low cost per mile, but we still need help, because we don’t get enough money to fund their transportation.”
Johnson said the cost of replacing buses and vans alone can approach $500,000 annually, putting pressure on operating capital even when day-to-day transportation expenses are tightly managed.
“We need probably three buses a year and probably another three to four vans,” she said. “So, we’re half a million dollars just for those.”
She also noted that current transportation sparsity aid from the state only applies to limited mileage. Johnson said getting aid for all the miles driven would be of great assistance to the transportation budget.
On a different topic, director of teaching and learning Kristi Berlin provided a lengthy and detailed overview of how enrollment numbers and class sizes will drive scheduling decisions for the coming school year. While much of her presentation focused on process, Berlin emphasized that monthly enrollment tracking is essential for making staffing decisions in a timely manner for the upcoming year.
Right now, Berlin is looking at how classes, sections, and staffing break down across schools with wide variations in enrollment. At the elementary level, Cherry sits at 227 students, South Ridge at 262, North Woods at 184, Northeast Range at 89, and Tower-Soudan at 82. High school enrollments include 83 at Northeast Range, 227 at North Woods, 226 at South Ridge, and 269 at Cherry.
Those numbers, Berlin said, force difficult balancing acts between small and oversized classes.
“I get everything (class sizes) from 14s to 57s,” she said.
Multi-age classrooms, combined sections, and alternating-year courses are among the tools used to manage uneven class sizes, particularly at smaller schools. Berlin also pointed to growing impacts from PSEO and online learning, which reduce in-school enrollment while still requiring district staffing and administrative support.
The meeting returned to district office staffing, where Johnson outlined continued restructuring aimed at reducing costs without adding positions. Over the past year and a half, the district has reduced 2.28 full-time equivalent positions.
That reduction has resulted in net savings of about $142,000, even after adjustments for payroll assistance and redistributed duties. Johnson said the changes in job responsibilities have actually improved morale among remaining staff, as they are getting to learn new skills.
“The staff is giddy. They’re excited,” she said.
In other business, the board:
• Voted to maintain the current compensation for board members at $400 per month for regular and working sessions and $15 per hour for additional meetings and workshops. Mileage will be reimbursed at $0.725 per mile, and meal reimbursement rates were established.
• Voted to maintain Frandsen Bank, North Star Credit Union, and Ely Area Credit Union as the district’s depositories.
• Designated Squires, Waldspurger and Mace, P.A. as the district’s legal counsel, while authorizing the superintendent and/or board chair to contact local attorneys for items which do not require specialized education expertise.
• Designated the Timberjay as the district’s official newspaper.
Determined committee assignments.
• Heard updates on the district’s strategic plan progress from Superintendent Reggie Engebritson.
• Approved the Indigenous Education contract and Indian policies and procedures. Koivisto sought clarification on a policy which outlines preferred methods of contact. The board voted to move ahead with approval while asking Engebritson to clarify the language prior to the next meeting.
• Had an official first reading for a policy regarding library materials, including dispute resolutions over contested materials, as required by a law passed by the Legislature in 2024.
• Heard comments from David Colburn regarding the library policy. He indicated he was pleased to find it finally being addressed, and noted that had such a policy been adopted earlier it would have provided guidance and direction for addressing disputed materials at North Woods School this past fall. He noted that many districts in the state adopted library policies in fall 2024, calling the district’s current action reactive rather than proactive. He encouraged members to review the proposed policy carefully, as the language presented could likely require hiring a certified librarian, which the district does not currently have according to MDE reports, and which would affect the budget.
• Hired Cherie Seopa as a paraprofessional at North Woods.
• Hired Jacob Panichi as a van driver and Melissa Rabas as a substitute van driver at North Woods.
• Accepted an advanced retirement request from North Woods assistant principal John Jirk, which would not take effect until Dec. 31, 2027.