Organizational Meeting
- Call to Order – Board Chair Claudia Gonzalez George called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. All
board members present. - Land Acknowledgement Statement – District Youth Council member Mae Bowers read the Land
Acknowledgement Statement. - Oath of Office – Minnesota Supreme Court Associate Justice Gordon Moore administered the
ceremonial oath of office to all elected school board members. - Agenda Approval/Table File – Agenda & table file approved as presented. (See
https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2025.01.13-Organizational-Meeting-BoardPacket.pdf ) - Items for Individual Action
a. Election of Officers
i Board Chair, Amy Goerwitz nominated Claudia Gonzalez George, elected
ii vice chair, Ben Miller nominated Corey Butler, elected
iii clerk, Corey Butler nominated Amy Goerwitz, elected
iv treasurer, Claudia Gonzalez George nominated Ben Miller, elected
b. Set Dates, Times, and Location for Regular Board Meetings, detailed in memorandum. Approved
unanimously
c. School Board Member Stipends, described in memorandum. Approved unanimously - Consent Agenda – Approved unanimously
a. Designate the Official District Newspaper
b. Designate Legal Counsel
c. Authorization of Use of Facsimile Signatures
d. Mileage Reimbursement Rate - Items for Information (See https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2025.01.13-
Organizational-Meeting-Board-Packet.pdf )
a. Policy 203 Operation of the School Board of Education – Bylaws
b. Policy 209 Code of Ethics
c. Policy 206 Public Participation in School Board Meetings
d. Resolution to Empower the School Board to Combine the Duties of the Offices of Clerk and Treasurer of the School Board in One Person in the Finance Office of the School District (Valori Mertesdorf, Director of Finance)
e. Board Committee Memberships
f. Remote Board Meeting Participation
g. Board Workshops - Adjournment at 6:17 p.m.
Regular School Board Meeting
- Call to Order – Claudia Gonzalez George called the meeting to order at 6:18 p.m. All board members present.
- Agenda Approval/Table File approved as presented
- Public Comment – none
- Announcements and Recognitions
a. Congratulate students Alison Carle & Molly Albers, who participated in VFW Veterans Day speech competition.
b. Acknowledge Northfield High School social studies teacher Kevin Dahl, who was awarded the VFW Citizenship Educator Teacher Award. Mr. Dahl was also selected as their first district teacher of the year. He will retire at the end of the school year.
c. Several string players students participated in middle school All-State Orchestra.
d. Two seniors were selected for excellence in arts, athletics & academics.
e. Board recognitions – Several board members completed all phases of the MSBA leadership development program. Jenny Nelson and Ben Miller received awards for completing all phases. Claudia Gonzalez George earned the directors award from MSBA for over 100 hours of participation. Amy Goerwitz received both awards. - Items for Discussion and Reports
a. Policy 429 Extension of Emergency Sick & Safe Time, withdrawing from agenda. Unnecessary due to updated legislation.
b. Prairie Creek Community School & Arcadia Charter School Annual Reports –
Simon Tyler, Director, Prairie Creek Community School, reported on the development of cohesive literacy program through all-school book club, which was awarded a national innovation award from the MN Association of Charter Schools. He also discussed financials, future planning, and implementation of READ Act.
Questions – Ms. Goerwitz: How many books per year in book club? Mr. Tyler: 3 books each year. It is very involved to work with a book through the whole school. Ms. Goerwitz: What is behind the 19-point difference in science scores between 2022 and 2024? Mr. Tyler: Science is the smallest cohort measured (less than 30 students). Looking at ways to improve test scores. Mr. Butler: At one year away from contract renewal with school district, how is Prairie Creek modeling its success stories for other charter schools? Mr. Tyler: The charter school movement is challenged to be innovative and still embrace a public-school model. We balance accountability and innovation. We tell stories to parents, other charter schools, and have many school visits from other charter school teachers. And we strive for a collaborative, not confrontational, relationship with traditional schools and the district. Mr. Miller: Have legislative changes created challenges or opportunities? Mr. Tyler: Most of the changes come with good intent. Unfunded mandates have good intent, but are very difficult to implement. A good example is preschool free lunch. We need to get educators’ voices into decision making. Laura Stelter, Arcadia Charter School – Reported progress on implementing the school’s mission, with focus on project-based learning. Last year there were zero disciplinary referrals! We are also focused on building literacy & science skills. Small cell size also impacts MCA test scores &
comparison (as Prairie Creek above). Arcadia has 100% graduation rate, and half of class are PSEO participants (college classes). Other areas of reporting included fiscal responsibility, and the state’s additional scrutiny for charter schools. This year they made significant cuts in teaching staff, reorganized into teams, and implemented different teaching strategies.
Questions – Ms. Goerwitz: How did your 8th graders react when you made this presentation for them? Ms. Stelter: They had good questions during our budget discussions, and have been more engaged in reading and responding to these reports. Mr. Butler: How does Arcadia help 6th graders adjust to a grade 6-12 environment? Ms. Stelter: The school hosted a picnic, and had several days during the opening of school year for mixed-grade level groups. High school student leadership was tasked with including 6th graders in discussion & activities. Students also connect on projects (multi-grade). Mr. Miller: What do senior projects look like? Ms. Stelter: For
example, the tree sculpture in front of the school was a senior project; some are very hands-on (woodworking), some more academic (science project with Carleton professor). Any area of interest can become a senior project.-
c. Construction Update No. 3 – Dr. Hillmann: Core planning teams have met twice. Two school tours are scheduled for next week to see different schools. We are working with the city on architectural planning. Updates are available on the district website. Questions – Ms. Gonzalez George: Is there a way to look at the feedback from all constituencies? Dr. Hillmann: Yes, the core planning committee processed feedback, future groups will also be included in that process. It will be available on the website. - Consent Agenda – approved unanimously
a. Minutes
b. Gift Agreements
c. Grant Application
d. Personnel Items - Items for Individual Action
a. Policy Committee Recommendations: update to policies 103, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405 (see https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2025.01.13-Regular-Board-Packet-1.pdf ) passed unanimously - Items for Information
a. Enrollment Report – Dr. Hillmann, there was a small increase in full-time students. Class sizes remain consistent.
b. Budget Prioritization Process and Teams – Director of Finance Valori Mertesdorf reported that the district ended FY 2024 with 13.8% fund balance, goal is 14%. We are still operating from a position of strength, despite declining enrollment and unfunded mandates. (There are 22 students less than in 2019.) The last three years show the lowest enrollment in 10 years. Unfunded mandates include special education. She does not anticipate any help from the state considering the current dynamics in legislature. There are also inflationary pressures in all areas of the budget (for example, property insurance premium increased by 30%). We need to work thoughtfully with the district team and community members. There will be meetings in February for budget feedback, and a community meeting on March 11. Final decisions and budget
presentation will be in April. She will bring an updated financial forecast to the next board meeting.
Questions – Ms. Gonzalez George: How will budget feedback teams be assembled? Dr. Hillmann: This week’s family update will include information on how to sign up for budget committees. We will also use standard media and social media. We have been proactive stewards, so we have a better fund balance than many schools ($8M balance). So we can respond rather than react. Mr. Miller: These are operating funds, separate from the referendum for the high school building. Is the unemployment line item for hourly workers? Ms. Mertesdorf: Yes, for those who do not work year round. Several groups of employees are eligible. There was an 87% increase
over prior year (2023 was the first year). Mr. Miller: What types of positions are eligible? Ms. Mertesdorf: Educational assistants, nurses, office employees, community ed. Mr. Miller noted the teachers’ retirement increase of 2.5%. Ms. Mertesdorf: This year we will see an 8% increase, so overall 12% over the last several years. Dr. Hillmann: This is a statewide increase, not just our district. - Future Meetings
a. Monday, January 27, 2025, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
b. Saturday, February 1, 2025, 9:00-10:45 a.m., Workshop, Northfield DO Boardroom
c. Saturday, February 1, 2025, 11:00 a.m., District Youth Council Brunch, Northfield DO Boardroom
d. Monday, February 10, 2025, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
e. Monday, February 24, 2025, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom - Adjournment at 7:38 p.m.
