Tri-County School District ISD #2358 Regular Board of Education Meeting Tuesday October 8, 2025 Tri-County School Library Karlstad, Minnesota

The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Murray at 6:00 p.m. A quorum was determined.  

The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.

Members Present were M Koland, A Anderson, K Helling, K Oliver, S Murray, and, D Olson, R Hanson, 

Members Absent were: None

Also Present was Superintendent McKeever 

We are Proud: 

Dalia Englund: 

We are proud of Karen Reitan who subs everywhere for us this year. Calling her a superwoman doesn’t even come close. Karen truly does it all, and she does it with grace, positivity, and not a single complaint. She embodies what it means to “float the boat,” stepping in wherever she’s needed and making it look effortless. 

On any given day, Karen may transition from para to teacher, then from office support to nurse aide, and even step in to serve in the cafeteria....all before noon. Much like a principal, she is constantly shifting roles to meet the needs of the day, and she handles each transition with such ease and professionalism. 

Karen is a shining example to both staff and students of what hard work, dedication, and teamwork look like. We are beyond grateful to have her as part of our Tri-County family. Thank you, Karen, you are truly invaluable! 

We are proud of Justina Pietruszewski and Erica Reese for taking the lead in creating an awesome, interactive series of bulletin boards in the cafeteria hallway, referred to as our “College and Career Corner.” This space gives students the chance to explore post-graduation options and access valuable information about their future. Since we don’t have a career counselor, any exposure like this is incredibly meaningful for our students. Justina and Erica saw a need and didn’t just fill it...they went above and beyond to provide an engaging, eye catching resource for our students. Thank you both for your work on this! 

We are proud of our Building Leadership Team (BLT) for taking the lead on student recognition this month. As a staff, we want to celebrate our students for all the amazing things they are doing, and with the teamwork and guidance of BLT members, we were able to restructure Student of the Month and generate some exciting new ideas for recognizing students this year. It was truly an all-hands-on-deck effort, and both our High School and Elementary teams pulled together to make it happen. We’re excited to keep building on this momentum and highlight our students’ hard work and achievements. 

We are proud of Mallory Schaumburg and the Tri-County Student Council for all the hard work they put into organizing Homecoming Week. From the lip syncs to the dress-up days to coronation, we have an exciting week ahead thanks to your efforts. Thank you for making this such a fun and memorable tradition! 

We are proud of Jennifer Klegstad for organizing Community Service Day and taking the lead to make it all come together. This day is such a valuable opportunity for our students to get out into the community and give back...whether it’s raking leaves, cleaning ambulances, or lending a helping hand wherever it’s needed. Our students always come back feeling proud of their efforts, and they learn what it means to show #tcPROUD beyond our four walls. 

Brad Thompson 

We are proud of Annika Nygaard for helping run band rehearsal on Friday when Mr. Thompson was down at Mayo Clinic. She took initiative and kept the band playing. Annika already makes sure all the percussionists have the correct parts that they need for all the concert band songs and has done that for several years. It is very much appreciated and great for the students to be able to play should Mr. Thompson need to be gone.

Motion by member K Oliver second by member D Olson to approve the agenda as Presented. UC

Citizen Comments: None

Motion by K Oliver, second by K Helling to approve the minutes of the September 10, 2025 Regular meeting as presented. UC

Pay Claims

Audit Committee: Murray/Olson

Motion by S Murray, seconded by D Olson to authorize payment for October, 2025 claims in the funds as presented in the total amount of $ 64,475.56. UC

FUND THIS YEAR             PREVIOUS YR

     

01 GENERAL $51,003.86 $81,312.47

02 FOOD SERVICE $8,710.36 $11,443.89

04 COMMUNITY SERVICE $1,069.25 $35.00

07 DEBT REDEMPTION $0.00 $0.00

21 STUDENT ACTIVITIES $3,692.09            $3,606.60

TOTAL $64,475.56            $96,397.96

Boards & Committee Report

1. NWRIC

2. Sports Co-Op 

3. MSBA

4. GMRTC Joint Powers Board

5. School Board Committees

Superintendent Report – October 8, 2025 

1. On the agenda, you will be asked to pass a Memorandum of Agreement with the University of Minnesota Crookston for our College in the High School Introductory Chemistry Course. 

2. The bus garage construction has begun! The siding has been removed, and the pad is being readied to be poured to allow the expansion of the wall. 

3. Negotiations update. We have met with the teachers a couple of times now and progress is being made, and we expect this process to end in the near future. Unfortunately, no offer has been provided by the MSEA Classified group, so no meeting dates have been set, as of yet. 

4. Amy has once again applied for the National School Lunch grant. We are seeking a new back-up freezer for the kitchen area if we get the funds. It is a competitive process, and we were awarded one last year so we are not sure of our chances at this time. 

5. I am also applying for an AED grant to replace the three models we have in our school who will not be serviceable by 2027. More to come as I am in the process of completing the grant! 

6. Great news!!! We were awarded the Cyber Security grant from MDE for about $37,000. About $4,000 will go toward the cyber security insurance premium we pay to Vaaler. The other $33,000 will go towards the installation of a new surveillance camera system for our school. Our current system is outdated and not user friendly at this point. We are creating a map of the building to plot out current and future camera locations. The eventual work will need to be done during an extended break such as our Winter break. 

7. We are also working with a tech person from another district to create a better and more user-friendly website for the district. We are meeting again next week to finalize the site and future roll out date. 

8. I am working with ICS on a couple topics. First, we hope to roll out a community survey early next week, just waiting for them to forward the information to me. Secondly, I am working with another person who is doing an enrollment projection of our school as well as other demographic information to share additional information with the district for our planning sessions. 

9. I have met with PMA and Ehlers, our fiscal agents for Bonds and financial advisors for bond and levy implications. We continue to fund the sinking fund to eventually pay off the $2,000,000 bond taken out years ago. It appears the bond payment is well ahead of schedule, so we are just trying to determine the best course of action to keep taxes level but allow for maximum flexibility in the future. 

10.The audit is in the final stages now with a few questions coming our way but will wrap up very soon and we will be scheduling a date to meet with us for final review. More information on that as they give it to me. 

11.Weight room: I continue to work with the Booster Club to gain a commitment on the funds they plan to give for the projects. We also plan to form a committee in the very near future to plan exactly what we need and what we can afford. 

12.Jaron and I have both been actively searching for a good, used mini bus. It has been nearly impossible to find one in the state of Minnesota. Jaron has located a couple good options out of state, but he is checking the MN guidelines for buses to be sure they meet our rules and regulations. The other problem would be how to get it delivered or picked up.

Motion by M Koland, second by R Hanson to accept donations listed below. UC

$474.00 for Student Council from Tri-County Sports Boosters. 

$250 from American Legion Post 445 Karlstad for Junior Class Prom. 

$100 from Steve’s repair (Steve Klopp) for Junior Class Prom

Motion by K Oliver second by D Olson to approve the Memorandum of Agreement for Fall 2025 with the University of Minnesota Crookston for the College in the High School program.

Motion by K Oliver, second by A Anderson to approve the Form A and Form B Resolutions for applications to the Minnesota State High School League Foundation.

Next Regular School Board Meeting: October 8,2025 at the Tri-County School Library at 6:00pm

Motion by K Oliver, second by K Helling to adjourn. UC

Respectfully Submitted,

Mark Koland, Board Clerk

Steve Murray, Board Chair

(January 1, 2026)