April 15 Meeting Highlights

April 15 Meeting Highlights

The minutes from the April 15, 2024 meeting will be reviewed and approved by the School District 197 School Board at the Monday, May 6, 2024 meeting. For more information about meeting agendas and minutes, please CLICK HERE.

 

Action Item - Approval of the Agenda

The motion carried (7-0).

Action Item - Approval of Consent Agenda

The motion carried (7-0).

Comments to the School Board
No one was in attendance to provide comments to the School Board.

Action Item – Approval of FY 24-25 Health and Dental Insurance
Tye Michaels, Director of Human Resources, and Jason Stegeman, Director of Finance, presented the FY24-25 health and dental insurance information. The Labor-Management Committee (LMC) meets throughout the school year to review health and dental insurance information with the assistance of the district’s benefits consultant from One Digital. The Labor-Management Committee is composed of union leadership from each bargaining unit, a representative from the School Board, and the School District Administration. Due to the decline in the self-funded medical insurance plan reserve, the impact of COVID-19 claims, inflationary cost increases, and continued negative fund balance projections, the administration recommended a net 10% increase in medical insurance premiums for fiscal year 2024-2025. The administration recommends no change in dental insurance premiums for fiscal year 2024-2025 due to a significant plan reserve and continued positive fund balance projections. There are several reasons to maintain an adequate insurance reserve. If the self-insured plan were to dissolve, the reserve would need to be adequately funded to pay for run-out costs, which are approximately one month of average claims. An adequate insurance fund protects the general fund from aggregate value violations, which can occur if there is a year of significantly higher than average claims. In addition, the reserve will assist the district in the stabilization of medical insurance costs in future years.

The motion carried (7-0).

Action Item – Approval of 2023-2025 Agreement between ISD 197 and the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local No. 70, Buildings and Grounds
Tye Michaels, Director of Human Resources, and Jason Stegeman, Director of Finance, presented a tentative 2023-2025 agreement  between ISD 197 and the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local No, 70, Buildings and Grounds. This group includes approximately 50 employees. The union has ratified the tentative agreement. The agreement includes:

  • Salary Schedule - Year 1 - 3% increase / Year 2 - 3% increase
  • Insurance - All covered employees move to Open Access premium with 95% contribution to single and 80% contribution to two-party and family coverage effective July 1, 2024
  • Longevity - Increase each level by $.10/hour each year
  • Licensure Pay - Increase pool operator and 2nd class boiler licenses by $.15/hour effective July 1, 2024
  • Add the following stipends - Chief Engineer HS $.30/hour / Chief Engineer MS $.25/hour / Building Maintenance $.25/hour
  • 403(b) Match - Increase matching contribution by $50/year effective July 1, 2023

In addition to step increases, a one-time off-schedule prorated to FTE payment of $1,000 will be made for active staff who are contracted to work the 2023-2024 school year. Other minor language changes were made. The administration recommended approval of the tentative agreement.

The motion carried (7-0).

Action Item – Approval to Updates to Strategic Implementation Plan
Superintendent Olson-Skog, Peter Mau, Assistant Superintendent, and Cari Jo Drewitz, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, presented updates to the district’s Strategic Implementation Plan. The administration develops a recommended strategic implementation plan that the board reviews and approves yearly. It includes various implementation targets under which there are more specific objectives. The strategic implementation plan includes 3 focus areas, 21 implementation targets, and 75 specific objectives.

  • The administration is not recommending any changes to the 21 implementation targets.
  • The administration is not recommending any changes to 65 of the 75 specific objectives.
  • Of the remaining ten specific objectives to which the administration is recommending changes, one within the equitable systems focus area is recommended to be modified and nine within both the equitable systems focus area and the college and career preparation focus area are recommended to be postponed.

The strategic implementation plan does not encompass all district improvement efforts. No objectives are developed to describe the annual significant improvements made to various curriculum areas through the curriculum review process. This plan only includes targets that can be categorized under the three focus areas of the strategic framework. The administration is considering modifications to the recommended strategic implementation plan for next year to encompass more of the improvement efforts in which the district is
engaged.

The motion carried (7-0).

Adjournment

The motion carried (7-0).