The Murray County Central School Board reviewed financial reports and approved several personnel, policy and budget-related items during its June 8, 2026 meeting.
The board received updates on district finances, including payment of claims, cash flow projections, trail balance reports, the preliminary budget for fiscal year 2027, a quarterly guideline report and a student activity quarterly report.
Superintendent Joe Meyer and Elementary Principal Patrick Freeman discussed summer special education teacher contracts. Meyer announced that Ava Johnson will serve as the long-term substitute for Lauren Risacher. The board also reviewed lane change requests from Joe Biren, Tim Cariveau and Janese Siedschlag, along with resignations from food service employee Mandy Berglund and paraprofessional Janessa Hamann were presented.
High School Principal Jake Scandrett reported that MCC’s graduation requirements have been updated to reflect the requirement of four social studies credits for graduation.
Freeman provided an update on the 2026-27 literacy plan. Goals completed during the past year included supporting the implementation of structured literacy practices in kindergarten through third grade and implementing a family engagement night and a literacy game closet for student and family usage. Goals for the upcoming school year include finding a knowledge base curriculum and increasing student reading proficiency by five percent.
The board approved all of items on the consent agenda.
In his elementary report, Freeman reviewed enrollment numbers and recapped events, including the fifth- and sixthgrade band concert, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) celebration day, kindergarten graduation, fourth- through sixth-grade award ceremony and sixthgrade graduation. Twenty-one students will receive Extended School Year (ESY) services this summer. The district literacy plan is due on June 15. Title I, II and IV applications are due at the end of June. Projected classroom configurations for the 2026-2027 school year include three sections each in kindergarten, first grade, second grade; two-and-a-half sections in fourth grade and two sections in sixth grade. A Little Rebels and Early Childhood Family Education report was also provided.
Scandrett provided a high school report which included end of the year enrollment numbers and projected enrollment for the 2026-2027 school year. He also recapped the senior awards ceremony and graduation. The CEO Trade Show event was held with a launch and signing event for the incoming class. There will be four students from MCC that will participate in the CEO program next year. One area of focus for next year is infusing best practices in literacy training into the classrooms by working on breaking down key academic vocabulary for each content area and looking at the word morphology of each vocab word to help students make meaning from those words. Literacy leads from SWWC will train teachers how to teach reading intervention strategies. Meyer provided a legislative update. The legislature session ended on May 18 and the final kindergarten through twelfth grade budget included at $31.7 million one-time funding. Education highlights included compensatory revenue, anonymous threat reporting, school-linked behavior health, children’s mental health crisis, operating capital flexibility, seasonal tax base replacement aid, Read Act updates, permanent school funding distribution amendment and a grooming bill that adds grooming as a criminal offense. Meyer and Greg Scheitel presented about opioid grant funds to the Murray County commissioners on May 26. Lindberg Construction has started the work on the sidewalk repairs, new concrete aprons and the west gym entry pillars. Meyer and Freeman will attend a summer leadership conference on June 16 in Marshall. Summer community education activities started May 25. Custodial staff have started cleaning and waxing classrooms. The 10-year long term facility maintenance budget and plan will be reviewed and presented at the July school board meeting.
Activities Director James Wager provided a report that recapped spring activities which included band and choir concerts, State FFA Convention, track, golf and baseball.
The 2025-2026 school calendar was reviewed and approved by the board.
The cardiac emergency response plan was shared a second time. It will be shared a third time in July.
Board members reviewed four bids for the surplus 2021 Chevrolet Silverado pickup. The winning bid of $1,200 was approved.
Sharon Johnson presented the annual Q Comp report and reviewed the 2026-27 Q Comp funding.
The board approved the district’s property and liability insurance renewal following a presentation by Carisa Clarke.
Board members also approved the Minnesota State High School League resolution, renewal for the Minnesota School Boards Association membership, the resolution authorizing issuance of orders not paid for want of fund and the resolution establishing dates for filing affidavits of candidacy. The board approved an extended trip request for the girls’ basketball team to Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.
The auditor’s engagement letter stating what services they would provide was approved by the board.
The board gratefully accepted the following donations: Nobles/Murray Rural Electric - $2,500 for AED, Murray County Health - $3,893.72 for AED, Pipestone Holdings $1,000 for backpack program, Steven Wynia Trust - $150 for backpack program, Hadley Lions - $250 for backpack program, Slayton American Legion - $2,765 for community ed baseball, Nobles/Murray Rural Electric - $960 for Little Rebels, American Legion Auxiliary Post 64 - $300 for scholarship, Avoca American Legion - $1,000 for scholarship, Chandler Coop - $1000 for scholarship, Sally Berg - $2000 for scholarship, MCC Academic Wing - $500 for scholarship, Casey’s - $21 for elementary student activity, Nobles/Murray Rural Electric $1000 for high school student activity, Bev Isaackson - $100 for band/choir student activity, Thrifty White - $2.31 for high school student activity and Casey’s - $7.40 for high school student activity.
The next monthly meeting of the MCC School Board is scheduled for Monday, July 13, at 6 p.m. in the high school library.
