School board members received briefings on the Minnesota paid-leave program, the district’s first-quarter financials, the HVAC project status and ongoing contract negotiations.

District staff described the Minnesota paid-leave program that takes effect Jan. 1, 2026. The program provides paid leave for health and family care, with combined benefit entitlement of up to 20 weeks (district staff said the program is primarily structured as a 12-week paid leave for typical cases). Funding is through payroll deductions: staff said employees will see a 0.44% payroll deduction and the district will pay a matching 0.44% employer share. The staff presenter said the district is working to finalize communications and implementation details before the January start date.

The board discussion noted that paid leave will be state-administered and paid on a sliding scale tied to income. “It’s a percentage of your income,” the presenter said, explaining lower-income employees receive a higher replacement percentage than higher-income employees. The presenter clarified the paid-leave benefit is paid through the state program; the district pays into the fund but does not directly continue employees’ regular pay while they are on leave.

On finance, staff member Jason presented the district’s budget comparison for the first quarter. He reported the general fund had received about 16% of its annual revenue, similar to the prior year, and that expenses were slightly under budget. Food service revenue and expenses were running behind the prior year (food service revenue about 4% of annual vs. 7% prior year; district spending about 6% of annual expenses compared with 12% the prior year). The community service fund showed roughly 29% of annual revenue year-to-date. Jason said the district is finalizing fiscal 2025 financials with auditors and expects to present them to the board for acceptance in December.

Facilities work on the HVAC project is near completion, staff said. The district approved invoices of roughly $780,000 related to the project at the consent agenda and staff reported about $1.3 million remains on the project bond; officials described the larger program as a multi‑million-dollar bond package that is nearing final payouts as contractors complete commissioning and remaining fixes (staff identified a delay on tubing in the library media center expected to be resolved in a few weeks).

On labor negotiations, the board was updated on multiple bargaining units. The district reported settlements with clerical staff (7.37%) and custodial staff (7.2%). Negotiations with paraprofessionals are ongoing; the board said most language issues are resolved and money remains to be negotiated. The teachers’ bargaining team presented a financial proposal described in the meeting as a 2% increase in each of two years; according to board remarks that proposal would bring the teachers’ total across-term increase to about 9.86% as stated during negotiations, while the district said its current increase is about 8.86%. The teachers proposed mediation to resolve financial items and the board indicated it was willing to proceed with mediation if the union files for it.

Board members also received updates on strategic planning and committee meetings: the strategic planning committee reviewed stakeholder survey results and will finalize draft core values, mission/vision statements and a portrait of a graduate before drafting goals; committee meetings on bargaining and policy were scheduled in early November. The board noted the district also participated in a Stearns County parent/guardian needs survey and that the district had nominees for the regional Leaders in Education Excellence awards.

No formal board policy changes or labor agreements were finalized at the meeting; the board directed staff to continue preparations for paid leave implementation, to complete fiscal-year closings with auditors and to continue bargaining and mediation talks as needed.