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Mesabi East School Board approves payrolls, personnel actions and five-year phone-service renewal
Summary
At its Jan. 5 meeting in Aurora the Mesabi East School Board approved $1,240,468.34 in payrolls and bills, accepted multiple personnel resignations and hires, set teacher on-call wages, accepted donations, approved a five-year renewal with CTC for phone services and set the next meeting for Feb. 2.
The Mesabi East School Board approved a series of consent and personnel actions at its Jan. 5 regular meeting in the board room in Aurora.
Chair Walt Hautala called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. and roll call recorded Directors Justin Adams, Amanda Gross, Walt Hautala, Pamela LaFrenier and Kathy Undeland as present; Director Chris Baudhuin was absent. Superintendent Burgess attended.
The board approved the agenda as amended on a motion by Director Justin Adams, seconded by Chair Walt Hautala. The consent agenda — moved by Director Amanda Gross and seconded by Director Adams — included payrolls and bills in the amount of $1,240,468.34, the Dec. 1, 2025 regular meeting minutes, and tuition agreements sending two students to Vermilion Country School (start dates listed as Sept. 2 and Sept. 29, 2025) and three students to Minnesota Transitions Charter School (start dates Aug. 25 and Aug. 27, 2025). The motion passed with all voting members present in favor.
On personnel matters the board accepted the retirement resignation of Craig Johnson from his positions as high school science teacher and IT director, effective May 28, 2026; Director Walt Hautala moved the acceptance and Director Pamela LaFrenier seconded. The board approved the hiring of Chris Shaw as a Special Education para bus monitor (up to 25 hours per week, Step 3), effective Jan. 6, 2026, on a motion by Director Amanda Gross seconded by Director Justin Adams. The board also accepted the resignation of bus driver Orville Urban, effective Dec. 4, 2025.
The board approved a five-year member service renewal with CTC for the district phone system services on a motion by Director Amanda Gross, seconded by Chair Walt Hautala.
In separate actions the board accepted the resignation of custodian April Ma^son, effective Jan. 23, 2026; set Teacher On Call wage rates effective Jan. 6, 2026 at $140 per day for teachers and $16.00 per hour for paraprofessionals; and accepted monetary donations of $500 for the drama department, $500 for the band program, $1,000 for Creative Harts programming and $200 for the YIA Student Club pantry. Director Pamela LaFrenier moved the wage and donation approvals; Director Justin Adams and Director Amanda Gross seconded various motions as recorded. Each motion passed with all voting members present in favor.
The board also approved the 2026 IRS standard mileage rate of 72.5 cents per mile, effective Jan. 1, 2026.
Reports were provided under separate cover. The board set its next regular meeting for Feb. 2, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. in the board room (204). Director Justin Adams moved to adjourn and Director Amanda Gross seconded; the meeting adjourned at 5:50 p.m.
The minutes record each motion as having passed with all present voting in favor; no roll-call vote tallies were listed beyond the notation 'All in favor—Motion passed.'
