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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Zupetz remembered at ISD 2142 board meeting

Board returns to in-person meetings at school she represented

David Colburn
Posted 9/24/20

REGIONAL- Before getting down to business Tuesday, ISD 2142 School Board members observed a moment of silence to honor the memory of vice chair Lynette Zupetz, of Forbes, who died on Sept. 2 after …

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Zupetz remembered at ISD 2142 board meeting

Board returns to in-person meetings at school she represented

Posted

REGIONAL- Before getting down to business Tuesday, ISD 2142 School Board members observed a moment of silence to honor the memory of vice chair Lynette Zupetz, of Forbes, who died on Sept. 2 after battling cancer and heart issues. Zupetz was 74.

“Lynette will be missed,” board member Christine Taylor said. “She and I didn’t always vote the same or see eye to eye, but I never had a single doubt how much she loved her community and her school, and the respect she had for everybody there. Every vote that she cast was in the hopes of betterment of her community and her school.”

While Taylor was logged into the meeting via Zoom, the other members were assembled at the Cherry school, whose attendance area Zupetz represented on the board.

“I’m glad we came to Cherry school today,” member Chris Koivisto said. “For Lynette, it was an appropriate time and place to meet here.”

“She was a Cherry Tiger,” Chairman Dan Manick said. “If there was something where she felt slighted, as a board member she wasn't getting in the way of the district succeeding. But if there was ever an issue, that gal was Cherry Tiger. It'll be be tough to replace her passion.”

While selecting a replacement for vice chair would have seemed a mere formality, board member Chet Larson expressed his objection when Manick called for nominations.

“Since there's only a couple months left and you're going to reorganize in January, why bother?” Larsen said.

“I will be leaning on my vice chair between now and the first of the year,” Manick replied. “I would hate to see it empty.”

Koivisto was the sole nominee for the position and was elected on a split vote, with Larson voting nay.

Superintendent’s report

Engebritson reported that the district had been working on changes to the learning plan based on feedback received from the teacher’s union in a recent special board committee meeting. Teachers expressed concerns that the dual responsibilities of teaching in-person classes while simultaneously instructing distance learners was compromising the quality of instruction and creating “double duty” for staff because of the extra time necessary to accommodate distance learning.

“We've been looking at making some adjustments to that plan,” Engebritson said. “And so we'll be rolling out some changes. We just had our meeting today, so I'll be getting an email out to teachers tonight and rolling out details to parents. It will be improving our educational strategies and instruction to both our in-person students and to our distance learners, especially at the elementary level.”

Engebritson said that district schools will remain in the in-person learning model for now as administrators continue to monitor increases in the 14-day case average used as a benchmark for looking at changing to a hybrid model.  Across two weeks the case rate rose from 4.87 cases per 10,000 in greater St. Louis County to 13.74, above the level of 10 that would indicate changing to a hybrid model. However, state guidelines dictate that districts consider that as a starting point for discussions, and the increase has been fueled largely by cases in long-term care facilities, Engebritson said, which doesn’t pose a threat to school-age populations.

Board members questioned Engebritson about the status of possible COVID-19 cases in the district and how that information would be communicated within the district and to parents and the community. Engebritson replied that while numerous students have been sent home with symptoms of illness, the district currently has no reports of positive COVID-19 cases. Maintaining confidentiality of health information to protect the identity of any individual diagnosed in the future will be a primary factor in determining how notifications will be handled, Engebritson said.

In other business, the board:

  • Gave preliminary certification for the maximum 2021 proposed pay tax levy, with the understanding that additional work with the Department of Education is needed before establishing a final levy amount.
  • Approved a minor language change to the negotiated agreement with Education Minnesota Local 1406 related to health benefits.
  • Approved revisions to the labor agreement covering bus drivers, including a 3.5 percent pay increase across the board and adjustments to contributions to health insurance plans.
  • Approved revisions to the labor agreement covering clerical staff, including a 0.5 percent increase in base salary in year two of the agreement and a one-time $2,000 stipend, as well as adjustments to the contributions to health insurance plans.
  • Approved a memorandum of understanding to establish working procedures between the district and the Bois Forte Early Childhood Programs for preschoolers eligible for special education support.
  • Approved a purchase of service agreement with St. Louis County Public Health and Human Services detailing responsibilities, parameters, and cost-sharing for students who are in foster care placements.
  • Recalled Mary Larson as a part-time Title 1 teacher at Tower-Soudan.
  • Hired Kristin Sopoci as a part-time Title 1 teacher at North Woods.
  • Hired Lori Edstrom, Lynn Brown, Rachel Fultz, and Kelly Hams as part-time paraprofessionals at North Woods.
  • Hired Rebecca Smith as a part-time preschool teacher assistant at North Woods.
  • Hired Diane Lindland as an assistant cook at Tower-Soudan.
  • Accepted resignations from paraprofessional Jessica Hannine, preschool teaching assistant Rebecca Bundy, ECFE aide and paraprofessional Sara Niska, and ECSE paraprofessional Drayke Snidarich, all from North Woods, and paraprofessionals Cheri Seopa and Lisa Kultala and assistant cook Diane Lindland, all from Tower-Soudan.
  • Restored the prior hourly work assignments for paraprofessional and teacher aide Lori Nurmi and library assistant Chris Gabrielson, both at North Woods. Their hours had been cut as part of a districtwide action to reduce the hours of all similarly classified employees to a maximum of 26 hours per week, but the board voted Tuesday to rescind that reduction for any employees hired prior to July 1, 1999.
  • Received an update on the Cherry school expansion project from ICS project manager Nathan Norton. Fifth and sixth grades are meeting in temporary classrooms due to ongoing construction. The project is expected to be completed by mid-October.