INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 659
Tuesday, October 14, 2025 ~ 6:00 p.m. ~ Regular Board Meeting
Northfield District Office Boardroom
Public entrance for school board meetings is Door #2 located on the north side of the Northfield School District Office on 2nd Street West. Regular meetings are open to the public and streamed live.
Board Members: Claudia Gonzalez-George, Chair, Maggie Epstein, Corey Butler, Vice-Chair, Amy Goerwitz, Clerk, Jenny Nelson, Jeff Quinnell, Ben Miller, Treasurer
Superintendent: Matthew Hillmann
AGENDA
1. Call to Order: Claudia Gonzalez-George called the meeting to order. All members present with the exception of Jenny Nelson.
2. Agenda Approval/Table File: Dr. Hillman updated some additional items found within the table file (see file on district website). These items were added to the agenda, and motion passed.
3. Public Comment: None
4. Announcements and Recognitions –
Dr. Hillmann recognized the completion of the community report, Greenvale PTO fundraising effort, Girls Tennis Team advancing to state tournament the first time in school history, the achievements of the FFA dairy evaluation team, and FFA member Josie Keen’s national recognition.
5. Items for Discussion and Reports
- Bridgewater Elementary School Improvement Showcase. Bridgewater Interim Principal Hope Langston provided the board with an overview of the school’s successes and highlights in 2024-2025 and the focus areas for the 2025-2026 school year. See board packet for slide presentation.
Questions and comments:
- Amy Goerwitz thanked Hope for stepping into this interim role and coming out of retirement. She thought the attendance improvements were phenomenal.
- Amy asked whether the FRP proficiency rate was compared to other FRP scores and Hope confirmed it was. Hope shared there were significant gains.
- Amy asked – Why is there a difference in the cohorts from 3rd to 4th grade? Hope said we have to think of the MCA each year as a clean slate. A cohort may have been proficient in third grade standards; they may not be in 4th grade standards. We like to see the cohort grow from year to year, but the standards are a new measure each year.
- Maggie asked if Hope could give an example of how EduClimber is used. Hope talked about reading scores and said there was not a way to track progress in former programs used. You can track students now with flags and it will follow the student as teachers interact with the data. You can customize EduClimber and look at data in many different ways. It provides a more holistic view of each student. Hope said it’s superior to other platforms and is a game changer.
- Corey asked how parents opting students out of MCA testing impacts scores. Hope said it does not affect our denominator. You can see participation rates and we have very high participation rates. Elementary is 95% plus. We have a unified approach to sharing data with parents and why our metrics are a good measurement of our system and responding to our students’ needs.
- Jeff thanked Hope for her service. Tomorrow is Hope’s last day. Shane Baier will be stepping into the role of Bridgewater interim principal until Nancy returns.
- Claudia asked about attendance and asked Hope to explain the district process. Hope explained it was an accountability measure that started around Covid, asking each building to record data in the same way. She also explained that they tapped into how other districts are recording this data. They are going to likely see greater oversight at the state level. This was disrupted by Covid and they will be circling back to it. They want to know that Faribault’s rate is recorded the same as Northfield’s rate. Great gains have been made due to the attendance teams.
- Claudia also asked for confirmation when the surveys are sent out annually. Dr. Hillmann said the staff survey is sent out right after Thanksgiving break and they get it back before the New Year. The parent survey is sent out after the first semester and they get it back by end of February
- Northfield Middle School Improvement Showcase. Middle School Principal Greg Gelineau provided the board with an overview of the middle school’s successes and highlights in 2024-2025 and the focus areas for the 2025-2026 school year. See board packet for slide presentation.
Questions and comments:
- Jeff asked about how activity participation has changed over the years. Greg: Consistency is key. The numbers in previous years are pretty solid. It’s not about winning at the MS. We want kids to participate in whatever they are passionate about and to do something outside of the school day. Kids will enjoy school and do better if they participate in other activities.
- Amy wondered how many of our students are also participating in activities that are not school sponsored. She suggested finding a way of measuring that as well. Being connected to the community at large is an important indicator of engagement as well: 4-H, Purple Door, traveling teams, etc. Greg acknowledged that this is likely. Amy suggested including the numbers for the afterschool program as they are students electing to stay after school for programming as well.
- Amy asked if Greg had any feedback on previous discussions about the school day schedule and how things are going. In the past, students had to choose electives and some who might want art didn’t get art. Now they all have it. Greg: We’ve been able to do a better job of spreading students out. This year we’ve had to get used to some classes only happening every other day and it doesn’t provide flexibility to change students’ schedules. On the flip side, STEM and others are meeting every day and it has allowed for more content to be covered and consistency. We need to take a fresh look at how we cover content like SEL and it’s challenging us to think about how we implement.
- Dr. Hillmann commented that the district has tried to seek data on all activities that students participate in and it’s been difficult. They are working on it.
- Dr. Hillmann also commented on feedback from the community during feedback sessions. He said, we heard a lot about “choice” but this meant different things. Greg said there is more exposure to art and other classes. The seven period day may be what we stay with but we may explore other schedules long term (not next year).
- Amy commented that Greg should try to find a way to get more parents to participate in completing the survey.
- Dr. Hillmann acknowledged that the blue ribbon award is an affirmation of the strength of academic achievement and reducing the achievement gap. He is glad that the State will recognize the schools after the Federal Dept of Education canceled the program with no warning. Dr. Hillmann noted that this award is special – no other MS in the state has received both these recognitions.
- Superintendent’s Mid-Year Evaluation Recommendation. Board Chair Gonzalez-George presented the board with a revised mid-year check-in form.
Questions and comments:
- Jeff commented that this is new and he hopes the changes will be positive.
- Amy said they’re looking for specific comments that provide feedback and make it easier to complete. This may not be used forever, but it’s a chance to test drive something different and tweak moving forward.
- Special Services FTE Request. Director of Special Services Sara Pratt requested to add a Special Educational Assistant/Personal Care Assistant at Bridgewater Elementary for 6.75 hours per day due to new students entering the district with significant needs for safety and intensive services as required by their Individual Education Program (IEP) plans. The total projected cost of salary and benefits is $52,529, with approximately 55% of the salary reimbursed through special education revenue, for a net cost of $23,656.
Questions and comments:
- Ben clarified that the need is now and proposed they move this to action. The motion was moved and approved unanimously.
- Policy Committee Recommendations. Dr. Hillmann presented the policy committee’s recommended updates to policies 448, 504, 508, 510, 511 This will be an item for individual action at the next board meeting.
Questions and comments: none
6. Consent Agenda– approved unanimously without discussion
a. Minutes
b. Gift Agreements
c. Personnel Items
7. Items for Individual Action
a. Additional Special Ed position request for Bridgewater. Motion passed and approved unanimously.
8. Items for Information
a. Enrollment Report. Dr. Hillmann reviewed the October 2025 enrollment report. The district is 14 students ahead of what was predicted overall. Dr. HIllmann noted the movement in each school building.
b. Construction Update No. 16. Superintendent Hillmann provided an update on the NHS construction project.
Amy asked for an update on the geothermal project. Dr. Hillmann said they would be using the Darcy system which is digging much deeper. The first estimate was 11 wells. The current plan is still being worked out, but there should be fewer wells than first expected. It will likely be located where the football practice fields are today.
Jeff asked if they would all be underground so no practice fields would be lost and Dr. Hillmann confirmed that was correct.
c. Retired Educators Luncheon. Board members are invited to attend the district’s annual retired educators luncheon on Friday, Oct. 24. The luncheon will be held at Ruth’s on Stafford beginning at 11:30 a.m.
d. Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness Presentation and Public Hearing. ALC Director Daryl Kehler will summarize the 2025-2026 Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness Plan at the public hearing scheduled at 5:15 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 10. This public hearing will precede the regular school board meeting.
e. National School Lunch Week. National School Lunch Week will be celebrated Oct. 13-17, 2025. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) serves nearly 30 million children every school day. President John F. Kennedy created National School Lunch Week (NSLW) in 1962 to promote the importance of a healthy school lunch in a child’s life and the impact it has inside and outside of the classroom. We appreciate and thank all child nutrition staff in our district.
f. National School Bus Safety Week. National School Bus Safety Week is Oct. 20-24, 2025. School buses are the safest way for children to get to school. Their design is meant to be safer than any passenger vehicle in avoiding crashes and preventing injuries. Teaching children to follow safety rules on the bus is important, as is informing drivers about the laws regarding school buses. We appreciate and thank Benjamin Bus and their drivers for their continued support and partnership with Northfield Public Schools.
9. Future Meetings
a. Monday, October 27, 2025, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
b. Monday, November 10, 2025, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
c. Monday, November 24, 2025, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
10. Closed Session: Labor Negotiations Strategy
(This session will be closed as permitted by Minnesota Statute 13D.03 to discuss labor negotiations.)
11. Adjournment – during closed session
Submitted by Lisa Percy, Observer League of Women Voters
