School board to consider teacher contract agreements, board vacancy on Sept. 13

Eden Prairie’s school board will vote Sept. 13 on a contract agreement ratified by members of the Eden Prairie Education Association which represents most of the district’s teachers, according to a district representative.

A separate agreement also includes the Eden Prairie Preschool Education Association, which represents the district’s preschool teachers, according to Brett Johnson, senior director of communications and community relations.

Details of the agreement are not included in the meeting agenda published on the district’s website.

The contract agreements are the only agenda items on the brief business meeting.

Board vacancy on workshop agenda

The board likely didn’t expect to be discussing how to fill another empty board seat this soon. But that’s what they will be doing at a workshop immediately following its brief Sept. 13 business meeting.

Beth Fletcher announced her impending resignation Aug. 19 due to her family relocating to Atlanta, Georgia. She had not announced an effective date of her resignation as of Sept. 11. She is scheduled to attend the Sept. 13 meetings remotely from Milton, Georgia, according to the published meeting agenda.

Karla Bratrud was selected on a 4-2 board vote July 26 to fill the seat vacated at the end of May 2021 by Veronica Stoltz, whose family also moved out-of-state. Bratrud’s appointment will end when a winner of a Nov. 2 special election is determined.

At the July 26 meeting, board member C.J. Strehl objected to the appointment, preferring a more open process that would have allowed interested candidates to apply for the position.

Board member Kim Ross argued that the board should have followed precedence by appointing the next highest vote getter in the previous election.

Other board members said that Bratrud’s previous experience as a board member from 2012-16 and filling a 2019 vacancy made her the best choice.

Five candidates vying for Stoltz’s seat

Five candidates, including Francesca Pagán-Umar – who received the next highest number of votes in the 2020 board election – have filed to run for Stoltz’s open seat on Nov. 2. Other candidates are Steve Bartz, Albert Born, Michelle Mattison, and Darryl Stanton.

Fletcher’s announcement came too late to include her seat in the same special election, Johnson said. Fletcher’s term ends in Jan. 2025.

Because Fletcher’s resignation will be tendered less than 90 days before November 2, 2021, the district isn’t required to conduct a special election until November 2022, according to Minnesota statute Section 123B.09, subdivision 5b.

If it chooses to conduct one before then, it must be conducted on the first Tuesday of February, April, May or August, according to Minnesota statute Section 205A.05, subdivision 1a.

Early voting for the Nov. 2 special election begins Sept. 17 at the Administrative Services Center (ASC), 8100 School Road, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

The Sept. 13 school board business meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the ASC. The workshop begins immediately after the business meeting.

Community members are now able to attend board meetings in person. Meetings continue to be streamed live on Zoom.