By Aaron Vehling

The North Branch School Board members voted at their Thursday meeting to move school elections from odd to even years.

This means that those years you go to the polls to vote for senator, members of Congress and President will also be years you vote for school board members.

Superintendent Bob Stepaniak, who presented the idea to the board at a work session Feb. 3, said he did so because he felt that it made fiscal sense. The district can spend between $7,500 to $10,000 to hold an odd-year election, he said.

ìWe are trying to save every nickel we can,î he said.
This also means that the current school board members whose terms were to end this year will have their terms extended one year.

Board chair Mary Jo Ahlgren said she hopes this will improve voter turnout for district elections and that it would allow for people to be ìaware that there even are electionsî for school board.

The vote was unanimous.

Another election-related item the board addressed was polling places for special school district elections held in odd years.

The board voted to move the North Branch polling place from Uptown Maple Commons to the Main Street School.
Stepaniak said that for a special election or levy referendum the board still has the authority to call an election in an odd- year.

ìI want to emphasize that there is no intention to suggest that an election will be held this fall,î he said.
Should the district decide to hold a special election during an odd-numbered year, Stepaniak said that the Main Street School would be a ìmore convenient place to hold elections for us.î

In other business, the school board approved its strategic goals.
The board, along with Stepaniak, assistant superintendent Rodney Reisnouer and Mark Wolak, superintendent of the Mahtomedi school district, worked Jan. 20 for about four hours at the AmericInn in North Branch ironing out their strategic goals.

There are three goals:

ï Strengthening relationships with all citizens through improved communication that will result in improved support for the school district.

ï Improved school district performance through strategic management and effective delegation to administration and staff.

ï School staff ensures improved student achievement through continuous improvement practice.
At the boardís Feb. 3 work session, vice chair Kim Salo said she hopes the strategic plan will make communication more efficient between the school board and administration.

ìFor a long time expectations were coming from the board, but were not communicated well,î she said. This plan will help resolve that issue, she said.

Also at the Thursday meeting:

ï The board recognized 13 middle school students for their work as peer mediators: Javier Arreola, Laura Backus, Amanda Bower, Gerrian Buisman, Trevor Elsasser, Carly Hinschberger, Cailie Kreitz, Jacob Kolke, Morgan Leadens, Cory Linder, Kelci Lofboom, Alexander Read and Crystal Vang.

ï Stepaniak and the board discussed setting up a high school principal selection committee. They looked into having one or two board members on the committee, as well as parents from the community. Ahlgren asked if administrators at the high school had any recommendations. ìI know we have ideas, but they (administrators) are closer to whatís happening,î she said.

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