Northfield board holds organizational meeting; elects officers, affirms schedule and stipends
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Summary
At its organizational meeting, the Northfield Public School District Board elected Claudia Gonzales George as chair, Corey Butler as vice chair, Maggie Epstein as clerk and Amy as treasurer; the board approved a 2026 meeting schedule starting at 6 p.m., maintained board stipends ($4,000; chair $5,000) and reviewed several policies and a 2019 resolution on combined clerk/treasurer duties.
The Northfield Public School District Board of Education convened its organizational meeting and completed routine business Monday, swearing in members and electing officers before briefly adjourning for a recess.
Claudia Gonzales George was elected board chair after being the only nomination. Following the voice vote, she said, "I accept, and I am, exceptionally proud to continue to be your chair," and thanked colleagues and Dr. Hillman. Corey Butler was elected vice chair, Maggie Epstein was elected clerk after Amy Epstein rescinded her nomination, and Amy was elected treasurer.
The board approved its meeting calendar for January 2026 through January 2027, setting regular meetings to begin at 6 p.m. in the district boardroom on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, with some exceptions. The acting chair said the schedule is detailed in the memorandum included in the board packet.
Members also corrected a typographical error in the stipend language and voted to maintain stipends with the corrected wording. As read aloud during the meeting, "instead of reading 4,000 annually $330 a month for the monthly stipend to board members, it should just read $4,000 a year, and the board chair section should read $5,000 a year." That corrected language was approved by voice vote.
The consent agenda passed without items removed. Under informational items, the board reviewed Policy 203 (operations/bylaws), Policy 209 (code of ethics) and Policy 206 (public participation), with members reminded to consult the packet posted on the district website for full text. The acting chair also summarized a previously approved resolution (roll call on 01/14/2019) that authorizes the board to combine the duties of clerk and treasurer in the finance office; the resolution names Director of Finance Val Murdersdorf as the designee to perform those duties until the board appoints another person.
The acting chair reviewed statutory guidance on remote participation, noting that remote participants must be visible and audible to others, at least one board member must be physically present at the regular meeting site, votes must be conducted by roll call when required, and minutes must state the names of remote participants and reasons for appearing remotely. Workshop dates for January 29, April 2 and July 27 at 5 p.m. were also announced.
The organizational meeting adjourned; the board recessed for a brief five-minute break before the regular meeting.