February 9, 2026 at 6:00 PM - Regular Meeting of the School Board

Discussion:  The Board of Education of Hermantown Independent School District No. 700 met in regular session on February 9, 2026. Chair, David Hokanson, called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M.

Discussion:  Members Present: Eric Griffith (virtual), David Hokanson, Jodi McShane, Ashley McFarland, Matthew Munger, Tim Peterson, Wayne Whitwam, Superintendent, Lance Takkunen, Director of Business Services

Visitors: Sarah Turcotte, Jason Wilcox, Bill Wietman, Kammi Wietman, Sophie Wietman, Mike Zagelmeyer, Michael Michelizzi, Julie Lenz, Stacy Sosniecki, Lindsey Beier, Lori Sinnott, John Wojciuk, Laura Bakker, Luke Walker, Alex Olsen, Grace Billman, Gretchen Appelwick, Brent Chouanard-Nguyen, Cindy Vittorio, Connie Adamec, John Muenich, Dacia Selzler, Stephanie Kemp, Jesse Singer, Shelby Salmela, Kate Conklin, Kristian Hartmann, Kristal Berg, Abigail Kipka, Lorene Botten, Heather Hren

Discussion:  Wietman. Congratulations to the 6th grade Math Masters team on advancing to State. 
Appelwick. Just wrapped the Kindness Retreat for 4th graders. Thank you to the elementary counselors and fourth grade teachers. Congratulations to Janet Sinna on her retirement at the end of the year. There are not enough words to describe how much she has done for our students and our faculty in her time at Hermantown Schools. She will absolutely be missed.  
Muenich. Recognized Rachel Cobb for all of her work behind the scenes in her first year as Snow Week Advisor. 
Whitwam. Thanks to Lance Takkunen for his eight years of service and good luck in his next endeavor. 
Peterson. Echoed Whitwam's sentiments. Wished Takkunen luck in his next endeavor. 

Discussion:  Mike Zagelmeyer spoke in favor of the video boards and how they will not only be used for athletics, but also as a career-connected elective for students. 
Sophie Wietman spoke regarding the cheerleading program and asked the Board for assistance in being able to cheer during the Mirage playoff run. 

Discussion:  Whitwam. The Teachers Union has informed the Board that it filed for mediation regarding the 2025-2027 contract. The teachers are asking for 8.99% over two years, and the District has offered 8.57% over two years. 

Discussion:  Currently down 5-6 students at the high school. For Open Enrollment, we tried to accept the staff children and siblings that applied for next year in grades that had room. In Kindergarten, we have about 20 students that are unconfirmed and have 11 asking to get in for open enrollment. We do not want to wait until August this year, so we should plan to make a decision around Kindergarten Registration Night. 

Discussion:  Whitwam gave two options for a plaque to go up at NorthStar Ford Arena from the Hermantown School Board thanking those that helped make the project a reality. McFarland mentioned that Hermantown is no longer mentioned anywhere on the building and would like to look into adding it back somewhere. 

Discussion:  If we want to build an outdoor classroom for locker rooms, storage, etc., down by the turf, we would need to do a utility assessment, which has a cost. Asking the Board if they want to move forward with that assessment or not? Would most likely need to prioritize projects first with the Finance Committee and the Facilities Committee before coming back to the Board.    

Discussion:  McShane and Munger. Policy committee met and the Board will be looking at Policy updates in the next few agendas. 
Peterson. Attended the curriculum meeting for eighth grade sex education. Mike Pothast, Bill Wietman and John Muenich facilitated the meeting, which was not well attended, but had good information for those that did attend.