NRHEG Board of Education
By REED WALLER
Staff Writer
At Monday’s meeting of the NRHEG Board of Education, high school principal David Bunn proposed (by telepresence) the district’s plans for the NRHEG Covid-19-compliant graduation ceremony. Since last week, the plans have been firmed up some.
The practice area between the school and the football field will be the location for the graduating seniors and their families to drive in and park, and a flatbed trailer will serve as the stage, with projection screens to left and right of the parking area. Parking will be directed for spacing and taller vehicles will go in back.
In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will take place in the school parking lot and Ash Ave.
The board does not normally need to approve more than the graduating class roster, but this time Bunn asked for board approval due to the unusual circumstances.
“The Minnesota Dept. of Education is watching us closely,” commented board chair Rick Schultz.
The graduation ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 31, beginning at 8 p.m. No one but the graduates and their families will be admitted, in one car each. No one, including the seniors themselves, will be permitted to leave their cars, except for the speakers, who will speak and then return to their vehicles.
“We’d like to open it up for everyone,” Bunn said, “but we can’t.”
Board vice-chair Travis Routh asked if any schools are considering holding their commencement ceremony on the football field.
“According to state guidelines, that is absolutely not acceptable,” said Bunn.
Dan Petsinger of Radio Link Internet will be making the ceremony visible online via YouTube.
It was also announced that Carlie Wagner will be present to read the names of the graduates.
Inside this issue’s Panther Press section are more details about the NRHEG graduation ceremony. Read more on page 9.
Attendance
Monday was NRHEG’s second online board meeting, with supt. Dale Carlson, board chair Rick Schultz, vice-chair Travis Routh, treasurer Neil Schlaak, and business manager Karla Christopherson present and the others participating by telepresence.
Donations
Donations were accepted from:
Renee Moravec, $139.90 for book study books; NRHEG PTO, $987.80 for Reading Comprehension and $552 for roller skating, bringing the year’s total to $51,010.47.
Workforce
Resignations were accepted with gratitude from Karen Lundberg, elementary paraprofessional for 16 years; Todd Olson, grades 7-12 math teacher; Jackie Schultz, junior varsity basketball coach; and Kari Buendorf, head cheerleading coach.
Retirement was accepted with gratitude from Frank Whitcomb, 5th Grade Band teacher, 6th Grade Music/Media, and YSL director, having served the district for 24 years.
Contracts were approved for Luke Strina, 6th-grade teacher; Laura Garlow, 4th-grade teacher; and Nic Seller, 7-12 grade math teacher.
The Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA) agreement with JWP Schools for Instruction Staff Sharing at 60 percent for us and 40 percent for them was renewed.
Distance Learning Plan
Principals David Bunn and Doug Anderson reported on the status and grading of the Distance Learning Plan.
It has been advised that grades for the Distance Learning period of March 16 through June 30 are not to be used to affect academic placement, so a weighted grading system has to be devised.
Students and/or parents have the option to choose between traditional grading or a pass/no credit system. High school classes will take the average of Quarter 3 and Quarter 4 as their final semester grade.
Middle School classes will use the 4th Quarter as their final grade.
To qualify for pass/no credit, a student must have at least 50 percent for each quarter. And anyone choosing the pass/no credit option will not have their grade point average affected.
Neil Schlaak asked Bunn, “Were you satisfied with the results of Distance Learning?”
“There were some students struggling in the building who did better at Distance Learning,” Bunn replied, “and some the other way around. Some kids were getting tired, being on the computer all day long. It’s situational.”
Supt. Carlson deemed the effort “Overall, remarkable,” and commented on its possible impact.
“The amount of technology that folks have become used to now, can make our flex days more productive,” he said.
End of the School Year
Carlson announced that May 21 will be the final day for assessment. May 26-28 will be the time for drive-by collections of school materials. The meals program will continue through May 28 and close on May 29. He praised the food service and staffers for their dedication. Child care will end May 28, making way for the move ahead to the Community Education summer child care program.
Finance
Karla Christopherson proposed a revised 2019-2020 budget, including an overall surplus of $32,772. This is a result of the reduction of services, less spent for supplies, heat, equipment – savings from the shutdown.
But the district is still running in the red, which the proposed 2020-2021 budget reflects with a budget deficit of about $210,000. This is even including a list of reduction strategies amounting to over $162,000.
“Now what?” asked Schlaak.
“That’s what we’re going to talk about on June 1,” Carlson replied. “How to get back to zero. A lot of work needs to be done.”