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*The board approved its final 2005 tax levy, which calls for a total levy of $1,279,755. Of this, $741,936 is for debt service, $230,623 for the excess levy, $197,338 for the general fund, $73,492 for Community Education, and $36,366 for equity aid. (See related story.)

*The board approved hiring Sarah Hadtrath as an EBD teacher at the elementary school for the remainder of the 2004-05 school year, starting on Monday, Jan. 3. Hadtrath, a recent SCSU grad, will replace Leza Weber, who is moving to another state, in the special education department.

*The board approved hiring Ted Nett as the head football coach for the 2005-06 school year. Nett, a special education teacher in the middle school, played football for Albany High School and St. John's University and was an assistant coach this fall for the Bulldogs.

*The board approved increasing the time for speech clinician Michelle Hesse-Cremers from 0.5 FTE to 0.6 FTE, starting in January, for the remainder of the 2004-05 school year. The time increase was needed due to her caseload.

*The board reviewed issues of concern with the Youth Advisory Council. (In order to meet with the middle school and high school students, the board meeting was held in the afternoon at the middle school media center.)

The following students comprise the 2004-05 Youth Advisory Council: seniors Kim Hess, Kendra Johnson, and Ashley Spanier; juniors Courtney Colbert and Sean Glenz; sophomore Celia Frieler; eighth graders Jackie Berg, Ralph Daby, and Kelli Flannigan; seventh graders Ashley Gleitz and Eric Wolbeck; and sixth graders Greta Keller and Garrett Thompson.

In an hour-long discussion, high school students said they liked the fitness center and liked having a third lunch line but they wanted fewer French fries for lunch, thought closed circuit TVs would help broadcast announcements, and wanted more college-credit classes.

Middle school students said they thought it was important to keep the sixth graders at the middle school. They also said they thought art classes should be offered more than one semester in the middle school (every other day during seventh grade), they were concerned about high school classes using the middle school computer lab for classes, and said that four minutes between classes was not always sufficient, especially if students need to go to the bathroom between classes.

*The board approved offering preschool classes through Community Education and Early Childhood Family Education classes for the second semester of the 2004-05 school year. Teachers for ECFE are Becki Quade, Connie Ludwig, Sarah Kruger, Kris Lang, Tami Neu, and Diane Gilk; teachers for preschool are Quade and Lang.

*The board approved 22 health and safety plans for the district, covering everything from an emergency action plan to indoor air quality. Donnie Mayer, building and grounds supervisor for the district, told the board that the plans are required by the state and that the district had taken model policies from a consultant and adapted them to the needs of the Paynesville Area School District.

*The board approved canceling their board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 1, for lack of business. The board will hold one meeting in January: on Tuesday, Jan. 25.