Our School Board

Our board consists of up to seven board members who volunteer their time and talents in service of our school. The school director serves on the board in an advisory, non-voting position, and one full-time teacher serves on the board with an optional rotating term. We hold school board elections during the annual meetings in October.

The board meets on a regular basis to discuss policies, allocate the budget, and review other matters pertaining to the operation of the school. You're welcome to view the information about upcoming meetings, as well as the minutes from past meetings, posted on this page.

School board members posing with a certificate

Birch Grove Community School received the Award of Excellence in School Board Governance and the Award of Excellence in School Academics at the VOA Charter School Leadership Conference in Bemidji. - June 2023

Board Meeting Dates

Our board meets at Birch Grove Community School on the third Tuesday of every month at 4:00 p.m., unless otherwise noted. Meeting dates are subject to change. We will post rescheduled board meetings at Birch Grove Community School, the school website, and on the local Boreal website. 

Meet Our Board Members

Below you’ll find a list of the current board members. For mailing addresses and details regarding each board member’s term and credentials, please see the Board Composition document.

Sara Knottski
Vice-President
Teacher Representative
(218) 663-0170
sara.knottskibgcs@gmail.com

Sarena Crowley
Secretary
BGCS Parent
(218) 370-0726
sarenanelson@yahoo.com

Skip Lamb
Treasurer
Community Member
(218) 663-7922
lambs@boreal.org

Mary VanDoren
Board Member
Community Member
(218) 663-7386
msbb@boreal.org

Judy Motschenbacher
President
Founder and Community Member
(218) 663-0017
motsch@boreal.org

Our Current Committees and Members

These committees do not have board-delegated authority.

District Advisory & Academic Excellence Committee
Judy Motschenbacher, Sara Knottski, Mary VanDoren

Finance Committee
Judy Motschenbacher, Skip Lamb, Sara Knottski

Fundraising Committee
Judy Motschenbacher, Sarena Crowley, Mary VanDoren