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good evening i' would like to call to order this a Noah upen school board meeting for today February 24th 2025 um please join the board in pled our Allegiance FL flag Unice all right our first order of business is to approve the board
agenda is there a motion to approve appr the board agenda as presented thank you director Des Shane is there a second thank you director adet is there any discussion all right hearing none will
all in favor say I I I any opposed say Nay with six in favor and zero opposed the agenda is approved members our next order of business is item four recognitions and item 4 a champ C Brooklyn Park Academy
2025 Merit School of Excellence welcome Dr Mary Wolverton associate superintendent and Heidi Kuba principal Champlain Brooklyn Park Academy good evening co-chairs Arco desan members of the school board and superintendent McIntyre this evening I'm
very honored to introduce several of our um Elementary Magnet Schools who have been who have received some awards um there are two awards that have been um honored or um our schools have received um this past year and the two
awards are the magnet schools of excellence and the magnet school of Distinction award five schools in the state of Minnesota were honored with the award of magnet schools of excellent two of the five schools in the state of
Minnesota that were given this award are Anoka hanapin Elementary schools Magnet Schools of Excellence are given to only a select group of magnet schools that have demonstrated the highest standards in all facets of the
merit award criteria Champlain Brooklyn Park Academy mathematics and environmental science and Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts were honored with this award the second award is the magnet school of Distinction
award this award is the second level of awards given to magnet schools that have met all of the basic requirements as well outlined in the merit awards criteria two schools in the state of Minnesota were honored with this award
those two schools are Monroe elementary mathematics and science engineering and University Avenue Aerospace and Engineering we will start with acknowledging the magnet schools of Excellence I'm honored to introduce Heidi
principal of champlin Brooklyn Park Academy who will introduce her team sorry good evening co-chairs Arco and Des Shane superintendent McIntyre and members of the board it is a distinct privilege to be here this evening to acknowledge the exceptional work being
conducted at Champlin Brooklyn Park Academy for Math and environmental science where we aspire to be Innovative World changer I am both proud and honored to announce that our school has been designated as a 2025 Merit School of Excellence by magnet schools of America our dedicated
school team has dedic demonstrated unwavering commitment to our specialty program and this recognition serves as a testament to the Daily dedication and tireless efforts of every staff member at cbpa joining me this evening are to represent our school Community our curriculum integrator Casey Weedman and
parent representative Katie Moss earlier this fall our curriculum integrator along with a dedicated group of teachers undertook the significant task of preparing and submitting a comprehensive application to the magnet schools of America we extend our sincere gratitude to this team for their efforts in
preparing this application as well as our entire School Community for their ongoing commitment to our specialty Focus chapl Brooklyn Park Academy for mathematics and environmental science has been an award winning specialty school since its Creation in 2010 in the past 15 years we've been recognized by
magnet schools America eight separate times we are extremely proud of our program's history and remain hopeful for our future in an Noah hanapin our aim at cbpa is to empower all of our Learners to become confident High achieving problem solvers through unique and integrated experiences within our
specialty focus at CPA our students explore math and environmental science Concepts within the regular classroom context and through several unique Hands-On learning experiences many of these experiences are provided through our long-standing Community Partnerships specifically the naturalists at Mississippi Gateway Regional par and the
Master Gardeners from the University of Minnesota Junior Master Gardener program our teachers integrate the many specialty school experiences with core content and daily instruction to deepen our students understanding of The Wider world around them from first graders collecting and observing bugs in a nearby grassland to fifth graders
modeling gardening skills to the younger schoolmates in the greenhouse our goal at cbpa is to empower all of our Learners to become confident High achieving problem solvers through unique integrated experiences with the help of our entire staff parents and Guardians community members PTO and valued
Partners we are well in our way to conclude let me State on behalf of our entire cbpa community that we're honored to have our school formerly recognized by bang the schools of America and deeply appreciate the district's recognition as well thank you very much thank you
thank you as I noted previously um there are two awards that um are honored or provided for magnet schools and one of them is the magnet schools of Excellence within the magnet schools of Excellence there
our schools that are selected as being the top Magnet Schools of Excellence in the state of Minnesota four schools were provided this award and Hoover Elementary is one of those four schools in the state of min Minnesota that have
been honored with the top Magnet School of Excellence at this time I'm privileged to introduce minus principal of Hoover Elementary biomed Health Sciences and engineering school good evening members of the
school board I'd like to introduce Matt Thompson our curriculum integrator um we are excited to announce that Hoover element has earned that prestigious magnet schools of America top Magnet School of Excellence award this a remarkable achievement awarded to only 94 schools Nationwide acknowledges
Hoover's dedication to providing a highquality stem AG focused education this recognition highlights the strengths of Hoover's magnet program which features an aligned Vision integrated curriculum Innovative teaching strategies and commitment to
student Equity reviewers commended the Hands-On Real World Learning learning experiences the data-driven approach to successfully closing achievement gaps and the focused professional development that we have as a dedicated staff some highlights of our programming
include our fifth grade Capstone project where students research design and create a prosthetic leg our collaborations with the American Heart Association and the American Red Cross including our very first blood drive this week on Wednesday we also have opportunities for
students to learn from experts in the healthcare field as well as integrating those Concepts across various curriculum areas this award validates our Collective efforts to create an exceptional learning environment it's a testament to our students teachers staff
and families we thank the school board for your ongoing support which has been essential to this success we are eager to build on this momentum and continue providing an excellent education for all Hoover students thank you thank you
that trying our next Magnet School of Excellence is Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts um and this evening there was a a prior commitment that Michelle Zimmerman the principal of Lincoln elentary hat she is not was not able to attend but I'm
honored to introduce assistant principal Tara Lawrence who will introduce their team good evening co-chairs uh Arco and duchan and superintendent McIntyre and board members I'm honored to be here tonight to celebrate another recognition of the great work at Lincoln Elementary
School for the Arts joining me is our curriculum integrator Andrea witcom and a fourth grade teacher and theater production director Rachel Gaspar we're proud to share that Lincoln Elementary has been named a 2025 Merit School of Excellence by magnet schools of America
this honor followed a rigorous application process led by Andrea last fall to earn this title Lincoln demonstrated Innovative arts-based instruction staff development and increased student achievement the application also highlighted how Partnerships with families Community
groups and organizations support our students and arts programming an Noah henin's mission is to provide learning opportunities that meet meet each child's individual needs and the Lincoln Community embodies that promise staff families Community Partners student
services and administration work tirelessly to make Lincoln a place where learning takes Center Stage well this award recognizes the importance of The Artful work that we do with our students every day at Lincoln the Arts help us deepen student understanding and engagement with
academic content like reading and math and allows for Hands-On experiences increases communication fluency comprehension and self-expression and it also promotes empathy and awareness of others we offer unique Elementary programming like fourth and fifth grade
band Orchestra and choir as well as our flourishing fourth and fifth grade theater program and we have performances this week if anyone would like to come it would be very fun if you showed up um we also like to communicate our Community Partnerships with local artists like The Rum River Arts Center
um The Lyric Arts Theater down in Anoka Chico Perez who a lot of students work with in the district he's a local drummer and we also reach out to mpr's class notes and work with artists through there as well we ensure that our learning is Meaningful at linkoln and that it's accessible to all students and
that it's reflective of our student population a Noah henin's mission is to meet each child's learning needs and we want to make sure that we do that at Lincoln the Arts are really an integral part of who we are and our school song even says it we are the Lincoln Lions
brave and strong and true we are the Lincoln Lions artists through and through thank you so much for your recognition tonight it's great our next two magnet schools that we will be um honoring our um our first our schools have received the magnet school
of Distinction award I'm honored to introduce Amy Oliver principal of Monroe elementary mathematics science and engineering all right good evening um co-chairs Arco and Des Shane and superintendent McIntyre um thank you for
this opportunity to be recognized by the board um this is Christine kons our curriculum integrator and Lisa simser is in the back um she wouldn't come to the table um so anyway um all of our magnet schools share the philosophy of um executing Innovative programs with a
dedication um to diversity and unwavering commitment to the academic standards because that is the magnet school standard the magnet schools of uh the magnet school of amerit Award of elevates that standard to recognize a member magnet schools that demonstrate an exemplary commitment to academic
standards curriculum Innovation desegregation and diversity efforts specialized training and parent and community invol involvement the teachers at Monroe continue to work on Project Lead the Way implementation Collective impact and unique experiences like stem elective day and Buddy
classrooms with um with stem activities we continue to lead the way and create fresh Innovative magnet programming for our students at minroe and we'd love you to come and visit us and see them so thank you thank you our next magnet Magnet School of
Distinction award was um given to University Avenue Elementary Aerospace and Engineering principal deer blamers was unable to join us this evening so I'm pleased to introduce assistant principal Derek
Williamson and Kate Watson curriculum integrator like we're speed walking up here thank you Dr Wolverton co-chairs Arco desan superintendent McIntyre and the rest of the board uh this is University Avenues U Aerospace children's
engineering and Sciences Elementary's 10th year being nationally recognized by magnet schools of America we credit this award to our strong and supportive School community staff students and their parents and families alignment with the five magnet
pillars as well as our district Strate strategic plan and achievement in integration Grant goals thank you to the board for your time and sharing in these 10 years of recognition a tradition we have is making sure that our students get to share with you as well so with that we would like to close with a word
from our students thank you co-chairs are coin superintendent McIntyre members of the school boarding Community guess what we are celebrating a very special accomplishment
10 10 10 wait that's 20 10 years of being nationally recognized by magnet schools of America for distinction and
Excellence nationally what what na me yep that means by an organization that looks at magnet schools across the whole country wow
wo awesome we thank you for celebrating with us thank you co-chairs are Co I could watch it again thank
you next I am very honored and feel very very privileged to introduce Denise Schnell principal of Ramsey the elementary Denise has been honored with the Minnesota Elementary School principal Association North Suburban
division leadership award Denise is an exceptional leader she has served our elementary schools in in NOA hanapin for many years I can think of two different scenarios where her leadership made a significant difference
in a change process that our district experienced one was when we closed and repurpose Champlain Elementary School and Riverview Elementary School and merg those two schools together to be Champlain Brooklyn Park Academy Denise
was significant in relation to her leadership and how it supported that creation of a new school another example is when she became principal at Evergreen Park Elementary and created the stem School of
innovation her work and her leadership there still resonates with the phenomenal leadership and the impact on that school um so at this time I'm pleased to introduce Denise and have her talk a little bit about her work with
the Minnesota Elementary School principal Association good evening superintendent McIntyre co-chairs Arco and desan and school board thank you so much for this opportunity I'm truly humbled and grateful to have received the 2024 North
Suburban division leadership award for mespa this recognition is not just a reflection of the efforts that I have made but a testament to the hard work and dedication of the leaders of all the districts that are supported through mespa we are all supporting each other
to problem solve today's unique challenges with our students in creative and innovative ways I'm also very honored to serve alongside such dedicated Educators within mespa and I appreciate the opportunity to contribute our shared Mission my personal mission
has always been to reduce the roadblocks to make others lives easier this was just another opportunity for me to do this alongside my colleagues thank you again so much for this recognition I'm truly honored all right well congratulations to everybody on all of the awards um
members the next item on our agenda is item five the consent agenda as normal members can remove items for separate consideration and discussion if that's their desire is there a motion to accept the consent agenda as
presented thank you director to Shane is there a second thank you director adet is there any discussion hearing none will all those in favor say I I any opposed say Nay
with six in favor and zero opposed the consent agenda is approved so our next agenda item is item six the communications delegations and petition section of our meeting this is time for community members to provide input directly to the school board about issues that fall
within the school board's Authority we plan the agenda item for 15 minutes our policy allows for community members to speak for up to 5 minutes but if there are several persons that want to speak the chair has the discretion to reduce the time to comment to hear from all and
also to keep the meeting on schedule so during times of large community input we have been flexible in allowing the meeting to run late tonight we have um seven cards so to keep the meeting on time I will ask individuals to keep their comments to 2 minutes um and I will ask co-chair Des Shane to
monitor a Time timer and if you run over um she will ask you to wrap up your comments quickly we welcome written testimony if you have more to say than time allows um and for anybody else please complete a yellow card and provide it to miss kovsky so that we can provide a written followup and a couple of
procedural reminders our meeting participation procedures are in place to assure open and orderly public comments as well as to protect the due process and privacy rights of individuals under the law if speakers use specific names of students staff or board members I will need to interrupt or stop the speaker
please remember to direct your comments to the school board chair members of the audience please listen respectfully the board cannot hear speakers I may reset the timer to allow speakers to be heard audience members that disrupt this portion may be asked to leave for the remainder of the meeting so all with all
of that said welcome the first Speaker sorry if I mispronounced your name um pan curri G hello I'm a parent of two students in the district as well as a taxpayer thank you to everyone for the chance to voice
my concerns here today all through 2024 I attended several sessions where I watched this board work through the challenges of the budget cuts that the district was facing this led me to believe that this board was capable of
keeping their personal ideologies outside and as separate as they could given that the school board member position is a nonpartisan elected Ro I was therefore extremely disappointed to hear that the board cannot come to a
unified decision about accepting an Arts award despite knowing that this funding would give the students of Andover High School the opportunity to display their art in their own hallways by not accepting These funds you as a board are
creating inequalities of recognition for different fields within education students can see their achievements in sports stem music and other activities displayed but not art and you just heard from one of our magnet schools what elevation of Arts
does additionally there are several schools within the district that accept funds from faith-based Partnerships even though there should be a distinct separation of church and state I assume that this is on the grounds that it creates positive opportunities for all
students in the district even though some of our students participate and are members of those faith and not all are this same logic should therefore be applicable to that g that grant funding as again it is going to be used to benefit and inspire all students and not
create any sort of divisional activities in students I encourage you to keep these points in mind as as you continue to discuss this issue and come to a conclusion soon thank you our next speaker is Angela Nelson welcome Angela good
evening I'm here today as an educator Community member and a parent of two students of V Noah hpan School District to express my deep disappointment and concern regarding the removal of the joint Powers agreement related to the art education at Andover High School which was discussed at the January 13th
Schoolboard meeting I noticed that the agenda item has permanently been removed from Schoolboard agendas likely due to adamant disapproval not of the Project's Merit but of the use of diversity equity and inclusion terminology On a related website since the conversation around
the project got distracted by mainstream media rhetoric I would like to take this opportunity to share what opportunities the students at Andover High School will now miss out on for some reason the word Equity has become a trigger word for people who do not fully understand what it encompasses
in this case based on the proposal provided in the Schoolboard work packet the teacher found that students in level one art often didn't see themselves as artists and were unable to display their artwork um which is which is part of the uh State Standards due to the 3D nature
of their their work this is an equity issue allowing one group of art students to display work and not another group of art students is not Equitable so to level the playing field a grant was received to purchase display cases so that students could display their 3D artwork and feel like the proud artist
that they are Additionally the proposal would have allowed for guest artists as a former High School principal I can tell you that this is an amazing career pathway opportunity um they can have students learn um how they can take their passion for art and turn it into a lifelong and prosperous career it's my
understanding that the first guest artist was a white male graduate from Champlin Park High School who Now Designs skateboards he was going to come in to share what his journey was through high school and Beyond to get where he is today it's incredibly frustrating to me that this opportunity was taken away
from students due to a lack of understanding misguided fear and the inability to trust Educators for the professionals that they are additionally in a time of EX remarks okay thank you in a time of extreme budget cuts most districts would like a program like this
to use as a recruitment method um and by stripping away opportunities from families they will start to consider other public schools and their funding will go with them I respectfully request that in the future the school board does their due diligence in learning about programs and talking with Educators
before publicly dismissing them due to wording they don't like on a website thank you for the comments our next speaker is Paula Moore welcome to the board good evening thank you for allowing me time to address a topic of
deep concern to all of us that is reading literacy I know the school board and the state legislature have made efforts to address this literary crisis literacy crisis an NOA henpen has developed the bridge to read program and state
lawmakers recently passed the Minnesota reading to ensure academic development act or known as the read act there's another program in the school district that focuses on helping our youngest students develop their reading skills I want to draw attention to reading core
reading Corp is a federal program and free to school who to schools who apply reading core tutors work with students in kindergarten through third grade who read just below grade level to improve their reading skills an NOA henpen has been a reading Corp partner for more
than a decade over this time 172 tutors have helped more than 5,000 students to become better readers this school year there are 25 tutors serving in 21 elementary schools I am fortunate to be one of those tutors this is is my second year
working part-time at Brookside Elementary each day I tutor 10 to 15 students either in pairs or oneon-one I really enjoy my time with these Young Learners the highlight of my day is when they Master a specific reading skill for
kindergarteners it's hearing them read and correctly pronounce soft vowel and letter sounds for first graders it's hearing them sound out words and read simple sentences for second and third graders it's hearing them read with expression
and at the same Pace at which we talk I hear the growing confidence in their voices as they Master this lifechanging skill I do my job effectively thanks to the support I receive from Reading Corp each school year before we enter the classroom we receive training on
research-based reading practices then monthly we work then then monthly as we work with students we are evaluated by reading cor coaches during our tutoring sessions and give immediate feedback on how we can do
better I appreciate this effort working with reading Corp um we do have direct contact with an internal coach that is working or has been hired by the uh School District but I understand unfortunately that a decision was made to elimate eliminate the internal Coach
position I am concerned about that I hope the school board reconsiders that decision because it's important for all of us School leaders teachers parents and reading tutors to continue to collaborate thank thank you for your remarks our next generation is depending
on us thank you thank you our next speaker is Aaron Peterson welcome to the board thank you board members uh superintendent thank thank you for the chance to speak um funding is a big issue I know the way
the budget has been and I did send a letter out to all of you uh in the last day so you should have that already and I just want to highlight some things from that letter that I sent here tonight as well I wanted to talk about the impact of uh president Trump's recent executive orders um one one
titled defending women from gender ideology extremism and another keeping men out of women's sports and the impact on the Noah henpen District these orders mandate the public schools restrict bathroom use and sports participation to biological sex and eliminate gender ideology from policies
and Communications a reversal of the district's current practice if not the federal funding an okah henen receives based on the information I saw is for roughly $14 million which I I my math might be wrong but I think it's about 2%
of a noin budget is at risk uh and with the budget issues the district is currently facing in losing even just 2% of your budget is not feasible so you're faced with a dilemma here you can comply with the executive orders or create a new budget scenario with $14 million in
additional Cuts stated another way you can revert to what's been standard right and good for all of human history and keep that Federal funding or continue to push radical gender ideology popularize in the last 30 seconds and lose it you've got an opportunity to do what's
right for our sons and daughter but also for the financial position and future of the anah hennipin district the anah hennipin district is the biggest District in the state and I urge you to act like it lead the way by your example to other districts and organization use the weight of your
influence to do the right thing and allow others to follow you thank you thank you for the comments our next speaker is Angela breelan sorry if I mispronounced the last
name good evening I come to you as a parent of two students who have had the immense benefit of attending Lincoln Elementary School for the Arts we do not currently live in the assigned boundaries of Lincoln and have chosen to open enroll since 2016 but have had a student at Lincoln
since 2013 we know that the Arts have have deeply benefited our children in countless ways our elder child would not have made it through high school band without the strong Foundation provided at Lincoln she was in sixth grade when Co hit and would have quit on the spot
had she started just that year academically she is currently a PSO student in college loville calculus and biology this semester as a junior our younger student is in their second year of band in choir at Lincoln with the care and guidance of her band teachers she has been able to learn two
instruments with minimal instruction time as they only get about 30 minutes a week in band the teacher is able to offer this form of art to our students because the curriculum integrator position is a full-time position also both of my students have had the great
privilege of being involved in Lincoln Theater Productions if it is allowed to go down to a halftime position the students at Lincoln will undoubtedly suffer so many of the students at Lincoln would not have the opport Unity to try any instrument band or
orchestra without it being offered at no cost at Lincoln first beyond music our curriculum integrator has been able to provide countless Arts integration activities for students as a regular volunteer I have seen the pure joy and excitement the students experience while
using regular skills in new ways excuse me I keep losing my SP there is no way to measure the way that the Arts have impacted my students and all the students that have had the pure joy of being able to attend Lincoln
I greatly encourage you to reconsider your decision to put this position to a halftime position that's two minutes thank you for your time thank you for the comments our next speaker is Elizabeth
ke welcome to the board thank you school board members co-chairs to Shane Aro and superintendent McIntyre for this opportunity to speak today first I would like to thank you for all the wonderful
and great news about in NOA hanapin schools I read about in the winter Focus from achievements to from from achievements to National recognition for excellence in six district schools the Ally and Avenue
Retail Boutique in anoa leadership awards to peer Connections in middle school health class all of these and more that make us all so very very proud to live and be a part of this school district as a community member whom had
children graduate from Rapids High School I am interested in our Public Schools I support and share the values as stated in the Anoka henpen mission statement bullet point7 of this mission
statement is to provide all all of our students with a safe and respectful learning environment this is very important because it would not be possible to learn if a student did not feel safe at
school along with this written statement I am attaching and I already gave it gave it to her I am attaching a copy of a report from the National Library of Medicine October 27th
2023 this review describes the modern L landscape of how and why gender is used as criteria for the inclusion and exclusion from Sports and Athletics I would ask you to read this study to be informed as possible with medical facts
in addition to these facts the president of the NCAA Charlie Baker testified to a senate panel on December 18th 2024 that out of the total
500 10,000 athletes there are less than 10 trans transgender athletes who currently compete in college sports I think our school districts might continue to provide opportunity in all education and sports activities
thank you for the comments our next speaker is Rod welcome to the board thank you two minutes is cutting it short I'd like to address this to the liberal members of the board as well as
superintendent McIntyre I've been highly critical of your refusal to publicly explain and defend your curriculum as it relates to racial Reckoning and racial healing my fear was that without transparency and advocacy your public support would vanish and political
support would collapse your curriculum would be replaced with pseudo patriotism Christian nationalism and sanitized history your Outreach efforts are still virtually nailed at least to my knowledge the focus uh paper contains nothing I've seen no articles in the
local paper superintendent McIntyre's uh earlier article treats education like a jobs program at this point the public and at least half the board is hostile to critical race Theory and lacks functional knowledge of systemic racism the upshot is that there is now a
bill in the legislature HF 29 to dismantle everything connected with race or gender this happened because you and other liberals sat out the fight you failed to model democracy by refusing to be publicly transparent and refusing to
advocate for the curriculum you weren't alone of course you were joined by most national Democrats Dells and church congregations in this country race and cast still are are just about synonymous frankly it appears to me that
liberals don't understand how critical Your Role is to the nation's future schools and colleges provide the nation's memory and our understanding of the nation's intellectual Heritage schools to where student values are reality checked against our country's Behavior past and present history is how
we understand in the present and how we formulate solutions to problems when patriotic history patriotic history deletes the details of our of our racial savagery and memorializes the Confederate narrative National History is erased and perverted values become
upended Solutions become impossible and democracy becomes a sham the purpose of the Constitution as stated in the Preamble is to establish justice it is not to protect white egos or defend patriotic narratives your
curriculum is profoundly patriotic and should be defended as such education and racial Justice are the issues on which Defenders of democracy and Defenders of the Constitution should fight to The Bitter End unfortunately liberals continue to fiddle while Rome Burns pleas please wrap up your closing
thoughts yes yes academics are CR critical so is the understanding of who we are as a nation thank you thank you for the comments all right that concludes the Public Communication section our next agenda item is item seven Board calendar
and District update uh superintendent McIntyre thank you co-chair Arco and board members tonight as I typically do is presenting some items of interest for the board and our community regarding activities and events that we're proud of in the district we do this to
celebrate our students staff and community members who are contributing to the accomplishment of our mission which is to effectively educate each of our students for Success the Noah hien schools joined communities from across the state in appreciation of those who serve our
schools as bus drivers the district has a large and complex transportation system and our drivers are on the front lines to ensure safety and dependable service for our students and families of note the district is served by nearly 300 buses each day that visit
8,000 bus stops and transport nearly 32,000 students every day so this message really extends all of our appreciation uh from across the district for all that they do and the positive impact they have on our schools and our
communities the district's academic growth award events recognized hundreds of students who demonstrated high growth in reading math and language acquisition over the past year approximately 3,000 student meet students meet the criteria every year receiving a certificate at
the school level the top students from each School were recognized in person by many of you board members and other District leaders at the special events held at Anoka High School and Blaine High School earlier this month and I know in both cases families and students
came out kind of in really cold weather and those auditoriums were full and really excited uh to to recognize and support their academic achievements so we we thank them for uh doing that with us all right February is I love to read month and teams from our middle school
students from from throughout the district will convene to test their knowledge on the materials they've read through the annual Battle of the books competition I have the trophy standing right next to me here this event is set for tomorrow Tuesday February 25th at
9:00 a.m. in the earling Johnson rooms at the Educational Services Center and I will tell you it is very competitive and this goes back to 2011 I think some some others at the board table here maybe had some involvement and getting this off uh started so we're very excited I will be
there welcoming students and um the defending Champions right now are Roosevelt Middle School and we'll see how they do tomorrow so uh we're excited to have the battle of the books continue this is also live streamed on the district website at ahschools.us
Anoka henin joins districts from across Minnesota in celebrating Public Schools week a time for the community to come together and celebrate support and Champion public education and those staff members who directly contribute to the future success of our students and our community as a whole through the
their daily efforts as we all know the world is changing rapidly and our schools share in the responsibility to educate and prepare our students for that future our theme this year is the power of purpose it takes all of us and that serves as a call to action for individuals to
identify their purpose or their why and work together with others in a shared purpose to benefit students our schools and our overall Community an NOA hennipen continues to work for excellence in all we do but we also take time to celebrate the successes gained in our schools during Minnesota Public
Schools week and I always like to do an activities uh wrap up each season and it is tourn tournament time again for our student athletes as they compete in the Minnesota State High School league section and state playoffs uh right now into in well into
March so some highlights Blaine High School boys Nordic scheme qualified for the state tournament for the third straight season Rapids High School senior laan demer earned All State honors with an 18th Place finish at the state Nordic meet in the girls Nordic
race Ruby Demmer and Bethany law also of Rapids High School placed fifth in the team Sprint race in Alpine skiing Blaine High School's Jared Killian play sixth overall to earn All State honors the bla High School Jazz team qualified for both Jazz and high kick
State competitions following a successful run at the section 3A competition in girls hockey and over High School made its eighth consecutive and 10th overall state tour state tournament appearance so eight in a row 10 overall the Huskies lost to eventual
state champion Hill Murray in the quarterfinals but ended the season with two straight wins securing the consolation championship for the third time since 2014 in gymnastics Blaine High School junior Grace fassel qualified for the state meet in bars and floor exercise
she placed seventh in the floor exercise and 23rd on the bars Anoka High School freshman Kaylee Lauren placed 19th on the Vault we're proud of our u local gymnast for their estate meet so moving into March we'll see boys hockey wrestling swim and dive adaptive
floor hockey and boys and girls basketball tournaments and good luck to all our teams uh we know that both Champlin Park and and over have advanced to the section Final in hockey with those games being played later this week so as always community members are encouraged to attend the games support
their favorite teams and best of luck to all teams as they wind down their winter season this concludes my superintendent's report this evening thank you thank you very much superintendent McIntyre board members are there any questions all
right with that our next agenda item is um item 8A American Indian education annual update and compliance documents welcome Tom Shaw director of student services Mindy Myers Indian Education Program Coordinator and
team good evening superintendent McIntyre co-chair Arco co-chair desan and members of the board I'm Tom Shaw director student services and I'd like to introduce our American Indian program coordinator Mindy Myers tonight she's going to share with you updates regarding our American Indian education
program and examples of the great work that do to serve our American Indian students in inah hanapin so I'm W pishki kqu my English name is mindi I said that we are very happy to be here today we're excited to share with you the work that we do to uplift our students to support our
students and I'll turn it over to our parent advisory committee members that are here with me to introduce themselves Buu Mi choden Anthony Drew is my English name I'm the chair of the APAC and a member of the jom
committee an my name is Kimberly Brendan and I am the co-chair of the American Indian parod advisory committee all right so to kick us off um I'll just ground us again this year in what Indian education is our program is
a state and federally funded program that is really rooted in the partnership and the relationship between our Sovereign native nations and the United States government so if you think back to when treaties were signed between these two Nations or these many nations in our our us nation um the US
government made a commitment to support our American Indian students education and that has looked different it has shown up in a variety of forms in our history um but American Indian education really came about when our students started moving off reservation started
um being more present in public schools and our community saw the need to support their unique cultural needs and so out of that in the 70s our communities advocated and that is what we see today that was kind of the birthplace of our state and federal American Indian education programs and
so as you can see by our mission statement that was created in our NOA hennipin Indian education program in collaboration with our APAC we're really here to support our students holistically so we think about the academic achievement the social emotional development and the cultural awareness of our American Indian
students um if you're interested in learning more about the policies the legislation that supports American Indian education the reason that we exist those are some of the policies for um here in Minnesota when we think about who can participate in the American Indian education program in inoka
hennipin through legislation that is any of our students who identify as American Indian uh State ethnic code one and that happens through their enrollment the demographic information that they share when they enroll this is a highlevel overview of our American Indian education program we
have one program coordinator I'm super happy to be in my third year here and I have seven advisers when we're fully staffed that work with me an amazing team five secondary advisers they're aligned in clust in a cluster model they support our middle schools that feed into our high schools and we have two
Elementary advisers who support our 25 schools across the district overall we support just over 1,200 American Indian students in an NOA hanapin um we the bulk of our work looks like direct work in the schools with our students the advisers are there every
day at the elementary level they're doing a lot of cultural engagement and at the secondary level we're doing a lot of individual and group support on top of our cultural engagement outside of our direct work with students our program creates a sense of community by providing a variety of evening and
weekend family engagement opportunities different culture classes celebrations to uplift the cultural and academic achievements of our students we also provide a lot of different field trips and post-secondary college visits and then we put on our partnership hat and
we work really hard to build Partnerships in community to provide additional supports and resources to our students so we have a really strong partnership with silin learning that allows us to provide scholarships for tutoring and ACT prep classes we partner with a lot of local organizations in the
summer to be able to share out different summer program opportunities that are available to our families and our students we partner with North henpen Community College to offer a class in the fall and we also partner with the American Indian Family Center in order to provide um access to indigenous
mental health professionals in some of our schools for our students I kind of touched on this but um the a lot of the bulk of our work um that direct work with students but also serving as a liaison between the families and the schools so our staff often attend IEP meetings discipline
meetings we sit on the mtss student support teams um we collaborate with building staff and students to create a presence and create safe space for our students in the schools at the elementary level again like I said we focus on culture groups so those advisers are meeting twice a month in
the schools pulling their students for small groups and we really are there to help them build their cultural connection and help Inspire pride in their identity as an indigenous person at the secondary level it looks a little bit different um the advisers are
in each building a little more frequently and they have the opportunity to provide more Hands-On one-on-one support with their students doing goal setting talking about post-secondary planning um able to be that liaison between the students and their teachers and the parents and the school to
provide that different support when we are not wearing our family engagement or our direct student support hats we are also wearing the Hat as a a staff support a district support so our um School District per legislation is
required to um follow the Implement American Indian state standards that span variety of uh content areas and for our team we are often seen and called upon to come in and look at some of that curriculum or refer them to resources or
be a bridge between the district and our parent advisory committee to invite them in to look at some of those things and refer different resources there um then with that um all of the work that we do is in partnership with our parents we are a community and we
are here to engage the voices of not only our students but those ones who are raising them and so a lot of our work is done in collaboration with our two parent advisory committees and I'm going to turn it over to our APAC chair and vice chair to speak to those roles yes so um the people who are able
to be on our committee are uh parents legal Guardians community members as well as some student Representatives um so that we can hear all of the voices of the people who are raising or are um indigenous and then we do work closely
with the program along with meeting monthly with District leaders um just to to try to build those Partnerships and bridges and then through our joom committee we work in partnership with the district through the program to ensure that our students are getting the
best educational experience possible annually we have the vote of concurrence and uh this year the committee voted uh almost unanimously to uh vote in concurrence with the district this year so that was great um to share some more about our
program like I mentioned we are State and federally funded so here are three different funding streams uh just some data around our American Indian students you can see that we're we have like proportionally about the same as state Statewide the number of American Indian students in
our schools here you can see um how our students compare to all an Noah hennipin students our American Indian students in an Noah hanapin are the red all all an Noah hanapin students are the black bars here so you can see that our students we show up a little more under the free and
reduced um lunch we show up a little bit more under special education and those kinds of things these first couple of slides when we look at proficiencies you'll see the black line is all an Noah hanapin students are an Noah hanapin American Indian education students are in the red
and then Statewide American Indian students so you'll see that our on these next couple of slides you'll see that our Anoka hanapin American Indian students are significantly outperforming Statewide American Indian students however there's still that gap between
American Indian students and all students in an Noah hopin reading the Gap is a little bit smaller science is also looking pretty good these next couple of slides are going to be that same sort of data but how we are comparing to other districts
so our American Indian students compared to other American Indian students in the the surrounding bigger districts so you can see on these next slides you'll see that Anoka hennipin has historic Ally been outperforming American Indian students in surrounding districts or
similar size districts and then here we measure tied to some of our grant goals around College participation so these are sort of our students who are taking advantage of those college credit earning opportunities in in Noah hanapin
and our four-year graduation Trend and then our continuation Trend so again you'll see an NOA hanapin is um outperforming our graduation rate is higher than state but still there's that gap between all students and American Indian
students all right and then these are just a few of our goals that are tied to the work that we do so you can see we have goals around graduation that college credit earning opportunities you can hit the next slide um focus on that literacy and
positive self-esteem next slide please um the the things that we do I'm I'm not going to list all these things because I talked to them on the other slides but um just a different visual of the work that we do to uplift the goals of our program
you can hit the next slide and then I guess to speak more to our family engagement events we just Pro here are some examples of a variety of opportunities so our trimester celebrations that's when we uplift the academic attendance and cultural um achievements of our students we have an
annual winter event and a spring powow this will be our third annual powow mark your calendars April 12th um last year we started a traditional lacrosse team which really took off and our uh traditional archery team has really been growing as
well next slide all right so I since the last time we were here last February I just have a few slides to highlight I know the data is always really exciting but I also have sort of that qualitative storytelling pieces coming up so we have expanded our partnership with the St
Paul American Indi and Family Center where they were previously only able to send up one therapist we now have two therapists in sort of Two and a Half sites in an NOA hanapin um we've been able to provide scholarships for the first and second trimester and our
parent committee also just approved an increase in funding that will allow us to provide scholarships to All Families all students that applied during Tri 1 and TR two so we're excited about that next slide please um our our cultural field trips
typically happen in the spring so these next slides are just highlighting we were able to take our K5 students about 90 Elementary kiddos over to the wildlife Science Center we took our middle school students to hoto kti in Shaka where they were they were able to engage in Dakota language
they explored the the exhibit and learned how to play a variety of traditional games and with our high school students we did a partnership with won TP in Wilderness inquiry where we we were able to bring them out canoeing and do some water quality testing and a Dakota plant
walk this fall we were able to do a school supply giveaway where over 80 students received backpacks full of school supplies from our families that was in partnership with the Shaka B won Community um we had over 150 attendees at our annual fall Gathering and footage
was shot there to support an indigenous people's Day video where we um uplifted the voices of some of our community members we also took a fall paddle down the Mississippi and as I mentioned before our archery team has hit a record attendance just highlighting our
continued conversations around orange shirt day and boarding schools and then every every year now um we work collaboratively especially at the secondary level collaboratively with our middle school and high school students to ask them sort of like what would they like to see in their schools and so each School looks a little bit
different but collaboratively the students and staff work together to create resources the students table and share information with with their peers um we took a handful of students to the Native American college fair and our high school students were really
excited to explore the we move we stay exhibit at the science museum this fall which was oju and Dakota centered and here's just a few more photos of some of our kids in their culture groups with their uh advisers
next slide ow again just some of our upcoming opportunities I really encourage you all to come to our powow on April 12th and um we'll be sending an invitation to you all for our senior honoring in May and as always what guides are
programming outside of the our conversations with our parent advisory committee members we also hold an annual public Hearing in the winter at our trimester 1 celebration where families have the opportunity to sort of view this similar presentation and give feedback on what they need from our
program we do an annual survey to all of our families and secondary students in the spring where we gather data um we have our annual title six progress report JM Grant reports and we meet twice a year with the 11 with representatives from the 11 tribal
nations in Minnesota and metro area leaders for our fall and spring consultations and our APAC meetings are monthly me S you that's what we have for you tonight thank you very much for the presentation uh board members are there
any questions for our presenters uh director Des Shan thank you I I just wanted to say thank you so much for coming today and for sharing the presentation with us I really noted that uh you're outperforming or you're increasing on all of your goals that was
really exciting to see um and it sounds like uh the investment that you're all making is is making a difference right when you compare to the state averages so thank you for that work clearly some some work to do to continue to reduce the gap between all the Noah hennipin
students and Indigenous students but I I'm greatly uh appreciative of the work that you're doing uh thank you so much and I would encourage my fellow board members I know I was able to attend the last year it is a very very good experience um and if you can make it you should try to get there thank you
much director am iell go thank you for your presentation as well and again a lot of really important data for us to consider as we move forward one of the things that always comes to mind when I hear you speak and I think about the collabor of
nature of our program I think it speaks volumes when you have parents and families engaged in and the schools working together in Partnership um sharing the value sharing culture Traditions all of those really important
areas of life uh that you really are addressing the needs of children holistically and in doing so they see the value in in all of the things that you're talking about and engage in so I think that that's what an NOA hanapin
has always strived to do um in this program but I I over the years and even coming back now and and listening to your presentation after after having been out of the district for some time it continues to grow and it's the
investment of all of us collectively that will get us the results we need and want for every child being served so thank you for all of that it's a great presentation I love all pictures and all the exciting things that you're doing in partnership with families and community
so thanks for that thank watch director Simon thanks Zach um thank you so much for being here and um I I think first of all I want to talk on touch on the well I want to give another plug to the powwow first so not just to board
members but staff and Community it is a joyous day um go if you can I know mck Casey and I were there last year and sat together watch but um I love it so I will be there um on the presentation what I really liked and what I think is important and I'm really glad you did
and want to compliment is it's important to talk about our programs and the why about programs right so you went into that with the requirement from federal and state um legislation on why we do this and that level sets why we're here why you're here and um what we're doing
um and also at this moment in time for an oapin it's important to talk about the sources too right because we're having many discussions about budget cuts and things like that and knowing and letting the board know and the community know that there's uh dedicated specific funds for this program that
support the requirement of us to do it and it's not going to uh we're not doing something that's going to going to add to Cuts or or or be that so I think it's just really important to highlight that and mention that again and then um the how so this is where I just want to uh I
want to out Mindy first and Anoka hennipin is just very very fortunate to have Mindy as our program coordinator so Mindy thank you so much for your expertise and dedication on what you do
um and then um uh let's call out our advisers too I and I know throughout my years on the board many many teachers at schools um have come to me and and told the entire board at what a resour what a a great resource our program advisers
have and then um the dedication of our parent advisory group um I before my board service I served on those types and it is a big time commitment um and you need passion and expertise and I just want to thank you for your time and
everything you do for us so I think that's it thank you I would like to say all three of us are products of the program yeah we were in the program when we were in school here so no kind a any other um questions or comments or
discussion from board members all right uh board members is there a motion to approve appendix I the annual compliance documents as presented so moved thank you director Simon is there a second thank you director langenfeld is
there any discussion all right right hearing none will all those in favor say I I any opposed say Nay with six in favor and zero opposed the compliance documents are approved thank you guys very much
for the presentation thank you guys our next agenda item is item 8B the Strategic priorities first read superintendent McIntyre thank you CH co-chair Arco um and actually board members this is an action item for you tonight if you so choose
uh I'm recommending that the board take action on the 2526 school year priorities these are priorities we briefly reviewed in November this is our annual time of the year to to set these ahead of uh the following school year so that we have plenty of time to uh plan
ahead and these three priorities really represent a shared Vision by the board for our district and reflect the the commitment to providing a high quality education for every student in our district so not that far back uh board members you can recall we've had as many as 12 maybe as many as 15
priorities um and I commend this board by narrowing the focus to you know get to the Three core priorities that really give us a clear road map for the district's work not only this year but as we move into next year uh so there's three key areas that we've always
aligned these priorities to effective safe and welcoming environments increased student achievement and organal organizational support so we have one key priority in each of those three areas and I'll just briefly touch on those our first priority is to improve student engagement connection
and behavior by working to create a learning environment where every student feels safe welcome and supported so we have a number of you've actually been spending time here recently at recent meetings U digging into that and working together on how to continue to build on those uh aspirational efforts that we
have uh you've also been spending time on the next item which is literacy and recently have have been receiving lots of information about our elementary adoption there's been lots of discussion amongst the board and in the district regarding the re act which um really has
continued to evolve and when we think about the fact that we're trying to get 1700 teachers and staff trained in the science of reading that is an ambitious effort right at at our elementary and secondary efforts along with that elementary Reading adaption process that is it happening now and will continue in
next year um so we're you know building that comprehensive literacy framework we're building that teacher preparation we're we're also improving on our screening and intervention efforts along the way trying to increase family engagement building strong literacy teams uh all at a time or our resources
are are tight so your commitment to this literacy effort has been very commendable we're still watching the legislative session to see what additional adjustments they're going to make around the read act um but we've been as you know monitoring that closely and then lastly the Third uh priority
for us is really in that organizational area of ensuring that we have a strong Workforce so looking at a variety of things to make sure we can recruit retain and develop high quality staff whether it's through competitive compensation and benefits whether it's
through strong professional development on those priorities um and also doing everything we can to support employee well-being so that we continue to keep the best with us so those three things are very ambitious right and I commend the board for saying true to those and
knowing that um that work is ongoing and so we've had those same three initiatives or priorities this year continuing those for next year uh is important to have that consistency and stability in the focus on those three areas so again just to wrap up that's
know this is our road map for moving starting to look ahead into the 2526 school year and by working together to achieve these priorities really our goal is to make sure every student can achieve at their highest level so I urge the board to adopt those priorities and
to commit to working together to achieve them with us and I think by doing so it really sends a clear message to our students our staff and our community that we're United in the commitment uh to doing everything we can to support all students so thank you for your consideration thank you superintendent
McIntyre um board members are there any questions or comments discussion uh director langfeld to learn how to play this thing anyway um thank you for the opportunity to speak on this literacy um is a really
large investment across our district as superintendent McIntyre spoke to one of the things as I've been thinking about the and I have the privilege sometimes because of my current time in life where I can see and get out to schools to see
what's really happening in that space and I think about uh bridge to read which is which is now seen as a a very aligned in fact um very highly aligned to the standards and the science of reading um to be able to see that in
action is a really important part of of the work and so to that end I know that not everybody can get out to the schools and I I'm wondering if there would be interest in having as we have these priorities whether it be for Literacy for me personally that's one area that
I'd like to have our entire board see what I see and so I'm wondering if it would even be possible to have Snippets of of those lessons actually presented at the board table or through vi video
or whatever for us to be able to really look at I was at um a meeting last week where Community Partners came in from the business Community uh representing various areas of Interest who all want
to um actually create Collective impact around literacy and are really investing in schools and uh areas where we're showing proof of concept and they were able to see A really lovely Lesson by
kindergarteners um they were doing bridge to read they were doing um uword or and so the teacher started out and he put on the we were he was sharing the word shun and they have like three sound boxes that these kindergarteners are are
looking at and and he put um he said now let's look at this word um and let's put the three sounds so they did the sh and the uh and the n and then in the boxes and then he said so what does this word mean in this little one out of
kindergarten mind you said well it's a it's a diagraph it's you know the two letters S and H create one sound and you think about what our kindergarteners are looking at and what they're learning and their writing so I'd like you to see
that and I'm thinking if we um believe this is a priority for us it's really important that we have conversations at our board table regularly whether it be literacy and I'm not talking about large presentations but also seeing what's
happening in our schools understanding that and then looking at what also um the data is telling us because we need to monitor the data as well and some of the data I've been looking at is data that you need to see as well um coming
out not just in one school at Monroe Elementary which is a demonstration site for bridge to read and is bringing in a lot of legislators come others want to see what's happening there but also bringing in um our other schools and
having that conversation so I think we need to if we identify these areas as our priorities and I believe I am very supportive of that that we have different conversations over time to really understand the investment of that
we're making in the work so when for example a reading core teacher comes and talks about the concern and a tutor uh to us that we have clear understanding of if there's a budget cut what that really means and those are the kinds of
things as we look at literacy as a top priority that we make sure that our investments with limited resources are leveraged in the best way we know how any other uh thoughts or comments uh director
hulman yeah I agree with that thank you for sharing that um Dr langfeld for Behavior literacy and Workforce these are goals that we really should be focusing on so I'm glad to see them here but also that piece of U being aware so
that we're getting data not just for the board to examine to determine if we're getting closer to achieving these goals but also sharing that information with the community so that the community is aware that um of the good work of the good things that we're doing to ensure
that our schools are providing great opportunities for our kids so that would be excellent to see more um data presented in these areas to Target and move move towards these goals any other discussion from board members all right um and this is going
to come back for approval at a future meeting is that correct board members I I think you could take action this evening if you're so inclined I unless you want to bring it back one more month and put on the consent agenda it's another option so the sooner the board sets it in place
the or we we're gain our commitment to it but is there a motion from any board member to approve it as it currently is so moved is there a second thank you all right with a motion
in a second um is there any discussion hearing none will all in favor say I I all oppos say Nay with six in favor and zero opposed the it
passes all right our next agenda item is item 9 General councel 9A on 5 through 3.5 physical wellness policy first read welcome Tim puler general counsel and Noah Atlas director of Child Nutrition thank you co-chair Arco uh
school board members and uh superintendent McIntyre uh we have one policy on for first reading tonight that's policy 53 3.5 physical illness this policy is a requirement of both state and federal law uh there is a specific requirement
in this law and also found in the policy uh that we need to do a periodic review and update of the local school wellness policy that's right out of Statute um Noah Atlas our director of Child Nutrition actually went through that process in January this year with uh volunteers from the district Wellness
committee they reviewed the uh policy as part of their three-year review process as a result of that uh um Gathering uh Mr Atlas came forward to our January policy or I'm sorry our February 3rd 2025 policy committee meeting uh and
shared just a few minor changes um that were being um suggested to the policy um those were as follows uh first there's a provision uh in this policy on portion sizes uh found in section 3c4 it's page
three of the policy um this was modified um specifically the reference to age appropriate portion sizes was clarified to indicate uh that portion sizes are essentially um dictated by USDA guidelines um I think uh Noah can share
with you why clarification was helpful in that regard but that was certainly the intent here in addition um there's a provision concerning uh food you food used in school celebrations found in Section 3 C7 it's page three of the policy again uh this was modified to
indicate that uh an ingredient statement for commercial foods will be be made available um we uh as part of the policy uh required use of commercial foods for food safety reasons added to that a modification that essentially indicates
that uh the ingredient list would actually be provided obviously this helps uh students who have various food allergies and other food sensitivities uh helps uh them and their parents understand food is actually being used in that regard and last
um provision uh in section 5f um was modified to more accurately reflect current state requirements on recess detention we actually made a change to this policy earlier in the year um what we did not include um was
um indicating specifically that uh if recess detention is used state law requires that we make reasonable efforts to notify parents so again so it's just a reflection of what current statute requires and so um after discussion of these
particular uh changes and its meeting on February 3rd the policy committee recommended to move this policy forward for first readings tonight and with that uh uh no one myself will take any questions thank you very much are there any questions from board
members all right um and this will come back for approval at a future meeting yep it it'll be on for second read on the consent agenda uh next month perfect well thank you very much for the presentation thank you all right our next agenda item is item
10 um Finance 10A the amended budget for fiscal year 25 welcome Michelle Vargas Chief Financial Officer good evening chair Arco superintendent M entire members of the board tonight I have our fiscal year 25 midyear budget amend
Amendment um this budget amendment is um basically due to our adjusted pupil units um we have a reduction of 449 based on our October 1 enrollment and then looking at prior
year what we retrain throughout the year and then our other programs um we'll also update our revenues and expenditures based on um prior year actuals contract settlements that we're recognizing and then current year Trends we are not adjusting the Food Service
fund The Debt Service fund or the trust funds um usually I have in this timeline that we'll bring it back this is the first read we'll bring it back for approval at the March board meeting so our overall budget the approved budget um adopted for fiscal
year 25 was a 717 million in revenues and 7 42 million in expenditures we're increasing revenues by 20 million or 2.8% and expenditures by 15.4 million or
2.1% the majority of that is $10 million and it'll be on future sides slides is the recognition of an accounting entry we need to enter into in order to generate the English language learner
cross subsidy that comes in 27 so there is a a requirement for us to recognize it all in uh a new finance code with a separate reserve and what it does is it requires us to have a um a
transfer in and a transfer out there other financing uses and sources so they're an in and and out it's it will raise our expenditures and revenues totals as we see it but it's not seen as a a real revenue and expenditure the other financing sources this $10 million
shows the amount of expenses that we expend in excess of Revenue the new formula that kicks in for cross subsidy and fiscal year 27 gives us about 25% of that so that's how
we we have to make that entry um and that recently came out in our uh MD FAQs on how to make sure we account for that right so that is why that adjustment is in there so really the adjustment is about 10 million on our Revenue side and
5 million on the expenditure side or 1.4% and 7% once we take that accounting entry out as we look at the general fund again our pupil units are are down um we started with our October 1 count so we
are adjusting from the 41585 to 41136 our 449 reduction um our overall Revenue increase on this is 20.2 million or 3.1% expenditures are 15.7 million or
2.4% the ending general fund balance is projected at 146 million and our unassigned is projected at 57.5 million or 10.8% so the detail of the revenue of the 20 point um almost 2 million 20.2
million state aid increas is 9 million 3.5 million is a reduction in state a due to that reduced pupil units um 3 million of it is on the basic formula the remaining 457,000 are all those other formulas that are based on people
units so that includes our operating Capital staff development Learning and Development Talent Development Library Aid long-term facilities Aid and achievement integration Aid all of them have a pupil unit calculation um our special aded
education reimbursement our um final Setter dollars are in so our actual revenue is going up 8.7 million that is recognized in this one our endowment Revenue which is based on the land trust Aid um that is increasing
and that's um based on the the mineral rights and the revenue that they make off of that and how they spread it out to school districts $928,000 our compensatory revenue is 810,000 we're separating out the English learner and compensatory they are all part to
basic skills um we also are recognizing the 710,000 of the between term unemployment Revenue that we'll receive this year that we're expecting to run out um this summer but that is recognized in this one so we're up to um
2.1 million in that revenue for this year and then the 634 th000 increased English learner Revenue that is based on our number of students that are receiving services they also have 221,000 in the student
support Personnel Revenue additional state aid increase a 600,000 increase in integration Transportation reimbursement based on prior year that's a reimbursement formula and then 125,000 for our non-public transportation we also have
188,000 reduction in our literacy incentive Aid our property taxes are increasing just because we recognize the tax shift after the fact so you Levy in December there are a couple of the levies that
you take the pre that year that we in December and recognize it the previous year one of them is unemployment so once that amount is done in December we know that and we can recognize it in the current year um the other one is the transfers increase of 10 almost 4
million that's what we just talked about in order to recognize the amount for the cross subsidy on the English language learner we need to create this um accounting entry that shows a transfer in of 10.4 million in revenue on the expenditure side we have
an increase of 15.7 million 3 million of this is in our special ed area um it's recognition of contracted Services we have also added staff the staff that's been added and the amount of staff that we've had to contract out and looking at last year um
the amount is an increase of 3 million we are recognizing the 710,000 so we recognize the 710,000 for between term unemployment um this is the expenditure side so that we show the both the 2.1 million on the revenue side and the expenditure side for this year there's
1.2 million increase in salaries and benefits for the parent educator contract that was settled late um last year or this year actually um and the 346,000 increase in salaries and benefits for office
professionals then this is the expenditure side of the transfer out for the 10.4 million so it's an in and an out it will not hit fund balance at all it doesn't increase or decrease it one way or another um it just gives us that recognition in order to generate the revenue for the cross
subsidy this next one is just the way that we' like to show kind of the ins and the outs if there's if we're doing a a grant or something you'll see it on both sides the revenue and the expenditures as you can see all the adjustments at the top on the revenue side the the decreases are all those
pupil unit based there's not an expenditure side that mirrors it like a grant um as you get further down you'll see where in special ed Revenue going up 8.7 million we also have expenses going up the $3 million um in that area and
then on the other side in expenditures you're going to see where the the two contra track settlements and then the English language learner entry at the bottom of the in and the out so overall um you can see the increase of 20.1
million 15.67% for fund balance the next slide shows revenues minus expenditures that also recognizes in the middle area our spending of strategic IC investment which is the one time dollars and 9.4 million so what
you'll notice on this one is our adopted budget we expected to have an operating deficit of 11.5 million the increase in some of the revenues particularly the special ed Revenue has dropped that down now to a operating deficit of 7 million
on the next slide we'll see that bu fund balance um to show you how that affects the unassigned as you can see our unassigned was projected to be at about 52.5 million we're now looking at 57 million or
10.8% with this amendment so looking at all of our fund balances so these are all of our assigned are restricted and the unassigned the unassigned is at the top in the green um you'll also notice we're taking that transfer we have to set aside when we adopt a budget and put in
that subsequent year the 11.6 million so we've put that back up now into the fund balance overall our operating balance then for our unassigned this year is a $6 million deficit that's what we are projecting with that change in the revenue that we have um and then
recognizing the other expenses for the most part as you can see we really haven't changed in the other areas um there other you the Strategic Investments that we are spending down the onetime dollars are unchanged um you can see in basic skills
we're spending down slightly um fund balance um as we're looking into the next presentation there's um some considerations on comped that with the new formulas um that we could be short as you can see we have a fund balance of
14 million projected in our compensatory basic skills that we can ride that one out so I just wanted to point that out as we're looking at it here because we don't get that detailed in the big projection for 2627 7 but um and then in
our um long-term facilities maintenance we we are carrying a negative balance we have time to make that up and there's plans to make that up and it's allowable um Q comp is now a reserve it was assigned we've always kept it as assigned because even though
MD didn't recognize it as separate that you had to to keep a reserve for it we always have so now it's moved into restricted versus being in assigned so that's a change from before so overall we're spending down fund balance of 16.4
million but as you can see the majority of it is in our onetime dollars and we have reduced the operational spend of 6 million in our unassigned are there any questions on the general fund before I move on to the community service fund our community service fund did you
have one our community service fund um it is about a $30 million budget we're making adjustments of 4% on Revenue 118 million 29 million on the expenditure side um very detailed work done in our
community at department for Budget as we're looking at this they're increasing their School Readiness Revenue due to some program um implementation and verification changes result in fewer dis counted enrollments 138,000 we're seeing
increase in adult basic Ed of 100,000 um based to some local grants and then higher than budgeted contract hours that that's a contract hour contact hour driven budget we're also seeing an increase in our Central Services Revenue due to anticipated investment earnings
the investment earnings that we have on our total cash are then spread out based on cash balances so when we see you know the the higher interest rates our other funds that have cash balances are also beneficiaries of overall investment and then 40,000 increase in
non-public and home scool Revenue due to increased student accounts in those areas um additional Revenue there's 120,000 decrease in facilities Revenue that is part early recognition of the phase two budget cuts so that amount
that was retained in the community department is being recognized and no longer kept in community Community ad for the management of facility rentals and will be in the general fund uh 140,000 decrease in Adventures Plus due to lower than budgeted enrollment 38,000
decrease in facility monitor Revenue again originally over projected a 10,000 decrease in their aquatic lessons Revenue due to reduced pool availability and a net 13,000 decrease due to other program Revenue
adjustments on the expenditure side there's a 29,000 increase or 0.1% 210,000 is in School Readiness an ecfm program due to additional positions wage adjustments and one-time Capital Investments 50,000 increase in parent involvement
expenditures um also due to phase 2 budget realignment 40,000 increased in enrollment driven homeschool non-public programs again due to the increased enrollment 268,000 in adventure plus decrease again due to enrollment driven
based on payroll non-payroll savings and then a net 3,000 decrease on other programming expenditure adjustments again just looking at a side by side in the programming we just like to show um by the areas the the revenues
in the expenditures so as you can see um each ones that we talked about showing side by side generally mirroring similar expenditure and revenue increases and decreases and overall um fund balance that looks low fund balance no that's
not uh they still have a $9.5 million fund balance if we get to the next page um on a $30 million budget they're still sitting at 31% as you can see our community ed program is very consistent um holding on that and the 30% budget is
very standard and a very highly fee driven program and then our final bu adjustment is the final wrap up of our capital projects fund so this is the final close out of the
2017 voter approved Bond Revenue so um how we ended last year didn't exactly you know but it's a budget so we need to adjust to where we ended last year um to see what was left and and adjust those expenditures so our Revenue increase is
$90,000 due to additional investment Revenue due to the cash that we still have on hand and then we're increasing or decreasing our expenditures by 277,000 um based on the available funds after the final close out so our projection is to be at a fund balance at
zero we will close out in full can we go to the next slide please um we'll go so we'll have 110,000 in local Revenue projected and then our expenditures at 3.89 million so that we will fully
expend that amount and close it out at the end of this year we're very close to closing it out right now just some final adjustments so the fully amended budget for 2425 for the mid year again is a
2.8% increase in Revenue 20 million 394 and a 2.1 increase on expenditures of 15.4 million and again the majority of that being that 10 million adjustment back and forth between um for the English learner so open it up for any
questions again this will come back at the March regular board meeting for a second read and a vote thank you for the presentation board members are there any questions on the amended budget uh Director D
Shane thank you uh just just a a quick note of thanks for the presentation I think it's really important and it's a value of this board to have accurate books and records and it's um sort of like like housekeeping right we have new information so we want to make sure that our um accounting records are accurately
reflecting the realities of what have happened uh just one I want to sort of restate back what you were saying about that $10 million English language learner um this is an accounting operation to use a new finance code in
order to uh recognize what's happening on those dollars it's not actual changes because they're accounted for in the funding in different ways but doing it this way will allow us us to recoup 25% of those expenses that are not met by
the current revenues that is accurate okay thank you that's all any other questions from board members D yeah just related to the same thing so
I get it that there's it's some kind of a way to call it out but as it appears in the general fund where where is it is it coming from somewhere else or right now it it was part of the basic skills so compensatory compensatory funding and El
were all part of basic skills okay so was in that area so we'll have to move it out and then we'll have to backfill with something else out of it so that it's more of the shell game to make it all work out in order to make sure we generate that Revenue if we don't move
it out of there we're spending it there and they're going to say okay you have enough right so we have to move the full expense um so we spend about 14 million on E right now we're funded for about four so that's where that 10 million that will'll get generate that in fiscal
year 27 so was the change that we were allowed to move it out or that we were required to we required to we're required to and if we don't make it well you could still put your expenses in your compensatory basic skills but
then we won't generate we would just put the 4 million and then fund it and then we would generate the revenue the additional 2 million so we'd be given up that Revenue if we don't make the adjustment in that entry gotcha thank you then I have a quick question um I
think I caught it but what where does the amended budget put our fund balance like the percent 10.8% 10.8% okay I did catch that right thank you any other questions or comments from board members all right well thank you very
much for the presentation um and our next agenda item is item 10B the preliminary fiscal year 2627 general fund budget so Michelle varas chair Arco superintendent McIntyre members of the board that presentation before basically
leads us into those updated numbers we're starting now with a different projected fund balance um and it feeds into these rollup costs that we're looking at so at this point in time as we're in the middle of a legislative session which funds the next years we are looking at the next two
years um and it's also been I we've been looking out for the last year as we've been going through budget reductions and all of that to see where we are so this is updated and what we've updated in here are the new El Revenue coming in
are are the couple of contracts that we've settled um the transportation that we've been looking at what's also rolled into here is the unemployment taking the revenue out but keeping it in we've been kind of holding
on like maybe we'll get some funding but at this point in time I have it as in law what we're required to do and what Revenue we have which right now it's not funded so you have a full layout of that um that is in law for us to start with
the uh Family Leave Act on January 2026 so it's a half year so we get a half year in 26 and then we the other full year so another half year in 27 so all of those are in these projections it's no more saying we have a couple of unfunded mandates off of the side that
haven't been put in here yet so all the adjustments have been made um with those assumptions in here at this time um so as we look at it we're for f superintendent McIntyre had a question just to maybe help clarify how I've thought of this is if nothing happens
legislatively we're just planning ahead right mhm um we've been testifying on it right but if if they let that those dollars run out we got to be planning ahead for the impact of it so thanks um so in December you approved
the levy those Levy dollars are set then to fund fiscal year 26 that we're looking at um we have a legislative session going on that ends on May 19th um the November 24th budget forecast um 2024 forecast had a $660 million surplus
for the 2627 but a $5.1 billion deficit for the 28 29 so the following um year the February forecast will be available on March 6th that forecast is basically what sets all the targets they start setting targets
then for committees so that's what we're waiting for to see um if anything changes what we've been doing is finalizing enrollment projections and those enrollment projections uh we're looking at another decline next year um so that's what we've been Staffing on
and and doing budgets our school budgets are based on enrollments and that um so that's what we've been doing um we are working on the department and sight budgets um I'll be back in April then with preliminary general fund again
updated based on any changes in the legislature um in May on the 19th school board meeting I'll be bringing the pro proposed for all funds for fiscal year 26 and then the approval for all funds June 23rd prior to June 30th as in
statute to approve the fisal year 26 budget for All funds so preliminary um assumptions right now is a revenue increase of $6 million the FY 26 Levy it was certified
um we see a $2.8 million decrease in that um Levy due to puple unit decline um so we that was kind of two years behind at that point the state general education um is going to increase by 3.9
million so that's net so we we have a 2.6 or 2.33 increase in the CPI so it's a minimum of two a maximum of 3% that was one of the last increases that the projections for the year so that's $169
per pupil unit um we're looking at a 1.1% decline in pupil units of 450 adjusted pupil units so that's how we get to that net increase of 3.9 million the projected increase for special ed Revenue was 5.3 million that's basically
based on our increased expenditures kind of the what Transportation has been what our expenses have been and then we've been each year we've been kind of at as our tuition goes up we pay that tuition with our federal and it takes a year but
it it generates that Revenue so our federal special ed Revenue all of it almost right now is paying tuition so we get reimbursement on instead of paying salaries with that and letting them just take the revenue off we get reimbursement it generates that money
for us um so that's what we do with that that $7.7 million this year is what we'll do with it um our student support Personnel that jumps up another 1.3 million and that's kind of part of our our budget reductions we're saying we're
going to be shifting staff into that that was part of that will be be able to fund more of our social workers that we bought up with Esser funds next year when we are close to at $2 million in the student support Personnel Revenue
English learner Revenue goes up 1.8 million um the revenue goes from $74 to 12228 so including uh the addition to the Cross subsidy that comes in 27 they're they are putting more money on
the formula for our English Learners it's does go up we also are looking at 2.1 million it's taking out the between terms unemployment Revenue we know it's going to run out so it takes it out of fiscal year
26 um and then in fiscal year 26 that 10.3 million in and out is going to go down by 1.4 million because of the additional Revenue we're getting now so our cross subies cross subsidy will be lower because the English learner Revenue went
up 1.8 million because of the the higher amount um we're assuming that we'll maintain our other local and state categorical and federal revenue at the same level um investment income we're still keeping it at 4.6
million it's holding right now we're hoping it continues to hold on the expenditure side our assumptions are 14.1 million increase in net expenditures so we're still using 2 and a half% on salaries for the any contracts that haven't been settled 5%
um on our insurances we have a reduction a net reduction of 10 FTE so we have our staffing ratios with the loss of pupil units our staffing ratios reduce um by 26 FTE but we're adding 16 ft in special ed
based on enrollment and needs and I APS we have a 2.2 million increase for the second year of the par educator and Office Professional contract um adding that amount in and then we have 7.5 million for Charter
transportation and utility increases we have 900,000 this is the paid leave act so that's a half the half a year so from January on that. 44% um tax that for the paid leave act
for the employer side 325,000 for our athletic trainer contract recognizing that for next year that went up significantly um for um that that one that was recently done on a bid and then
a $1.4 million the reduction we sat on the revenue side for the English the other side of the English learner Crest subsidy entry we also are recognizing the 8.5 million in Phase 2 budget reductions um 700,000 were actually realized in some of the realignment in
the current year um because it was an approved amount of 9 million but 8 8.5 will be in fiscal year 26 and we transfer that fourth year of the Strategic investment back into um the
unassigned so those are the 26 and then the 27 I have them side by side on a table coming up 27 our revenue is a $17 million increase in Revenue so the formula is 2.61% is what CPI is
projected at at this time it'll change but that's what they have now so that's $194 per student we're assuming will stay stable at this point that will hold um so that's 7.2 million the FY 26 Levy amounts are
basically just adjusted for inflation on the referendum again using the 2.61% so that's about $30 on the referendum for inflationary growth of 1.2 million and then we're assuming we'll maintain our other state categorical funding with the exception
of our special which grows with it's a reimbursement formula and um 2.3 million the cross subs or the English learner again grows up we get the cross subsidy and then it goes up um to 1775 a student
from 1228 so it jumps up another $500 so the state is jumping up the revenue for um to come after that that cross subsidy the last item on there is 165,000 increase in the transfer for the in so
it's going to go up and down each year that transfer amount that we do based on Assumption of how much our expenses are going to go up and what the revenue um is to create that on the expenditure side all we um are assuming at this point is the 2 and a half on salaries 5%
on our um insurances which is about 16.2 million um inflationary increases in services and utilities which is transportation and and that 1.5 million and then the other side of the 165,000 increase
transfer so just the basics there's a lot going on in fiscal year 26 just because we know it you've been making the changes with the budget reductions um and contracts but we'll have a lot of contracts that are going to be coming up for negotiations um starting in the
summer so how does that all look back one how does it all look so the First Column is our amended fiscal year 25 um budget assuming that what I just presented passes so as we're looking at it we're currently at that
10.8% of operating the revenue and expenditure assumptions that were just displayed and are on the side there um show an operating deficit of 15.1 million for fiscal year 26 so that will bring us
down to 47.5 million in our unassigned or 88.7% rolling to fiscal year 27 where with the revenue and the assumptions and expenditure assumptions were operating at a deficit of 25
million 9.4 Millions at one time so the net operating is 15.9 million so we didn't grow that much so that increased e Revenue was helping us that with all the rollups and the shortage that you can see the difference between 25 and 26
but we're losing Revenue in 26 and we're adding in we're losing the revenue for the between terms unemployment and we're adding in half of a year of the Family Leave Act and we're recognizing the large increase for transportation and
the contracts so in fiscal year 27 we're almost holding at that 15 to 16 million so as you look at it at this point in time our Target now for budget reductions if you wanted to close that operating deficit is 16 million at that
point you would basically if we make a $16 million reduction you're going to hold that assigned fund balance from 26 the 47.5 million if you make that reduction for 27 and then you're sitting at about 8.4%
because now your operating expenditures have have grown some in the roll up but you're going to be in that 8.4 to 8 .7 range um and you still have about 9 million to make up to be at
10% and that was a member a board member at debt was questioning what our our Target would be how short are we from the 10% um so that's kind of where if everything land this is a budget it's a what if and there there are a lot of
things going on um I think we have most of it recognized in here as best we can at this point in time and we'll continue to follow the legislative session advocate for funding those unfunded mandates um as best we can but at this
point in time they're not and that's what this represents um the last one is just and I always try to keep that out there 1% on the formula for us is about $3 million 1% increase on our salaries is equal to $4.2
million our 1% on our health benefits which also might be something we'll be looking at um we're seeing a lot of large increases and whether or not um any adjustments are made in that negotiations um that's 600,000 our transportation contracts which are it's
over $30 million we spend on Transportation um you're looking at you know 1% on our contracts about 400,000 um the included just to remind you Minnesota paid leave in 27 is 1.8
million the first year is 900,000 and then we have the full year the second year and currently our between terms unemployment has been running about 2.1 million it could go higher it could go lower that's what it's been at so that's what's included in these current
assumptions that looks at about a $16 million budget Target um reduction to balance out fiscal year 27 so I'll open that up to any questions any questions or comments from board
members all right well superintendent Ma just uh board members I guess I just want to reiterate um what Michelle said about is what we know today uh We've pushed hard legislatively to you
know mitigate those unfunded mandates as much as possible so I think it's wise like we did to to estimate what we think those things are if they don't get funded um we also know we're looking at our literacy adoption we're we're not
there yet with transportation and utility so those are some areas that we're still watching and um there's other things in the governor's proposal that you know we got to account for too if that were to go through so um I guess it's what we know today and we'll keep you like as we move
through through the session and assuming they get done on time um we'll know what that Target looks like as we move through so we're trying to do our best to you know with Jim's efforts and ours to keep you informed of what's happening and what does that mean from a financial
standpoint so I guess you're hearing in my voice there's a little bit we will we're waiting to see what it where it really lands at the in the end right director adad thank you just to follow up to that because I I know when
when you were down there testifying to the especially the portions related to the I think it was the paid leave and the unemployment there was some consternation about that um and I I couldn't I didn't quite gather I didn't quite get why I mean I think the
statement if I I watched I looked at it was well that's currently funded so why would you assume it's not going to be funded right but what you've laid out or what Miss Vargas laid out in terms of condition of the budget and the state's
budget and the there just isn't a lot of dollars there so in our own District that's basically $4 million um multiply that by all the other districts that are out there you know that eats up the what 600
and some million pretty quickly so I think it's a in my opinion it's a reasonable assumption that that you've made it's a big number it's a big you know it's a quarter of of what we're looking at at just related to that alone and um it's
I'm glad that you pushed it and uh and I think you're right to stay on it yeah if nothing changes that's the reality right and I the good news is we're all saying all the districts are really kind of on the same things right so other were the biggest and some of the smallest it hits
them it impacts them just as severely this a scaling issue right so I think we've been pretty consistent with the message um I think it's getting through because I I've gotten some irritation out of it you know so that's what we want um and
really just being able to tell our story like what does this really mean in real numbers if if nothing changes right so we'll try to St on on message any other comments from board members all right well thank you very much for the presentation
all right we are nearing our last board agenda item which is item 11 board correspondence and communication members this is your opportunity to share happenings in your community report on committee assignments or other items of interest does any does anyone have anything to
share director langenfeld it it Segways nicely into our last conversation and I know that you've been getting some updates from the MS ba and uh Massa day at the capital on March 3rd they're in process of setting up
those appointments for us um they are actually looking and asking us which of our legislators I think we have what 17 we can't see them all that day um but again names of legislators that you would like to speak with um they're
working hard to set those appointments up so I spoke with superintendent McIntyre about that today and I've had conversation with msba Denise Dietrich who who is now serving as Government relations and um it's just really
important to hear from us I think as a school board I know that our superintendant often go down and speak there but we represent the community and the people so I know that I'm signed up to go but it's always really great when
you go to your uh legislative um area as well where you live and you're their constituent so I just put that out there for consideration if there's any possibility and I think we'll have schedules so that you wouldn't have to come the whole day you know I think that
that's what they're really working on it so that recognizing board members are working many most and and so spending the whole day isn't always possible so they're working on that as well so I just want to really give that a a lift
up and make sure that people are aware and again that doesn't include anybody speaking you know um to their legislators separately either but I just we we have a platform and we just saw our current reality right now at least in you know right here right now so
anyway thanks for that uh director Des Shan thank you just really quickly um I know we saw the academic growth ceremonies so those those two ceremonies were lovely to attend I really uh appreciate that our district prioritizes recognizing academic growth because that's what
we're here to do right student achievement I think that's really important I wanted to shout out the theater programs again at our schools I know Champlin Park just finished their winterplay dragons love tacos that was very exciting and entertaining to attend I encourage everybody to look at what any schools around them are doing and go
to those if you get the chance and lastly uh I attended Our Community Education advisory meeting that's one of the Committees that we are assigned in our January packet and we got an update in depth on our early childhood family education program I know we heard a bit from Michelle Vargas about the community
education budget uh we did talk on that a little bit as well as here from Community Partners so at that advisory meeting we have city council members from our our cities in our district we have uh jobs program leads Community
College leads um and Youth Organization Representatives so it's a really valuable conversation to talk about what are all of our communities doing to support the people that live here thank you any other comments from board
members all right um the last agenda item is item 12 which is to adjourn um do we have a motion to adjourn thank you director adet do we have a second thank you director langenfeld um
is there any discussion all right hearing none will all in favor say I I any opposed say nay with six in favor and zero opposed we are adjourned the current time is 8:37 p.m. want to wait till