The Crookston School Board met on Monday evening in the high school choir/orchestra room.
The board unanimously approved the consent agenda that included the approval of payment of $150,234.80 in bills, leave of absence requests for Anna Ogaard-Brekken, Matthew Torgerson, and Andrea Adrian. The board also approved the hiring of Brandon Adams as a high school English instructor and the retirement of school nurse, Laurie Coauette.
The board approved the seniority list with school board member Dave Davidson congratulating Susan Akerlind on being at the top of the list. The board also accepted a $1,480 donation from the Masonic Lodge to be used for the Europe trip that is tentatively scheduled for June 2020. The other donation was $836.46 from the Crookston Central High School class of 1969 for a bench and technology.
LINE OF CREDIT/PLEDGE OF SECURITY INCREASE
Another item on the agenda was an increase on the Line of Credit with Bremer Bank to $3 million. Superintendent Jeremy Olson said it is more of a pledge of security more than a line of credit. “It is basically like a letter of credit or a pledge of security,” said Olson. “We want to make sure our rainy day fund is protected so we increased it from $2 million to $3 million dollars as far as the overall pledge of security to make sure our district is protected. We want to be prudent with taxpayer money.”
CONDUCTING MEETINGS ELECTRONICALLY
The regular agenda included a resolution to hold future school board meetings via teleconference or other electronic means until further notice and the board unanimously approved. Superintendent Olson said they would still meet at the Crookston High School choir/orchestra room and would need the Superintendent and one school board member in person, but the rest of the board could attend via computer or phone. “We are looking at transitioning to electronic meetings just based on the social distancing recommendations and so forth,” said Olson. “We are looking at using electronic devices like Google Meets that allows board members to join electronically. It allows us the option of having a board member attend electronically. We want to make sure the district advances at this critical time.”
CHILDCARE FOR ESSENTIAL PERSONAL PROVIDED BY THE DISTRICT
The Crookston School District, as directed by Governor Tim Walz, is offering childcare for kids of healthcare workers and emergency personnel. They have had anywhere from 21 to 50 kids each day since last Wednesday. “Those are some fairly strong numbers as far as kids attending,” said Olson. “We are using social distancing to keep the kids as safe as possible. I want to commend those workers that are helping support the healthcare workers. We have our Title aids and paraprofessionals doing the work and it is different work for them and I have been appreciative of the staff stepping up.”
DISTANCE LEARNING –
The Governor hasn’t officially announced that Minnesota school districts will go with distance learning yet, but most districts anticipate that announcement later this week. Crookston is getting ready to deliver the best education possible. “We haven’t been officially told we are doing distance learning, but everybody knows that is what we are going to be doing and we will be prepared to go on March 30. We will be handing out devices starting Wednesday through Friday. We want to make sure parents have access to the internet and get everything out,” said Olson. “This is overwhelming for parents and our teachers. Our teachers have been busy getting ready for distance learning and the instruction will look different for each level of school from Kindergarten to high school. I think we have a good start and it will take a lot of flexibility for families and our staff.”
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WASHINGTON D.C./NEW YORK CITY TRIP APPROVED
The school board approved a proposed Washington D.C./New York City trip proposed by history/government teachers Tim Moe and Sue Wagner. The trip is planned for June of 2021 with a cost of $2,370 per student. The board questioned fundraising and they questioned if a similar situation to what is currently going on with the COVID-19 pandemic is happening next year if they can say no. Superintendent Olson said they have that right to say no to a trip if they feel the trip puts students in danger.
Crookston High School students are planning on going on a Europe trip this summer and they have been notified the trip is still on as of now, but that could change in the upcoming months.
A LOT OF CHANGE OVER THE PAST WEEK
Superintendent Olson said the last week has seen a lot of change. “We have had a lot of change, a lot of flexibilities demanded, a lot of patience is demanded. I would ask that parents continue to work with us and let us know what is working well as we start delivering distance education and what are some things that we need to work on,” said Olson. “We are not promising a perfect plan, but we are promising we did our best work to put the best plan together in eight days. We want to deliver the best education possible and it will look a little different in a month than it will on March 30.”
The next Crookston School Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 27 at 5:00 p.m. at the Crookston High School choir/orchestra room.
