The ISD 166 School Board got its construction update on October 22, and the calendar now has a hard edge: as soon as the October 31 football game ends, crews start ripping out the fences, the bleachers, and the trees at the current field, to get as much demolition done this fall as the weather allows. The goal stated at the meeting: play football on the new field next fall.

Facing a 34.9% renewal increase from Medica, still the lowest bid after six months of shopping, the board renewed the same four staff health plans through the Minnesota Healthcare Consortium for 2026–27. The increase is roughly $360,000 against a budget of about $7M; because the new union contracts locked the district’s share at last year’s premium level, most of the increase lands on employees. A cheaper Teamsters self-funded plan was left under study. Moved by Quinn McCloughan, seconded by Rogers.