VIRGINA- Tuesday’s meeting of the ISD 2142 St. Louis County School Board was a relatively short one devoted primarily to handling a number of items to prep for the return of staff and the start of classes on Sept. 6.
Superintendent Reggie Engebritson said that teachers would be returning on Tuesday for a professional development day focused on wellness. She also announced that district schools will host open houses on Wednesday, Aug. 31 from 4-7 p.m.
“And then all the kids first grade through 12th return the next Tuesday (Sept. 6),” she said. “Kindergarteners don’t start until that Thursday. We’re ready.”
When Engebritson asked if there were any questions, board member Bob Larson inquired about school lunches.
“With hot lunch, if a kid doesn’t have money we feed them anyway, right?” he said.
Engebritson explained that those children likely aren’t served the main entrée but get an alternative, along with milk and fruit.
“Is that what we really want to do to kids?” Larson said. “Some little kid doesn’t have the money to pay and we’re going to make him eat a different lunch? I have a concern with that.”
Engebritson noted that families with financial challenges should be eligible for free or reduced meals, and said that they make a concerted effort to get all eligible families signed up. At Larson’s request, Engebritson agreed to check on how such incidents are handled and report back to the board.
In other business, the board:
• Passed a revised drug-free workplace/drug-free school policy that has been modified to include THC-infused edibles and beverages that became legal in Minnesota on July 1. The policy was reviewed at the Aug. 9 board working session and was enacted on an emergency basis for one year. Doing so allows the policy to go into effect immediately, circumventing the normal requirement of having a proposed policy read at three consecutive meetings before it can be acted upon.
• Passed a similarly updated drug and alcohol testing policy, also on an emergency basis.
• Acknowledged the first reading of proposed revisions to the district’s internet acceptable use and safety policy.
• Adopted a three-year agreement with Teamsters Local No. 346 covering the terms of employment for those employees working with the Indigenous Education Program (formerly Indian Education). The hourly wage for the renamed Indigenous Support 1 position (formerly Indian Education Program Interventionist) was raised from $23.92 to $26.47 for the current school year. The hourly rate for the Indigenous Support II position (formerly Indian Education Program Assistant) was raised from $15.05 to $15.96.
• Heard a proposal from Gary Martinson, of Cook, to purchase a school-owned vacant lot in Cook. Martinson was the successful bidder on several adjacent lots last month, but there were no bids submitted for the lot in question. Martinson wanted to know if the board would be willing to negotiate on the sale of the property and made an initial proposal of $2,050 on the lot, which has an estimated market value of $4,100. Per policy, the board had no discussion and took no action on Martinson’s proposal, as it was made during the public comment portion of the meeting. The board will discuss it at an upcoming meeting.
• Extended the open enrollment date for the 2023-24 school year to June 1 with the intent of trying to recoup some of the enrollment lost during the COVID pandemic.
• Increased adult meal prices to $2.70 for breakfast and $4.95 for lunch.
• Hired Colin Walker as a full-time social studies teacher at North Woods.
• Hired the following support staff at Northeast Range: Dawn Merrill, part-time library assistant and paraprofessional; Lara Poderzay, part-time paraprofessional; Jennette Pratt, full-time site secretary III and health office assistant; and Brianna Buschman, full-time nutrition employee.
• Hired the following support staff at North Woods School: Steven Correll, full-time custodian; and Megan Nemec, full-time student and family advocate.
• Hired Muriel Deegan as full-time student and family advocate at Tower-Soudan.
• Hired or rehired the following coaches for Northeast Range: Ellen Pierce, head, cross country; Cheri DeBeltz, head, and Sue Pasmic, assistant, swimming; and assistants Sen Bissonette and Lara Poderzay, volleyball.
• Hired Andrew Jugovich as head boys basketball coach and Rebecca Lappi and Ellen Shuster as assistant volleyball coaches at North Woods.
• Accepted the following resignations from Northeast Range: Kyle Ballou, music teacher; Maggie Schulze, Hannah Peitso, Brooke Gruba, April Reichel, and Trista Miller, paraprofessionals; Chloe Pecha, Check and Connect mentor; Sena Bissonette, site secretary III and health assistant; and Jodi Rogers-Reichensperger, head volleyball coach.
• Accepted the following resignations from North Woods: Jodi Whiteside, paraprofessional; Julie Smith, ECFE teacher aide; and Connie Harju, teacher aide/community ed coordinator (shared)/substitute bus driver.