By Crystal Reith The April 13, 2026 Murray County Central School Board approved new hires, a facilities agreement and heard updates from school administration.
Superintendent Joe Meyer announced the hiring of Tessa Dierks as the high school principal and Molly Hennen as an elementary teacher. Meyer also stated that Colleen Freeman, Michael Helgeson and Stacey Hegstad each requested leaves of absence. The board approved all hires and requests, except for Helgeson’s which was tabled. Signed teacher contracts were also presented and approved.
Meyer met with representatives from Solid Rock Church about renting the school facilities while the church constructs a new building. John Nau from Solid Rock Church outlined the church’s current arrangement with the Fulda school district and said the church is currently seeking an alternative location for Sunday mornings. The board approved a rental agreement for $990 per month for use on Sunday mornings from 7 a.m. – 12 p.m. The agreement will run from May 31 to November 30, with an option to extend up to one year.
Elementary Principal Patrick Freeman reported an enrollment of 373 students. Kindergarten round-up will be Friday, May 1. There are currently 46 students enrolled in kindergarten for next year. Current preschool enrollment includes 10 junior kindergarten students, 29 four-yearolds and 10 three-year-olds. Kindergarten graduation will be May 19 at 8:30 a.m. at the MCC auditorium. The fourth to sixth grade awards and sixth grade recognition will be held on May 19 at 10 a.m. at the MCC auditorium.
High School Principal Jacob Scandrett reported that graduation is scheduled for Friday, May 15 at 6 p.m. The senior awards program will be May 15 at 8:30 a.m. Senior walk will be Wednesday, May 13 at 11 a.m. High school graduation rate for MCC was 95.92 percent, compared with the state rate of 84.94 percent.
Superintendent Meyer provided a legislative update. School mental health/social worker Greg Scheitel provided a report. Meyer is working on another round of grant money from the county from the opioid settlement dollars.
Two companies provided a bid for concrete work. The board approved the bid from Lindberg Construction LLC. One bid was submitted for bread products. The board approved the bid from Pan-OGold Baking Co. No bids were submitted for milk products.
The board approved a request from the third-grade teachers for an out-of-state field trip to Air Madness in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
The board gratefully accepted the following donations: MCC Music Boosters - $8,000 for the band/choir trip student activity, MCC Sports Boosters - $36,440, Hadley Lions - $500 for scholarship, Tyler Schreier family - $1,600 for scholarship, Viola C. Larson - $11,660.70 for scholarship, Slayton Women of Today - $200 for Culture Club, and Corn Drive - $970.82 for FFA. Income generated from student activities included: $5,250 from football, $800 from cheerleading, $1,400 from baseball, $9,330 from track, $2,530 from golf, $1,330 from weight room and $15,600 from athletics.
The next monthly meeting of the MCC School Board is scheduled for Monday, May 11 at 6 p.m. at the high school library.
