The first meeting of 2026 also served as an organizational session for the Ely School Board, and members made quick work of that agenda.
In roughly 20 minutes, the board disposed of all business and set course for the new year - leaving its officer and committee slate largely intact.
Rochelle Sjoberg, who has served as chairperson the last two years, was re-elected without opposition, while Tom Omerza was again appointed treasurer and Hollee Coombe clerk.
Jen Westlund, Tony Colarich and Erin Moravitz round out the six-member group.
Among the other organizing tasks included setting board compensation, and for a second consecutive year, board members froze their own pay in light of the district’s precarious financial position.
Board pay remains $230 per month plus $66 per study session, with the chairperson receiving the same stipend plus an additional $66 per month. There is also a $30,000 life insurance policy.
“It has not gone unnoticed that this is the second year in a row that the board has foregone any wage increase,” said Sjoberg. “There’s a lot put in, with the time that each of us spends, not just the two meetings a month but the committee we serve and a lot of work that goes into it.”
Sjoberg commended the rest of the board for “keeping students and our district in the forefront.”
Once again, the Ely Echo will serve as the district’s official publication. Ely’s only locally-owned publication submitted a bid of $10.95 per column inch for display and public notice advertising.
Board members also set the lineup for a slew of district committees, mostly maintaining the same roles they had in 2025.
Sjoberg and Colarich continue to serve on the facilities committee with Omerza and Westlund joining Sjoberg, superintendent Anne Oelke and district finance manager Jordan Huntbatch on the budget and finance committee.
Westlund, Sjoberg and Coombe are part of the meet and confer/grievance committee while Sjoberg, who leads the human resources team at Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital, is part of all of the board’s negotiating committees with Colarich, and a new member - Coombe.
“We did add Hollee as an optional attendee,” said Sjoberg. “I’ve been doing lead negotiating for a significant window in time and we want to have some succession and backup.”
The board also assigned members to more than a dozen other committees and groups.
In other business, the board:
• Received the January enrollment report, showing 491 students enrolled in grades K-12, up seven from the start of the school year but down 20 from the end of the 2024-25 school year. The largest class is the ninth grade (59 students) and the 18-member second grade group is the smallest.
• Designated the Klun Law Firm as legal counsel at a rate of $143 per hour.
• Approved a resolution authorizing the administration to make recommendations for budget reductions, if necessary.
• Approved the district’s membership in the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools, including yearly membership dues of $1,544.
• Set mileage reimbursement rates for 2026 at 72.5 cents per mile, in accordance with IRS standard rates.
• Designated the second Monday of each month for regular board meetings and the fourth Monday for study sessions, both starting at 5:30 p.m., a half-hour earlier than previously.
• Noted the hires of longterm substitutes Stephen Holthaus (special education teacher), Michael Moe (media specialist) and Alycia Butler (paraprofessional).
• Approved the final readings of state school board association model policies related to curriculum and instruction goals, service animals in schools, and religious and cultural observances.
• Designated Frandsen Bank, Highland Bank, U.S. Bank and Minnesota School Liquid Asset Fund as district financial institutions. Omerza abstained from that vote.
• Accepted an $8,000 donation from the Ely Educational Foundation for two smart boards.
Omerza noted the numerous donations received from the EEF and cited a conversation with a foundation board member, reporting the member indicated that the EEF was “at the ready” to provide further support to the district.
