Board approves agenda, consent items, Spanish trip, 2025‑26 calendar, ESY pay MOU and foundation grant

The New Prague Area Schools Board of Education recorded a series of motions and formal approvals at its March 24 meeting, including a student trip to Spain, the 2025‑26 district calendar and a pay change for extended school year (ESY) staff.

Votes and outcomes

- Approval of agenda: Motion moved and seconded; board voted "aye." Outcome: approved.

- Approval of consent agenda: Motion moved and seconded; board voted "aye." Outcome: approved.

- Appointment of Anne Christie to a board vacancy: The board announced that, following an earlier 5:00 p.m. candidate interview session on the same day, it had voted to appoint Anne Christie to the open school board seat. The portion of the record provided to the board meeting states the board "took a vote and we approved to have Anne Christie be our new replacement." No mover/second or roll‑call was recorded in the public portion of the transcript. Outcome: approved (appointment announced).

- Approval of Spanish class trip to Spain (June 10–22, 2025): Motion moved and seconded; board voted "aye." Outcome: approved. Key details presented to the board: the trip is organized through CETA Tours; 25 paying participants (16 New Prague students, 3 New Prague teachers and 6 parent chaperones); per‑student cost $4,469; trip includes round‑trip airfare from Minnesota, in‑country motor coach travel, hotel accommodations, two daily meals (breakfast and supper) and itinerary admissions. The board noted the trip is fully funded by participant fees and chaperones are unpaid volunteers (teachers attending as part of the group were not paid for trip days).

- Approval of 2025‑26 district calendar (pre‑Labor Day start): Motion moved and seconded; board voted "aye." Outcome: approved. The board noted the state approved the district’s pre‑Labor Day start flexible learning plan for three academic years and the calendar is intended to allow the school year to end before Memorial Day.

- Approval of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for extended school year (ESY) pay: Motion moved and seconded; board voted "aye." Outcome: approved. The MOU sets a minimum hourly pay of $35 for staff who teach ESY (bringing ESY pay in line with the district’s targeted‑services summer hourly rate). District staff estimated the incremental cost would be modest — likely in the low‑thousands — because the change affects relatively few early‑career special‑education teachers; staff estimated ESY teacher counts of roughly 8–10 overall and that the MOU would change pay for maybe 1–4 positions this year.

- Approval of New Prague Area Education Foundation grant: Motion moved and seconded; board voted "aye." Outcome: approved. The grant, presented to the board by staff, will fund a classroom learning tool; dollar amount and specific equipment details were provided in the board packet (not read in full during the meeting summary).

- Adjournment: Motion moved and seconded; board voted "aye." Outcome: meeting adjourned.

Process notes and attributions

Votes taken during the March 24 meeting were generally conducted by voice vote after motions were moved and seconded. Where recorded, the board’s public comments show unanimous "aye" responses; no roll‑call tallies with individual yes/no votes were read into the public transcript for the actions above. The board also emphasized that the Spanish trip is funded by participant fees, that chaperones are unpaid and that teachers attending receive no additional compensation for travel days.

Ending

The board’s recorded approvals clear routine business and allow the district to proceed with the approved trip, calendar and summer staffing plan; the appointment of Anne Christie was announced as decided earlier in a candidate interview session and will be reflected in board records.