B-OPS School Board has new officers following reorganization

Half-time Interim Superintendent Stoeckman submits resignation

 

 

The Butterfield-Odin Public School (B-OPS) School Board has a new slate of officers – including some of its first-time members – following its reorganizational meeting on Monday, January 9.

On a split vote, Kristy Haseman returns as Board Chair, a position she had held in previous years, replacing Joel Penner, who was chair the past two years. Newcomer Pamela Xayaphonesongkham was elected Vice-Chair, with another first-time board member, Shannon Sykes, selected as Treasurer. Renae Meyer will serve as Clerk. Board Directors are Leon Wenner, Joel Penner and Andy Pierson.

The following board salaries were approved:

+ $50 per diem (per meeting) for up to four hours and $100 for full day.

+ $400 per year for Board Chair, Treasurer and Clerk.

Committee assignments for the 2017 Calendar Year are as follows:

+ Academic/Athletic Pairing – Haseman, Sykes and Pierson.

+ Community Education – Xayaphonesongkha and Haseman.

+ Meet & Confer – Penner and Pierson.

+ Continuing Education – Meyer.

+ Negotiations – Sykes, Meyer and Haseman.

+ Personnel – Pierson.

+ River Bend Education District – Meyer.

+ Staff Development – Haseman with Alternate, Xayaphonesongkham.

+ Building/Grounds/Health & Safety/Transportation – Pierson, Wenner and Sykes.

+ Wellness Representative – Haseman.

+ World’s Best Work Force – Entire Board.

+ Alternates for All Committees – Entire Board.

Regular monthly board meetings will be held on the fourth Monday of each month (except for December, when the board will meet on the third Monday.)

Search on for new superintendent

Board members also approved the resignation of half-time Interim Superintendent Allen Stoeckman, effective March 1.

To assist in the search to fill the position, the board approved the Minnesota School Board’s Association (MSBA) Superintendent Search at a fee of $4,000. Working with the school district will be Gary Lee of MSBA and Harold Remme of the South Central Services Cooperative.

In other business

+ Approved Triumph State Bank of Butterfield and Odin State Bank as official depositories for the school district.

+ Approved the authorization of the superintendent, treasurer and business managers to invest district monies.

+ Approved the St. James Plaindealer of St. James, Minnesota, as the official newspaper.

+ Approved for the release of school board minutes to the media after being approved at a following board meeting.

+ Learned that Kevin Rupp of Rupp, Anderson, Squires & Waldspurger, P. A., has withdrawn his services as school district attorney. School board members will meet with attorneys at next week’s Minnesota School Boards Association Convention, with the intent to select three attorneys/firms with which to hold interviews. Rupp will assist with the transition.

+ Disagreed over a motion concerning the pending lawsuit against B-OPS by former Superintendent/Principal Lisa Shellum. This final agenda component was an item added to the schedule by Haseman. That original written proposed motion would have allowed only Haseman, Meyer, Sykes and Xayaphonesongkham to speak with Gerald Bren, the Continental Western Insurance Company representative assigned to work on the Shellum lawsuit against B-OPS; the media and any other communications regarding the lawsuit. However, a motion was presented by Penner, with Wenner providing the second, that altered that language to list only the board chair and superintendent as communicators. That motion died, and the original written proposal was never moved forward into a verbal action to be addressed by board members. During discussion over this issue, Wenner cautioned Haseman over having any continued communication with Shellum, as that would portend a conflict of interest.

 

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