ISD 197 School Board Recap: Sept. 28, 2026

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With Deputy Superintendent Peter Mau filling in for Superintendent Peter Olson-Skog, the School Board heard comments about coaching pay, reviewed a recent audit, and heard an update on the district’s American Indian Education plan.

Fiscal Year 2025 Audit

Finance Director Brian Schultz and James Eichten, CPA, presented the Board with a review of the recently-completed audit from fiscal year 2025. This was a routine, legally-required annual audit, and it revealed a few minor compliance issues but no major problems.

• The audit found no missing funds of any kind, a point that multiple Board members were keen to emphasize.
• Audits are required to be submitted by January 1 of each year, meaning that this one was nearly 10 months late. The delay was largely caused by lingering issues from the previous finance director, who failed to document or track several aspects of the district’s finances. The 2026 audit is expected to be completed on time.
• The audit recommended improved processes for tracking expenses and vetting vendors in a few areas.

Other Items on the Agenda

• American Indian education plan: Nell Barri, the district’s American Indian education coordinator, shared an update on the American Indian Education plan. The goals of the plan and Barri’s position are to increase educational access and opportunity for American Indian students and ensure they have a positive, welcoming school climate. Her work in the past year has focused on more consistent programming including learning about cultural practices, field trips, and college visits. Overall academic achievement and involvement are improving among the district’s American Indian students, but they still lag far behind other racial groups. The Board thanked Barri for her work and expressed a desire to help her continue the improvement.
• 2027 tax levy: The Board unanimously approved the property tax levy for 2027. Schultz recommended the maximum legally allowed levy, which is standard practice both for ISD 197 and the vast majority of districts around the state. Due to falling enrollment numbers, the levy increase is projected to be quite small, only 0.28%. The levy increase will get another public hearing at the December 14 meeting.
• Open enrollment closed: Deputy Superintendent Peter Mau presented a resolution to the Board to close open enrollment for grades 7-9 for the remainder of the current school year. Mau presented the move as a way to avoid staffing headaches if more out-of-district students want to enroll and preserve slots for resident students for the rest of the year. The resolution passed unanimously.
• Coaching pay: During the public comment period to kick off the meeting, a large contingent of ISD 197’s fall sports coaches advocated for a pay raise. Alana Lucio Thomas, who coaches girls’ track and cross country, said participation is up–girls’ track and field alone is up 250% in the past 10 years—and they are underpaid. She is making about $15 an hour for her coaching work. Erik Kluznik, who coaches cross country, said that in speaking to his colleagues at other schools, he has learned that he is the lowest-paid head coach in the area.

Engage

• Watch: Board Members Tim Aune and Sarah Larsen offer a video recap of the meeting.
• More: Agendas and minutes for ISD 197 School Board meetings are available online.

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