The regular meeting of the School Board of Independent School District No. 544 was held in the Otter Community Room at the Kennedy Secondary School. Chair, Melanie Cole, called the meeting to order at 7:15 am. The following members were present: Kirby Anderson, Jeney Christensen, Melanie Cole, Kelli Graff, Missy Hermes, and Stephen Vigesaa. Jeff Drake, Superintendent, was also present.
Missy Hermes, clerk, established a quorum.
Kirby Anderson made a motion to approve the agenda as presented. The motion was seconded by Jeney Christensen and carried unanimously.
Melanie Cole offered the resolution of acknowledgements for the following and moved for its adoption:
Thank you to: Fergus Falls 544 Education Foundation for their generous donation to each individual Minnesota State High School League activity at Fergus Falls Public Schools
The motion was seconded by Kelli Graff and upon roll call vote being taken, the following voted in favor thereof: Kirby Anderson, Jeney Christensen, Melanie Cole, Kelli Graff, Missy Hermes, and Stephen Vigesaa;
and the following voted against same:
None.
Whereupon said motion was declared duly passed and the resolution adopted.
Reports were presented by:
Jeff Drake - Superintendent
General Consent Items
The following consent agenda was presented for approval:
Minutes from the regular School Board meeting held on August 10, 2026
Bills (August 11 - 24, 2026)
Personnel
Certified Staff Hire effective:
Kathryn Scherfenberg, EL teacher .8334 FTE @ elementary schools and iQ Academy, effective 08/24/2026
Claire Gothier, elementary teacher .6667 FTE @ iQ Academy, effective 08/24/2026
Laurie McNallie, FCS teacher .5 FTE @ iQ Academy, effective 08/24/2026
Support Staff Separations:
Elizabeth Bergem, preschool classroom assistant @ Lincoln, last day worked 05/21/2026
Noah Link, special education paraprofessional @ Kennedy/HS, last day worked 06/04/2026
Debra Winkler, special education paraprofessional @ Kennedy/HS, last day worked 06/04/2026
Emilie Koch, noon hour supervisor @ Cleveland, last day worked 06/04/2026
James Thorstad, special education paraprofessional @ McKinley, last day worked 06/04/2026
Support Staff Hires:
Ariana Arntson, special education paraprofessional @ McKinley, effective 08/26/2026
Hilde Martinson, special education paraprofessional @ Kennedy/HS, effective 08/26/2026
Britta Amundson, main server @ McKinley, effective 08/25/2026
Approve alternate fundraising request for Girls Volleyball for August 2026
Jeney Christensen moved to approve the consent agenda. The motion was seconded by Kelli Graff and carried unanimously.
Unfinished Business:
Jeney Christensen moved to approve the Amendment to Children’s Corner Lease Agreement (revision of Amendment approved by Board on June 8, 2026). The motion was seconded by Kirby Anderson and carried unanimously.
New Business:
Stephen Vigesaa offered the resolution and moved for its adoption:
Resolution for Designation of an Identified Official with Authority for Education Identity and Access Management
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Professional Educator Licensing Standards Board (PELSB), and Office of Higher Education (OHE) require annual designation of an Identified Official with Authority (IOwA) for each local educational agency that uses the Education Identity and Access Management (EDIAM) system. The IOwA is responsible for authorizing, reviewing, and recertifying user access for their local educational agency in accordance with the State of Minnesota Enterprise Identity and Access Management Standard, which states that all user access rights to Minnesota state systems must be reviewed and recertified at least annually. The IOwA will authorize user access to State of Minnesota Education secure systems in accordance with the user’s assigned job duties, and will revoke that user’s access when it is no longer needed to perform their job duties.
The Fergus Falls School Board designates Jeffrey Drake as an IOwA to authorize user access to State of Minnesota Education secure websites for the Fergus Falls Public School District 0544-01.
The motion was seconded by Missy Hermes and upon roll call vote being taken, the following voted in favor thereof: Kirby Anderson, Jeney Christensen, Melanie Cole, Kelli Graff, Missy Hermes, and Stephen Vigesaa;
and the following voted against same:
None.
Whereupon said motion was declared duly passed and the resolution adopted.
Stephen Vigesaa moved to approve the updated mileage rate of $.76 to reflect the new IRS rate effective July 1, 2026. The motion was seconded by Kelli Graff and carried unanimously.
Kelli Graff moved to approve the contract with Myna Therapy for Speech Language Pathology Services for Approximately 16 Hours/Week, September through November 2026. The motion was seconded by Jeney Christensen and carried unanimously.
Kirby Anderson moved to approve authorization to advertise for bids for the Cleveland Elementary School Heat Pump Replacement Project. The motion was seconded by Missy Hermes and carried unanimously.
Jeney Christensen moved to approve the 2026-2027 School District Goals. The motion was seconded by Missy Hermes and carried unanimously.
Kelli Graff moved to approve the School Nutrition Program Agreement to provide vended meals to Our Lady of Victory School; September 2, 2026 to November 1, 2026. The motion was seconded by Kirby Anderson and carried unanimously.
The next regular School Board meeting will be held at 5:15 pm Monday, September 14, 2026 in the Community Ed Room at Roosevelt Education Center.
Kirby Anderson made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:34 am. The motion was seconded by Kelli Graff and carried unanimously.
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Melissa Hermes, Clerk