The Saint Peter School Board met in the Governor’s Room at the community center on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, and during its annual organizational meeting elected officers, designated official depositories and vendors, set board compensation and adopted a resolution to begin budget planning for the 2025–26 school year.

The board elected Charlie Fox chair, Drew Dixon vice chair, Kate Martin clerk and Bill Kount treasurer by voice vote. The board approved a routine organizational agenda that included designating local financial institutions and investment vehicles as official depositories; the packet listed First National Bank of St. Peter, Pioneer Bank of St. Peter, Home Town Bank of St. Peter, U.S. Bank of St. Paul, Wells Fargo, South Point Financial Credit Union and the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) Investment Program.

The board also designated the St. Peter Herald as the district’s official newspaper and selected ABDU (reported in meeting materials as the auditor in current use) to continue as the district auditor. The board authorized the business manager — or her designee, typically the senior accountant — to execute wire transfers as part of routine district operations, and designated the superintendent to approve nonresident student agreements outside the open-enrollment window (administrators noted open-enrollment forms must be completed by Jan. 15).

Board pay was set as listed in the meeting materials: chair $500 per month, treasurer $400 per month, clerk $350 per month, vice chair and director positions $300 per month, and a $100-per-month stipend for members of the human resources/negotiations committee. Trustees discussed whether the HR/negotiations stipend should be paid monthly or only during active negotiations and agreed to keep it monthly to avoid administrative tracking burdens.

The board named Kennedy & Graven as primary legal counsel and identified a short list of district officials authorized to contact counsel. The board set regular meeting dates: regular board meetings on the third Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the Governor’s Room and study sessions on the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m., to be held in the high school community room (locations to be adjusted as construction and availability require).

On a recorded action, the board adopted a resolution to begin the 2025–26 budget planning process. The administration told trustees the budget plan will be developed using the board’s fund-balance goal, 2025–26 enrollment projections and anticipated state funding levels; the board will be asked on Jan. 23 to set a budget adjustment target for 2025–26. At the Jan. 6 meeting the board directed administration to return a recommended target and related materials to the business committee for review.

The meeting concluded with scheduling notes, committee assignments (including an ad hoc legislative committee), and a reminder that the MSBA leadership conference is next week; administrators asked community members to respond to the superintendent search survey on the district website (paper copies available at the district office). The board adjourned following the organizational items.

Ending: The board’s next regular meeting for January will occur on a different day this month because of a holiday; the administration noted the change and reminded the public that committee calendars and the superintendent search survey are posted on the district website.