School Board Organizational Meeting Minutes

March 10, 2025

School Board Organizational Meeting

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

5:30 PM - ITV Room

Members Present: Boyd Johnson (Chair), Robyn Sonstegard (Vice Chair), Jerem Haack (Clerk), Craig Severs (Treasurer), Kayla Johnson (Director), Nathan Hayes (Director)

Members Absent:

Call to Order by Chair Johnson at 5:31 PM.

Pledge of Allegiance

Swearing in of District 1 School Board Member Craig Severs, District 2 School Board Member Boyd Johnson, District 3 School Board Member Nate Hayes, and District 5 School Board Member Kayla Johnson - Acceptance of Oath of Office.

Agenda

Motion by Jerem Haack second by _Robyn Sonstegard_ to approve the agenda.

SeversYea, B. Johnson Yea, Hayes Yea, Sonstegard Yea, K. Johnson Yea, Haack Yea Motion passes (6-0)

Election of Officers

I’ll open the floor for nominations for Board Chair.

a. Jerem Haack nominates Boyd Johnson for Board Chair

Vote: Severs votes Yea for B. Johnson , B. Johnson votes Yea for B. Johnson , Hayes votes Yea for B. Johnson , Sonstegard votes Yea for B. Johnson , K. Johnson votes Yea for B. Johnson , Haack votes Yea for B. Johnson

Boyd Johnson received a majority of the votes cast and is elected Chair.

(The new Chair takes over the meeting following the vote on Board Chair.)

I’ll open the floor for nominations for Board Vice Chair.

b. Jerem Haack nominates Robyn Sonstegard for Board Vice Chair

Votes: Severs votes Yea for Sonstegard , B. Johnson votes Yea for Sonstegard , Hayes votes Yea for Sonstegard , Sonstegard votes Yea for Sonstegard , K. Johnson votes Yea for Sonstegard , Haack votes Yea for Sonstegard

Robyn Sonstegard received a majority of the votes cast and is elected Vice Chair.”

I’ll open the floor for nominations for Clerk.

c. Boyd Johnson nominates Jerem Haack for Clerk

Votes: Severs votes Yea for Haack , B. Johnson votes Yea for Haack , Hayes votes Yea for Haack , Sonstegard votes Yea for Haack , K. Johnson votes Yea for Haack , Haack votes Yea for Haack

Jerem Haack received a majority of the votes cast and is elected Clerk.”

I’ll open the floor for nominations for Treasurer.

d. Jerem Haack nominates Craig Severs for Clerk

Votes: Severs votes Yea for Severs , B. Johnson votes Yea for Severs , Hayes votes Yea for Severs , Sonstegard votes Yea for Severs , K. Johnson votes Yea for Severs , Haack votes Yea for Severs___

Craig Severs received a majority of the votes cast and is elected Treasurer.”

6. Meeting Dates/Times for 2025

Motion by Robyn Sonstegard second by Craig Severs to set meeting dates for 2025 as presented (all Working Session @ 6:00 PM, Regular Meeting @ 7:00 PM in ITV Room):

February 24, March 24, April 28, May 19, June 23, July 28, August 25, September 22, October 27, November 24, December 15. Motion passes (6-0)

7. Designation, Authorization, Appointments

a. Financial Institutes & Depositories: Motion by Kayla Johnson second by Robyn Sonstegard to name Border Bank, US Bank, Wells Fargo Bank, Minnesota Trust and MSDLAF as designated depositories. Motion passes (6-0)

b. Chief Financial Officer with Authorization: Motion by Robyn Sonstegard second by Kayla Johnsonto designate the Superintendent as Chief Financial Officer of the District with authorization to pay bills in advance. Motion passes (6-0)

c. Authorization of Electronic Transfers: Motion by Robyn Sonstegard second by Craig Severs to authorize Superintendent and Business Manager to make Official District Electronic Transfers. Motion passes (6-0)

d. Legal Counsel: Motion by Kayla Johnson second by Robyn Sonstegard to appoint Pemberton Law Firm as legal counsel for the School District for 2025. Motion passes (5-1)

e. School Board Compensation: Motion by Jerem Haack second by Nate Hayes to set Board Compensation for 2025 at $75.00 per meeting, Board Chair at $100.00 per Board Meeting. Motion passes (4-2)

f. Official Newspaper: Motion by Kayla Johnson second by Nate Hayes to name The Northern Light Region as the official newspaper for the school district. Motion passes (6-0)

g. Mileage Allowance: Motion by Robyn Sonstegard second by Craig Severs to set the mileage reimbursement rate for 2025 at the IRS rate of $0.70, or $0.19 per mile if personal vehicle is used by choice. Motion passes (6-0)

h. Meal Allowance: Motion by Jerem Haack second by Robyn Sonstegard to set meal allowance for 2025 at $50.00 per day. Motion passes (6-0)

8. Committee Assignments

Motion by Robyn Sonstegard second by Jerem Haack to make Committee Assignments for 2025 as presented.

Appointments:

Human Rights Officer (1): Jerem Haack
BRIC Board Representative (1): Nate Hayes

MSHSL Representative (1): _Kayla Johnson

Labor Negotiations:

Certified/Classified Staff (3): Kayla Johnson, Jerem Haack, Robyn Sonstegard

Non-Certified Staff (3): Nate Hayes, Boyd Johnson, Craig Severs

Committees:

Activities & Community Education & Wellness (2): Robyn Sonstegard, Jerem Haack

Budget and Finance (3): Boyd Johnson, Robyn Sonstegard, Kayle Johnson