Comprehensive school communications plan in the works

BRAINERD — Timeliness, accessibility, transparency and telling the district’s story are four of the components of a new communication plan in the works at Brainerd Public Schools.

Community Education Director Annmarie Lacher and Assistant Superintendent Heidi Hahn — who is set to take over as superintendent in July — presented an outline of the plan to board members Monday, June 13, and said more details are yet to come.

Ongoing input from students, staff, parents and community members helped to create a positioning statement for the plan, which includes:

• Telling the district’s truth.
• Allowing the plan to guide all district communication.
• Developing a position no other public, private or online school can match.

“On good days we sing it,” and “on hard days we take respite within it,” the position statement concludes.
The goals of the plan, Hahn said, are to be comprehensive, responsive, easily accessible, transparent and consistent, along with celebrating the district.

“We really want everybody who’s looking at Brainerd Public Schools to have an understanding of what we’re doing, when we’re doing it and why we’re doing it,” Hahn said. “And the other thing is, we’re looking at it as an avenue to celebrate our district. So one of the things we’ve talked about is we don’t necessarily tell our story very well, and we’re trying to figure out the best way to really showcase our school district.”

Lacher said the plan will take about a year to fully develop so it can have long-term sustainability, with staff taking the time this summer to build the framework and generate ideas.

Hahn and Lacher will give further updates on the plan at the board’s next meeting in July.

In other business Monday, the board: 

Accepted donations to the district: $500 from Dunwoody College of Technology for the Brainerd High School robotics program; $200 from Costco for the district’s Angel Food Fund; and $200 from MSANI for BHS choir.

Approved a field trip request for the BHS symphonic band and wind symphony to go to New York City between March 11-19, 2023, during spring break.

Approved two plumbing plan review changes for the construction project on the A-wing of the high school in the amounts of $81,550 and $127,692. These costs will come out of the project’s contingency fund.

Renewed the district’s liability and workers compensation insurance policy with Weizenegger & Engel Insurance for fiscal year 2023.

Approved a contract with CliftonLarsonAllen for fiscal year 2022 audit services.

Approved new hires: Mariah Alderson, continuing education instructor; Thomas Andresen, eighth grade football coach; Jayden Barnum, summer parks and recreation umpire and assistant coach; Michael Beliveau, summer parks and recreation umpire; Jennifer Boeckmann, continuing education instructor; Michael Bogart, seventh grade football coach; Anna Carbajal, teacher at Nisswa Elementary; Lauren Crenna, special education teacher at Harrison Elementary; Angela Curran, specific learning disabilities special education teacher at Forestview; Krista DeHaan, fifth grade language arts teacher at Forestview; Riley DeRosier, summer parks and recreation umpire; Jordan Erickson, continuing education instructor; James Ernster, sixth grade football coach; Joshua Fordyce, assistant activities director at BHS; Bryce Gross, eighth grade football coach; Alex Haapajoki, summer parks and recreation coach; Derek Hendrickson, assistant principal at Forestview; Brook Hennies, continuing enrichment coach; Anna Hodnefield, speech language pathologist at Riverside Elementary; Trisia Hughes, administrative assistant, Baxter Elementary; Eric Jobe, eighth grade football coach; Tanya Johnston, special education teacher at Baxter Elementary; Alex Kunech, sixth grade football coach; Jeffrey Lee, special education K-12 coordinator at Paul Bunyan Education Cooperative; Jessica Lofrano-Lewis, continuing education coach; Dean Makey, summer parks and recreation umpire; Claire Minor, assistant girls lacrosse coach; Jennifer Mongeon, specific learning disabilities special education teacher at Forestview; Rachel Moore, continuing education instructor; Derek Owen, assistant baseball coach; Jolene Parks, special education teacher at Brainerd Learning Center; Axton Peterson, summer parks and recreation assistant; Kamryn Peterson, continuing education instructor; Zander Peterson, summer parks and recreation assistant; Mara Roberts, summer parks and recreation assistant; Louis Roseman, sixth grade football coach; Alanie Sandberg, special education K-12 coordinator at Paul Bunyan Education Cooperative; Jay Sannes, eighth grade football coach; Kaden Sheflo, continuing education instructor; Isaac Smieja, assistant principal at Forestview; Jannessa Steele, early childhood special education teacher at Warrior Early Learning Center; Michelle Tollefson, teacher at Forestview; Arica Tweet, third grade teacher at Riverside Elementary, Izaac Vanek, summer parks and recreation umpire; James Wimmer, sixth grade football coach; and Dylan Wikoff, summer parks and recreation coach.

Approved summer school staff hires: McKinley Anderson, teacher, Brainerd Learning Center; Sara Anderson, nurse, Garfield Elementary; Jackie Blume, educational assistant, Baxter Elementary; Toni Bock, educational assistant, BHS; Tanicia Broberg, behavior management specialist, BHS; Jill Buseby, educational assistant, Baxter Elementary; Megan Carlson, behavior management specialist, Lincoln Education Center; Teresa Christiansen, teacher, Lincoln Education Center; Pamala Clontz, teacher, Forestview Middle School; Audriana Cockman, behavior management specialist, Lincoln Education Center; Deb Condiff, educational assistant, BHS; Bridget Corbett, teacher, BHS; Tamyra Cullinane, Garfield Elementary; Alyssa Dianels, speech therapist, Lincoln Education Center; Mary Elias, educational assistant, Baxter Elementary; Adam Extrand, teacher, Brainerd Learning Center; Marilyn Fanjoy, educational assistant, Lincoln Education Center; Sarah Francis, educational assistant Lincoln Education Center; Emily Freed, teacher, BHS; Jennifer Fundine, teacher, BHS; Joann Georges, teacher, Lincoln Education Center; Melissa Giles, educational assistant at Lincolne Education Center; Tammie Grimsley, educational assistant at Garfield Elementary; Holly Guse, educational assistant at Garfield Elementary; David Hallgren, educational assistant at Lincoln Education Center; Tasha Halstad, teacher, Garfield Elementary; Nicole Hartman, teacher, Forestview; Toni Hidalgo, teacher, Garfield Elementary; Marcie Hoffman, educational assistant, BHS; Lori Howe, educational assistant, BHS; Julie Hunter, teacher, Garfield Elementary; Jackie Janosek-Foss, teacher, Brainerd Learning Center; Heather Johnson, teacher, Brainerd Learning Center; Jeannine Johnson, educational assistant at Lincoln Education Center; Dondi Jonelle, educational assistant, Lincoln Education Center; Brainerd Learning Center; Jami Kraushaar, teacher, Brainerd Learning Center; Stacy Littman, teacher, BHS; EmmaMarie MacArthur, behavior management specialist at Lincoln Education Center; Traci Miles, behavior management specialist, Lincoln Education Center; Sue Miller, teacher, BHS; JoDee Moen, teacher, Brainerd Learning Center; Tamara Nelson, teacher, Garfield Elementary; Wendy Neugebauer, educational assistant, Lincoln Education Center; Brittany Nyberg, educational assistant at Baxter Elementary; Cassie O’Connor, teacher, Garfield Elementary; Eunice Peabody, teacher, BHS; Nicole Rassmussen-Knaeble, educational assistant, Garfield Elementary; Britni Rivers, educational assistant, Forestview; Steffanie Sanford, teacher, BHS; Sheryl Schmidt, clerical, Garfield Elementary; Katelyn Siebels, educational assistant, Lincoln Education Center; Susan Sorenson, teacher, Lincoln Education Center; Julia Stevens, teacher, Garfield Elementary; Anthony Tideman, teacher, Lincoln Education Center; John Tomonovich, teacher, Garfield Elementary; Heather Webster, nurse, Lincoln Education Center; Kassandra Wicklund, educational assistant, Lincoln Education Center; Jill Willard, educational assistant, BHS; and Kately Zeroth, behavior management specialist, Lincoln Education Center.

Hired Fun ‘N’ Friends program assistants: MarBeth Abraham, Brenna Bair, Alisa Becker, Caitlyn Garnhardt, Marci Hoffman, Raina Kostek, Lauren Kowalzek, Meaghan Northberg, Britni Rivers and Sophia Robin.

THERESA BOURKE may be reached at theresa.bourke@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5860. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DispatchTheresa .