Royalton School Board approves Hudl Focus contract

    Since it is a leased camera from Hudl, Neumann said that if anything goes wrong or the company gets new and updated equipment, the district will get the new equipment at no extra cost.

    As Hudl is a valuable tool in helping athletes improve their game and coaches with strategy and points of emphasis, Neumann said the district has used Hudl before. Currently, the district is paying $4,549 for Hudl for football, girls and boys basketball and volleyball.

    However, with the Hudl Focus package, the district will get a subscription to all programs, which could include junior high, baseball, softball and wrestling. In addition, all of the programs get all additional add ons for free, along with assist, sideline, play tools and more.

    Neumann said the package includes three mounted cameras, at a cost of $3,000 per camera, which will be installed in the south and central gyms and the football field. Another benefit of using Hudl Focus is that the cameras can livestream the event to any place that is able to livestream and can be used for concerts, graduations and other events that can be broadcasted and recorded for free.

    In order to pay for the contract, Neumann said the programs will be budgeted for their normal cost of what has been paid in the past plus for the Hudl Assist program.

    Breaking it down, the normal amount each sport pays — football, $2,599; volleyball, $1,250; and basketball, $1,350, which totals $6,549, Neuman said it leaves a balance of $6,549. By not budgeting to pay someone to run the camera for the 40 regular season home events will cancel out $1,400, he said.

    With $3,051 left to pay, the remaining will be paid through advertising from local area businesses and the Minnesota National Guard. The advertising would scroll on the bottom of the broadcast using the district’s existing computer system and equipment that the district owns, Neumann said.

    The remaining balance can be paid with the region disbursement check for overages and income from section tournaments. While it changes from year to year, Neumann said it averages about $1,000 per year.

Royalton School Board Briefs

    In other business Monday, the Royalton School Board:

    • Recognized Tami Shaughnessy and Boyd Snyder. Both received the Teacher of the Excellence awards by Sourcewell. Snyder was also voted as the tassel turner for this year’s graduation by the senior class;

    •    Was informed Sourcewell sponsored honoring Students of Character. Zachary Ellerbusch and Kaylee Rudolph were chosen to represent Royalton High School;

    •    Was informed that the school drama production, Annie, has been moved to May 6-7. Several of the students who were in the production were unable to make it as they went to state in speech;

    • Hired the following: Kari Meek (JV softball coach); Nicole Bueckers (JH softball coach); Andrew Hagman (JH baseball coach); Jeremy Albright (high school social studies teacher); and Jaqueline Borash (high school mathematics teacher);

    • Accepted the following resignations: Kaelyn Szymanski (ES SPED teacher);

Jami Fremstad (MS/HS SPED teacher); Greta Bergman (math teacher) Jesse Youngren (MS/HS custodial); and Carly Wieczorek (ES SPED RESP);

    • Accepted the retirement request from Boyd Snyder, social studies teacher;

    • Approved for two St. Cloud Orthopedics advertisement banners to be hung in the south and central gyms in exchange for a collapsible training table donation that can be used indoors and outdoors for injury taping and assessment by the individual providing services;

    • Approved the following donations: $1,000 from the Royalton Lions Club to FFA for the landscape project around the school and the city sign; $4,000 from the Royalton Community Improvement group to the Royalton middle/high school to be used for an upgrade to the scoreboards (stat panels) in the central and south gym; a camera to the middle/high school for use by the yearbook/photography/digital art students; $4,000 from Clinton and Karen Coppicus to the Royalton Middle/High School band program to purchase instruments; $1,000 from the Lange Klisch family with $500 to be given to the robotics program, $250 to nursing scholarships and $250 to education scholarships; and $137.15 from the Minnesota Association of Future Farmers to the Royalton FFA;

    • Approved for the Royalton Royals girls basketball program to holds it second annual Free Throw Shoot-A-Thon fundraiser during the week of June 6. During one of the morning practices that week, the girls basketball players grades 9 - 12 for the 2022-23 school year will shoot 100 free throws. Prior to shooting their free throws, players will go out and ask people to pledge per free throw made or a fixed/flat pledge. All money collected by each player will go to the Royalton girls basketball program;

    • Approved for students and others who plan on going on the choir/drama trip to New York City in New York in June 2023, to start planning the trip and to raise funds for it;

    • Approved Supt. Dr. Kristine Wehrkamp to roll over unused vacation days  from the 2021-22 school year to the 2022-23 school year. At this time, Wehrkamp has 11.5 days of unused vacation days;

    • Approved Wehrkamp’s request to amend her contract to reflect the language used in that of the principal’s.   Any remaining dollars after full payment of premiums shall be paid into the superintendent’s health savings account, effective the first pay period following Board approval with no retroactive  benefit. Board Member Randy Hackett said that language was originally in the superintendent’s contract, but was removed when former Supt. John Phelps was the superintendent as he had Medicare;

    • Approved the second policy reading of policy 413 (Harassment and Violence). Minor changes were made, such as cleaning up of the language;

    • Approved the third policy reading of policies 412 (expense reimbursement); 522 (Title IX sex nondiscrimination policy, grievance procedure and process); and 525 (violence prevention). Changes were made, such as updating the name of the district’s Title X coordinator, cleaning up of language and removing different notes that are no longer needed.

    The Royalton School Board’s next regular meeting will be Monday, May 23, at 6 p.m. in the ECC Room/PK 15 (enter through door #2).