ISD 191 board approves coach pay changes and unaffiliated terms, adopts three ULA resolutions and discusses raising OPED equity cap

The ISD 191 Board of Education approved several personnel and contract actions on May 14 and debated a proposed investment‑policy change for its OPEB/OPED trust.

Personnel and contract votes

Executive Director Stacy Sovine explained the rationale for removing coaches governed by the Minnesota State High School League from the BEA master contract and having pay rates set by the athletic director to remain competitive with neighboring districts. The board approved the recommended coach pay rates after Director Hume moved the motion and Director Anderson seconded it.

Superintendent Dr. Daniels and Sovine presented updated 2025‑27 terms and conditions for 101 unaffiliated specialists and confidential supervisory employees (biennial review, pay equity compliance). The board approved the proposed language.

On the personnel front, Sovine introduced three proposed, identical resolutions to place continuing‑contract teachers Amanda Jensen, Nikia Dunbar and Rebecca Beesman on unrequested leave of absence (1.0 FTE) effective at the end of the 2025‑26 school year, citing discontinuance of position, financial limitations and declining enrollment. Notices had been sent in April and the staff reported no written hearing requests in the 14‑day response window. Director Mickelson read the resolution and the board adopted all three resolutions by roll call (six in favor, none opposed); the clerk recorded the roll call responses.

The board also approved readoption of the QC Comp memorandum of understanding (formerly Propay) with revisions (name changes, reduction of continuous improvement coaches from eight to five, observation and eligibility updates) and approved changes to policy 515 (protection and privacy of student records) and regulation 691R on first reading.

OPED/OPEB trust work session and policy discussion

In a later work session, Director of Finance Tyler Dany reported the district’s OPED trust balance had risen to about $12.1 million in April versus an actuarial estimate of roughly $4.6 million in projected retiree insurance liability. PTMA Financial Solutions consultant Cedric Bjerman said the trust appears overfunded (roughly 241% of the liability in the cited study) and recommended gradually increasing the trust’s equity allocation from about 30% toward a moderate target of 55% given the long duration of the liability (approximately 14 years), with phased adjustments tied to future actuarial reviews.

Dany noted current district policy (705.2) limits equity exposure to about 31%; changing that cap would require a policy revision. Board members expressed caution about increasing risk immediately and generally supported updating the policy to permit a higher equity allocation while deferring any actual reallocation until the next actuarial review and after staged changes and further analysis.

Votes at a glance

- Approve meeting agenda: motion moved by Director Worb, seconded by Director Hume — passed. - Consent agenda: approved en bloc — passed. - Approve coach pay rates for 2026‑27: moved by Director Hume, seconded by Director Anderson — passed. - Adopt 2025‑27 terms for unaffiliated employees: moved by Director Hume, seconded by Director Worb — passed. - Adopt three ULA resolutions (Amanda Jensen, Nikia Dunbar, Rebecca Beesman): read and moved; roll call vote 6‑0 — adopted; effective June 5, 2026. - Approve QC Comp MOU (2026‑27): moved by Director Mickelson, seconded by Director Saxi/Saxy — passed. - Policy 515 and regulation 691R — first reading approved (no changes to final adoption tonight).

Board direction and next steps

The board asked staff to return with any necessary policy language to allow a higher equity cap and to bring a phased implementation plan only after an updated actuarial review. On personnel actions, the board followed the process outlined in Minnesota Statutes section 122A.40 for unrequested leave procedures and recorded the required notices and roll call for adoption.