Columbia Heights School District — Transcript
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
School Board Member Swearing-in and Orientation
Election of School Board Officers
Establishment of Board Procedures and Appointments
Financial Authorizations and Legal Counsel Designations
Administrative Appointments
Votes (16)
Election of School Board Chair
Dissent: None
Moved by Mary Granin [0:12:54] · Seconded by Not required
The floor was opened for nominations for the School Board Chair. Member Mary Granin nominated herself. With no other nominations, the nominations were closed.
Election of School Board Vice Chair
Dissent: None
Moved by Laura Palmer [0:14:10] · Seconded by Not required
Nominations were sought for the Vice Chair position. Member Laura Palmer nominated herself. As the sole nominee, nominations were closed.
Election of School Board Clerk
Dissent: None
Moved by Michelle Pway [0:15:17] · Seconded by Not required
The board proceeded to elect its Clerk. Member Michelle Pway nominated herself. No other nominations were put forward.
Election of School Board Treasurer
Dissent: None
Moved by Julie Holm [0:16:18] · Seconded by Not required
Nominations for the Treasurer position were opened. Member Julie Holm nominated herself, and no other candidates were presented.
Appointment of Parliamentarian and Adoption of Robert's Rules of Order
Dissent: None
Moved by Mary Granin [0:18:20] · Seconded by Julie Holm [0:18:32]
The board discussed adopting the 12th edition of Robert's Rules of Order, newly revised, using the 11th edition until the 12th becomes available. Jessica Maderas, who historically served as Parliamentarian, accepted reappointment to the role.
Setting Meeting Dates and Times
Dissent: None
Moved by Julie Holm [0:21:40] · Seconded by Laura Palmer [0:21:44]
The board reviewed its current meeting schedule, which includes regular board meetings on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month at 6 p.m. (with exceptions for July and December) and work sessions on the 3rd Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. A motion was made to continue this schedule.
Appointment of Board Representatives to Standing Committees and Liaisons
Dissent: None
Moved by Julie Holm [0:55:50] · Seconded by Jessica Maderas [0:55:54]
The board appointed members to various roles including MSBA Legislative Liaison, Bright Works (Metro XU), Minnesota State High School League, Northeast Metro Intermediate District 916 Board, city liaisons (Columbia Heights, Fridley, Hilltop), Policy Subcommittee, Community Engagement Subcommittee, Association of Metropolitan School Districts (AMSD), and the Columbia Heights Business Council. Discussions involved clarifying the responsibilities of each role, especially for new board members, and ensuring alignment of liaisons (e.g., Fridley city liaison and North Park school liaison).
Appointment of Liaisons to Schools (Effective July 1, 2025)
Dissent: None
Moved by Jessica Maderas [1:02:40] · Seconded by Michelle Pway [1:02:50]
Board members were appointed as liaisons to individual schools within the district, effective for the next school year (July 1, 2025, through January 6, 2026). The appointments included liaisons for Columbia Heights High School, Columbia Academy, Highland, North Park, Valley View, and the Family Center.
Appointment of Mentor to the New Board Member
Dissent: None
Moved by Mary Granin [1:05:30] (implied by chair's lead) · Seconded by Not explicitly stated, but consensus reached
The board discussed the importance and responsibilities of a mentor for a new board member, outlining a formal checklist and the expectation of regular communication. Laura Palmer volunteered and was appointed as the mentor for Karina Smith.
Salaries and Per Diem for Board Members
Dissent: None
Moved by Laura Palmer [1:08:10] · Seconded by Jessica Maderas [1:08:20]
The board approved the 2025 salaries for all board members at $500 per month, with an additional $100 per month for the Chair. Per diem payments for approved meetings were set at up to $50 for four hours or less, and up to $100 for over four hours. Discussion highlighted that these rates had not increased in many years and that the board's work demands were significant compared to other districts.
Designation of Depositories Resolution
Dissent: None
Moved by Mary Granin [1:13:00] (motion to adopt resolution) · Seconded by Not explicitly stated, but passed via roll call vote
Director of Finance and Operations Brian Henkin presented the annual resolution designating depositories for district funds. Northeast Bank serves as the main bank, with US Bank, Med Slav, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and PMA Financial Network used for various purposes like direct deposits, trust accounts, PE cards, and investments.
Electronic Transfer Designees
Dissent: None
Moved by Julie Holm [1:16:40] · Seconded by Karina Smith [1:16:50]
Director Henkin requested authorization for himself and Deputy Director of Finance Kate Wesper to process electronic transfers for payroll and other payments. This authorization is crucial for daily financial operations.
Designation of Legal Counsel and Contracts
Dissent: None
Moved by Laura Palmer [1:19:00] · Seconded by Michelle Pway [1:19:10]
The board designated Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney PA (specifically Margaret Skelton, Joseph Langle, and Laura Tubs Booth) as its primary legal counsel and Andrea Hehekey of Dorsey & Whitney LLP for specialized bond and operating levy questions. The discussion clarified that while specific attorneys are named, the firms generally provide support.
Authorization for Superintendent and Director of Finance and Operations to Lease, Purchase, and Contract Goods and Services
Dissent: None
Moved by Julie Holm [1:24:00] · Seconded by Karina Smith [1:24:05]
The board granted authorization to the Superintendent and Director of Finance and Operations to lease, purchase, and contract for goods and services within the approved budget, up to a limit of $175,000 per transaction, as stipulated by Minnesota Statute Section 123B.52 Subdivision 2. A past concern about the $175,000 limit being low due to inflation was noted.
Designation of Election Clerk
Dissent: None
Moved by Karina Smith [1:25:50] · Seconded by Michelle Pway [1:25:55]
The board formally appointed Stephanie Alvarez as the election clerk for the district. The appointment was acknowledged with appreciation for the work involved.
Designation of Official Newspaper
Dissent: None
Moved by Laura Palmer [1:28:40] · Seconded by Michelle Pway [1:28:45]
Director Stunkle recommended 'The Life' as the official newspaper for 2025, citing that it was the only publication to submit a bid and covers the entire school district, aligning with Minnesota Statute 331A.02. Challenges with 'The Nor'Easter' included its limited distribution area and bi-weekly publication frequency, which posed issues for timely notices.
Notable Quotes (11)
Robert's Rules of Order newly revised... if you look on the table the books that we have are not technically the newly revised Edition these are addition 11 newly revised as 12 so they are on order and we will have them.
This school is actually designed for students with autism so it it was a it was a um a lot of um input from from um teachers and from student being able to create an environment where um that is Freer from distractions so that they're able to learn a little bit better.
AMSD is essentially um an organization that all of the Metro area districts are a part of they serve as our lobbyist as well at the state capital they do a lot of legislative work.
The mentor would need to go through that and it shows what the executive assistant does what the superintendent does and what the mentor should be doing on that list.
I would just like to point out that we're very competitive across districts in the in the area so I wouldn't say that this is more than any other District really is is paying out and we do work really hard on this board and have more meetings than most districts do so um I think we're being very frugal with this budget.
Thanks to the community we have a lot of our general like the um the why am I blanking on Levy thank you operating Levy uh was tied to inflation this is not this has not tied to inflation.
Andrea HEI has always been our legal council specifically for um when we're doing uh Bond questions or operating Levy question s um um out to the community.
I think your first organizational meeting Julie you had questions about that amount and wondered if that was actually um very low like a very low burden so and so realizing now that this is in statute so it's not something we can really change or move upward which is I think the state needs to do that considering it's been there a long time.
I know some it's a lot of work I was going to say I really appreciate doing that Ro you Stephanie.
The life was the only publication that submitted um a bid uh the life is also the only publication that covers the entirety of our school School District.
The other piece of information that I'll share is that the life is weekly whereas the north Easter is every other week uh which makes it a little bit challenging for us to get some of the notifications in on time for that to be able to be posted um in a publication that doesn't have the frequency.
Ordinances & Resolutions (4)
The parliamentary procedure manual officially adopted by the board, with the 11th edition currently in use until the 12th arrives.
An annual resolution designating financial institutions for district monies and investments.
State statute addressing the superintendent and business manager's authority to lease, purchase, and contract for goods and services up to $175,000.
State statute governing the selection of the official legal publication for the school district.