School Board reorganizes for the year
The Butterfield-Odin Public School Board – on a 4-3 vote – took the step at their Thursday, January 21 regular board meeting, to place Superintendent Lisa Shellum on paid Administrative Leave from her 1/2 time position as superintendent and curriculum director, authorized an interim superintendent search (for two days of service a week) and rescind the motion from the Monday, January 11 special board meeting to hire a consultant to work on curriculum for the 2016-2017 school year. Shellum’s contract was for 1/2 superintendent, 1/2 principal time. Due to the large number of those attending, the meeting was moved from the Media Center to the school’s large gymnasium.
Voting in favor of the move were Board Chair Joel Penner, Board Vice-Chair Leon Wenner, Board Treasurer Andy Pierson and Board Clerk Tammy Wolle. Against the motion were Board Directors Kristy Haseman, Diane Peterson and Renae Meyer.
Pierson, who made the initial motion, said that he decided to add rescinding the board’s earlier decision to hire a consultant to help develop curriculum for the next school year, “Because any interim superintendent that is hired can assist in that process.” He also noted the need for the leave because, “The superintendent decided that she wasn’t going to work with the school board anymore.”
Peterson argued that she wants to be a good steward of the school district taxpayers’ money, and that, placing Shellum on paid leave, paying the MSBA $950 to help lead the board in the right direction in a superintendent search and to pay for an interim superintendent was not good stewardship.
Shellum will still maintain her four hours per day principal position.
Earlier in the school year, the board had voted for non-renewal of Shellum’s superintendent contract after June 30. 2016.
This board decision was made following a day-long “sit-in” by a group of approximately 80 high school students in the school’s large gymnasium in advance of the school board’s evening meeting. The protest began at 8 a.m. and continued throughout the day. Students said they wanted Shellum to remain in her superintendent’s position and/or that the four board members who comprise the majority – Joel Penner, Leon Wenner, Tammy Wolle, and Andy Pierson – to resign. They also stated that their decision to possibly return to a future “sit-in” depended on the results of the board’s action at the meeting.
B-OPS reorganizes for 2016
+ Re-elected as Board Chair was Joel Penner.
+ Re-elected as Board Vice-Chair was Leon Wenner.
+ Re-elected as Board Treasurer was Andy Pierson.
+ Re-elected as Board clerk was Tammy Wolle.
+ Official depositories named are the Triumph State Bank of Butterfield and the Odin State Bank.
+ Official newspaper is the St. James Plaindealer.
+ Agreed that releasing board minutes for publication cannot be done until approved at the next board meeting.
+ A motion to fire/terminate School District Attorney Kevin Rupp was defeated on a 3-4 vote (voting in favor were Haseman, Peterson and Meyer; voting against were Penner, Wenner, Pierson and Wolle). Rupp will remain as the school’s attorney.
In other business
+ Passed a resolution approving a School District response letter from January 14, 2016, to Superintendent Shellum. The letter, signed by Vice-Chair Wenner in the absence of Chair Penner, who was attending the Minnesota School Boards Association workshop, was drafted by School Attorney Rupp, per Shellum’s request for truthful reasons for her non-renewal. The vote to approve was 4-3, with Penner, Wenner, Pierson and Wolle voting in favor and Haseman, Peterson and Meyer against. The three board members voting against the district response did so because they had not previously seen the letter. Wenner noted that Data Privacy did not allow himself or other board members to discuss what was included in the letter. Haseman had been given approval by Shellum to read parts of the school response letter, but Wolle responded that all of the letter should be released, not just parts, so it was heard in context. Shellum had e-mailed each board member for their responses. Haseman did share her own response to Shellum, citing her good management skills, leadership and work with students.
+ Board Chair Penner addressed rumors concerning the organization of a charter school in the district with a “No. Until this rumor, I did not even know what a charter school is.”
+ Hired Steve Christensen for the Technology Integrationist position for a 20% teaching salary of $6,638, with the remainder as technology integration salary on an 11-month basis at $27,900, along with $17.50 an hour as a district bus driver.
+ Heard the committee report from the Negotiations Committee. The special board meeting on Monday, January 11 was closed to discuss negotiations and labor strategy. Haseman reported that contract language, monies for salaries and benefits for staff were all discussed.
+ Learned that the Academic Pairing Committee had met with members of the St. James Public School committee on January 6. In addition, Principal Barry Schmidt and Licensed School Counselor Tammi Samuelson met with the neighboring district on Wednesday, January 20 to continue the discussion on expanding class offerings to Butterfield-Odin Public High School (B-OHS) students traveling to attend classes at St. James Public High School. Class offerings currently include art, Spanish, agriculture and industrial arts.
+ Set the Buildings and Grounds Committee meeting for early morning on Wednesday, February 17 to go over building priorities. Among those priorities are tunnel repair on water pipes and roofing problems.
+ Heard from Superintendent Shellum in the Administration Report that, due to the passage of a building bond referendum for the St. James Public School District, changes in school start dates will affect students at B-OPS. There will be an early start to the 2016-2017 school year, followed by a late start to the 2017-2018 school year. Shellum also shared areas in which she was concerned the school district could possibly suffer without a superintendent in the building. These included the future viability of the Day Care in the building (without Shellum on staff to support the family licensure, it will have to be closed; its two employees have been reassigned within school staff), administration and teachers working without a contract since last July, staff development and other student and curriculum issues.
+ Learned that Paraprofessional Recognition Week was held January 11-15. B-OPS paraprofessional staff includes Marge Pankratz, Kim Wentzlafff, Vickie Smith, Ali Style, Ana Poplow, Kim Cantwell, Chastity Nelson, Jennifer Arreola, Kristin Whitney and M. Teresa Hernandez.
+ Heard reports from board members who attended the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) Workshop. Those attending were Peterson, Haseman, Penner and Pierson. Peterson shared that she learned that, “A school has a culture, and the school board helps set that culture.” Haseman stated that she had learned that “‘Superintendent evaluations are not required, but encouraged.” Penner’s emphasized that he learned new ways for parent involvement. Pierson’s learning curve at the workshop included that, “The MSBA supports the superintendent evaluation summary process as was done at B-OPS.”
+ Heard from Chair Penner on the superintendent search. He shared that the MSBA would do a seminar in the school district on the right procedures in searching for the new administrator at a cost of $950.
+ At the close of the meeting, during the Public Forum, several of those attending had signed up to address the board. Former board member Jonee Munning shared that, because of the decision concerning Shellum, she does not foresee there even being a school in Butterfield. She also spoke in support of the open-enrolled students into the district, along with her own daughter, a teen mom, with whom Shellum had been instrumental in helping to graduate. Shellum’s sister, Lori Urevig, stated that, “It is a tragedy what has happened here tonight.” And, to the students who were attending the board meeting, she said, “Persevere.” Recent B-OHS graduate Michael Johnson presented his personal story, one that he says had him kicked out of 13 other schools until Shellum let him in to B-OHS, and he turned his life around. He also noted that she had assisted his school-age brother and sister. “She (Shellum) has helped bad kids with things; she has done amazing things with rough children,” Johnson concluded.
