VIRGINIA- In a light agenda at Tuesday’s regular meeting, the ISD 2142 school board heard about progress being made on the district’s new cellphone policy for students, approved the renewal of a cooperative service agreement with the Bois Forte Head Start Program, and reviewed the projects and budget for long term facilities maintenance.
Superintendent Reggie Engebritson reported that the state’s principals’ associations had released model cellphone policies per the direction of the state Legislature, setting the stage for the next step of the process. While districts aren’t required by state law to have a policy in place until March 2025, Engebritson is moving to have one in place before classes start in September.
Engebritson told board members that the need to determine how restricted student cellphone use might be, and for that she wants to get feedback from parents.
“My thoughts tentatively are to put a survey out for parents, just to get some feedback, because they’re going to have to partner with us with whatever policy, whether it’s not using cellphones at all, from the first bell to the last bell in the day, or allowing it during passing time and lunch,” she said. “There’s pros and cons to each, so I just would like parents to weigh in.”
Engebritson discussed a number of different procedural issues as to how cellphones might be kept off and away from students during restricted periods. She also discussed the research considered by legislators when they passed the policy requirement, noting the detrimental effects of excessive cellphone usage on students’ academic and socialemotional abilities.
Engebritson said after getting parent feedback the district principals would meet in August to further review and refine the policy, with the intent that the board would ratify the final product at the end of August.
District Finance Director Kim Johnson walked the board through a detailed spreadsheet of facilities projects. The first project on the list was for Northeast Range.
“We have got to do the siding in the Northeast Range courtyard because the damage is getting so bad it’s going to start impacting the windows and everything else,” Johnson said.
The district has an old estimate of about $350,000 for the work, and Johnson said they were in the process of getting a firmer update. The project would be done next summer.
Also on tap for next summer is a boiler upgrade at Tower-Soudan, and roofing repairs are needed at Cherry, NER, and Tower-Soudan.
The most costly projects are the upgrades to the wastewater facilities at South Ridge and North Woods. Last February the board approved a bid of roughly $1 million for the South Ridge project. With financial support from the Legislature, Johson said the district’s share of the cost will be far less.
“Our cost sharing is $200,000,” Johnson said. “And the rest is going to be covered by bonding – same thing at North Woods.”
There’s money set aside in the budget for upgrades to the district’s sports fields, with Johnson noting that the North Woods fields needed more work.
“And there really isn’t anything else big that’s out there,” she said. “The past few years it’s been pretty wild and crazy. There’s not a lot going on out there right now.”
The cooperative agreement with the Bois Forte Head Start Program has been in place for many years, and primarily focuses on how they will collaborate in identifying children with disabilities and providing appropriate educational services for them. The agreement also has steps to ease the transition of Head Start students into kindergarten. The renewal was passed unanimously.
In other business, the board:
• Heard from Engebritson that a tentative labor agreement has been reached with custodians, who will vote on the contract on Aug. 5. Negotiations are ongoing with bus drivers, but Engebritson said talks with clerical staff were at an impasse and would be going to mediation.
• Hired Jean Virant as a full-time Title I teacher with a split assignment at North Woods and Cherry.
• Hired Tarryn Bayliss as a half-time elementary teacher at NER.
• Hired Dawn Merrill for a two-tenths time elementary media position at NER.
• Hired Paul Adcock as a bus driver at North Woods.
• Hired the following coaches at North Woods – head football coach Joel Anderson, assistants Mark Fabish, Daniel Reing, and Matt Koch; assistant cross country coach Daniel Squires; and head cheerleading coach Rachel Johnson.
• Hired the following coaches at NER – head swimming coach Cheri DeBeltz and assistant Sue Pasmick; assistant cross country coach Adam Hagen; and head volleyball coach Misty Roseth and assistant Sena Bissonette.
• Accepted three resignations from NER, including paraprofessionals Melissa Schroeter and Lara Poderzay and ECFE teacher aide Kaitlyn Clemmer.