West Central Education District Board Meeting Minutes
March 9, 2026, 5:00pm; WCED Offices Room 6, Melrose
Board member Quarfot called the meeting to order at 5:00 pm. Board members Rosenberger, Pearson, Henkelman, and Quarfot were present along with Superintendents Bullard, Peschel, Dingmann, and Okerlund. Director Hoffman, Administrator Hoffarth, Supervisor Luethmers, and Business Manager Evenson were also present.
Rosenberger made a motion and Henkelman seconded approval of the agenda with the addition of ESY and Extended Year positions and tabling the BCBA contract until the May meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Following a review of consent agenda items, Pearson moved, Rosenberger seconded approval of the January 12, 2026 Meeting Minutes, January and February 2026 Treasurers' Reports and Bills Payable #25019-25056, January and February 2026 Budget to Actual Comparison Reports, and personnel items. Hoffman provided a brief recap of the consent items. Motion carried unanimously.
Under New Business, Policies 410, 515, and 721 were presented for first reading. No action was taken. Director Hoffman provided an overview of the policies including updates to the FMLA policy related to Minnesota Paid Leave, pupil records procedures, and procurement policy updates.
Under New Business, the revised 2025-2026 budget was presented for approval. Henkelman moved to approve, Rosenberger seconded. Discussion included staffing changes, contract settlements, TRA adjustments, revenue adjustments, and review of the budgets with district business managers by Business Manager Evenson. Motion carried unanimously.
Under New Business, the technology support contract from Albany Area Schools was presented for approval. The contract included a 2% increase from $1,000 per month to $1,020 per month. Pearson moved to approve, Rosenberger seconded. Director Hoffman shared a brief history of technology support services over the past 1.5 years and stated the organization is very satisfied with the services being received. Motion carried unanimously.
Under New Business, additional positions for the 2026-2027 school year were presented including a BCBA position, a Beacon Teacher position, and a Beacon Behavioral Aide position. Rosenberger moved to approve, Henkelman seconded. Discussion included the need to ensure a continuum of services for students within member districts and WCED programs. Director Hoffman shared that the current BCBA is heavily utilized supporting member districts and there is limited capacity to support Beacon students. Discussion also included the need for expanded high school programming within Beacon and staffing needed to support the additional classroom. Business Manager Evenson reviewed how the positions would be funded through tuition billing and both special and general education allocations. Roll call vote results: Henkelman-yes; Rosenberger- yes; Pearson- yes; Quarfot- yes. Motion carried.
Under New Business, Extended Year and ESY positions were presented for approval. Henkelman moved to approve, Rosenberger seconded. Discussion included summer programming for ALC credit recovery and Beacon extended school year programming, with staffing typically filled internally and exact costs determined based on need. Roll call vote results: Henkelman-yes; Rosenberger- yes; Pearson- yes; Quarfot- yes. Motion carried.
Under New Business, Policies 401, 404, 405, 406, 418, 427, 520, 616, and 620 were presented for technical updates. No action was taken.
Under New Business, Director Hoffman provided an update regarding Requests for Proposals related to future building improvements and construction planning. Discussion included the original phased Beacon construction project, the need to evaluate long-term programming and facility needs, potential expansion of programming for students with significant disabilities, safety improvements, calming rooms, laundry facilities, and a secure entrance. Director Hoffman shared that requests were sent to four different companies based on superintendent recommendations and discussed the importance of utilizing firms experienced in educational construction planning while encouraging the use of local contractors when projects move to bid. No action was taken.
Under New Business, child count information was reviewed. No action was taken.
Under Old Business, Policies 503, 506, 529, 701, 701.1, 702, 722, 806, and 903 were presented for second reading. Rosenberger moved to approve, Henkelman seconded. Discussion included waiting to update the crisis response plan until after the I Love U Guys training scheduled for June. Motion carried unanimously.
Under reports, Director Hoffman, Administrator Hoffarth, and Supervisor Luethmers shared updates. Enrollment data was also shared.
The next meeting date and time was established: Monday, May 11, 2026 at 5:30 pm at the WCED offices in Melrose.
Quarfot adjourned the meeting at 5:50 pm.
/s/ Scott Pearson 05/11/2026
Clerk Date
P-21-1B
