Community education awarded $202,000 grant

During their regular Oct. 21 meeting, NRHEG school board members were informed a grant application submitted last spring by staff members Macy Whiteside and Angie Aaseth was awarded $202,000 under a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice to increase school safety.

 

Aaseth and Whiteside told board members NRHEG is one of only three schools in Minnesota to have been awarded grant money, and one of 203 schools nationwide. They went on to say the terms of the grant allow money to be spent on “nearly anything that improves school safety,” and they will be continuing to study stipulations and possibilities over the next few months to work toward an overall plan as to how the district can best benefit from the funds.

 

The accounting firm Abdo presented a “clean” summary of its required audit of the 2023-’24 school year financial management practices. According to the firm’s professional analysis, the district places a lower tax burden on its residents than many other districts of a similar size because it does not use an “operating levy,” that is, it does not ask area taxpayers for funds to meet everyday expenses such as utilities, transportation and wages.

 

The district also managed to exceed its policy of maintaining a “fund balance” between 22 and 28 percent, actually achieving numbers in the 30- to 36-percent range. A fund balance is money kept in reserve so that, if other sources of revenue are not delivered on time, the school can continue operations without interruption. The district’s annual operating budget in 2024 was set at about $13 million, which means nearly $4 million are currently not scheduled to be spent.

 

The results of the school board’s recent review of school superintendent Michael Meihak’s job performance over the past year were shared. School board chair Rick Schultz summarized that the evaluation focused on areas including communication, creating a welcoming environment, managing finances and promoting growth. He stated Meihak meets or exceeds the expectations in all categories, and mentioned promoting the district at county fairs and on a weekly update the superintendent provides.

 

Secondary principal Grant Berg reported during his administrative summary that a committee has been formed to consider ways to modify parent teacher conferences so that more parents will choose to attend. Berg estimated 10 percent or so of parents took part in October conferences. He cited that parents can easily monitor their childrens’ grades online as an important contributing factor to low attendance. “We have a group that is very interested in finding ways to improve this,” said Berg.

 

Student travel, including the fifth-graders’ trip to Eagle Bluff learning center near Lanesboro, and the FFA trip to the national convention in Indiana, were mentioned. Elementary principal Craig Kopetzke stated he was impressed and please with the teamwork and group bonding exercises at Eagle Bluff, and expressed his gratitude to the donors, staff, volunteers and parents who helped make the trip possible.