School Board canvasses election results and seeks to fill vacancy

Vice President Todd Duchscherer opened the meeting of the New-Rockford Sheyenne (NR-S) School Board on Monday, June 11.

After the board approved the minutes and financial statements, Duchscherer shared that he didn’t have the ability to give attention to the needs of the board at this time. He asked that someone else volunteer to take over the presidency vacated by the resignation of John McKnight until a new president is elected in July.

Roger Duda nominated John Grann. Grann clarified that he would take on these presidential responsibilities not out of want but a sense of duty, and he hoped that someone else would volunteer. The board unanimously approved the nomination, so Grann proceeded to run the meeting.

Grann proposed to develop a savings and efficiency task force to identify ways to decrease spending and serve as a safeguard in the event of future budget crunches. He said ideally three people would be appointed from the board. The item will be put on the agenda for the July meeting.

There were 281 total ballots cast in the school board election on June 5, including 65 absentee ballots. In the New Rockford district, incumbent Mary Kay Price received 150 votes. There were 33 write-in votes, including 22 for Roger Duda. For the former Sheyenne District, Patti Jo Larson received 182 votes; there were 14 write-ins. For the at-large member, David Holzwarth received 140 votes and Roger Duda received 38 write-in votes. Mary Kay Price was declared re-elected and candidates Patti Jo Larson and David Holzwarth were newly elected to the board for three year terms.

The board still has one open position due to the resignation of former board president John McKnight. There are two ways to go about filling a position without a regular election. 1) The board can appoint a new member from the former New Rockford district to serve until the next regular election or 2) the board can hold a special election.

Eric Myhre inquired about reducing the board’s size to five members. Heskin responded with North Dakota Century Code 15.1 -09-01, which states that the action requires a petition signed by at least one-third of the total who voted at the most recent annual school district election. Then a special election must be called so voters can approve or reject the petition.

The board agreed that it would be best to forgo any changes to the board size and instead seek an appointee. Anyone interested in serving on the school board should contact Superintendent Jill Louters or Business Manager Janet Heskin. If someone is not appointed by the August meeting, a special election will be called.

In the principals’ report, Elementary Principal Natalie Becker stated that parents have been notified with an instant alert, and further noted six families requested hard copies. She added that the late DeVon Allmaras, as the County Superintendent of Schools, had arranged for the North Dakota County Superintendent of Schools Conference to convene in New Rockford on July 15 - 16.

Secondary Principal Avolt Baumbach reported on his participation in a webinar to develop the curriculum for an eighth grade course in North Dakota Studies.

Superintendent Jill Louters discussed the grant application she prepared for Department of Homeland Security. The application requested dollars for intruder training, enhanced security features at the front entrance, visitor tracking system and a keyless entry system.

More work was done on the budget to approach balance. The school district will apply for the Engineering and Tech position to be part of Career and Technical Education (CTE), which would provide reimbursement dollars for that salary. CTE now provides 90 percent reimbursement for Guidance counselor Rita Anderson.

Adjustments were made, based on historical data, to decrease travel for the counselor, elementary principal and incoming Family and Consumer Science instructor. Reductions to the technology line item were made upon the recommendation of 1:1 Technology Coordinator Amy Cudworth. Savings were also found by forgoing the artist in residence for the 2018-19 year, bringing the budge near a balance, with a deficit of -$3,868.

Louters recommended to increase the mileage reimbursement for contracted bus drivers by 2 cents per mile. Grann expressed curiosity in the total miles driven during the school year, as the contract pays for route miles, not actual miles driven. Duchscherer said the efficiency committee would research. The increase was approved.

Grann reported back after discussing staff salary with administrative staff and made the recommendation to increase pay rates by 3.44 percent for administrative and ancillary staff, which would increase the budget deficit to -$7,488.

Grann explained that it is possible to carry forward the deficit and make additional budget adjustments. Eric Myhre noted that U.S. inflation rates are currently at 2.1 percent and that the 3.44 percent increase goes beyond the usual cost of living increase. He stated that carrying a deficit forward could mean less money in future negotiations, but appreciated that everyone was being treated fairly. The increases were approved upon a motion by Myhre.

Louters presented the Northwest Evaluation Association’s Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment data. MAP is a longtime assessment tool that serves as a significant system marker for the district. The data is generated through a systemic assessment process and, over time, the MAP provides a large-scale view, highlighting gains at the grade level. The MAP assessment data indicated that in the area of math, elementary and secondary students displayed strong performance, especially when it came to geometry concepts. These same students show an opportunity to grow in the area of algebraic thinking. For reading and language, elementary and secondary students show strong performance across the board, with room to grow in areas of vocabulary use. For general science, students showed sustained performance on all levels. Collectively the students have increased their grade equivalence by half a grade level.

Louters shared proposed changes to the long range plan that was developed in partnership with staff members and KnowledgeWorks. The board approved the plan unanimously. A special meeting and listening session for the long-range plan has been set for Monday, June 18 at 9 a.m. in the cafeteria.

In recognition of their service to the board, Eric Myhre and Roger Duda were both presented with The Apple Award. Myhre served nine years and Duda three. The next regular school board meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 16 at 7 p.m.