New and old business on School District 166 agenda

School District 166 met in the Jane Mianowski Conference Room on December 12 and covered a full agenda, ranging from personnel matters to taxes, travel and more.  

Personnel changes
A number of personnel matters were at the top of the agenda. The School Board accepted a letter of resignation from Shelly Norman, who had recently been hired to serve as school nurse. Norman submitted her letter with regrets, due to a family health issue. The school nurse office is covered on a daily basis by Tim Young, a licensed practical nurse (LPN), but under state requirements, there must be a registered nurse (RN) to oversee the office. That position will again be posted. 
The board also accepted the resignations of a kitchen helper and the school counselor. Both positions will be posted. Superintendent Dr. Bill Crandall notes that the counselor position needs to be filled quickly as that person helps graduating students through the scholarship process, among other duties. 
There was approval of a long-term substitute teacher for the language arts teacher who will be out on maternity leave. Also approved was the hiring of an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. 

Vikings “Hall of Fame”
The board heard a proposal to develop a Cook County Vikings “Hall of Fame Recognition Board” in the school. Funds for a display come through athletic donation funds.  Activities Director/Assistant Principal Mitch Dorr asked the school board for approval to move forward of the first inductions to the Hall of Fame. Members of the Hall of Fame committee are Dorr, School Board Member Deb White, former coach Mike Boomer, former coach Pam Taylor, current coach Marly Wester, current coach Mike Prom, Tom Nelson, member at large and Courtney Quaife, community member. 
The county board authorized the committee to move ahead with the Hall of Fame display and inductions. 

Travel proposal for CCHS students
Language Arts Teacher Amanda Beal shared travel information with the school board. Beal is taking 13 students on an educational trip to Greece and to a Global Leadership Conference in Switzerland in July 2020. For this trip, Cook County is traveling with Two Harbors High School. Beal said she would like to work with other Cook County teachers to host a different kind of trip every year. 

Approval of Indian Policies and Procedures 
The board reviewed, and adopted, its annual Indian Policies and Procedures, the IPP. Superintendent Crandall explains that the approval of the IPP is the continuation of ongoing work with the Local Indian Education Committee, the LIEC. After the school board approves the IPP, there is discussion with members of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and the LIEC, to see how well School District 166 is meeting its policies and procedures. 

Truth in Taxation held
As part of the September 12 school board meeting, the annual Truth in Taxation meeting was held. Information on the 2020 budget and levy was shared, with its impact on local taxes. The school district levy is increasing .62 percent. 
The next meeting of the School District 166 school board will be its Organizational Meeting, followed by the regular January meeting, at 5 p.m. on Thursday, January 2, 2020, in the Jane Mianowski Conference Room at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts.