During last week’s school board meeting, residents and leaders in the Big Lake Community spoke before the board during open forum.

Kayla Stukenholtz spoke about concerns she had regarding the sex education of Big Lake High School students. She noted that when her son was in 10th grade he brought home homework she found objectionable, and when she asked the teacher why parents had not been notified about the content of the class, the teacher replied that the students were responsible for showing their parents an email that had been sent to students in the class regarding the content. This year, after sending several emails about the curriculum and receiving no answer, she decided to speak at the school board meeting. She also spoke about the new mask shaming mandate, which states that students should not be shamed for wearing masks. She agrees with the policy, but wanted to make sure that courtesy was extended to students on both sides of the issue. 

Big Lake Mayor Paul Knier commended the school district for “choosing freedom” in regards to their policies on masks, vaccinations, and other COVID-19 responses. He parrotted Stukenholtz’s concerns regarding sex education, knowing what some of the new proposals at the state level were for that subject. 

“I want to go on the record as stating I am against Critical Race Theory,” Knier stated. “It’s my understanding that we are also not implementing that here in Big Lake. I encourage that decision and thank you for that… Thank you very much for all your good work.”

Ella Dotzler, last year’s student representative to the school board, presented to the board an issue she saw within the student body: the “overall ineffectiveness of distance and hybrid learning.” 

“There was no true engagement occurring for most [students],” Dotzler stated. “Students have been given the bare minimum for the last year and a half… We deserve a quality education, no matter what.”

Dotzler went on to say that, during her time attending board meetings as the student liaison, many board statements such as “we will increase the focus on social and emotional learning” were made with no real solutions being presented. She felt that the well-being of the students was lost in the conflicting political agendas of the last year and that students ought to have been prioritized over politics. She urged the board to find real solutions to make up for students’ lost time.

Katrine Nau-Jackson with the Big Lake Ambassadors was the final speaker. She presented to the board four of the ambassadors who were coronated during Spud Fest. The girls have put in many hours of community service and went through “Spud School” in order to become ambassadors. The ambassadors presented were Sophia Drew, Aspen Erickson, Kylie Johnson, and Chloe Miller. 

Recognition of Retirement

Shirley Peterson, a 27-year employee of the district, was recognized by the board for her years of service. She thanked the administration and her fellow employees for “the ride.”

General Obligation Refunding Bonds

Since interest rates are low, the board considered refinancing bonds that were issued in 2012. The interest rate would be lowered by two percent. Bids for the new bond will be accepted at the October meeting. 

Bond Referendum

The board discussed the upcoming bond referendum. The campus needs updates to HVAC systems, roofs, and other infrastructure items. The school will soon be launching a campaign to educate the community on why they are asking for this referendum and exactly what parts of the school will be affected. Information is available at Referendum.BigLakeSchools.org.

Early and absentee voting will be available. Those interested in doing so may email Communications@BigLakeSchools.org or call 763-262-2523. 

This referendum should not raise taxes, as it is replacing old debt that is being paid off. 

In Other Business,the Board:

• Approved the new student handbook, online student handbook, and the employee handbook;

• Appointed Lenette Brown to replace Lori Kampa on the policy committee after Kampa’s resignation;

• Acknowledged Principal Dockendorf, who received an ACE (Award for Choral Excellence) award from the Choral Directors Association of Minnesota.