Good evening everyone. It is 5:00 p.m. on January 6, 2025. Thanks for joining us for the organizational school board meeting. Uh, everyone is here this evening. Oh, we're starting,
by the way. Uh, please stand and join me in the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all. >> All right, we've officially called to order the meeting. Um for those of you that know uh every year we have our organizational board meeting. So that is where um
our cabinet is elected and nominations are taken. So for the organization of the board any member of the board may nominate any other board member including themselves. Nominations do not require a second. All positions require
three calls for nominations before closing out the nomination process. If a single nomination is made, the board chair will announce election by acclamation. If there are multiple nominations, a vote is required. Are
there any questions? Okay. At this time, I'll open the floor for nominations for the position of chairperson. I nominate Jamie Seban. Remembering Melissa Curtis nominates Jamie Seven.
Are there any other nominations? Any additional nominations? If there are no further nominations, nominations are closed. Jamie Steven is the only candidate nominated for the office of chairperson and I hereby declare her elected by acclamation and direct the acting clerk
to so record in the minutes. >> Congratulations. >> Oh goodness. I was really waiting for someone else to pipe up. >> He would have denied. >> Yep. Oh, do we have to go back through then
and do all that again? Okay, we do need an approval of tonight's agenda. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Moved by Casey Root, seconded by Jeff Hegley. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed, please say no. Motion passes 60.
>> Thank you, Devonyie. I appreciate that. And do we have to do it again or are we good? Okay. All right. Now we will move on >> just for fun. >> I know we get to do it a couple more times. So at this time I'll open the floor for nominations for the position
of vice chair and treasurer. >> I nominate Casey Root. >> Remember Jeff Hegley nominates Casey Root. Are there any other nominations? Any additional nominations? If there are no further nominations, the
nominations are now closed. Casey Root is the only candidate nominated for the office of vice chair treasurer and I hereby declare him elected by acclamation and direct the acting clerk to so record in the minutes.
Congratulations, Casey. >> Job, Casey. >> All right. Now, at this time, I'll open the floor for nominations for the position of clerk. >> Nominate Melissa Curtis. >> Board member Casey Root nominates
Melissa Curtis. Are there any other nominations? Any additional nominations? If there are no further nominations, the nominations are now closed. Melissa Curtis is the only candidate nominated for the office of clerk and I hereby declare elected by acclamation and
direct the acting clerk to so record in the minutes. Congratulations. All right. Next item on the agenda is action to appoint the superintendent to the board as a non- voting exopicio member. This is an action item. So
moved. >> Second. Moved by Jeff Hegley, seconded by Melissa Curtis. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Oppos, please say no. >> Motion passes 6. On to the designation of the official newspaper of our school district number
882 as the Monaceel Times. This is an action item. >> So moved. >> Moved by Mary Bartell, seconded by Jeff Hegley. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. Opposed, please say no. Motion passes 6.
Now we are on to the designation of the school board committee assignments. This is something that was already predetermined and is on the link that's provided in the agenda. If there are no questions, this is an action item. >> So move.
>> Second. >> Moved by Miss Curtis, seconded by Mark Branson. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. I >> opposed please say no. Motion passes 6. >> On to item G. This is the designation of
official district depositories. This is an action item. >> Second. Moved >> by Jeff Hegley, seconded by Casey Root. All those in favor, please say I. I. opposed, please say no. Motion passes 6.
On to item H, establish schoolboard meeting structure for the regular Monaceel school board meetings to take place on the third Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. The first Monday of each month is a regular schoolboard meeting beginning at 5:00 p.m. These meetings will typically be followed by a work
session. In the event that a work session or a regular school board meeting is canled due to unseen circumstances like weather, the meeting will be rescheduled for the following day at the same time. This is an action item. >> So moved. >> Second.
>> Moved by Mark Branson, seconded by Jeff Hegley. All those in favor, please say I. I. Opposed, please say no. Motion passes 6. On to item I. Motion to participate in federally funded programs. This is a
action item. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Moved by Jeff Hegley, seconded by Mary Bartell. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Please say no. >> Motion passes 6. On to item J. Legal counsel and
authorized contracts. Legal council of Squires, Wallsburgger, and Mace is our attorneys on file. This is an action item. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Moved by Mark Branson. Seconded by Casey Root. All those in favor, please say I. >> I.
>> Oppos, please say no. Motion passes. 6. On to item K. School district authorized contracts for legal counsel. Eric Olsen, superintendent. Tina Burkeholder, director of business services. Rob Daneker, human resources director,
school board chair, and John Weekley, director of special education. This is an action item. >> So moved. >> Second. Moved by Mary Bartell, seconded by Casey Root. All those in favor, please say I. >> I.
>> Oppos, please say no. Motion passes. 6. Designation of authorized personnel to enter into sign contractual agreements with our district. Eric Olsson, superintendent, Tina Burke, Holder, director of business services, and Rob Danaker, human resource director. This
is an action item. >> So moved. Second. >> Moved by Mark Brans, seconded by Casey Root. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed, please say no. Motion passes. 6. Designation of authorized signatures to
be accepted by the official depositories, chairperson, vice chair and treasurer, secretary clerk. Tina Burkeholder, our director of business services, Amy Stallbeck, controller, and Cindy Breny, accountant. This is an action item.
>> So moved. >> Second. Moved by Casey Root, seconded by Mark Branson. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Oppos, please say no. Motion passes. 6. On to item N, designation of authorized
personnel to make electronic wire transfers. Eric Olsen, superintendent. Tina Burkeholder, director of business services. Zack Harry, HR manager. Tom Khafer Caffer, payroll specialist. and
Amy Stalbeck controller. This is an action item. >> So moved. Second. >> Moved by Jeff Hegley, seconded by Casey Root. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. I. >> Please say no. Motion passes. 6. On to
item O. This is a resolution to approve annual designation of identified official with authority for MDE external user access reertification system. This is an action item that I believe needs to be read. Is that
correct, Stephanie? >> Okay, this is an action item as presented. >> Moved. Second. >> Moved by Jeff Heckley, seconded by Casey Root. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> I. Please say no.
>> Motion passes 6. On to item P. This is a resolution directing the administration to make recommendations regarding the reduction and or discontinuence of programs and positions and reasons their form pursuant to Minnesota statute 122A.
4. This is an action item as presented. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Moved by Casey Root, seconded by Jeff Hegley. All those in favor, please say I. I. I. >> Please say no. passes 60. On to item Q. This is another
resolution establishing combined polling places for a special school board election not held on the same day as a statewide election as presented. This is an action item. >> So moved. Second. >> Moved by Jeff Hegley, seconded by Casey
Root. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed, please say no. >> Motion passes 6. on to the designation of Miss Devonyie Moore, our communications specialist and school board liaison, who's been
typering feverishly throughout this process as our official parliamentarian for the Monaceel School Board. This is an action item. >> So moved. Second. >> Moved by Mary Bartell, seconded by Mark Branson. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. I.
>> Opposed, please say no. >> Motion passes. 6. Oh my goodness, that might be record time. Nice job, everyone. We are adjourning the organizational meeting at 512 p.m. The organizational meeting will be
followed by a regular school board meeting immediately following. So, we will move along right to that. All right. I'd like to call to order the regular school board meeting of Independent School District number 882.
It is 5:12 p.m. I'm looking for Oh, we are going to stand and do the pledge of allegiance again. Believe. So, please stand and join me in the pledge of allegiance.
>> Okay. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, >> indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> All right. And now we're looking for
approval of tonight's agenda. >> So moved. >> Second >> by Melissa Curtis, seconded by Casey Root. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. Please say no. Motion passes 6. Next item is citizen comments and we do not have any citizen comments this evening.
Next on the agenda is fiscal stability. Looking for uh approval of our consent agenda. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Moved by Melissa Curtis, seconded by Casey Root. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed, please say no. Motion passes.
6. On to collaborative connections. We're going to pass it off to Superintendent Eric Olsson to go over the acceptance of gifts. >> Right. We have some amazing gifts that have come forward for um for our school district. And they are the following.
West Metro Buick GMC $2,000 rally to read. Shout out to Miss Cau. She's been working with them as she's been doing some of her superintendent hours. So, thanks for working with them and uh bringing a huge uh donation in for our rally to read literacy program. UMC
$1,500 for the Monty Pythons robotics team. Um just a reminder, robotics are off and running. They have two um uh two events coming up, one in March and one in April. Uh Wright County United Way, $8,000 for the mindfulness program and
Wright County United Way, $5,000 for students in need. So long-standing uh relationships uh with uh the United Way here in Monaceel and Sarah Wal does a beautiful job of bringing those uh to fruition for our buildings to be able to use uh for students who need assistance.
Um and that's uh what I'm bringing forward and we'll pass off to you for the resolution and any other comments from Chair Seban. But thank you to these uh beautiful gifts for our students to to be used to um access and bring their programming further.
>> Therefore be resolved by the Monaceel School Board number 882 to gratefully accept the following donations. West Metro Buick GMC $2,000 the Rally to Read program. UMC $1,500 for Monty Pythons Robotics Team Wright County United Way
$8,000 for mindfulness program. and Wright County United Way. $5,000 for students in need. >> Second. >> That's moved by Jeff Hegley, seconded in by Mark Branson. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed, please say no.
>> Motion passes 60. And I just got to say that's $16,500 right there given by our our community and people investing back into our students and education and taking care of them from the mindfulness program to
making sure they have books at home to expanding our offerings with our robotics team. I mean, this is absolutely incredible and I just want to personally thank um our Wright County as well as these two companies for continuing to invest into our students
and give back to our school and investing into our community really. So, this is unbelievable. Thank you. All right, next on to item number six, safe and healthy culture. Item A, ratifying resolution. This will be an
action item, but help me welcome to the podium director of business services Tina Burke Holder and Beth DS from Ellers. Welcome. Thank you. I'm just going to be up here briefly. As you recall, in October, we brought forward a
possible opportunity for the school district to refund one of their bonds to compare it to your home. You refinance your home mortgage. So, that is something that we're trying to do with this bond refunding. We work with our financial advisors, Ellers, to work
through this process. And I'm going to pass it over to Beth. >> Thanks, Tina. Thanks for having me tonight. I'm super excited. We got really good results from last week's bond sale. So, um, do we have the report that maybe we can just theformational
report to pull up? Um, yeah, thank you. So, we'll just jump to that first page of the competitive sale results. So, we got 14 bids last week. We like to see at least three. So, this is really, really great. A lot of interest um in investing in the school
district, which is great. So, we are refunding not the entire 2016 bonds, but a portion of them. So, um, kind of like a, you know, we're talking about refinancing a home mortgage, but when you have bonds like this, each separate maturity is its own, um, investment
essentially. And so, we can take a portion of the bond and refund it and leave the other outstanding maturity. So, we are refunding 2027 through 2034, um, which means there are a couple years afterwards that had a little bit lower interest rates and so it wasn't as
advantageous to refund those. And so we're just doing that first portion, but we had um pre-sale estimates before we went out to market of about 2.98% for interest cost. And we came in at 2.45. Um and part of this is because the
underwriter that bid on the bonds gave you a premium um which is a a price greater than the bonds. So we used a portion of that premium to actually decrease the amount of bond you're issuing. So we had 12.7 million in pre-sale and we're down to 12.46. Um, so
that part is really good. And what that means in um kind of overall terms is that we had predicted savings of about $125,000 over those maturities and instead we're at about $490,000. So really, really good results last
week. We were really, really excited about that. So the next couple of pages in the report are the bid tabulations. You can see where all those bids came in at. We have um the old debt and what the new debt looks like. But I just want to jump to the comparison page which is
attachments page seven. And this is small uh but if you can read it uh I think we're next page page um seven of the attachments. You might have to go a little bit farther to get it says debt service comparison on the top.
I know these schedules all look the same. Sorry guys. financing is really fun as Tina um knows. Okay, debt service comparison. So, um this page shows the old debt service, the new debt service, and those savings.
So, you'll see those maturities that we did refund. On the right side there, you'll see those savings, the maturities that are still outstanding from the original debt, they're all at a a net change of zero. But essentially what's happening is we're taking some of that principle that was going to be paid off
in later years and moving it up front um and giving us a better step down in later years. So the next page is a graph that shows this and it can be a little bit easier to kind of see. So the left side there is the tax rate for your your
capital and your debt service levies. Those red bars represent the debt that we moved from later years up into the front. you've got a nice even tax rate to through 2031 and then we've got um a pretty a pretty large dip coming in
taxes payable 2032. So um we've got some ability when we get to that that place to think about other projects that might need to be done and options where you can possibly do things that are tax neutral for you for your community which is a really nice way to upkeep your buildings and also keep that tax rate
consistent um for your property owners. So, really helpful. Um, and as we're kind of looking at the refundings, this is something that we do as your municipal advisors about four times a year. We're checking to see what kind of interest rates you have outstanding, what the market is looking like, and
what we can do for you as as far as refunding, and even as far as just picking out specific maturities like we did in this one. So, lots of analysis for you. The last part of the attachment is your credit opinion from Moody's. And so, they do a rating for you. um every
time we issue debt essentially to talk about the the risk factor for any investors that would be investing in your bonds and um so you're affirmed at an A1 rating which is a good it's a it's a marketable rating. It's what we see for a lot of school districts and kind
of this more central Minnesota area. Um and definitely a reflection of both Eric and Tina and how um well they help manage the district and your school board as well and especially Tina who I have worked with for a too long. Um, so I I know you're in
really good hands with her and we just really appreciate working with with all of you at the district and um really appreciate the ability to partner on these on these things with you and be able to share really good news tonight. So all of my information is justformational and you should have a
resolution as an action item for the ratifying ratifying the award of the sale. Well, sounds like really good news. We are $365,000 ahead of where we thought we were going to be. And my question is, how can we
return it to the taxpayers that passed an incredible levy for us and we levied to the max again against their property last month? So, I'm thinking next year, truth in taxation, we back it down $365,000. We return this money to the
taxpayers. I >> mean, I I'll just, you know, say that I I think that's always a good goal, but um I also know that we don't know where we're going to be at with a lot of the last revenue sources coming in. Um, we know that, uh, I was just at a legislative meeting today, um, and
there's a, um, a guarantee out there that we're actually going to go backwards from the second bianium in our financial uh, um, state here in in Minnesota. Um, programs like ADS, pro programs like compensatory, we don't
know how they're coming in. And right now um the federal government um and some of the uh pieces that are coming with a potential shutdown coming um there are some huge revenue sources that uh we are we don't have in our in our
account yet and that's what I would be worried about. I think it's a great goal. Um, and it's the goal that you that I hope that you know at some point, you know, boards can achieve, especially here in Monaceel. But I also know that you don't want to go backwards and until we have all those pieces of the puzzle to say that we're going to do it. I know
it's not what you intended, Mark. But I I do think it's we need to also have that conversation to make sure that people, the public know that we don't have all of our pieces. we if if we're going to go back um further than um than
what uh the state gave us for the second bianium and that's a guaranteed in in some of the things that are they're seeing that are going to come out of this year's legislation. Um I just would be really scared to um put too much hope that it's going to be done because we
could be um I just heard today that the the probability of in fall of 2026 the number of school districts going out for an operating levy um is going to be astronomical because of this factor of of um not being able to um support what
both between the federal government and state government um ensured um and now with the different pieces is not coming into play, we're going to be in a I think school district going to be in tough shape. >> So, can I make a clarifying point for you? So, this um the levies that we t
are talking about are specifically for debt service and so you can't transfer anything that would be part of this because it's going off it's going to pay off your debt. You can't transfer any of that over into like operations. So, it's not going to affect your general fund or operations. It's just it's just debt
service. And if you look the savings in the tax rate comes in um 2032. So if you look on that chart, that gray bar that's coming down. So you know we're you know 4 and a half roughly percent coming down to just over three there when we get to
2032. So they are separate um when you talk about your operating le levy versus your your debt service. Your debt service is really paying off your your buildings and your and your capital investments. So, did I hear you correctly? Our taxpayers will see this savings
>> in 2032. Yeah. Because we're really keeping tax rates level until that point. And there then that's where the drop is happening. >> That's I understood that it was going back to our taxpayers. So that
injunction with like our levy that we passed for operating. Correct. They're two separate things, >> correct? >> The taxpayers are being positively impacted by what you guys were just able to do. >> Yes. So, what further down the road?
>> Yeah. So, what we're doing, so if you see in the the gray bars, the existing debt, there was just these kind of little pieces year-over-year that were pretty small. And instead of doing it that way, we're making it really level until 2032 and then having a big drop come in at that point.
Right. Any other questions or comments? >> All right. This is an action item >> to approve resolution ratifying the issuance and sale of general obligation school building refunding bond series 20268.
>> Second. >> Motion by Jeff Hegley, seconded by Casey Root. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. Opposed, please say no. Motion passes six year. And I just want to personally thank you ladies. I mean, going from the anticipated 120 to 490,000
is a significant difference. And if you guys weren't on top of your game and really good at what you do, that wouldn't have happened. So, thank you. Our taxpayers should be thanking you. This was a huge win for the district as well. So, thank you. >> Thank you.
>> All right. Now we're on to item B. First reading of policies with director of human resources Rob Danicker. >> Thank you, Chair Seban, members of the board, Superintendent Olsen. Um so um before I dive into policy 613, just for
transparency, the policy committee um met for our monthly meeting today. Uh we did more than consider just one policy. Um so we have a a list of policies that are required for annual review by the board. Um and those policies are 410,
413, 414, 415, 506, 514, 522, 524, 616, and 806. The board uh me the members of the committee, including the board members, reviewed all of those uh policies. There were no proposed amendments or changes to those policies,
so they are not up for first read tonight. However, they will be um mod the current incarnation of those will be noted in uh the policy files um hosted on the website as having been reviewed this evening. There's also an additional policy that requires review every other
year. That's policy 104 that was not on the docket this evening. Um and so that one will be reviewed next January starting there. All right. So, the only policy uh for first read tonight um is not uh one of those that requires annual
review. This was one that um has been under review and and um subject to modification for some time now. This is uh policy 613 is graduation requirements. The purpose of this policy is to set forth requirements for graduation for the Monosella public
school district. Um the committee reviewed proposed changes as informed by uh the co- high school principles, principal Cowwell, Principal Hansen along with our director of teaching and learning uh director Stener. Um and really the uh the substantive changes that are being proposed at 613 have to
do with the ongoing transition from semesters to trimesters. The high school is in the second year of moving towards trimesters or of living in trimesters, I should say. And so the um the modifications that are in 613 reflect
that. Um there were some uh minor formatting changes and also some addition of some um Arabic numbers for uh readability as well. Any questions from any of the board members regarding 613? Okay. And again this is uh for first
read tonight so no action required. Any questions? Oh, and I just want to give kudos to the policy committee. Um, and director Daneker um, since he's been here, he's done a really great job of creating structure on getting us all caught up as a school
district on reviewing policies and getting them all um, updated. And so, we are ahead of schedule, which is fantastic. Um, it's a it's a pretty cool thing to see and a lot of hard work's gone into that. and so appreciate your hard work and that of the policy
committee um for getting those policies updated and putting a lot of time into reading. >> Yeah. >> Thank you for that. >> Thank you. >> All right. Now we are to item number seven which is adjournment of our
regular school board meeting at 5:31 p.m. The regular school board meeting of Monaceel will be followed by a close session pursuant of section 13D.05. 05 subdivision 3A to evaluate the performance of the school district superintendent for midyear review. A
summary of the closed session will be provided at the January 26, 2026 regular meeting. We are now adjourned.