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Board approves staffing and program adjustments to meet budget, 5–2 vote
Summary
The Long Prairie-Grey Eagle School Dist board approved a package of staffing and program changes — including eliminating an instructional coach, adding special education and ESL positions and reducing junior high/junior varsity athletic schedules — directing administration to reassign affected staff and report back.
The Long Prairie-Grey Eagle School Dist board on a 5–2 roll-call vote approved a set of staffing and program changes intended to produce budget savings for the 2026–27 school year.
The motion, introduced by the presiding officer, directed administration to "implement the following staffing and program adjustments for the 26 7 school year: Eliminate the instructional coach assignment and add 1 elementary special ed teaching position with reassignment of affected staffing as appropriate; reduce 3 program paraprofessional positions and 1 wind teacher position and add 1 elementary ESL position and 1 secondary ESL position with reassignment of affected staff as appropriate; direct administration to identify and implement reductions in junior high and junior varsity athletic schedules for the purpose of budget reduction." The Chair called a roll and announced the motion carried 5–2.
Board members raised questions about who would absorb duties formerly handled by the instructional coach and whether eliminating that position would increase costs for substitute coverage. One committee member asked, "Who's gonna do all of these duties?" and another warned that consolidating responsibilities could create a "snowball" effect of unpaid or undone work.
A district staff speaker said duties would be reassigned at the administration level and noted the district could return to preexisting coverage practices: "We'll divvy them up at the administration level. We didn't have the position before it was created. We will go back to what we were doing before it existed." The same staff speaker described problems with the district's substitute vendor and a placement platform, saying the district is examining options to run the Red Rover system itself or hire part-time help to manage placements.
The board asked administration to provide a report on the reassignments and implementation progress at the next meeting.
Votes at roll call were recorded as: Tom — yes; Chuck — yes; Lisa — no; Laurie — yes; Jeremiah — yes; Tanya — no; Linda — yes.
