At least one K-M board member was aware superintendent may resign

A month before Kasson-Mantorville Superintendent Ted Ihns announced his resignation, school board member Kate Ryan said she was aware that it might happen, according to an email obtained by the Dodge County Independent through a standard public data request.

On Jan. 6, the K-M School Board held its organizational meeting, elected board officers, and swore in new board members.

At the same meeting, Ihns announced his resignation, effective June 30. His three-year contract with the district began in July 2024.

After the regular portion of the meeting, the board met in closed session “for preliminary consideration of allegations or charges against an individual subject to its authority.”

In question was an investigative report about Amy Olson, who abruptly resigned from her school board seat in October following multiple allegations against her, including an alleged interaction between herself and Ihns.

Olson was re-elected to a four-year school board term in the Nov. 5 election.

During the public portion of the Jan. 6 meeting, board members were split about whether or not the closed session should be held then, or delayed until the Jan. 27 regular meeting.

Olson, Ryan, and new board member Elizabeth Armstrong voted to postpone the closed session, while School Board Chair Mark Torkelson, Patrick Madery, Aaron Stockard, and Eric Mesa voted to keep it on the agenda.

At least one board member, Ryan, knew about the third party investigation at least one month before, according to an email obtained through a standard data request.

Ihns confirmed ahead of the Jan. 6 meeting that the closed session was in regards to Olson.

Concerns raised?

On Dec. 3, Ryan sent an email to Terry Murrow, general counsel for the Minnesota School Board Association, an advocacy organization which supports school boards across the state.

“I want to raise a few concerns following a meeting I had this morning with an incoming board member. He mentioned that our (former) chairman, Kent Harfmann, requested to meet at his home, where a significant amount of information was shared,” Ryan wrote. “I had difficulty addressing the concerns this board member raised, and I’d appreciate your guidance on how to proceed.”

She did not name the incoming board member; emails from the DCI to newly elected members Eric Mesa and Aaron Stockard went unreturned at the time of publication.

In her email correspondence, Ryan also made reference to an alleged conversation between Harfmann and the unidentified incoming board member.

“During the conversation, the incoming board member was provided with inaccurate information to influence their opinion of Amy Olson,” Ryan wrote. “I believe this meeting was driven by Kent’s personal animus toward Amy. Additionally, Kent stated that if this board member does not vote to remove Amy, Superintendent Ted (Ihns) may resign. I view this as fear-mongering and manipulation, which needs to be addressed.”

Ryan also made note that Harfmann offered to pay for the data requested by the DCI. The DCI has explained publicly, through multiple editorials, how Harfmann offered to pay without its knowledge. The newspaper rejected the offer.

But Ryan, in her email, argued the offer “further suggests a motivation to sway others’ opinions of Amy Olson and her family.”

An email sent to Ryan asking why she didn’t email the district’s legal counsel originally has gone unreturned. It is unclear if the district’s legal counsel was involved. An email sent to Ihns and the school district’s legal counsel Margaret Skelton went unanswered.

Resignation

Ihns has refused to answer any questions regarding his resignation, and only offered his resignation letter, through a district spokesperson.

The letter states:

“I am writing to formally resign from my position with Kasson-Mantorville Public Schools, effective June 30, 2025,” Ihns wrote. “This decision comes as I seek new opportunities. I deeply appreciate the dedication of the students and staff I have had the privilege to work alongside. I am grateful for my time with the district and wish you continued success.”

He added: “I will continue to serve our students, staff, and community to the best of my ability until my departure.”

Emails asking Ihns specifically if his resignation had anything to do with Olson, or if he told anyone ahead of the Jan.6 meeting that he planned to resign if Olson was seated on the board, have gone unanswered.

Torkelson, who was elected as board chairman at the Jan. 6 meeting, spoke about his relationship with Ihns.

“Ted and I have a pretty strong relationship,” Torkelson said. “Ted did share unsolicited that he appreciates the working relationship that we have between myself and him. So far we’ve built what I believe is a pretty trustful relationship, which means we’re pretty accountable to each other.”

In addition, Torkelson said, he felt their personalities and strengths would “foster a relationship that would have the ability to accomplish all the tasks…in front of us.”

“I know we have a (resignation) letter from Mr. Ihns, but I will not give up hope until the last day,” Torkelson said.

An email sent to Torkelson’s spokesperson seeking clarification has gone unanswered, along with questions about him having any private conversations with Ihns about staying, or if he had any conversations with incoming board members.

Investigation

In the email to the MSBA attorney, Ryan states the district launched a third-party investigation into Olson.

“I’d like to understand how common this practice is, as I’ve never encountered it before,” Ryan wrote. “It was also never approved by the board, should it have been?”

It is unclear how Ryan was made aware of the investigation. An email sent to Ryan went unanswered at the time of publication.

An email sent to the Minnesota School Board Association spokesperson has also gone unanswered.

In October, days before resigning from the KM School Board before the end of her term, Olson received an email from then-board chair Harfmann, outlining allegations against her, including an interaction between Ihns and Olson.

In emails obtained by the DCI, Harfmann said that following the Oct. 4 Homecoming game, Olson allegedly confronted an unidentified person in an office “without prior notice.”

“The conversation, which lasted several minutes, was reportedly hostile and accusatorial in nature, wherein you claimed that the investigation (redacted) was biased. This interaction was concerning enough for two staff to check on (redacted) well-being afterward,” Harfmann wrote.

Olson referred the DCI to her response emails to Harfmann when asked about the interaction.

“I did speak with (redacted) on that Friday. I asked (redacted) for permission to speak for a few minutes and (redacted) invited me in. I was in a bit of an emotional state and I did tell (redacted) I was trying really hard to keep my lanes separate. He immediately got defensive against a concern I had as a parent with (redacted),” she wrote in her response to Harfmann.

“I told (redacted) that I was in no way implying that (redacted) needed to (redacted) and that I was trying to have a conversation with (redacted). (Redacted) continued to badger me about what (redacted) could have done differently and yes, against my better judgment I did bring up some concerns regarding Title IX. (redacted) asked several times, and I declined, but then I realized that it was a closed conversation and if (redacted) wanted to know, I’d put it out there,” Olson’s email response continues.

“(Redacted) then asked me if I had any idea how awful (redacted) week was — which to me was considerably insensitive as my family’s entire life has been turned upside down, which I stated and (redacted) responded with ‘how did we get here’ implying (redacted) was to blame for all this,” Olson wrote. “That immediately sent up red flags as this was how (redacted) was treating me a concerned parent, how is (redacted). I assured (redacted) that I still feel (redacted) I was just going to be very cautious going forward. (Redacted) stated we needed to agree to disagree, which I agreed to.

“I did swear; I used the f-word in agreeing that yes it was ‘my f-ing prerogative’ as (redacted) stated to me. At no time did (redacted) ask me to leave and at no time did (redacted) say (redacted) felt unsafe. I did not raise my voice any louder than (redacted) raised (redacted) voice, however, I can see how swearing would feel threatening,” she wrote. “I attempted several times to connect with (redacted) to apologize and to figure out a way to move forward with a positive relationship, to which I was denied.”

She added: “I am deeply disappointed that there was no direct conversation had with me in any of this, nor any guidance from the board chair. Moving forward, I hope that the board can be free of distractions and work towards a smooth transition in January.”

An email exchange between Olson and Ihns took place after that incident.

“I apologize for using this email to connect with you but I’m not sure you received my email from my personal gmail account,” Olson wrote in an email obtained by the DCI through a standard data request. “I’m wondering if you have time in the near future to discuss our impromptu meeting last Friday. I’m not feeling very good about how I handled myself and want to ensure that we can move forward with a positive working relationship.”

Ihns responded by saying, “Given the interaction from last week, I believe it is best to wait a while before scheduling a meeting.”

When asked about how she thinks she will be able to serve on the school board despite the interaction with Ihns, Olson said it wouldn’t be a problem.

“I pride myself on my ability to compartmentalize and to stay in my lane, and when I cross out of that lane I immediately acknowledge that and I took steps to rectify that,” Olson said, noting she attempted to have a conversation with Ihns.

Olson originally planned to defend herself against the allegations, according to an email she sent, but before the expected closed-door meeting, she resigned.

“I would definitely like to speak to those in a closed session as I can assure you, much of what I am being accused of is inaccurate,” Olson wrote in an email to Harfmann. “I look forward to the closed session discussion.”

Removal from office? Censure?

Ryan, in her email to MSBA, questioned whether it was appropriate for people to be encouraging people to vote one way or another, known as “whipping votes.”

“It was shared that Kent intends to push for a vote in January to either censure or remove Amy Olson, who was recently reelected,” Ryan wrote. “I’m concerned this undermines the democratic election process and am unaware of any behavior by Amy that would justify such a response.”

During the Jan. 6 meeting, when the board went into closed session, it was announced the agenda item would be informational only, meaning no decisions would be made during the meeting.

The school board has had an “emergency” meeting, special meeting, and a regular meeting this past Monday, Jan. 27, and the subject has not appeared back on any of the agendas.

Emails sent to the district’s spokesperson, Torkelson, and Ihns have gone unanswered, about when or if there will be a closed session meeting about the matter in the future or if it has been resolved.