INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 659
REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
Monday, January 26, 2026 ~ 6:00 p.m.
Northfield District Office Boardroom
AGENDA
1. Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Mr. Butler. Mr. Miller was virtual. Ms Gonzales-George and Ms. Nelson were not present.
2. Agenda Approval/Table File: Motion passed for approval. Documents can be found in the online board packet. https://northfieldschools.org/about/school-board/meetings/
3. Public Comment : There were no public comments
4. Announcements and Recognitions: Dr. Hillmann congratulated the Gator Raider Boys swim team that performed at the True Team State Swim and Dive competition placing 3rd. It is their 5th consecutive trip to the state meet. He also congratulated the Northfield High School Business Professionals of Americore also referred to as the BPA as they attended a regional competition where 16 students will now advance to the state competition. Mr. Miller commented on a hard week and wanted to share his ongoing support for the responses and actions of this community, the school district and staff where people come together to exercise their rights.
5. Items for Discussion and Reports
a. Reimagine Northfield High School Update: Sal Bagley from Wold Architects and Engineers and her team presented designs of the Northfield High School project. They shared the history including a Core Planning Group (9 meetings) , and Activities and Athletics Subcommittee (4 meetings) as well as multiple meetings with the board and outside agencies. During the design process there were multiple groups (26) that provided input.. Drawings (Site Plan Diagram) were shared. They have shared drawings with the city of Northfield to discuss various impacts of the projects (traffic flow, pedestrians, bus traffic, deliveries). There will be a dedicated bus loop. Some expansions of the parking lots are planned. Connections to other trail systems will be completed. Some cost saving ideas were included in the planning process as well. Some new spaces will be added as well as renovations of existing spaces. See renderings online for details of the exterior and interior spaces. https://www.youtube.com/live/5UOB15FM2jU
Questions from the board: Ms.Epstein asked about accessibility issues in the new spaces and was assured they were addressed in full. . Mr. Quinell asked about renting out spaces for other gatherings. The speaker assured him that the commons area was connected to everything so there would be space for a variety of activities. Dr. Hillmann added that spaces such as the community room, the cafeteria, the raider room etc. will open up options to the community. Ms. Goerwitz asked about the number of tennis courts (8) as well as the addition of a pond (a surface storm water system). As far as the tennis courts, the architectural team is pursuing grants for the additional courts. Ms. Goerwitz also inquired about the lockers and an update of the geo-thermal system. Studies were done to size the system and decide placements. The team worked with Excel energy to discuss backup options, LED lighting and other sustainable design features were included in the plans. Mr. Butler commented he was excited to see the amount of windows. He also asked about a potential round-about discussion with the city. Ongoing work will be done with MDOT and other state processes according to Dr. Hillmann. They are planning for a late March bid opening with construction starting in June of 2026. Drawings are in with the city currently as well as the state that has requirements and reviews that will be happening this spring.
The Construction Phase was presented next. There are 4 major phases. See slides for detailed pictures online. Phase 1: June/July 2026 Phase 2: April 2027- August 2027 Phase 3: June- Nov. 2028 Phase 4: June- August 2029 See https://www.youtube.com/live/5UOB15FM2jU for detailed predicted timelines.
Questions from the board: Mr. Miller asked about how confident the team is on the timing of the phases with most of the work being done in 3 main summers. Ms. Epstein asked a question about access to Memorial Field in the fall of 2026. She also asked about demolition that will be happening during the school day and its impact on student learning. She was assured they would focus on plans for reducing as much noise as possible with the majority of the work being done in the summer. Mr Quinell asked about student flow among the wings both during building and demolition. Ms. Goerwitz asked about the logistics of construction management and costs. Dr. Hillmann will be communicating with the community regarding the disruption and inconvenience during the process, especially with traffic and flow of our normal school days. . He also encouraged the board to focus on the end goal of the project and he reassured the board that the community will have ample opportunities to get information throughout the process.
b. Summary of Superintendent’s Mid-Year Evaluation: Mr. Butler read the information about the new process. You can find the summary of the mid-year evaluation in the Board Packet found online at https://northfieldschools.org/about/school-board/meetings/, Dr. Hillmann was thanked for his commitment to the district. Ms. Goerwitz asked Dr. Hillmann about his feelings regarding the new process where chosen focus areas were addressed. He felt he received more detailed and targeted feedback using this model. Mr. Miller echoed Ms. Georwitz comments as did Mr. Butler. The process will be refined over the year.
c. Policy Committee Recommendations: There are four policies that will be up for review at the next meeting. The summary report is also found within the packet online. Dr. Hilmann also explained the policies.
6. Consent Agenda
a. Minutes:
b. Gift Agreements
c. Grant Application
d. Overnight Field Trip Requests
e. Personnel Items
The board approved the consent motion unanimously.
7. Items for Individual Action
a. Stadium Naming Rights Contract: Heritage Bank Stadium Motion passed 5-0.
b. Approval of Bid for District MacBook Air Laptop Purchase
The district had several bids and Tech Reboot was selected and came in under budget. Ms. Goerwitz asked about the labor needed during this process. Ms Mertersdorf explained. There were 411 new MacBook Air Laptops purchased at the cost of $142,000. .
8. Items for Information
a. Paraprofessional Recognition Week – January 19th-23rd. The board thanked Paraprofessionals for their commitment and the impact they have on students.
9. Future Meetings
a. Thursday, January 29, 2026, 5:00 p.m., Board Work Session, Northfield DO Boardroom (Topic: Later School Start Times)
b. Monday, February 9, 2026, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO
Boardroom
c. Monday, February 23, 2026, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO
Boardroom
d. Monday, March 9, 2026, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
10. Adjournment
The Northfield School District recognizes that we reside on the homeland of the Wahpekute Tribe of the Dakota Nation. We acknowledge the wrongdoings, previous and ongoing, and strive to repair and strengthen our relations with Indigenous peoples.
Submitted by Debra N Peters Northfield League of Women Voters
