By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
The Northfield School Board meets tonight, the main item on the agenda is the final vote on the $6 million in proposed budget reductions. The board will first go through the public comments section, announcements and recognitions, and the consent agenda before taking up the budget discussion.
Here’s Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillmann describing how the process will work:
“We’ll bring forward the activities package, and we’ll ask if there are any board members who would like to remove any line item from the activities package. Any board member can remove any line item. So, if you say I want to remove line item 22, that line item comes off once board members have said all of the line items that they would like to remove it. Then we approve the remainder of that package, except for the line items that you’ve removed. Then we go line item by line item, and you discuss that particular recommendation, and you either approve it or you don’t approve it? “ – Dr Matt Hillmann, Superintendent of Schools at the 4/14/2025 School Board Meeting
The process of budget reductions began in January, when the district published its annual financial forecast. From there, the district gathered 60+ parents, staff, students, and community members to create priorities and make the budget reduction package. The School District then held a public forum that gathered 177 community members to share their opinions. The District Youth Council also held two forums for students to ask questions and share opinions with school leadership. Hillmann stated that board has also received more than 80 emails in the last few weeks regarding the topic.
Here’s School Board Chair Claudia Gonzalez-Geroge:
“And we’re, of course immensely grateful and appreciative of all the community members, the administrators and vow for putting together these proposed reduction packages. I like to. Recall what Doctor Hammond says is we’re we can be proud of that process and still not like the result.” – Claudia Gonzalez-George, Northfield School Board Chair at the 4/14/2025 School Board Meeting
We will hear from both Hillmann and Gonzalez-George tomorrow morning at 7:20am.
If you are interested in attending the school board meeting, the meetings are held in the District Office Board Room; use Door #2 located on the north side of the District Office on 2nd Street West. The meetings are also streamed live on Zoom; you can find the link to the video in the agenda at Northfieldschools.org. Recordings of the meetings are also posted on the district’s YouTube page.
The meeting tonight starts at 6pm.
View the full packet of budget reduction recommendations here
Learn more:
- Article: A Summary of the School District’s Financial Forecast
- Podcast: An In-Depth Look At the Northfield Public Schools Budget Reductions
- Article: With the Northfield Schools Budget Cuts, Why is the District Continuing the High School Construction Project?
- Article: What Happens To The Ice Arena Agreement With the School District Budget Reductions?
- Podcast: A summary of the Public Forum
- Article: Northfield School Board Discusses Middle School Hour Change & Other Budget Reduction Proposals
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