School Board Minutes

Red Rock Central District No. 2884

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Education, District No. 2884, was held in the elementary library in Jeffers on Tuesday, January 17, 2012. Members present were: Bierl, Clarke, Erickson, Rogotzke, and Stavnes. Johnson and Kelsey were absent. A quorum of 5 was present. Superintendent Brennan, Principal Goetstouwers, Leonard Runck, Joe Dietl, and Denise Clarke were also in attendance.

Chairman Rogotzke called the meeting to order at 6:33 p.m.

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Upon motion of Clarke, seconded by Erickson and unanimously carried, to approve the agenda, the minutes of the December 19, 2011 meeting, the minutes of the January 9, 2012 workshop meeting, and the treasurer’s report.

Chairman Rogotzke called for nominations for Chairman. Clarke nominated Rogotzke, seconded by Erickson. Clarke made a motion that the nominations cease and votes be cast for Rogotzke as Chairman, seconded by Bierl. Roll call vote was taken. Voting yes: Rogotzke, Clarke, Erickson, and Bierl. Voting no: Stavnes. Absent: Johnson and Kelsey. Motion carried 4 -1.

Chairman Rogotzke called for nominations for Vice Chair. Clarke nominated Kelsey, seconded by Erickson. Stavnes made a motion that nominations cease and a unanimous ballot be cast for Kelsey as Vice Chair. Motion carried.

Chairman Rogotzke called for nominations for Treasurer. Clarke nominated Stavnes, seconded by Erickson. Clarke made a motion that the nominations cease and votes be cast for Stavnes as Treasurer, seconded by Erickson. Roll call vote was taken. Voting yes: Rogotzke, Clarke, Erickson, and Bierl. Voting no: Stavnes. Absent: Johnson and Kelsey. Motion carried 4-1.

Chairman Rogotzke called for nominations for Clerk. Stavnes nominated Clarke, seconded by Erickson. Stavnes made a motion that the nominations cease and a unanimous ballot be cast for Clarke as Clerk. Motion carried.

Upon motion of Erickson, seconded by Bierl and unanimously carried, to approve the following:

District’s Attorney: Kevin J. Rupp from Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney

Legal Newspaper: Lamberton News

Fiscal Agent: First Security Bank

Upon motion of Erickson, seconded by Bierl and unanimously carried, to appoint the following Committee members:

MSHSL – Clarke; Johnson alternate

LEGISLATIVE – Kelsey; Johnson alternate

NEGOTIATIONS AND PERSONNEL OF CERTIFIED STAFF – Stavnes, Johnson, and Rogotzke; Clarke alternate

NEGOTIATIONS AND PERSONNEL OF NON-CERTIFIED STAFF – Clarke, Kelsey, and Erickson; Johnson alternate

January 17, 2012 – Page 2

STAFF DEVELOPMENT – Erickson; Kelsey alternate

SYSTEMS ACCOUNTABILITY – Erickson and Rogotzke; Kelsey alternate

REDWOOD COUNTY JOINT POWERS BOARD – Kelsey; Stavnes alternate

TRI-COUNTY JOINT POWERS BOARD – Johnson; Erickson alternate

COMMUNITY EDUCATION – Bierl; Rogotzke alternate

FINANCE COMMITTEE – Clarke, Rogotzke, and Erickson

TECHNOLOGY PLANNING – Rogotzke

RRCNET – Stavnes, Johnson, and Rogotzke

BUILDING COMMITTEE – Kelsey, Clarke, and Erickson

Board Member Erickson spoke to the Board about his recent trip to the Minnesota School Board Convention. He commented that there was a lot of very good information given and that he would recommend attending in the future. Rogotzke let the Board know that copies of the handouts are available on the MSBA website.

Lead Teacher Riley’s report was distributed to the Board: Our first days back after Christmas vacation found the Jeffers site back into the swing of things. Many of the teachers had been to school during vacation and had redecorated their classrooms for January. Because of the warmer than normal weather this month, we had a fire drill on January 6^th. In all of my years of teaching I had never participated in a fire drill in January. Starting on January 19^th we gave our elementary students the winter NWEA tests in reading and math. These tests are considerably shorter than the fall and spring tests so they take only about 30 to 45 minutes to complete. We give these winter tests to see how our students are doing so far. The staff will study the results so we can determine the skills on which we may need to focus before the final NWEA testing this spring. Our students are once again working on their entries for the Zaner-Bloser Handwriting Contest. The deadline is now towards the end of January rather than March, which it has been in the past. We have had a great deal of success in this contest in the past, with many of our students winning at the state level and even having one of our students who won at the national level. Hopefully, we will continue with this success. This week is Paraprofessional Week in Minnesota. We are doing various activities in our building to honor those individuals who are the non-teaching staff and are so vital to the academic and social growth of our students. We are so thankful for our paras, secretaries, cooks, bus and van drivers, and custodians who contribute so much to RRC. The end of the second quarter is January 20^th. We have a teacher workday on the 23^rd. The teachers will use some of the time to work on their report cards. Report cards will be sent home at the Jeffers site with our students on January 27^th. Parents should look for these reports in their children’s backpacks on that day.

Principal Goetstouwers reported the following: The 6-8 Winter Concert was held yesterday. There are roughly 60 students involved in band and about 90 students in choir this year and they, along with the music teachers, did an excellent job in this event. In addition, 8 students/pairs showcased their talents in preparation for the WWG Junior High Music Contest held on January 27^th from 3:00-6:00 p.m. Last night, RRC held a Knowledge Bowl meet. Our students have been mixing and matching teams for every meet. Last night, our teams finished 5^th, 15^th, and in the mid 20’s out of 30+ teams. On January 11^th, the students who are or were in Animal Science or Ag Science had an opportunity to go to the Monsanto Soybean Plant in Redwood Falls. It sounds like the students were really impressed with how everything works, including the technology side of it. Second semester scheduling has been completed for a while, students have received their individual schedules, and the majority of students are satisfied or have changed their schedules to their liking. The first semester will come to an end on Friday.

January 17, 2012 – Page 3

The staff will have Monday as a teacher workshop day to complete grades and to prepare for second semester. We have a new student, Lasse Bahr, a junior from Germany. He is staying with the Engen family (Casey, Carter, etc.) and be attending our school for all of second semester. We have a total of three exchange students this year! This week is Snow Week! There will be a locker clean out on Friday with fun activities planned in the gym starting at 1:45 p.m. There’s a double-header basketball game this Friday. The Snow Week King and Queen will be crowned during half-time of the girls’ basketball game. This is also the night of Coaches vs Cancer and people are encouraged to wear white that night. Events that are coming up: January 25^th – The ASVAB test results will be interpreted to the 11^th graders by the National Guards from 2:00-3:00 p.m. in the cafeteria. January 26^th – The One Act Play will perform to our 6^th-12^th graders from 1:45 p.m. till about 2:20 p.m. Community members will be invited to attend an informal rehearsal at 4:30 p.m. February 1 – Financial Aid Night will be held for seniors at 6:00 p.m. in Mr. Vold’s room. There will be a staff outing on February 4^th held at the Lamberton Lanes.

Upon motion of Clarke, seconded by Stavnes and unanimously carried, to pay claims in the amount of $134,142.70. Receipts were $389,474.85.

Upon motion of Stavnes, seconded by Erickson and unanimously carried, to approve the appointment of Tom Vold as the Assistant Track Coach for RRC/WWG.

The Board set a date for a Workshop Meeting, to discuss the possible move of the 5^th grade to the Lamberton building, for February 6, 2012 in the Jeffers Cafeteria at 7:00 p.m. The public is encouraged to attend. The Board asked that this meeting be publicized through the local newspaper, RRCNet, and information at the local banks.

Upon motion of Clarke, seconded by Stavnes and unanimously carried, to adjourn at 7:28 p.m.

_________________________________ _______________________________

Alan J. Clarke, Clerk Denise Clarke, Recorder