The GFW School Board held a regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 2, 2026. A summary of the meeting is below.
Watch the meeting on YouTube:
Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent Berg shared information about the financial audit that is currently taking place. It is expected that the report will be shared with the board at their November meeting. The State of Minnesota has also submitted a positive review and comment on the Capital Projects Levy and Building Demolition project. This is not an endorsement of the project by the state, rather it is an approval of the overall impact of the proposed projects.
The board also heard updates about the changes in the levy for the next fiscal year. These numbers are changing every day with MDE continuing to make adjustments. There was also an issue with some of the students enrolled in the GFW partnership with OpenEd showing up on local levy estimates, which are being corrected.
There was also an update from the State on special education funding that has potential to impact GFW Public Schools when it comes to ADSIS Program Funding. The district has $702,000 budgeted for these more intensive services required by some students. A commission has been created by the State to address special education funding. The commission announced that they will be moving forward with recommending a $255 million in reduction in funding across the state. GFW receives about $500,000 in state aid for ADSIS, and with the new funding formula, the district would get $30,500 in funding. The state is also changing how they reimburse for special education transportation from 90% to 60% which would also be a big impact to the district.
Berg shared that while the funding may go away, the needs of students do not go away, and that the district will continue to advocate for public education and strong funding at the state legislature.
Principal Reports
Principal Jacobson shared that the school year has started on a positive note so far with a lot of excitement about starting in the new building. Athletics and fine arts programming is going well with fall sports and preparation for the fall play underway now. Students are getting involved with the new ticketing system around positive school climate and PBIS Programming. The last week of September is Homecoming week with lots of fun school spirit activities planned. Students in grades 8-12 will also be attending a presentation in partnership with Buffalo Lake Hector on making good choices with the chance to hear from a motivational speaker. Other activities will be taking place to connect students with career and college opportunities. The Student Council will be participating in future meetings to give updates to the board from a student perspective.
School Board Reports
Board members shared brief updates from committees, from Riverbend and other updates.
The board also discussed the Positive Review and Comment from the Minnesota Department of Education for capital projects levy and building demolition bond
Consent Agenda, Resolutions and Action Items
The board approved the Consent Agenda
The board approved a recommendation to certify the preliminary levy based on the number of in-person GFW students to the maximum
The board approved a recommendation to Approve Area Adult Learning Cooperative 2026-2027 Consortium Agreement
The board approved a recommendation to go out for bid for snow removal
The board approved a recommendation to hire a 1.0 FTE K-12 Special Education Teacher
The board approved a resolution to accept donations