Music teacher Paul Johnson updates the school board about recent success in the BEA music program.

The Blue Earth Area School Board heard an awful lot of good news during their meeting on Monday night, March 14.

The good news was both on the financial side as well as student achievements, as several persons addressed the board during the meeting.

BEA choir teacher Paul Johnson gave an update on the music department at BEA Schools, including that March is Music in our Schools Month.

“It is wonderful that we can have four music teachers here at Blue Earth Area,” Johnson said. “It allows us to give quality music opportunities to our students in all grades.”

The four are Johnson, Kelsey Zbaracki, Peter Koenig and Kristin Johnson.

Johnson told the board that the orchestra received a superior rating at the Large Group Contest recently, and that the choir received a score of 38 out of 40, one of the highest scores ever.

“And we had one student, Nick Frundt, who scored a perfect 40 out of 40, which is almost unheard of,” he said. “We also had four students qualify for the All-State Choir, but only one, Marianna Rincon, was able to go.”

Johnson added that he feels music is the secret weapon for solving social-emotional competency issues.

BEA teacher Holly Christian brought three student members of the Business Professionals of America (BPA) group to give an update to the board. They are Lulu Frank, Karissa Lopez and Allie Lopez.

They reported there are 38 students in the group, and that 32 of them competed at a recent competition, with 26 of those BEA participants qualifying to go on to state competition. Of those, four recently qualified for nationals, with 18 students listed as finalists who could still be considered for the May 4-5 national competition.

In addition, the board received word during their meeting that the Math League group had just taken second place at the state competition earlier in the day.

Community Workforce coordinator Emily Davis also gave an update on all the activities she has been working on to get students interested in possible jobs in the area.

Those activities include holding mock interviews, job shadowing, lunch and learns and field trips to both Winnebago Manufacturing and Tafco.

Coming up is a field trip to Patton Funeral Home this week. A Career Exploration Event is being planned, the Big Idea Trailer is returning May 13 for students in grades 8-12, and a Game of Life event is planned for students in grades 6-7 on May 20.

“One new project we are working on is called Alumni Posters,” Davis told the board members. “The posters show a BEA grad who has come back to the area to work. We have contacted 30 alumni so far.”

The posters will be displayed in the halls at the school as well as at local businesses.

“Next year we are looking at creating a High Step Health Service Academy with the South Central Services Co-op and UHD and St. Luke’s,” Davis added.

Under financial updates, the board heard a report from fiscal services director Alan Wilhelmi that was concerning an updated budget for the 2021-2022 year.

He reported the budget revenues were increased from the numbers in the original budget, due to an increase in student enrollment and ESSER III and other federal funds.

Overall the district is seeing nearly $1.5 million in federal funds added to the budget, Wilhelmi said. Pre-COVID, those funds usually totaled $300,000 to $350,000 each year.

The board approved the updated 2021-2022 budget.

In other business at the meeting, the BEA Board:

• Heard from superintendent Mandy Fletcher that plans are being made to increase the staff next year, which will help reduce class size.

“Adding staff will enable us to add programs,” she said. “We have gotten feedback on the need for more electives for our students.”

She also reported that there is currently just one student out for COVID, and no staff members.

• Approved a new Mental Health Service Agreement between United Hospital District and BEA Schools.

• Approved several bids for items such as controls, valves and dampers on the equipment at the school buildings and for doing maintenance work at the high school parking lot.

• Verbally agreed they support an agreement with the city of Blue Earth concerning creating new tennis courts. A current plan is to build eight courts at the high school with an estimated cost of $1.1 million – with 60 percent paid by the city, 40 percent by the school district.

• Passed a resolution to not renew the coaching contract for the head varsity baseball coach.

• Approved personnel changes for new hire Emily Black (K7 paraprofessional) and Xander Harst (evening custodian); resignation of Elta Sparks (elementary teacher); leave of absence for Adriana Neubuhr (paraprofessional); retirements for Barbara Carlson (FACS) and Carolyn Kennedy (HS Media Center).

Carlson and Kennedy were thanked by the board for 33 years of service to the BEA District.