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Fairmont Area School Board OKs absentee voting location, modest meal-price hikes, SMEC lease renewal and several personnel actions
Summary
At its Aug. 12 meeting the board designated the county auditor's office as the absentee voting site for Nov. 4, 2025, approved small increases in some adult/second-meal prices, renewed a community-education lease with the City of Fairmont and accepted resignations, retirements and new hires.
The Fairmont Area School Board on Aug. 12 took a string of routine but consequential votes: it designated the county auditor’s office as the absentee voting location for the Nov. 4, 2025 election, approved minor meal-price increases for adults and second student meals, renewed a lease for community education space in the Southern Minnesota Education Campus and handled multiple personnel items including a teacher resignation, a custodian retirement and several new hires.
Absentee voting: The board approved a motion to designate the county auditor’s office at 2011 Lake Avenue in Fairmont as the district’s absentee voting location for elections not held the same day as a statewide election. The board noted absentee voting for the Nov. 4, 2025 election will begin Sept. 19, 2025.
Meal prices: Under appendix C the first meal for all students remains free under Minnesota’s free school meals program. The board approved increases for other meals: adult lunch and second student lunch rose from $5.00 to $5.50; adult breakfast and second student breakfast rose from $2.40 to $3.00.
SMEC lease: The board approved continuing its lease with the City of Fairmont for space in the Southern Minnesota Education Campus (SMEC) for July 1, 2025–June 30, 2026, and authorized the superintendent named in the agenda text, Andrew Trio, to sign the agreement. Board discussion noted the lease includes no district option to renew, that the building may be for sale and that the agreement contains a 90‑day notice provision should the city sell the property; the monthly rent remains unchanged from the previous term.
Personnel and hires: The board accepted the resignation of Jonas Nissen, high-school English teacher, effective Aug. 22, 2025, and approved the retirement of Mark Borchart, high-school head building custodian, effective Oct. 8, 2025. The board approved recommended employments for paraprofessionals Andrea Stitch, Samantha Kern and Jill Dragoniller (step 1, effective Aug. 20, 2025). The board also approved the fall coaching schedule, welcoming Andrew Mohler as head cross-country coach and Stacy Garbers as head volleyball coach among other hires.
Each motion was moved, seconded and carried with a single recorded opposition in the meeting audio; the transcript does not contain a full roll-call tally for each vote.
The board adjourned following routine business; it will next meet Aug. 26, ahead of the start of the school year.
