Northfield Public Schools, School Board Meeting
November 27, 2023
1. Call to Order – By School Board Chair Claudia Gonzalez George at 6:00 p.m. Amy Goerwitz participating remotely.
2. Agenda Approval/Table File – Agenda passed unanimously. See https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2023.11.27-Board-Packet.pdf
3. Public Comment – none
4. Announcements and Recognitions – none
5. Items for Discussion and Reports – For detail see https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2023.11.27-Board-Packet.pdf
a. FY2023 Audit Results and Presentation – Craig Popenhagen, CliftonLarsonAllen, LLP. NPS’s legal compliance is “clean”, with no compliance issues this year. Changes within the next 2 years will include (1) the way the district will report changes in estimates and corrections of errors (2024), and (2) the way they will report absences (2025). Income from state is 61% of NPS budget, from property taxes 23.5%, indicating strong community support. Expense: 78% to classroom instruction, 7.1% capital (including technology). Enrollment about 250 fewer students over the last 5 years, which will mean about $2.5 million less budget (state pays per-student).
Questions: Ben Miller: How often does an auditor find no problems with compliance? Mr. Popenhagen: Less than 10% of the time, so these are very good results. Mr. Miller: Suggested that during COVID the district responsibly managed resources. Also, he believes the district spends more on classrooms than other similar districts. Noel Stratmoen: Is there a state goal for administrative expenditures? Mr. Popenhagen: Not a specific goal. The average is 8-10%, so Northfield is well under that amount. Jeff Quinnell: Does property tax support vary much between districts? Mr. Popenhagen: Usually in the teens for percentages, indicating that we have strong community support here. Dr. Matthew Hillmann: This is the third consecutive audit with no negative findings, especially strong considering the complexity of reporting federal dollars. This indicates strong oversight & management. This audit should give the public confidence that tax dollars being put to good use.
b. Policy Committee Recommendation – For action at the next board meeting. Dr. Hillman explained Policy 207, a new policy outlining governance for public hearings. The district will be using the same guidelines for participation as for public comment in board meetings, so the public can anticipate what to expect at public hearings. There are two hearings each year, Truth in Taxation and Workforce.
Questions: Jeff Quinnell: Is there any state statute guiding this policy? Dr. Hillmann: Not that he is aware of; he will double check before board approval next meeting.
c. Superintendent Focus Areas Quarterly Report – A) READ Act: (1) The district is implementing the READ Act. 1400 students have completed the screening. The district may have to adopt a new screening tool for next year. (2) Letters to families are sent after students have 2 consecutive screenings without meeting benchmarks. (3) 56 staff members have started or completed Letters Training. (4) The district is waiting for MN Department of Education guidance on additional steps to implement READ act.
B) state legislation compliance
C) To obtain better feedback from marginalized communities, he is setting up meetings with BIPOC parents/families.
D) Bond issue update. Questions: Ms. Goerwitz: How many teachers still need training in Letters? Dr. Hillman: The district is prioritizing teachers of the youngest students. 18 K-3 teachers still need to be trained by next summer (2025). Each year another grade level will be added. Mr. Miller: Will any of these state requirements going to take a disproportionate amount of time? Dr. Hillmann: Most of the work will be implementing the expansion of employee sick time, to employees who didn’t have it before (i.e. stipend positions).
d. Potential 2024 Northfield High School Bond Referendum Update: Dr. Hillmann wants to be sure the public is aware of issues, given the procedure for asking questions, and having a community discussion. The timeline has not changed. There will be public building tours, public meetings, and a bus trip to Owatonna to observe new high school. (12/9 trip to Owatonna, 12/12 & 12/2 NHS building tour for public.) (See detailed report https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2023.11.27-Board-Packet.pdf ) The administration is working on a FAQ document, which should come out soon. Work sessions will be open to public. He wants the community to understand the process & see that the board is fiscally responsible.
Questions: Ms. Goerwitz: Are there really 40 different HVAC systems in high school? Ms. Gonzalez-George: The high school is currently cramped; would new updates go in same place? Justin Raabolle, Director of Building & Grounds: Yes, the school was originally steam heat only, a renovation added air handing equipment. There is not adequate space for ductwork. Usually this space would require about half as many units, and have much more ductwork. But the roof cannot handle additional units, so they must be placed in courtyards. Mr. Quinnell: How can we keep options open for future, and keep our current systems up to date? Mr. Raabolle: In a newer structure, equipment would be housed in mechanical rooms, not outdoors; it will last longer indoors. Mr. Stratmoen: Do HVAC & insulation issues need to be solved at the same time? Mr. Raabolle: Yes. Ms. Goerwitz: What percentage of staff time is spent at the high school fixing these units? Mr. Raabolle: Probably about 50%, and this is only 1 out of 8 buildings. Jenny Nelson: Would new units have to be placed in the same location as the old ones? Mr. Raabolle: Yes, there is no way to change the setup and ductwork. Ms. Nelson: So that means it would be inefficient? Mr. Raabolle: That depends on what the board envisions for the high school. Are we talking about a 20-year plan? Or 30-50 year plan? Ms. Nelson: How much would the interior comfort level change if units were changed without insulating or ductwork changes? Mr. Raabolle: It could be better, but is that the best use of the district’s money, especially in the long term. We are at a crossroads now. Ms. Nelson: If community members are unable to attend sessions, who can they contact? Dr. Hillmann: He is the primarily contact, community members can email or call him. People can come on tours of high school, this will be the best way to get information, in addition to the public information session in January. Ms. Nelson: During the tour will people be able to ask questions? Dr. Hillmann: Yes, at every segment of the tour. Ms. Nelson: It might be helpful to record these questions & answers as a community resource. Dr. Hillmann: Yes, we are creating a FAQ document. Mr. Stratmoen: What is the difference in efficiency of current and new HVAC units? Mr. Raabolle: The outdoor units function, but are coming to the end of their useful life. There is no way to calculate how much heat loss there is from outdoor units. Mr. Miller: Would they be hard to retrofit? Mr. Raabolle: Yes, it is already hard to find parts, so they get old stock. For example, they don’t make valves to fit our units any more, so staff has to reprogram all valves, which adds to costs. Mr. Quinnell: What about insulation? Windows? Mr. Raabolle: Windows are one of the biggest shortcomings of high school buildings, and are as high a priority as HVAC. What is cost-effective? Fiscally responsible? Dr. Hillmann: The district is creating new slides on problems to solve, including infrastructure, learning space updates, natural light & comfort, security, community access.
6. Committee Reports (see https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2023.11.27-Board-Packet.pdf )
Cannon Valley Special Education Cooperative (CVSEC) and Northfield Branding Committee – Amy Goerwitz
District Youth Council – Ben Miller
Communications and Equity Advocacy Committee – Hillmann
Policy Committee – Claudia Gonzalez-George
7. Consent Agenda – approved unanimously
a. Minutes
b. Gift Agreements
c. Overnight Field Trip
d. Personnel Items
8. Items for Individual Action –
a. FY 2023 Audit report as presented earlier in meeting. Approved unanimously.
b. Resolution Establishing Combined Polling Places for Multiple Precincts and Designating Hours During Which the Polling Places Will Remain Open for Voting for School District Elections Not Held on the Day of a Statewide Election. – (https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2023.11.27-Board-Packet.pdf ) This resolution must be approved whether or not there will be this kind of election.
Comments/Questions: Ms. Nelson: Expressed concerns with the stipulations within the state statute, which require that the district take into account geographical distribution. Our district is widespread, and yet all four polling places are in Northfield; all polling places removed are from rural areas. This structure doesn’t take into account the geographical distribution. District most likely won’t need to have a special election, but we do still need to have rural representation. She will vote no. Mr. Quinnell: He is also concerned that there are no rural polling places. Mr. Miller: The language says “in case it’s needed,” which will probably not be this year. It would be good in future years to consider rural area distribution. What is the cost of administering over more polling places? Would it be cost effective to have more polling places? We need to look at polling locations in the future. Dr. Hillmann: Appreciates this feedback. The law was changed in 2017, and we haven’t needed to use additional polling places since then. The district cannot use state/county equipment, so we would need to train staff & rent equipment. We will continue to research how other districts handle this. For example, Willmar had only one polling place for its election. He asked the board for feedback on how many polling places would be adequate, and how much to budget for this? Mr. Stratmoen: Can mail-in ballots be used for this kind of election? Dr. Hillmann: We can use early voting (46 days) for mail-in ballots. Ms. Gonzalez-George: The state assumes that if districts want a special election, they will be able to hold it. The state requires a resolution stating how polling places will be combined.
The motion passed with Ms. Nelson and Mr. Quinnell voting nay.
9. Items for Information
a. School Board Training, open to public. Katie Klanderud, MSBA’s Director of Board Development, will facilitate Phase III training for the school board on Wednesday, Dec. 20 and Thursday, Dec. 21, 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the District Office Boardroom.
10. Future Meetings and Work Sessions
a. Monday, December 4, 2023, 5:30 p.m., Board Work Session, NHS Media Center
b. Monday, December 11, 2023, 6:00 p.m. Regular Board Meeting, Northfield District Office Boardroom
c. Monday, January 8, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Organizational Board Meeting followed by the Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
d. Monday, January 22, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
11. Adjournment – Ms. Gonzalez Goerge adjourned the meeting at 7:34 p.m.
By Connie Martin, Observer, League of Women Voters
