INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 659
REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
Monday, August 10, 2026 ~ 6:00 p.m. ~
Regular Board Meeting Northfield District Office Boardroom
AGENDA
1. Call to Order: Board Chair Claudia Gonzales-George called the meeting to order and welcomed members of the community and staff attending. In addition to the chair, attending were: Cory Butler, Jeff Quinnell, and Maggie Epstein. Not in attendance were; Ben Miller, Amy Goerwitz and Jenny Nelson.
2. Agenda Approval/Table File: Dr. Anderson, Superintendent updated changes in the table file. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/08.10.2026-Regular-Meeting-Table-File.pdf
Included are a Construction update as well as an E-Learning update. Agenda accepted and the motion passed unanimously.
3. Public Comment: There were no public comments this evening.
4. Announcements and Recognitions: Dr. Anderson thanked Dadota Electric for their $6000 donation to the Greenvale Park Community School. He also announced that Northfield will be hosting the 2026 Governors Fishing Openers in coordination with the Northfield Chamber of Commerce. On Friday, October 9th, Greenvale Park will serve as a site for community activities. They will be featuring 4th grade learning stations in cooperation with the DNR and Community Education. The third announcement was that the City of Northfield shared that the transition from the old ice arena to the new area will take place this month. They also were authorized for on site solar. Finally, Dr. Anderson reported that 34 incoming 4th graders attended Eagle Bluff this summer and he thanked district staff and volunteers.
5. Items for Discussion and Reports
a. Leadership Introductions Permanent School Fund: The following new leaders
introduced themselves to the board. See the link for more information on these
individuals. https://www.youtube.com/live/zAkKbYP4JaI
Alisa Anderson- Assistant Director of Special services
Ashley Benhart- Principal Bridgewater Elementary
Caleb Davidson- Director of Special Services
Norella O’ Rourke- Director of HR/Title IX Coordinator
Jill Peterson -Assistant Director of Special Services
Dr. Jennifer Reichel -Director of Instructional Services
Rich Torres Jr.- Principal Spring Creek Elementary
Board Members thanked them for their introductions and welcomed them to the district.
b. Area Learning Center (ALC) School Improvement Showcase- Mr Daryl Keller, ALC
Director presented information on the successes and highlights from the 25-26 School
Year. For more detail, see the powerpoint presented online. He covered the Strategic
Commitments and the District Benchmarks as well as the School Improvement
PlanPurpose. Highlights included an improvement in School Climate (100% of students
agree or strongly agree that teachers are there for them, they enjoy talking to teachers,
Teachers care about students, and students feel safe at school.Highlight number 2 was
Credit Completion. Every grading period but one had above average percentage of
credits completed. Highlight number 3 included the 7 year graduation rate which was
measured at 80%. It is the highest of the Big 9 cohorts. Mr. Keller then shared the goals
for the upcoming year which will focus on increasing attendance, and increasing credit
completion. He also shared the results of a staff survey.
Questions from the board: Mr. Butler asked for a copy of a chart and also asked
about the strategy that may have impacted the retention of students. Ms. Epstein
asked about attendance rates and how it is affected by students entering and exiting
mid-year. Mr. Quinnell inquired about the scope of attendance and where students come
from. Ms. Gonzales- appreciates the background and connection to the other ALC’s. She
also inquired about how they encourage students to meet the attendance goal.
C. Permanent School Fund: Dr. Anderson presented details on the Minnesota
Permanent School Fund: The presentation shows how it is related to the Strategic Plan.
It was an informational briefing for the board and community, not a recommendation.
Minnesota law allows school districts to explain ballot measures but not to advocate for a
particular outcome. His presentation explained what the fund is, how it is managed, the
proposed amendment, the official ballot language and what it could mean for Northfield.
It was clear that the board will not recommend a “yes” or “no” vote. The Minnesota
Legislature has formed a non-partisan task force to study the funds performance and
recommended improvements. No new or increased taxes of any kind will occur. For
more information, see the presentation in the link. https://www.youtube.com/live/zAkKbYP4JaI
Mr. Butler thanked the Superintendent for the presentation and asked about the communication plan for the community.
6. Consent Agenda
a. Minutes
b. Gift Agreements
c. Overnight Field Trip Request
d. Personnel Items
No items were removed. The consent agenda was approved unanimously.
7. Items for Individual Action
a. Resolution Relating to the Election of School Board Members and Calling the School
Board Election The resolution was approved.
8. Items for Information
a. Construction Update No. 29 – Updates on the site access were shared. Weekly
updates are shared on the Reimage Website found here.
b. Annual Fundraising Report – Ms. Merdesdorf reviewed the fund raising for the
Student activity account.
c. Staff Breakfast and Program Tuesday Sept. 1 from 7:30-10:00 AM
d. 2026-2027 E-Learning Day Plan – found in the board packet. Dr. Anderson updated
and can be found here.
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ontent/uploads/2026.08.10-Board-Packet.pdf
9. Future Meetings
a. Monday, August 24, 2026, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
b. Monday, September 14, 2026, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
c. Monday, September 28, 2026, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
10. Adjournment
