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Hibbing school board approves insurance renewal, service agreements and hears referendum update
Summary
At its June 18 meeting, the Hibbing Public School District board approved routine financial and personnel items, an insurance renewal, several service agreements and membership dues, and received a superintendent briefing on an upcoming referendum.
The School Board of Independent School District No. 701 approved a package of routine administrative actions June 18, including an insurance renewal, professional service agreements and membership dues, and heard an update from Superintendent Aldrich on an upcoming referendum.
The meeting, held in the high school board room, opened at 3:30 p.m. Chair John Berklich led roll call; Directors Kim McLaughlin, Galatz and Gabardi were present and Directors Egan and Polcher were absent. Chair Berklich appointed Director Kim McLaughlin to serve as Clerk ProTem.
Director Kim McLaughlin thanked Carrie Fawkes and the graduation speakers for their work, and acknowledged Tony Kuznik for his service as a school board member. Principal Robert Bestul of Greenhaven Elementary thanked the board for permitting an extra staff workday and provided an update on construction at the school. Carrie McDonald, director of teaching and learning, summarized the 2024–25 school year and introduced priorities for 2025–26.
On routine business, the board unanimously approved the meeting agenda and then approved the consent agenda, which included financials and multiple personnel actions. The consent package for May 2025 listed consideration of claims totaling $1,798,306.05, electronic fund transfers of $430,927.35 and payrolls and related items totaling $2,138,227.26. The consent agenda also recorded several personnel items: resignations (including Alexander Roen and Will Seykora), a termination (Erik Schmid, effective June 9, 2025), other coaching and staffing hires and resignations, and the conditional hiring of Stephanie Wesley as a summer school teacher.
The board approved a resolution accepting donations, and authorized Option 2 for property, liability, auto, workers' compensation and cyber insurance coverage effective July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026. The board also approved renewal of membership in the Minnesota School Boards Association and Policy Services and authorized the superintendent to pay dues of $7,995 for the 2025–26 period. All votes on these items were recorded as carried unanimously.
The board approved several service agreements for the 2025–26 school year, including a Deaf and Hard of Hearing teacher contract with Soliant Health; a professional services agreement with North Homes, Inc.; a purchase-of-services agreement with Gayle Rozell for vision-impaired services; and a Region 3 Low Incidence Services agreement with I.S.D. No. 6070 for an educational audiologist. Each contract was approved unanimously.
Superintendent Aldrich provided an update on the district's upcoming referendum; the transcript records that the superintendent briefed the board but gives limited detail about specific timelines or ballot language. The superintendent and board also discussed collaboration with neighboring Chisholm Public Schools; no formal action was recorded on that discussion.
Votes at a glance: The meeting record shows unanimous approval by the four board members present for the agenda, the consent agenda (which included the cited financial totals and listed personnel actions), the donations resolution, the insurance renewal (Option 2), MSBA membership and dues ($7,995), and the four service agreements described above. Two directors were absent.
The meeting adjourned at 4:27 p.m.
