Northfield Public Schools, School Board Meeting February 10, 2025
1. Call to Order – Claudia Gonzalez George called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. All board members present.
2. Agenda Approval/Table File approved as presented
3. Public Comment – none
4. Announcements and Recognitions
a. Hand In Hand Preschool, Early Ventures Learning Center, and Early Childhood Family Education will hold an open house Tuesday February 25, 5:45-7 p.m.
b. Dr. Hillmann congratulated two high school students who qualified for the state Nordic ski tournament. Girls won and boys came in second in Alpine skiing. He also reported on other athletic events and the speech team.
5. Items for Discussion and Reports
a. Arcadia and Prairie Creek charter school annual site visits – ALC Director Daryl Kehler presented report. (See https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2025.02.10-Regular-BoardPacket-3.pdf) Both schools maintain their strong positions, are committed to their missions & meeting legal obligations.
Questions – Ben Miller: Thanked the district for its support, time & resources for charter schools. Amy Goerwitz: Do all students take ACT? Mr. Kehler: 11th graders only. He doesn’t know percentage of students who took it, it was offered to all students. Ms. Goerwitz: Since the district is unique in Minnesota (only one to sponsor charter schools), what do you see as the advantage of charter schools? Mr. Kehler: Charter schools offer school choice, quality programming. Dr. Hillmann: Public school choice has included charter schools in Northfield for a long time. Another advantage is that educational tools tried with success in charter schools can be brought back to other schools. They are mutually beneficial. Corey Butler: What relationship building ideas have you drawn & taken to ALC? Mr. Kehler: One is the project-based learning model at Arcadia. Mr. Miller: Minnesota was the first state to authorize charter schools in 1990s. He appreciates the commitment of district and board.
b. Proposed 2025-2026 Operating Capital and Long-Term Facilities Maintenance Budget – Director of Finance Valori Mertesdorf. Capital budget is approved ahead of the general budget so that funds are available for repairs & summer work. All are restricted & controlled by the state. She explained expenditures, technology expenses.
c. Long-term Facilities Maintenance (LTFM) Ten Year and Indoor Air Quality Management Plan – The cost fluctuates year to year depending on what projects need to be completed. The large increase in physical hazards budget is due to replacing the playground at Spring Creek for accessibility. Other special projects are listed in the board packet (https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2025.02.10-Regular-Board-Packet-3.pdf). The district’s 10-year plan is also included. A full facility analysis was done by Wold & Company on all buildings, and will be incorporated into the 10-year plan to increase accuracy in predictions. The Indoor Air Quality Management Plan was presented by Justin Robley, Director of Building & Grounds. This year they surveyed all rooms in the district for air quality.
Questions – Ms. Goerwitz: Are there any changes in air quality from last year? Mr. Robley: No, it is very close to last year’s results. Ms. Goerwitz: How will the ReImagine project affect LTFM? Mr. Robley: We need to keep up buildings that are still in use. The high school has taken an inordinate amount of time and resources away from other buildings; it will be nice when it’s done. Ms. Mertesdorf: One benefit to the facilities study is the documentation, which can be merged into an updated facility analysis & plan. Ms. Goerwitz: Are the proposed vehicles to be purchased new or used? Mr. Robley: They are brand new. Mr. Miller: When do the Wold firm’s findings go into our findings? Ms. Mertesdorf: After completion, they will be merged with the district’s. Mr. Miller: For indoor air quality, does MDE specify air exchange rates? Mr. Robley: Yes, all new construction must have specific rates. The high school is the only building currently not meeting standards. Jeff Quinnell: For vehicles, do you check cost-effectiveness of new/lease, buy/rent? What is the district’s policy? Mr. Robley: We generally purchase vehicles new, and keep them past their normal depreciation rates, usually about 20 years. These particular vehicles need to be available for snowplowing. Ms. Mertesdorf: We usually purchase outright, depreciate, and use them as long as we can, with in-house repairs. The front-loader will be a lease since it’s over $200,000. Dr. Hillmann: Several vehicles have been purchased used in good condition. Mr. Robley: Used vehicles are less-used, and we keep them long enough to justify cost. Maggie Epstein: How do these budgets compare with previous budget reductions? Does decreasing enrollment affect these? Ms. Mertesdorf: These are all restricted funds, not included in unrestricted general funds (which are subject to the reduction process). LTFM and Operating Capital are enrollment-based, so a little less each year.
d. Priority-Based Budget Reduction Process Update – Dr. Hillmann summarized reasons for budget reductions for those who are just learning about it now. About half of the districts in Minnesota are also dealing with budget cuts. (See https://northfieldschools.org/wpcontent/uploads/2025.02.10-Regular-Board-Packet-3.pdf for more detail.) He suggested that constituents can reach out to representatives in the legislature to increase per-pupil funding to what it would have been if it had kept up with inflation. Over 60 people have signed up to serve on budget committees, which will meet three times over the next two weeks. A community meeting about the proposed budget reductions will be held on March 11, 6:00 p.m. NHS auditorium; board will consider at the April 14 board meeting, and vote on April 28.
Questions – Mr. Butler: How to you calculate team budget targets? Ms. Mertesdorf: We took out the restricted funds, and added totals for remaining programs. Ms. Epstein: What is the board’s role in this process, and how does it relate to the committees’ work? Dr. Hillmann: The board’s plan is to include the community; this process has been used over the last 20 years. Board stays at the governance level. The community/committee shares ideas, the administrative team creates recommendations from those ideas; then the board considers the resulting budget. The board has a “line item veto” and has used it occasionally. We resist giving ideas to the committees because we want to hear genuine community feedback & ideas. Jenny Nelson: What information will be given to these committees? Line by line expense? What will be left out? Ms. Mertesdorf: We will include a summary tab with priorities from the last process. All data is summarized, then broken out by restricted and unrestricted funds, including personnel (salaried and non-salaried), and line-item detail; FTE analysis (no names identified); activities (including revenue, participation averages). Ms. Nelson: Will they receive student/teacher ratios? Ms. Mertesdorf: Yes. Ms. Nelson: Will you be there? Ms. Mertesdorf: Administrators will facilitate, all information in their packets. Ms. Nelson: In the budget forecast, do we have birth rates for 2022, 2023 and 2024? Ms. Mertesdorf: Yes, through this year’s kindergarten class. Ms. Nelson: What about the open enrollment figures? Dr. Hillmann: The specific definition MDE requires includes only “traditional” public schools, not charter schools, online, private or home school students. Ms. Nelson: With 867 students going out to other schools through open enrollment, would that be around $10 million in per-student payments that we are losing? Ms. Mertesdorf pulled up birth rates 2015-2020. (see video https://northfieldschools.org/wpcontent/uploads/2025.02.10-Regular-Board-Packet-3.pdf) Ms. Goerwitz: Forms for joining these committees have been removed from the district website; can members of the public still join? Dr. Hillmann: Several people have signed up late, we could still accommodate them at this point. Mr. Miller: Thanked Dr. Hillmann and Ms. Mertesdorf for setting up this process to hear from the community on a difficult issue. He also thanked all the people who have stepped forward to serve on these committees, and acknowledged that there will be tough conversations.
e. Legislative Session Update – Dr. Hillmann described the state of the legislature. The legislative forecast will be released the first week in March. It is not as hopeful as in past years. Our local legislative action committee has met several times, and will advocate for an increase to basic formula, increase in special education funding. March 10 is MASA/MSBA day at capitol, board members encouraged to attend.
Questions – Ms. Nelson: What exactly is the document referring to under “repealing unfunded mandates”? Dr. Hillmann: Summer unemployment insurance (previously paid with special funds); paid family medical leave (employee safe & sick time); special education cross-subsidy; teacher training for READ Act. Ms. Nelson: Why are they broadening the definition of instructional hours? Dr. Hillmann: To relieve some of the graduation requirements, allow flexibility, and be able to use electives for graduation. Ms. Nelson: Would this allow for workbased learning credits? Dr. Hillmann: That’s one of the intents. Ms. Nelson: In the “stabilize workforce” section, how does this work with licensing? Dr. Hillmann: They are looking at teaching licenses, especially streamlining licensing requirements to get more people into the workforce. f. Policy Committee Recommendations – revisions to Policies 406, 407, 408, 519, 614, 701 were reviewed for action at next meeting. (See https://northfieldschools.org/wpcontent/uploads/2025.02.10-Regular-Board-Packet-3.pdf) Dr. Hillmann summarized changes listed in the document. Questions – none g. Construction Update No. 5 and Change Order Procedures for the NHS Project – Dr. Hillmann presented a review of the process. They hope not to have change orders, but will likely have some. Change orders can delay construction and increase costs, so he is proposing a procedure to govern change orders. Questions – Ms. Goerwitz: Were there any change orders to elementary school projects? Ms. Mertesdorf: Yes, in one elementary project they had to bring in extra fill & sand for the playground. This was the most significant change she can recall, and was less than $100,000.
6. Consent Agenda – approved unanimously
a. Minutes
b. Gift Agreements
c. Grant Application
d. Financial Report
e. Personnel Items
7. Items for Individual Action
a. Resolution Requiring Administration to Make Recommendations Regarding Programming and Staffing for Next Year (annual). No discussion. Passed unanimously on roll call vote.
b. Proposed 2025-2026 School Year Calendar – No discussion. Passed unanimously.
8. Items for Information
a. Enrollment Report – Dr. Hillmann reviewed February enrollment report; there were only minimal changes, but enrollment is slightly less than last month.
Questions: Ms. Nelson: Do we receive the same revenue per student for part-time or independent study students? Ms. Mertesdorf: No, it is pro-rated for class time. Independent study is calculated differently, since students are catching up on credits. Ms. Nelson: What would the formula be? Ms. Mertesdorf: Part-time would be a straight percentage of student attendance. Independent study is hours-based, capped at a certain number of hours. Ms. Nelson: Are those students only at ALC? Ms. Mertesdorf: No, most independent study students are at the high school. The model happens because we have the ALC, so that’s why they show up on that line.
9. Future Meetings
a. Monday, February 24, 2025, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
b. Monday, March 10, 2025, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
c. Monday, April 14, 2025, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
10. Adjournment at 7:38 p.m.
Submitted by Connie Martin, Observer, League of Women Voters
