Several tenured teachers and counselors were given a spotlight and a thank you for their work in the school district: Emma Craig, THHS music teacher; Emma Downing, Minnehaha music teacher; Annmarie Ulvestad, Minnehaha 4th grade teacher; Blake Johnson, THHS science teacher; Stephanie Johnson, Minnehaha 5th grade teacher; Morgan McGaffey, school counselor at Minnehaha and WKS; and Isaac Moll, THHS school counselor. As a token of their service, they will each be presented with a custom-created and engraved pen.
The Board approved a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan after a short presentation from Sarah, a registered nurse working for the district. The plan follows requirements of a new state law which is intended to better handle cardiac arrests occurring on school grounds. Sarah started off with a couple of quick stats: During Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), immediate CPR can double or triple the survival rate, but the chance of survival falls by 10% every minute CPR is delayed. With this new plan, she says, “The goal is to reduce the response time, wherever it happens on school grounds.”
Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are one of the primary ways to overcome cardiac arrest. With a little training, the units can be used by members of the public. Although the three school buildings in the district already contain a few AEDs in each, this plan would include adding more units to reduce the amount of distance between each. Staff would undergo annual training, with the expectation that units may possibly be used by students during an emergency. Units located outside will also be placed in a climate-controlled box to ensure they are usable during winter months.
The units, which will be identical to ensure they can all be used with the same training, will be paid for using a state grant for just under $44,000. Sarah clarified the units are ‘smart’ enough to only work when needed, reducing the possibility of misuse. The plan and AED locations will be customized for each of the district’s three buildings: Minnehaha, William Kelley Schools, and Two Harbors High School. Sarah encouraged everyone to take a mental note of where the AEDs are, as “being able to know where one is and grab it can save a life.”
Boardmember Jeff Radle brought up the possibility of training for the School Board through the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) on discoverable records. This would be preemptive to help avoid running into possible legal problems down the road. The cost would be covered by Professional Development Funds. The Board agreed that a possible 2-3 hour training workshop after the elections would be best to ensure new members will benefit as well. Formal action on the issue will be taken during a later session.
William Kelley Schools Principal Dan Johnson reported classes finally settling into routine for the year. The Voter Registration Day on September 15th was a success despite its technical complexity; Johnson thanked staff for their help with set-up. The 5th graders’ three-day overnight at Wolf Ridge went smoothly, as did a mental health day supported by Northeast Service Cooperative, which provided grant funding to pay for some of the costs. Johnson credited the student council for their work during Homecoming, saying “they put on a great week.” The 3rd through 6th graders took a trip to Lax Lake on October 1st with the Wilderness Inquiry, where they learned about water conservation. Students at WKS are generally going down in academic risk so far this year, which Johnson credits to teachers and the functional phonics curriculum.
Minnehaha Principal Shane Johnson called the new Fishtank curriculum “about the best I’ve ever seen,” showing quick improvements in reading comprehension among students. The school is having a ‘Battle of the Books’ competition to make reading more fun, with results tallied at the end of the year. The tailgating at Homecoming went well and will be followed by the “Trunk and Treat” event later this month. Johnson has recently been concerned with discrepancies in attendance tracking between systems and emphasized her wanting to provide flexibility for students to take off for illness or family events; District Superintendent Gina Kleive provided an update on a technical fix for the problem.
Two Harbors High School Principal Mike Emerson reported on his school’s “wonderful” homecoming and great year for football. The early academic warning system for students has been going well so far, including grade checks on Monday to help track students in need of possible extra help. Another new system, attendance contracts, is already being used to manage unexcused absences with Lake County’s aid. For events, the school’s Wolf Ridge trip was set to begin just after this meeting. The Halloween Haunted Hallways event will be making a return this year to raise money for the senior class trip. The school recently celebrated Custodial Team Week, with Emerson stating, “I think our custodial staff does an amazing job keeping this building looking brand new.”
Community Education Director Brett Archer gave updates on several of the programs being run by the district, starting with the Little Agates Preschool having a healthy number of attendees. Kids & Company in Two Harbors and Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) program sessions in Two Harbors and Silver Bay are also reaching a good number of families. In contrast, Little Mariners Preschool and Childcare is struggling with low numbers, though Archer is hoping that added flexibility to the program could encourage more attendees.
Superintendent Gina Kleive had several topics to cover this session, starting with posters informing those at the schools of the importance of the ballot measure for the permanent school fund. In preparation for next session, the Board looked over data on the district’s current bus fleet. The board has approved yearly purchase of a school bus and is prepping to do so in November along with one or two type III vehicles.
Student enrollment in the district had an unexpected increase this year, with 1,235 students enrolled on October 1st despite a smaller number of Kindergarteners. For comparison, the 2025/2026 school year maintained steady numbers with enrollment of 1,221 in October 2025 and 1,222 in May 2026. The district is overall anticipating lower numbers over the next few years based on current census data, which in turn would negatively impact the district’s budget, making a higher number of students beneficial to the district this year.
Finally, Kleive went over priorities for lobbying during this next legislative cycle. PSEO (Post Secondary Education Options) and online enrollment have been priorities in past years, though as PSEO has become a more popular option for students, its expenses for the district have increased. Kleive noted that they should be “looking for the ability to encourage, if not require, students to take classes in their home district,” and that offering the ability to get credits locally would be preferable to having students take classes elsewhere due to expenses.
Other priorities for the school district include: fully funded state mandates to ensure funding from sources such as the Minnesota Department of Education’s READ Act and protecting core education funding for groups in need, such as the roughly 33% of students who are at or below the poverty line and the 25% receiving special education services. Cybersecurity funding and training are also needed with the recent increase in cyberattacks on school districts. With recent developments regarding helium and Pulsar, Kleive warned that they would want to ensure any resulting taxation structures tied to natural resource development will benefit the local school district. Finally, the district should push to continue state reimbursement for sales tax paid by the school district.
Before the session ended, Board Chair Tracy Tiboni asked for a follow-up regarding the Silver Bay tennis courts, which are used by students at WKS. The district had been asked at the previous session for a donation towards needed renovations for the courts, which are currently in poor condition. Kleive and District Business Manager Tanner Spawn have been preparing possible support and will likely be ready for action by the Board during the next meeting in November.
