The Crookston School Board met Monday evening and approved an architect for the proposed football/track facility, they found out all student meals will be free in the 2021-2022 school year, and they approved the preliminary budget.
FREE MEALS FOR STUDENTS/ADULT MEALS GOING UP
Crookston Food Service Director Anna Ogaard-Brekken informed the board that they have been approved to give free breakfast and lunch to all students, regardless of income, during the 2021-2022 school year. “The USDA had approved the seamless summer option, despite the name we are allowed to use it during the school year for 2021-2022. They did it last year with something called the summer food service program and going forward they are going to approve the seamless summer option,” said Ogaard-Brekken. “The difference is there is a little more nutritional integrity in the seamless summer option and it will look extremely similar to the National School Lunch program in regards to the nutritional components.”
Ogaard-Brekken said the Crookston School District has served up over 221,000 free meals since March 2020 when they shut down the schools because of the COVID pandemic. “It is a really awesome thing that I can take that information and I can say this is what you have done when I bring it back to my staff,” said Ogaard-Brekken. “People have been utilizing it and they continue to utilize it during the summer. We are serving 250 to 300 per day and it is really nice that they are continuing to use it whether you need it financially, for convenience, or because your kids are sick of peanut butter and jelly. It is awesome we are able to provide it and it’s even better people are utilizing it because we get reimbursed per meal. The more people that use it, the more revenue our department gets and the more we are able to expand our options.”
Ogaard-Brekken told the board that the district was approved for the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program again this year, which provides fruit and veggies to Pre-school and kindergarteners. “You have to reapply every year and the highest free and reduced percentages get approved so we are able to operate that for the 2021-2022 school year,” said Ogaard-Brekken. “I am so excited about it. It is so fun to expose kids to Jicama, rainbow carrots, 20 different types of apples, and fun stuff we’re not able to purchase for the school year. We get a significant amount of money for the program so we are able to buy expensive strawberries in November so that is super fun.”
Adult meals will go up in price because of the free meals for the kids. The meals will be at least $4.35 per meal. “In order to run the seamless summer option and give free meals to students we have to have a minimum adult meal price higher than what the federal government is going to reimburse us,” said Ogaard-Brekken. “Next school year our reimbursement will increase, which is wonderful for our department, but what that means is that any adults, specifically staff members, that utilize it their meals will go up.”
PRELIMINARY BUDGET APPROVED
The board approved the preliminary 2021-2022 budget. Superintendent Jeremy Olson said he gave conservative enrollment numbers again this year. “We are very conservative in our enrollment projections and we are also anticipating some increases in expenses due to inflation that we are seeing so we are trying to be conservative in our budgeting,” said Superintendent Olson. “I am anticipating by the end of the year it will look much better than it did today and we have to be honest with increased expenses and what we can see at this point for revenue.”
Superintendent Olson said there are some positives with enrollment. The open enrollment numbers of students from Crookston going to other districts is down for the second straight year. The open enrollment numbers of students coming to Crookston from another district is up for the second straight year. “That is really encouraging data,” said Superintendent Olson. “That is something that hasn’t happened in the past. It showcases the job our staff is doing and there is a lot to be proud of.”
Declining enrollment as far as fewer kids in town continues to hurt the district with smaller classes, although Crookston School District already has 93 signed up for pre-school compared to last year’s 80. And they just graduated 62 students from Crookston High School, the smallest graduating class in the history of Crookston School District.
ARCHITECT FOR THE PROPOSED SPORTS FACILITY APPROVED
Zerr-Berg Architects, of Fargo, North Dakota, was approved as the architect for the proposed Crookston High School Football/track facility. They beat out ICONN of Grand Forks and everybody on the board said both firms were great, but Zerr-Berg had more experience with high school football fields/track facilities, including Moorhead School District. “We have to bring on an architect first to do the official estimates so we can bring forward a recommendation to the school board regarding the overall price tag of a possible referendum,” said Superintendent Olson. “Then we have to decide on a time frame. This is the first step and the school board wanted an architect with a strong background in a sports complex of this nature. Both candidates were awesome and we felt lucky we had two strong firms.”
NEW SIGNAGE APPROVED
The Crookston School Board approved spending $24,000 for new signage at the high school. The board approved a Pirate head logo along with a “CROOKSTON HIGH SCHOOL” lit sign on the outside of the building (see picture below) and HOME OF THE PIRATES in Aluminum lettering over the main entrance (see picture below).
RENTAL OF TWO CLASSROOMS AT WASHINGTON SCHOOL FOR DAYCARE
The feature program was Stephanie Okroi, a childcare provider that will be renting out two classrooms at Washington School to provide daycare. Okroi has a master’s degree in early childhood and family science and a Ph.D. and she said she is here to help out the school district and community. The goal is to be open by September 1, but that is up to the state as they have all the information they need and since it is in a school it might go quicker. Daycare will be for infants and toddlers up to preschool-age children. “We have 800 square feet so we can basically have 22 on each side,” said Okroi. “We will take 11 kids six weeks to five to six months, or until they are mobile will be in one room. 11 of the seven to 16 months would be in another room. In the other classroom, they would have 11 of the 16 months to two and a half to three-year-olds and the next 11 would be two and a half/three years old to preschool age.”
Okroi said her full-time workers would have early childhood degrees and the part-timers would be students that are in early childhood. The daycare hours would be from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
To listen to Okroi talking to the board, click below
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CONSENT AGENDA
The school board approved the consent agenda that included the resignations from Kerri Brantner (fifth-grade teacher), Katie Proulx (interventionist at the high school), Erin Drown (first-grade teacher), Brandon Adams as head speech coach, and Toni Langved-Kelley as a title aide at Highland School. The consent agenda included the employment of Molly Cordes as a fifth-grade teacher, Sarah Lindquist as a second-grade teacher, and Denise Affeldt as a half-time ELL teacher at Highland School.
The board accepted a donation of $500 from the United Way of Crookston for the PATCH after-school program.
MISCELLANEOUS
The school board approved the main agenda including the approval of the District General Records retention schedule as suggested by the Minnesota Historical Society, membership in the Minnesota Rural Education Association, the district literacy plan, Minnesota State High School League membership resolution for 2021-2022, and appointment of Superintendent Jeremy Olson as the school district identified official with authority for the Minnesota Department of Education.
A working session is scheduled for Wednesday, July 14 at 7:00 a.m. in the District Office Conference room.
The next regular school board meeting will be Monday, July 26 at 5:00 p.m. at the Crookston High School Choir/Orchestra room.
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