Richfield Public Schools — Transcript
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Summer and Extended Learning Programs
Back to School Update and Strategic Plan
Fiscal Management and Audit Policies
Legislative Update and Constitutional Amendment
Votes (6)
Policy 901 Community Education - Third Read
Dissent: None
Moved by Vice Chair Kirk Spencer [7 p.m. still] · Seconded by Director Cali Dennis [7 p.m. still]
The discussion confirmed that the proposed changes to Policy 901, primarily focused on branding, were minor since the last review. The policy defines the operational framework and purpose of the Richfield Public Schools' Community Education department.
Resolution to limit the enrollment of non-resident pupils
Dissent: None
Moved by Clerk Kendall Liss [7 p.m. still] · Seconded by Treasurer Haley Tommpkins [7 p.m. still]
Due to current enrollment exceeding projections by over 200 students and challenges in staffing, the board considered capping open enrollment for non-resident students in grades 5-12. The Superintendent explained that while he can close specific buildings or grade levels to residents, closing to non-residents district-wide requires board action. The board weighed the benefits of managing student numbers against the potential long-term loss of enrollment, and the impact of the ongoing teacher shortage.
Administrative Guidelines 651.2 School Activity Fees - Single Read
Dissent: None
Moved by Vice Chair Kirk Spencer [7 p.m. still] · Seconded by Treasurer Haley Tommpkins [7 p.m. still]
The administrative guidelines were updated to reflect current practices, particularly regarding school activity fees. Key changes included clarifications for co-op activity fees (which are set by host districts), specific fees for middle school, instrument maintenance charges, and a new policy for high school parking which requires registration but no fee, supplemented by an agreement with Oak Grove Church for overflow parking.
Policy 455 Reserve Teacher Pay Scale - Single Read
Dissent: Clerk Kendall Liss abstained from the vote, citing her role as a substitute teacher.
Moved by Director Cali Dennis [7 p.m. still] · Seconded by Vice Chair Kirk Spencer [7 p.m. still]
The HR team proposed an update to the reserve teacher pay scale to ensure competitiveness in the market for substitute teachers. The recommendation included a $5 per day increase for full days and half days, effective September 1st, 2026. The timing of the update was clarified, explaining that it is based on an annual survey of substitute rates across Minnesota districts in late summer.
Paraprofessional and Outreach Workers Collective Bargaining Agreement 2026-2028
Dissent: None
Moved by Clerk Kendall Liss [7 p.m. still] · Seconded by Treasurer Haley Tommpkins [7 p.m. still]
The board considered the proposed collective bargaining agreement for paraprofessionals and outreach workers, which unifies two bargaining units under a single agreement and salary structure. Highlights included a 2.75% salary increase per year, increased family medical insurance and VIBA contributions, adjusted longevity pay, and aligned provisions across the combined groups, such as vacation benefits, training requirements, and leave policies.
Acceptance of Donations
Dissent: None
Moved by Treasurer Haley Tommpkins [7 p.m. still] · Seconded by Vice Chair Kirk Spencer [7 p.m. still]
The board gratefully accepted several donations: school supplies for Centennial Elementary from Tech Systems, training equipment for the RHS girls' basketball team from the Richfield Spartan Foundation, and a monetary donation for the RHS Spartan Food Shelf from the Richfield High School class of '76.
Notable Quotes (5)
If we have classrooms of students and we need to add teachers, that becomes a pretty significant challenge for the system. Um, and so that's the other component is we're not always able to staff our classrooms at the level we would like when we are looking at very late hires or very late inability to hires for lack of a better description.
Um, and so there are positives and negatives to that decision. And so we'd want to weigh in and take a lot a pretty significant analysis before we decided do we want that as a regular practice or do we want to just examine it on a yearly basis.
What we found is is that even when people were paying for parking in the past, we weren't able to provide an effective patrol of the lot to ensure that people who paid were getting spots. Um, and so that was a headache. Uh, people were parking in the lot and we couldn't track who they were or were not necessarily because cars were showing up.
Every year um a part of our HR across the state of Minnesota, we complete a survey as to what our substitute rates are for the upcoming year. And so as they were being gathered early in July, early in August, there weren't a large number of substitute rates coming in from different districts. And I wanted to do we wanted to do a comparison from last year as well as this year to ensure that we're we're aligned and and still competitive.
Overall, this agreement provides competitive compensation and benefit improvements while establishing a consistent structure for the newly combined bargaining unit.
Ordinances & Resolutions (11)
Defines the purpose and function of the community education department, updated with branding changes.
Federal grant supporting extended learning and targeted services programs; Richfield secured a new 3-year grant.
The district's six-year strategic plan, also serving as the theme for the current school year, focusing on academic achievement.
Board action to cap open enrollment for non-resident students in grades 5-12 due to high enrollment and staffing challenges.
Guidelines updated to align with current practices, including details on co-op fees and zero-cost parking registration.
Policy updated to increase substitute teacher pay rates to remain competitive and attract/retain staff.
Agreement unifying two bargaining units, outlining salary increases, benefit contributions, and aligned provisions.
First read of the policy outlining the requirement for yearly financial audits, governed by state statute.
First read of the policy requiring adequate insurance coverage and appropriate record-keeping.
An amendment on the ballot supporting the permanent school fund and changing calculation methodology to provide more money to schools without raising taxes.
A tool used for monitoring student data across social, emotional, behavioral, and academic domains.