REGIONAL- When the 2020-21 school year kicks off, John Jirik will have to take a new route to work, as the ISD 2142 school board on Tuesday approved hiring him as full-time assistant principal for Tower-Soudan Elementary School.
Jirik has been dean of students, activities director, and football coach at North Woods, but is leaving all those behind to devote his full attention to overseeing Tower-Soudan, said Superintendent Reggie Engebritson.
Tower-Soudan has had a part-time shared principal arrangement with either Northeast Range or North Woods for many years, Engebritson said, with that individual coming to Tower-Soudan one day a week. Engebritson said she felt the school would benefit from a full-time administrator.
“Having an administrator there every day can provide more support to the staff and students,” she said. “There are a lot of needs at Tower-Soudan and the staff are very close knit and do an awesome job. They all have full plates and having an administrator there every day will help provide additional support.”
Engebritson said Jirik was among five people who interviewed for the position and came out on top because of his experience at North Woods, his ties to the area, and his established relationships with some of the staff at Tower-Soudan.
“John’s presence here at North Woods will certainly be missed,” Principal John Vukmanich said. “In addition to his several roles, he also had a wealth of experience in working with teachers as a peer coach, bringing with him his knowledge from being a former social studies teacher. What I’ve appreciated most about him is his ability to show extreme patience in working with students.”
Vukmanich gave a nod to Jirik’s long service to the district, beginning at Orr in 1991, and to his success as football coach at North Woods.
Distance learning
Gov. Tim Walz’s announcement last week that schools would remain closed and distance education would continue through the end of the year was anticipated, but ISD 2142 board members remotely attending Tuesday’s regular meeting were interested in getting an answer about what ongoing COVID-19 accommodations could mean for the summer.
As part of Walz’s then-temporary order March 15 to close classrooms, he also directed schools to continue providing meal service and to offer child care to children of healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential workers. Superintendent Reggie Engebritson told board members those special accommodations could continue.
“There’s a rumor out there that we may be having to provide childcare and food throughout the summer,” Engebritson said. “It’s just rumblings or implications, but no final word from the governor.”
Board member Chris Koivisto questioned how the programs would be paid for, asking whether money for the programs would come from the state or the district’s coffers. Business manager Kim Johnson said the district would receive money based on the number of Title I students the district serves for COVID-19-related expenses since the beginning of school closures, but it isn’t known at this time if those funds would be used to cover summer expenses or if the state will step in.
Johnson also said that while the district stands to lose some revenue from things like canceled sporting events, those would be offset by other savings resulting from the move to distance education, such as not having to pay for substitutes.
“Our finances are in pretty good shape,” she said.
Board member Chet Larson raised a concern about the county holding back funds they send to the district. Johnson responded that she had communicated with the county to let them know that the district needed the transfer by July to accommodate district bond payments. She also said that the district wouldn’t be receiving $150,000 to $160,000 in tax forfeiture money because of a change in the county’s accounting practices.
Engebritson talked about upcoming graduation ceremonies, all but ruling out traditional commencements in gyms. An alternative being considered is to have a “drive through” graduation, she said. Students would drive up to receive diplomas and be recognized individually and then line their vehicles up in a fashion that would allow them to step out of the cars and collectively toss their caps while remaining at a safe distance. She also said they were looking into possibilities for broadcasting the ceremonies by radio to be heard by those attending.
“We’re doing our best to provide something that’s memorable and special and still apply the safety rules,” Engebritson said.
Other business
In other business, the board:
• Approved personnel actions to administratively terminate 15 full and part-time probationary teachers and place five additional part-time teachers on unrequested leaves of absence. The actions are an annual end-of-the-year procedure related to specific funding sources and certification requirements, Engebritson said. As funding is renewed and enrollment determined for next year, staff dismissed now are eligible to be considered for re-filling similar positions next fall.
• Hired Crystal Scofield as a full-time secretary at North Woods.
• Heard a progress report on construction at Cherry presented by Nathan Norton of ICS Consulting.
• Approved agreements with the teachers union for increased compensation of up to $2,000 per year for Tower Elementary teachers who are assigned to teach two grades of students during a single class period; to permit a pilot program at South Ridge for elementary prep time for teachers; and to modify the involuntary transfer procedure to accommodate remote conferencing due to the novel coronavirus.
• Took no action on the second reading of proposed wellness and unpaid meal charges policies.