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School district to hire added nurse for special needs

By
Mavis Fodness

Luverne School Board members decided on a split vote to hire a full-time licensed practical nurse for the district.
The additional health support fills a request from administrators who sought more flexibility in meeting individual student needs.
The aide would provide one-0n-one student support when needed for a portion of the school day with the rest of the day assisting school nurse Phil Paquette.
The decision to add the position wasn’t easy. The board approved the position on a 4-2 vote at the Dec. 23 meeting.
Tim Jarchow made the motion with support from Reva Sehr, Dave Wrigg and Eric Hartman. Jodi Bosch was not at the meeting.
Jeff Stratton and Katie Baustian voted against the possible long-term position.
“I am not in favor of adding positions after seeing our declining enrollment,” Baustian said. “And our ESSR funds can be used in a different way — it’s going to run out at some point and then what are we going to do?”
ESSR — Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief — is pandemic aid that could be used to pay for the position, rather than using the General Fund.
The health aide, a 40-hour-a-week position, requires the minimum LPN qualifications. The pay is $25 per hour with no benefits.
“We are hopeful that we can get an advertisement out and find someone,” Superintendent Craig Oftedahl said. “We might not find anybody.”
 
Lower 2022 levy; food service budget in red
Board members accepted the 2022 local levy at $3,750,644, a decline of 3.94 percent from the year before.
The $152,862 decrease is due, in part, to lower enrollment in the district.
The district’s current budget is $19.9 million.
According to the audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, the general and community education funds both ended with positive fund balances of $10.5 million and $141,736 respectively.
However, the food service fund lost $17,841.
District business manager Tyler Reisch indicated the food service fund might be at a negative $214,000 by the next fiscal year-end in June.
Reisch said increased food costs and the requirement to provide meals for free are driving the fund into the deficit. Reimbursement from the federal level is based on district family applications to the free and reduced meal program.
Prior to 2020, 33 percent of local families qualified for the federal free and reduced meal funding. Only 15 percent of families applied for the program this year.
“No one is applying for free and reduced lunch, because you are already getting it (for free),” Oftedahl said. “Your numbers are skewed — 15 percent of the people filled out the application; we lose out of 18 percent (of the reimbursement).”
The district may be able to apply for pandemic ESSR grant dollars to lessen the impact.
Meanwhile, Reisch said ways to cut or recoup food service costs will be considered before the end of the school year.

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