School board puts house up for sale

During their meeting the evening of April 20, members of the NRHEG school board authorized superintendent Michael Meihak to seek out a realtor to assist with the sale of a house located east of the secondary school parking lot at 302 South Broadway Avenue. The district has owned the property since last fall, when school board members voted to purchase it to resolve a decades-long situation. A garage associated with the house extended about 15 feet into the northeast corner of the secondary site’s largest parking lot, reducing the space available for traffic entering or leaving the lot at its northeast access.

The garage has since been removed; the house and lot are being placed back on the market.

 

As part of his administrative report, secondary principal Grant Berg informed board members that 21 FFA participants took part in the organization’s statewide convention, which took place at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus April 20 and 21. He mentioned students from the secondary school had participated in a session called “My Ascension,” in which they learned about the experiences of suicide survivor Emma Benoit. The morning session began with students viewing a 90-minute film that summarizes the tempestuous circumstances surrounding Benoit’s decision to attempt ending her own life at age 16 and its consequences. The program provides youth with a broader perspective regarding suicide, while also providing information about prevention resources.

 

Berg also mentioned prom will be May 2; the event’s theme is “A Night in Paradise.” The secondary music department’s Pop concert is scheduled for 7 p.m. the evening of May 16.

 

Meihak gave an update regarding “open enrollment,” beginning with the statement that NRHEG is “positive by five.” Open enrollment is the circumstance that parents can select the school district their children attend based on personal choice, rather than being limited to the district within whose boundaries they live. Meihak’s “positive by five” statement means five more students are now attending school in the district by their families’ choice than have elected to leave the district and attend schools elsewhere.

 

Meihak went on to provide some details, mentioning that the most common choice of students leaving the district is to begin taking courses online, an option which allows them to complete courses on a flexible schedule. Thirty-four students living within the district’s boundaries have done so during the 2025-26 school year. 

 

Since the largest factor in determining the amount of state funding a district receives is the number of students who attend, the decrease is highly significant. Meihak mentioned it speaks well of NRHEG that it persistently draws students whose residence is in other districts. He has also consistently reported across the school year on ways he continues to work with the administrative team to find ways to draw back those students who have chosen to attend elsewhere.