02-05-2025
BOLD School Board votes 4-2 to seek new superintendent amid budget shortfall
May 2---- In a surprise move,
members on Monday voted 4-2 to begin a search for a new superintendent instead of negotiating a new contract with Superintendent Jim Menton.
The vote came after board members initially considered a motion to begin negotiating a new contract. Board members must now decide how to conduct that search under a relatively tight time frame. Superintendent Menton's contract ends June 30.
Board members at the April 28 meeting cited concerns over the district's financial predicament — and worries that the community will not trust the board and current superintendent to solve it — in their discussions prior to the vote.
Another factor — not mentioned by board members but referenced by Menton — was his recent interview as one of five finalists for the superintendent position with the Byron Public Schools in southeast Minnesota.
BOLD board members Todd Sheehan and Greg Peppel voted "nay" on the motion for a new superintendent search, while members Todd Frank and Sandy Benson made the motion for the search and were joined in "aye" votes by MaryElla Clouse and Brad Aaseth. Brad Reffereth was absent.
Board Chairman Todd Frank stepped aside from his role as chair so that he would be free to urge members to rescind the motion to negotiate a new contract with Menton and start a new search.
School board members held a closed session with Menton one month earlier to evaluate his performance. Under the Minnesota Open Meeting law, a public body may close a meeting to evaluate the performance of an employee under its authority.
Menton told board members that he left that meeting with the impression that he had the support to move forward and fix the district's financial situation.
The district is on track for a $700,000 shortfall or greater in this year's budget. It could grow to as large as $900,000 in what Menton described as a "worst-case scenario."
The district's financial mess came to light following the resignation of the school district's business manager in September.
that the district had asked for a criminal investigation into the business manager's actions.
He told the board then that the district was facing a shortfall of $700,000. The budget had not allocated sufficient revenues, nor identified sources for them, for significant transportation and payroll expenses included in the budget.
Chairman Frank initially raised the concerns on Monday about negotiating a new contract. He said he had been contacted by 17 different community members, as well as by five former school board members, who said they did not want to see the board renew the superintendent's contract.
"I don't think the trust will be there by the community, and once trust is lost, we've lost it," said Frank after explaining his concerns.
Other board members expressed favorable opinions of the superintendent, as well as concerns about the fiscal dilemma.
"The bottom line," said Clouse, "is he is responsible for balancing the budget and ensuring we do not go into debt."
After the motion was made to search for a new superintendent, Menton said, "I understand. I understand completely and this has been a massive debacle. (There is a) need to accept responsibility and I certainly do. As everyone knows, there have been some pretty massive extenuating circumstances that (I'm) just not at liberty to fully discuss. ... It's been an extremely frustrating year."
Menton explained that he had left the last board meeting with the impression that he would continue. He added that he had "taken a lot of flak for taking a job interview without the opportunity to fix what has happened here."
He said he was not sure that the problem can be fixed in one year.
"I am certainly motivated to fix this," he said.
Sheehan said he had also left the last meeting with the impression that board members were going to give the superintendent a chance to fix what happened, adding: "All of this wasn't his issue."
Clouse pointed out that the BOLD School Board does not have a finance committee in place. She said there were many extenuating circumstances, and that she felt partially responsible for not having spotted the budget problems in the making.
"That is what makes this such a difficult decision. I believe in giving people a second chance," she said.
Menton has served as superintendent of the BOLD School District since May 2021 He led an effort that saw voters in November 2023 approve nearly $40 million in financing to address facilities needs in the district serving the communities of Bird Island, Olivia and Lake Lillian.
Prior to becoming superintendent, Menton had served for five years as BOLD's high school principal. He had been an assistant principal for the Westbrook-Walnut Grove School District before joining BOLD.
