BLUE EARTH – A report from the Blue Earth Area School Board Activities Committee sparked a discussion about sports cooperatives at Monday’s BEA school board meeting.
As school board member Ted Armon provided an update on the committee meeting, board member Mark Franta wondered if the topic of a sports cooperative with Winnebago’s Genesis Classical Academy had been discussed.
Armon said the topic of sports cooperation agreements was discussed only in general terms, with an explanation of how an agreement can be created.
“It’s a complicated procedure” Armon said. “But I want to emphasize that Blue Earth Area has not been approached by Genesis or any other school or school district in the area about creating an athletic cooperative agreement.”
Franta pushed for the topic to be discussed further, saying it is important to remember that Winnebago residents are constituents of the BEA school district.
“I think the fact is, again, we haven’t heard from the Genesis administration on this,” said board member Stacey Beyer, who is also on the activities committee. “There is no need to discuss this at this time.”
At the meeting, BEA Activities Director Travis Armstrong reported on the success of the fall sports season.
“The volleyball team had a playoff match, the cross country team had 13 members who did well at the sectional meet, 10 of whom achieved a personal best and three achieved a season best,” he said. “Three girls went to the State Tennis Meet and 16 girls were there to play cheerleading.”
He also listed recent concerts and the play planned for this weekend among other ongoing activities.
In other areas, the school board:
— Approved the 2023-2025 framework agreement with the BEA Education Association.
The agreement provides for an 8.7 percent increase in certified staff salaries over the next two years.
— Discussion of a request from board member Franta to have a work session to discuss MCA state test scores and discuss how to increase those scores.
The school board decided it had already held such a work session earlier this school year and would wait until next fall to hold another.
— Approved a winter coaching roster for 2023-24.
— Approved compliance assurance for the BEA and the 2023-2024 World’s Best Workforce Report.
— Approved a donation from Kerry Ingredients for the BUCC-Y Bags program.
— Approved several personnel changes, including the resignations of paraprofessionals Katie Welsh and Sara Arbeiter, the new hire of paraprofessional Mariah Vaughn and the retirement of bus driver Tim Anderson and thanked him for his 18 years of service in the district.
