Winona Area school board approves personnel contract, accepts donations and advances policies; DEI committee charter trimmed

The Winona Area Public School District school board on an August meeting approved a three-year contract for office professionals, accepted more than $71,000 in donations, adopted an updated personnel policy to conform with 2024 legislative changes and discussed revisions to its DEI committee charter and fall operational plans.

Board members said the personnel contract was negotiated by the district and the union and that the agreement’s three-year cost to the district is slightly more than $454,000. Director Slavi, who served on the negotiating team, described the process as “a wonderful process and a fair agreement.” The board voted to approve the contract by voice vote; the motion carried.

The board also unanimously approved a consent agenda that included minutes and routine fiscal and human-resources items, and it accepted a package of donations totaling $71,057.46. Director Sandeman moved the donation resolution; the roll call on that motion recorded yes votes from Monica Siegfried, Michael Henreddy, Martin Stickney, Carl Sonneman, Jack Hadean and Nancy Denzer.

Why it matters: the contract affects salary and classification structure for a sizable employee group and has a measurable, though small, effect on the general fund budget; the DEI charter discussion could change the composition and function of a long-running advisory committee; enrollment and class-size projections inform staffing and bus routing for the coming school year.

Most important facts

- Office professionals contract: the board approved a three-year contract the district estimates will cost just over $454,000 over the contract term; the district said the year‑one impact to the general fund is about 0.09% above budgeted amounts. The board approved the contract by majority voice vote.

- Policy adoption (policy 5-12): the board adopted a corrected policy text the district said should have been edited following legislative changes in 2024. Superintendent Brzezinski said the MSBA model policy “had not captured the full extent of that legislative change” and that striking the paragraph was “catching up on an edit that should have been made, last summer.” The board approved the policy by voice vote.

- Donations: the board accepted donations totaling $71,057.46. Major items listed in the agenda packet included $49,308.67 through the WAVS Foundation for the SAC fund and Miller mentoring costs; $10,000 via a BK 5K grant for swimming equipment; $5,000 from the Winona Community Foundation for middle-school PE equipment; $4,743.33 from WMS PTO for field trip and rally-day expenses; $1,705.46 for PTA field-trip busing; and smaller gifts including $200 to the Pinot Club and $100 to the trap team.

- DEI committee charter: board members discussed a proposed reduction in committee size and term lengths and debated quorum language. The draft reduces total membership from 21 to 14, trims board membership from three to two, reduces district staff spots from six to three and lowers community members from nine to six while keeping three student seats. The draft shortens community-member term lengths from three years to two and recommends aligning community-member terms with the calendar year.

- First reading: overdose-medication policy (5-16.5). The board received a first reading and a recommendation from board operations to add optional language (a paragraph identified as optional under 2025 legislative changes). Superintendent Brzezinski summarized health‑staff input that an opioid antagonist would not cause harm if administered when not needed and noted nasal spray is the typical formulation.

- Operational items ahead of school start: the board reviewed elementary-class projections and fall workshop and orientation schedules. Superintendent Gordon said enrollment numbers were current as of Aug. 13 and noted the district was monitoring kindergarten enrollment; nearly 60 families participated in a recent two-day kindergarten camp. A few class sections were near targets; one third-grade projection showed 22 students in three sections against a cited target range of 23–26.

What the board decided and next steps

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (minutes, fiscal affairs, human resources): approved by voice vote.

- Policy 5-12 (action item; corrected text following 2024 legislative change): motion passed by voice vote; outcome recorded as motion carries (no roll-call names were recorded in the transcript for this vote).

- Office professionals collective-bargaining agreement (three years): motion passed by voice vote; the district reported the package increase totals approximately $454,000 over three years and a 10.49% package increase overall.

- Donation resolution (accepting last month’s donations totaling $71,057.46): approved by roll call; recorded yes votes included Monica Siegfried, Michael Henreddy, Martin Stickney, Carl Sonneman, Jack Hadean and Nancy Denzer.

Items discussed, not decided

- DEI committee charter: board discussion centered on reducing committee size to improve participation, aligning community-member terms with the calendar year, simplifying staff appointments to “appointed by the superintendent or designee,” and changing quorum language so meetings are feasible when membership has been hard to fill. The board directed additional work on the charter and plans to bring it back for action at a future meeting.

- Overdose-medication policy (5-16.5): presented as a first reading; board operations recommended adding optional statutory language. The board asked for time to consider the recommendation before action.

Other context and follow-up

- Superintendent evaluation: the board reported a positive evaluation and said goals will be set for the coming year; the written evaluation will be included in human-resources files and is on BoardDocs.

- Reconfiguration and logistics: staff reported ongoing adjustments to class lists and bus routes and noted final preparations by maintenance and IT staff. Superintendent Gordon said bus routes and class lists are often adjusted after school starts.

- Closed session: the board said it would move to a closed session under Minnesota Statute 13D.03 for negotiation strategy with the Winona Education Association; the meeting will reconvene only to adjourn.

Quotes

“I move to approve the donation resolution, accepting last month’s donations.” — Director Sandeman during the donations motion.

“We were alerted … this spring that the MSBA model policy had not captured the full extent of that legislative change. … This is catching up on an edit that should have been made, last summer.” — Superintendent Brzezinski, explaining the policy change adopted as action item 5-12.

Meeting wind-down

Board members and the superintendent highlighted the recent kindergarten camp and invited board members to attend the all-staff welcome and other fall events. The board scheduled its next regular meeting after the start of school; the district will return the DEI committee charter and policy items for later action.