Retired member appointed to fill H-BC School Board vacancy

Former board member Harley Fransman was unanimously appointed to the Hills-Beaver Creek School Board during Monday night’s meeting.
Fransman served 13 years on the H-BC Board, retiring in 2018. He served six years as the board’s chairman and was instrumental in bringing the district out of statutory operating debt.
Fransman replaces Dan LaRock, who resigned his position on the board earlier this month.
Fransman will join the board May 26. The public has 30 days from Monday’s board resolution adoption to challenge the appointment.
Fransman will serve until the November general election. The position will then be open for any eligible resident to file for election to complete the last year of the four-year term, which expires in 2022.
 
In other business, board members:
•approved adding a full-time elementary teacher for the 2021-2022 school year. Estimated salary is $55,000.
•agreed to join eight to 10 other southwest Minnesota school districts in splitting lawyer fees to answer the Minnesota State High School League’s continued requests to replace lost revenue through a second payment to the organization. H-BC passed a resolution in December to pay a portion of the requested $4,317 or $28.22 per student. Instead, H-BC paid $1,707 or $11.16 per high school student. H-BC has 104 high school students.
“It’s a matter of fairness and how these fees were put out there,” Superintendent Holthaus said.