REGIONAL- ISD 2142 School Board Chairman Dan Manick will continue in that role for another year after he was the only one nominated for the position at the board’s organizational meeting on Jan. 5.
The board welcomed two new members, Bob Larson and Lynne Hilde. Bob Larson was selected to be vice-chair.
Board member Pat Christensen continues as the designated clerk, and member Chris Koivisto was named treasurer. Their overall responsibilities were later assigned by a board resolution to administrative assistant Jeanne Sopp and business manager Kim Johnson, respectively.
The board approved a $400 per month stipend for board members, with a rate of $12 per hour to be paid for participation in special meetings, committee meetings, workshops, and conferences. Travel time for those events will be reimbursed at the same rate.
The one mildly contentious item on the agenda came when the board considered the designation of the district’s official newspaper, which last year was the Cook News Herald.
Koivisto suggested that the district should consider awarding the designation to the Timberjay, noting that as of the first of the year the new consolidated format of the newspaper gave the Timberjay a larger coverage area of the district than that of the Cook News Herald.
After several minutes of discussion, the board voted 4-3 to continue with the News Herald, with Koivisto, Hilde, and Troy Swanson voting against the motion.
The board formally adjourned the organizational meeting and then immediately convened a special meeting to approve a purchased services agreement from the Mt. Iron-Buhl district.
The agreement includes $73,771 designated for underwriting the salary and benefits of Superintendent Reggie Engebritson, who also serves part time as superintendent for Mt. Iron-Buhl. Additional services provided by ISD 2142 for teaching and learning, transportation, payroll and benefits, and licensed nursing, plus a service fee, brings the total cost of the agreement to $223,321 for FY2021-22.
The board also gave final approval to a revised labor agreement with the district’s custodial unit. The agreement makes revisions to health coverage consistent with other district labor agreements, revises the section pertaining to bids for changing job classifications, and makes several changes in pay rates for various categories of full and part-time custodial staff. The wage rate for head custodians was increased by $1.75 an hour, making their monthly compensation $3,120 up to one year’s tenure and $3,607 after one year in the current school fiscal year.