Staff photo by Fritz Busch Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop senior Baleigh Peterson receives a $3,000 Minnesota School Board Association Student School Board Member Scholarship at the board meeting Monday. Peterson plans to study Agricultural Communication & Marketing at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul campus.

GIBBON — Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop (GFW) school board student representative Baleigh Peterson of Gibbon received a $3,000 Minnesota School Board Association (MSBA) Student School Board Membership Scholarship Monday.

Peterson is one of just two MSBA scholarship winners among 50 Minnesota applicants.

“To say it was a challenge to name winners is an understatement,” said MSBA Executive Director Kirk Schneidawind.

“The scholarship is awarded to encourage students to participate in local government settings involving local boards with policy and finance decisions,” he added. “It sounds like Baleigh has been right in with that from the beginning.”

She received letters of recommendation from Superintendent Jeff Horton and former GFW School Board Chairman Phil Klenk.

“On July 1, 2020, we faced unprecedented challenges,” wrote Horton. “We were in the middle of a global pandemic, the district was in statutory operating debt, the last two referendums failed, and there were significant staff and course reductions. The community conversation didn’t center on what the school district would look like the following year, it was asking if there would be a district at all. These were challenging times filled with lots of emotion and uncertainty.”

Horton described Peterson as a “glowing example of everything positive about the GFW Public School District. She embodied the passion, spirit, and positivity that made the district and community successful for so many years. Her only question was ‘how can I help?”

In addition to attending regular board meetings, she became an active participant and leader. She mobilized and worked with students, staff and community members to support the Vote “Yes” committee. Her positive contributions helped lead us to a 63% “yes” vote, which played a significant role in turning around the school district,” wrote Horton.

“Peterson is a bright, thoughtful, and positive woman who works endlessly everyday to promote the good of the team,” added Horton. “She is involved in numerous activities and joins a new one when she notices they need support.”

“Haleigh stepped up to the challenge during our virtual school planning… Her technology experience enabled us to sail smoothly through the uncharted waters with Zoom meetings. She is always willing to help board members and the student body,” wrote Klenk. “She sees something that needs attention and will assist in helping the board when needed.”

Strategic plan

The school board unanimously adopted a strategic plan that will guide the district for the next five years, motion by board member Mike Kuehn, seconded by Casey Prochniak.

Conducting a strategic planning process was one of the goals introduced by Horton during his first 100 day plan, as a pledge of what the district would do following the operating levy which was supported by more than 60% of voters in August 2020.

The process involved a number of ways for community members to be involved including several listening sessions with the superintendent that took place in each community, equity and district surveys to community members, staff, and students, and a strategic planning committee made up of almost 50 community members.

The MSBA assisted in the development and facilitation of the planning process and provided guidance to the district throughout.

“During the levy process, we promised to look at every aspect of our district and find ways to define and strengthen our identity, and developing a strategic plan was a big part of that,” said Horton.

“Connecting with community members during this process allowed for a greater understanding of our community and what role we need to play as a district,” added Horton. “Seeing our students take such an active role during the development of our belief, mission, and vision statements was truly inspiring and I know that this plan is absolutely community inspired and community focused.”

The plan provides a series of belief statements that will guide decision making in the district as well as a new mission statement and vision statement to update what GFW Public Schools stands for.

The new mission statement for GFW Public Schools is to provide an equitable and quality education that meets the individual needs of our students to thrive in the 21st century.

A new vision statement was also adopted by the district, one that came directly from community members who served on the strategic planning committee.

“Growing future world class leaders” is the new vision of the district which puts a focus directly on student achievement, which is one of the newly established focus areas for goals.

“Being a part of the session where our community members were discussing vision and mission statements was a highlight of my time as a board member,” said Kuehn. “Our students, staff, and parents are so integral to our success as a district and I could not be more proud of our newly refined mission and vision for GFW Public Schools.”

Focus areas for the strategic plan include student achievement, finance, diversity, equity, inclusion, community and family engagement and a positive school climate.

The board also approved:

• By a 3-1 vote with Dan Merkel dissenting, placing tenured junior and senior high technology teacher Scott Robinson on .75 FTE (full-time equivalent) unrequested leave without pay and fringe benefits, as of June 8, 2021, due to lack of pupils and financial limitations, motion by Kuehn, second by Prochniak. Board members Jason Haas and Marisa Lee did not attend the meeting.

• Unanimously approved placing tenured elementary teachers Anne Hansen and Jennifer Schaufler on unrequested leave, without pay and fringe benefits, as of June 8, due to lack of pupils and financial limitations, motion by Kuehn, seconded by Prochniak for Hansen, motion by Kuehn, seconded by Schmidt, for Schaufler.

Kuehn said the resolutions were redone after the last regular board meeting, due to updated timelines.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.