BLUE EARTH– A report from the Blue Earth Area School Board’s Activities Committee sparked a discussion about sports co-ops during Monday’s BEA School Board meeting.

As School Board member Ted Armon gave the other board members an update from the committee meeting, board member Mark Franta questioned whether the subject of a sports co-op with Genesis Classical Academy in Winnebago had been discussed.

Armon said the topic of sports co-op agreements was discussed just in general terms, with an explanation of the ways one can be created.

“It is a complicated procedure,” Armon said. “But, I want to point out that Blue Earth Area has not been approached by Genesis or any other school or school district in the area about creating a sports co-op agreement.”

Franta pressed for more discussion on the topic, saying that it is important to remember the people of Winnebago are voters in the BEA School District.

“I think the point, one more time, is that we have not heard from the Genesis administration about this,” board member Stacey Beyer, who is also on the Activities Committee, said. “This does not have to be discussed at this time.”

At the meeting, BEA Activities director Travis Armstrong gave a report on having a successful fall sports season.

“The volleyball team had a playoff match, the cross country team had 13 members do well at the Section Meet, with 10 doing a personal record best and three doing a season best,” he said. “Three girls went to State Tennis Meet and 16 girls were out for cheerleading.”

He also listed the recent concerts and the play scheduled for this weekend as other activities underway.

In other business, the School Board:

— Approved the 2023-2025 Master Agreement with the BEA Education Association.

The agreement calls for an 8.7 percent increase in certified staff salaries over the next two years.

— Discussed a request by board member Franta to have a work session to discuss the MCA state testing scores and talk about how to raise those scores.

The board decided they already had conducted such a work session earlier this school year and would wait until next fall to hold another one.

— Approved a list of winter coaches for 2023-2024.

— Approved the Assurance of Compliance for BEA and the 2023-2024 World’s Best Workforce Report.

— Approved a donation from Kerry Ingredients for the BUCC-Y Bags program.

— Approved several personnel changes, including resignations from paraprofessionals Katie Welsh and Sara Arbeiter, new hire for paraprofessional Mariah Vaughn and the retirement of bus driver Tim Anderson and thanked him for his 18 years of service to the district.