School board approves inclement weather makeup day

“Given the pattern of this winter, I think it would be prudent to identify a day that we might need to make up,” Superintendent Steve Massey said. 

The board approved in a 7-0 vote that Monday, April 10, will become that designated makeup school day if needed. 

“That day is currently scheduled as an instructional day for elementary and a professional learning day for secondary students,” Massey said. 

And if a sixth e-learning day of this school year is not needed from early March to the proposed April date, the April 10 schedule for primary and secondary students will remain the same. 

Any additional e-learning days beyond the sixth would require the district to make up instructional days at the end of the school year because April 10 is the last opportunity for a makeup day. 

“We’d be looking at adding days at the end of the school year, and we can visit that at subsequent board meetings if we get to that stage,” Massey said.  

Traveling board rejected

The school board voted 6-1, with member Curt Rebelein Jr. opposed, to continue holding school board meetings at the district offices on Thursday, March 2, despite a suggestion to hold meetings at different school buildings. 

Following the first reading of the “school board meetings policy” about how and where district meetings will be held for the upcoming year, Rebelein requested district staff to consider having board meetings at schools in the district. 

According to Superintendent Steve Massey that would cost the district $1,000 for portable technology, which is less robust than the $6,500 technology system at the district office. He also added that there is value in an immobile school board meeting place.

“I think there’s value to [this] central location and I think there’s great value in bringing conversations to the community and engaging members of community in their community,” Massey said. 

Rebelein wanted to postpone the approval of the policy so the board could consider options. 

“I do understand the central location, but I did see a lot of parents and see a lot of community members really excited about having us, as a group, in their location,” Rebelein said.

Board member Luke Hagglund initially agreed about postponing discussion because he saw the value in allowing school administrators to showcase the work they do in their own building, but later voted against the motion.

“I think back to the presentation we had from the Linwood principal, how she’s very passionate, had a lot of great information. I can only imagine how she would have loved presenting … in her own building,” Hagglund said.

The six board members who voted to approve this policy, liked the idea of interacting with more of the district’s communities, but saw more value in holding meetings at the central location rather than moving it around. 

“I think we lose that, we lose that part of people coming into [the hub] … of what goes on in the district, so I’m just concerned that we’d lose the continuity of our meetings,” board member Gail Theisen said. 

“By having the meetings here, everyone knows where they are,” said board member Jill Christenson said, adding, she’d be interested in attending other events at the different schools.

Board member Rob Raphael added that even though it is fun to visit with other school faculty in their communities, the board meetings are primarily business meetings that don’t directly relate to elementary school communities. 

Peterson opposed the general idea of moving the board’s business meeting from school to school because the board is an elected body, and no other governing body moves around.

Even though the board didn’t approve holding school board meetings at schools around the district, there is interest to potentially meet at schools throughout the district in a more casual setting as a school board. 

No decision was made on what that would look like. Community members can expect listening sessions, school board and committee meetings to continue at the district office this year.