Troy Berning and Pete Weismann were officially sworn in as new members of the Becker School Board Monday. This is following the resignation of Sarah Schafer and Connie Robinson. The appointment will last until November’s election, whereupon those seats will be up for special election. The candidates who fill those seats will serve a two year term before those seats are up for election again.

The rest of the board’s seats will also be up for election, as the other three board members are naturally at the end of their four-year terms. One board member has stated he will not be running for reelection. Mark Swanson announced his decision to not run again back in February, at the Republican Caucus. 

Open Forum

Chris Klippen spoke regarding a data request he made. Klippen wished to review school curriculum, but claims that he was told he would not be allowed to do so. Klippen stated that he then asked for the school policy that said he could not request this information or view classroom lessons, but was told there was not a policy like this. A policy was recently put in place to guide data privacy practices, for which Klippen was glad. He was of the impression, however, that the transparency the board wished to achieve was still not a reality. Certain information and on-site inspections are required to be offered by the schools when requested, both by Minnesota Law and school policy, Klippen went on to say. He asked why the administration continued to deny his requests. 

Superintendent’s Report

There is an opening for the assistant superintendent position (which will be retitled to “director of curriculum and instruction”). Up to three board members may be on the interview committee to find a new candidate for the position. 

Representatives of Becker and Big Lake Schools met with Sheriff Joel Brott a few days after the school shooting in Texas. They discussed safety in the schools, and Superintendent Jeremy Schmidt stated that the schools will continue to work with the Sheriff’s office to ensure safety for the students. 

Construction around campus is making progress.

Communications

Board Chair Mark Swanson noted that he had met with representatives of Out Front Minnesota, the group that gave a presentation on support LGBTQ+ students earlier in the school year. He said the key idea he came away with was that focusing on communication was important. During board meetings, there is only a one-way communication sent out to the public from the board, and likewise, during open forum presentations, there is only a one-way communication to the board. Swanson said it’s hard for the public and the board to understand one another with such limited communication. 

Connie Robinson, who still attended the board meeting in her capacity as the vice-chair, said she felt there was a lot of false narratives about the school board, and that she hoped to publish something to correct these false narratives. 

Swanson suggested that they revisit the idea during closed session as they reviewed the superintendent’s performance and gave him direction on how they wished him to communicate with the public. 

In Other Business, the Board:

• Accepted donations;

• Gave committee reports;

• Approved policy revisions.