WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=iNeavqJtOqI

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: iNeavqJtOqI):
- 00:06:10: Meeting Called to Order; Agenda Approval Begins
- 00:06:41: Excellence in Action: Creek Valley Leader InMe
- 00:15:48: Director Alenberg Commends Creek Valley Presentation
- 00:17:07: Board Questions Creek Valley Students on Buddy Program
- 00:20:27: Public Comment Guidelines and Introductions Given
- 00:21:54: Allison Demi Introduces A2D Academy Partnership
- 00:25:10: Stephanie Francis Jones Presents Edina Give andGo
- 00:35:56: Approval of Consent Agenda and Discussion Items
- 00:36:42: Mert Woodard Presents Preliminary Budget for Fiscal 2027
- 00:44:23: Discussion: Spanish Dual Language Middle School Placement
- 01:04:29: Policy Review: Updates and Recommendations
- 01:12:54: Policy Action: Intermediate School District 287 Budget
- 01:16:25: Policies for Action: 515, 708, and 812 Approved
- 01:20:12: Leadership Updates and Meeting Adjournment


Part: 1

1
00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:26.400
Good evening. Tonight is Monday, May 11th, and we have a quorum. So, I will call this meeting to order. The first order of business is agenda approval. Do I have a motion to approve the agenda for tonight's board meeting? >> So moved.

2
00:06:26.400 --> 00:06:41.199
>> Is there a second? >> Second. We'll vote to approve our agenda. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Tonight's agenda is approved. Uh we will start tonight off with our excellence in action. And tonight's excellence in action will spotlight a

3
00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:58.319
few second and fourth grade students and teachers from Creek Valley. And they will be sharing how they use the leader inme curriculum in their classrooms to support goal setting, social emotional learning, and student leadership. So I would w like to welcome up our guests to

4
00:06:58.319 --> 00:07:20.080
the dis introduce themselves and tell us a little bit about life at Creek Valley. I don't need to be by myself up here. I brought them for a reason. Come on in and then come on over here and then I'm I will move and you can sit

5
00:07:20.080 --> 00:07:35.440
here. We are so happy to be here. What an honor and a privilege to be a part of such an amazing community at Creek Valley. So, thank you first for allowing us to come and celebrate and be with you. Good evening and welcome to Creek

6
00:07:35.440 --> 00:07:51.120
Valley Leader andMe. Uh so, as many of you know, we've been a Leader andMe school since 2014 and each year we grow in new ways. um providing opportunities for students to build upon their leadership skills and

7
00:07:51.120 --> 00:08:08.800
just in every way for them to follow our mission and vision of Edina public schools. And so we're excited to talk about a few things today and beginning with the end in mind of highlighting the stu student leadership talking about how they use the habits in their daily routines at school and also what they

8
00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:25.039
like about it and how they share it with their families because that's been a really big part of our leader and me journey is also involving our community partnerships in the process. And this year we actually added a parent to the community at Creek Valley that is also

9
00:08:25.039 --> 00:08:39.919
teaching family members and being a resource for anyone who has more wants more information about it. And so just as a quick review, the seven habits of happy kids stem from the seven habits of highly effective people. And so the

10
00:08:39.919 --> 00:08:58.640
Cvies have created this um this space for young learners to build habits from kindergarten through fifth grade. And every year they grow more and more until they find their voice. And boy do they find their voice. Um each and every year

11
00:08:58.640 --> 00:09:16.560
telling us great ways to make the school and the world a better place. And so we're so fortunate to do that. So with that said, thinking about um one of the models and the matrices up here that we have, one of the core paradigms is that everyone can be a leader. And as you can

12
00:09:16.560 --> 00:09:32.000
see, we already have two second grade leaders here and two fourth grade leaders as long and two teacher leaders here as well. And then we're going to focus on that academic side that is empowering learners. So again, thank you for letting us share and I'll hand it

13
00:09:32.000 --> 00:09:55.360
over to Miss Round and these two amazing second graders. Hello, my name is Jen Brown. I'm a second grade teacher at Creek Valley Elementary School. I have two fabulous student leaders who are going to speak with you about they're holding their leadership binders. Um, they'll give you

14
00:09:55.360 --> 00:10:19.279
the details and I'm going to scooch around to be their microphone hazard. Good evening. My name is Brenn Parter and my name is Evie Ramsan Mason. We would like to talk about our leadership binders. On the covers of our leadership

15
00:10:19.279 --> 00:10:36.160
binders, we drew ways we are leaders. My drawing shows me throwing away trash. >> And my drawing shows being quiet in the hallway instead of talking. There is a section called all about me which includes some artwork about our family and what is most important to us also

16
00:10:36.160 --> 00:10:52.880
called big rocks. In the habit section we have the seven habits tree plus the eighth habit find your voice and our classroom mission statement which we memorized and recite each day. My favorite habit is habit six

17
00:10:52.880 --> 00:11:08.959
synergize. I like it because I feel it is more fun when everyone is cooperating and having fun together. My favorite habit is habit seven sharpen the saw. It is good to do a variety of things to do to be a well-rounded person. There are

18
00:11:08.959 --> 00:11:25.200
sections for things like learning, writing, and math. We graph how well we are doing in each area like reading fluency, comprehension, spelling, learning, math facts, and math tests. I am most proud of my writing graphs because they are colored high which

19
00:11:25.200 --> 00:11:40.720
helps me know I don't have to work on that area as much as others. My graphs have a goal marked on them. So if I want to be at or above the goal, I know what to work on or practice more.

20
00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:56.720
Right now I am most proud of my math graphs because I feel like I am doing very well in math. Each grade has a wig, wildly important goal related to maths. Our wig is to pass our addition and subtraction time test. One way we work

21
00:11:56.720 --> 00:12:12.480
toward this goal is by playing math games with our fifth grade buddies. In the leadership section, we keep track of what leadership jobs we have done in the class so far. My favorite leadership

22
00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:27.680
role is morning meeting leader because I like to lead the calendar in Spanish. >> If my and mine is party points leader because I like writing on the board on how many points we have on the board. If we didn't have leader and me, people

23
00:12:27.680 --> 00:13:09.040
might not learn how to make plans or be in charge of themselves or even let others talk before them. >> It's a lot of fun, too. Thank you for letting us share with you today. My name is Harrison Lloyd and I'm in fourth grade at Creek Valley. I am Hazel

24
00:13:09.040 --> 00:13:25.519
Vanderwoody and I'm also in fourth grade at Creek Valley with Mrs. Torerson. As you know, we are a leader in me school and we learn about the habits so we can be kind leaders in our school and community. One of my favorite habits is put first things first. I like this because it teaches the skill of getting

25
00:13:25.519 --> 00:13:42.000
important things done first like homework and reading in the future. I know this will help me to be my best and focus on what I need to get done. >> I like think when win. It is nice when everyone wins and is happy. We use think when win when there is a disagreement or when we need to work together on a

26
00:13:42.000 --> 00:13:58.320
project. >> Each morning we have a leader and me in our schedule. We talk about the habits and how they apply to our life. We talk about being leaders and what situations we can use each habit. >> We have been learning about the habits our whole time at Creek Valley. Now that

27
00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:15.519
we know the habits as older students, we talk about how they are shown in our lessons. For example, in stories, in our readalouds, and in even in social studies. >> One of our classes favorite things to do favorite things is our time with our first grade buddies. We learned the

28
00:14:15.519 --> 00:14:33.279
importance of synergizing and being leaders. >> Our most recent buddy activity was building cardboard sculptures together. It showed the it showed synergizing because we had to work together and talk about our ideas.

29
00:14:33.279 --> 00:14:55.519
We work hard to be safe, respectful, and responsible at Creek Valley. Using our habits helps us be leaders. Thank you for letting us share this evening with you about leader and me at Creek Valley. They're awesome. Um, and I'm Emily Torerson and I have

30
00:14:55.519 --> 00:15:11.120
the honor of being both a fourth grade teacher at Creek Valley. Um, live in the neighborhood and a parent at Creek Valley. So, one of my favorite things about leader me school is the consistency of lessons and habits across the grade levels. The habits provide a

31
00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:27.760
foundation of lessons that grow with the child. So, at home with my family, I have a first and a fourth grader. We can integrate these habits into our life because I know the habits are being taught to both of my kids at school. And as a teacher, I love the grounding that

32
00:15:27.760 --> 00:15:48.800
leader of me provides through daily lessons, goal setting, school assemblies, schoolwide volunteer work, and leadership opportunities. The students and staff at Creek Valley build these habits for a lifetime. Thank you. So if you have any questions for our

33
00:15:48.800 --> 00:16:04.480
student leaders, we're welcome. You want to show these are your binders as well, right? >> Director Alenberg. >> Um I don't have a question. I have two comments. First of all, I wish I was a tenth of a bit as articulate as all four

34
00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:20.160
of you. I mean, even now, you're all very, very impressive. and thank you for being brave enough to come here and present to us and just outstanding job. And I wanted to let you all know as students and parents know we're the

35
00:16:20.160 --> 00:16:36.800
Creek Valley end of the of the board here. We've had six kids go through Creek Creek Valley >> and I went through >> I mean not together but yeah but um and my daughter is going into college and we still use the leader in me verbiage at

36
00:16:36.800 --> 00:16:52.160
home whenever she needs to do something. I'm like first thing first you can't go out until you clean your room. So it's applicable for the rest of your life. So, thank you. Outstanding job. And thank you especially for taking time out

37
00:16:52.160 --> 00:17:07.839
of your evening to come and speak with us. >> And you might laugh. So, I went to Creek Valley, graduated from Madina. One of our words um in 11th grade public speaking and persuasion term memorize was synergy. And you all are learning it in second and fourth grade. So,

38
00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:26.760
>> it synergize >> advanced education. It's an SAT word. It's great. I just had a quick question for all the students. So, about the buddy program, can you describe like what's your favorite thing about the buddy program?

39
00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:42.720
>> Um, probably getting together with other kids and teaching them how to like act and be kind leaders in the world. >> Want to say something? >> Um, yeah. I like what Harrison said and

40
00:17:42.720 --> 00:18:05.000
that we get to like put our ideas together to make something or do something. >> Um we are with first grade and fourth grade as us. So, >> so the K35

41
00:18:06.240 --> 00:18:22.720
>> I think if I could add something that I really like about that is it builds that relationships across the grade levels. I see it when we're out at the playground unexpected that um relationship that they have and I just really love watching these kids as leaders and those younger kids come in and you see it in

42
00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:39.360
the hallways at school events. >> Wonderful. Thank you so much. >> Thank you for being here tonight. I echo what my fellow board members say and that these are lifelong skills. These are skills that we as adults work on and um need in our life and they're not

43
00:18:39.360 --> 00:18:55.360
always on the report card but that's what makes the difference when at your age at our age. So bravo to you and to your wonderful teachers and dean assistant principal for um for bringing this up and helping teach us about it as

44
00:18:55.360 --> 00:20:27.360
well. So could we have the honor of having our picture taken with you? Would that be okay? All right. >> Can you hold your papers? All right. Next on our agenda is hearing from members of the public. And so,

45
00:20:27.360 --> 00:20:43.440
thank you to those who are here to address the board. When you signed in and asked to speak, you acknowledged an understanding and adherence to board policy 206, which are community uh comment guidelines. Per pursuant to this policy, each speaker has a maximum of

46
00:20:43.440 --> 00:21:00.159
three minutes to speak. A clock on the screen will be a visual reminder of your time remaining, and I will prompt you verbally if you are going over three minutes. When those three minutes are up, you must conclude your remarks. This time is not designated to address items concerning specific staff or students,

47
00:21:00.159 --> 00:21:16.480
and personal attacks by anyone at the podium are unacceptable. If this happens, you will be warned, and if you persist, you will no longer be able to continue your remarks. Any feedback about district employees needs to go to their respective site level leader, the superintendent, or be submitted to the

48
00:21:16.480 --> 00:21:34.000
board in writing. Finally, during the public comment period, our role as a board is to listen, but this is not the place for the board to resolve any concerns and as such, no comments will be made from the board. Issues will potentially be referred to the superintendent for appropriate

49
00:21:34.000 --> 00:21:50.120
follow-up. Always feel so strict saying those rules. So, thank you for your cooperation and I will now welcome up to the microphone Allison. Is it >> Demi? >> Demi, welcome.

50
00:21:54.320 --> 00:22:09.280
Good evening, Chair Gabler, members of the board, Superintendent Bitman. Oh, sorry, taking off the sunglasses. Uh, school board directors and the greater AED community. My name is Allison Demi and I am the founder and director of A2D Academy here

51
00:22:09.280 --> 00:22:25.360
in Edina. In light of the recent kids club weight list and superintendent attendant Bitman's comments regarding the safety and security concerns surrounding before and after school care during the past several board meetings. I would like to formally introduce A2D Academy. You've probably heard inklings

52
00:22:25.360 --> 00:22:42.240
of us before, but this is our formal introduction. I founded A2D Academy in 2022 to help address the lengthy wait list for kids club. As a licensed teacher and an Adina alumni, I wanted to help my home district in their time of need. My vision was to provide a safe

53
00:22:42.240 --> 00:22:58.960
space where students could continue to learn and grow outside of the classroom. Since our inception, we have grown from supporting five students the first year to now having capacity for 150 students after school. AT2D Academy is a nonprofit organization that provides

54
00:22:58.960 --> 00:23:14.240
steam enrichment activities for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Daily we have students that are bus to our location in which we have a snack play at Edinburghough Park, take a 45minut steam enrichment class and then offer free choice or other club

55
00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:31.200
activities. Some of the unique experiences that we offer our students include an entrepreneurial term in which our students create their own businesses and sell their products at a local mall, hence my earrings that I'm wearing today and the published book that we have on Amazon from our kindergarters and first

56
00:23:31.200 --> 00:23:48.640
graders this year. We also have a community service term in which students raise money and awareness for local organizations to better our community as well as inspiring our students to turn passions into careers by having guest speakers come into our facilities such as beekeepers, the

57
00:23:48.640 --> 00:24:04.799
Raptor Center, structural engineers, meteorologists, and even Tao drummers. Our goal at ATD Academy is to provide ample experiences and opportunities that expand our students horizons and have them try things that they may have never thought to try themselves. We are

58
00:24:04.799 --> 00:24:20.400
grateful for our partnership with Edina Transportation which provides busing from five of the elementary schools to our facility as well as the support and community partnership with Dr. Leland and the Edina community ed which helps to inform families of other options

59
00:24:20.400 --> 00:24:36.480
available to them once they are weightlisted for kids club. We look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with the Adina public schools to continue to provide afterchool care together. The perception within our community is that Edina public schools must solve the afterchool

60
00:24:36.480 --> 00:24:51.520
child care needs by themselves. This is simply not true. I implore you to think outside of the EPS box and truly partner with the community organizations that are already trying to help. I would also encourage you to come and see our facilities and see the amazing work that

61
00:24:51.520 --> 00:25:10.159
our students are doing on a daily basis at ATV Academy. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Stone. All right, and that was our only uh speaker for this evening. So, I welcome up to uh to the podium uh Stephanie

62
00:25:10.159 --> 00:25:35.279
Stephanie Francis Jones, the executive director of Give andGo, and she is here to talk to us a little bit about the work that Give andGo has been doing. And welcome. Thank you. Good evening. Um it's great to be back.

63
00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:50.640
um hoping that the audio will work. Um so as Chair Gabler said, I'm Stephanie Francis Jones, executive director of Edina Giving and Go and really proud to be here to explain the great work that we have been able to do over this past

64
00:25:50.640 --> 00:26:10.640
year. Um many of you were at our gala. Um but I wanted to show you a video that we showed at the gala. This is the piece that I'm looking for help on. Great. Um, just to let the the um

65
00:26:10.640 --> 00:26:38.240
the heart behind the work speak for itself. So, have someone press play. Thank you. The sound's not working, which I I if this would happen. Okay. So, if we could go back to the

66
00:26:38.240 --> 00:27:33.679
beginning, please. I heard it. I think try to restart and if not I'll add lip. Okay. Well, let's stop because it makes very bad feedback. So we can just skip the video and

67
00:27:33.679 --> 00:27:50.320
because you need the words with it, >> Stephanie. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Yeah. Okay. >> Okay. So I think it's we don't hear that

68
00:27:50.320 --> 00:28:06.080
anymore. So we can pause that and just go back to the slideshow. But one um so the people that were there who were able to see and we will email the video to the rest of everyone. Um could we please stop the video? Thank you. And then just go back to the

69
00:28:06.080 --> 00:28:22.000
slideshow because it's making a really bad feedback noise. Thank you. Um but one thing that I did want to call attention to is that we were able to have um testimonial video testimonial from one of the students that we were able to support. Um and I think that's

70
00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:39.279
really special. We um have shared in previous forums um written thank yous, but this was the first time we were able to obtain a video testimonial and um it was from a student named Diana who's currently studying abroad. She's a

71
00:28:39.279 --> 00:28:55.039
junior in college and she says um thank you so much to Adina give and go for giving her community and really supporting her and allowing her to be where she is today. So I will send that

72
00:28:55.039 --> 00:29:12.000
um to you all. So um so over this past fiscal year just to share a little bit about our impact we were able to support 95 Edina public school students across 1,396

73
00:29:12.000 --> 00:29:27.760
opportunities. Um and that was deploying $283,082 in direct support to um program providers on behalf of eligible families. And this year we are on track

74
00:29:27.760 --> 00:29:44.240
to um providing over $300,000 to um families that really need us most. We're we are able to um continue to grow the support. We've seen incremental

75
00:29:44.240 --> 00:30:00.000
growth each year and so proud to report that. We're also really proud of our um our bar graph here on the bottom which shows fairly equal representation of support across elementary, middle, and high school students.

76
00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:16.559
Um I wanted to share a bit about updates to our services. Um so our core programs remain strong and unchanged. Um, so our student enrichment program, which is $500 per student during the school year

77
00:30:16.559 --> 00:30:34.240
and $500 per student during the summer, that remains unchanged. Um, we also have our instruments for all program where we provide $15,000 to Adina Public Schools so that students in grades 5 through 12 are able to participate in band and

78
00:30:34.240 --> 00:30:49.360
orchestra. But one thing we were able to do is pull out driver's ed and summer credit acceleration from that student enrichment program so that when students um hit milestones like age 15 and

79
00:30:49.360 --> 00:31:07.600
they're able to um take driver's ed, we didn't want the student to have to choose to learn this life skill or continue the enrichment that they've been taking part of or taking part in. So that was pulled out of that student enrichment program. And the same goes

80
00:31:07.600 --> 00:31:22.080
for summer summer credit acceleration. So if a student is in high school currently at grade level math is a good example and they want to do they want to be on a different track, they can take

81
00:31:22.080 --> 00:31:37.600
um the the whole year of math tuition in the summer, but that actually costs more than the $500. Um so through Edina public schools if the the high school student wants to accelerate we are able

82
00:31:37.600 --> 00:31:52.159
to um pay for that and then they could still continue with their enrichment. So a student who's playing soccer would still be able to use our funds to continue that enrichment but they could they could take geometry over the summer

83
00:31:52.159 --> 00:32:11.360
as well. So, those are are really um I think important updates that we've made to our services to allow families and students to have more support. Um and so we have an update about

84
00:32:11.360 --> 00:32:28.320
partnerships. Um I announced this at the gala that um Edina Given Go was selected as philanthropy partner for Edina Federated Women's Club. Um and this I think shows um it was kind of a full circle moment. Uh Edina Federated

85
00:32:28.320 --> 00:32:44.720
Women's Club was integral in starting the um Edina give and go. The the funds that we received back in um 2012 were really important to getting us established and so here we are again

86
00:32:44.720 --> 00:33:00.880
partnering. Um, so that is fantastic and I think a testament to the work that we can do as as we collaborate. Um, as the director of A2D alluded to earlier, when we collaborate together, we can just do more for the families in our district.

87
00:33:00.880 --> 00:33:18.080
Um, and then the other thing that we that that I think you know of, but I would would like to share again is that um we directed $40,000 to Odina public schools um to address the learning loss that took place for the students that

88
00:33:18.080 --> 00:33:33.360
felt they weren't able to come to school at the beginning of this calendar year. Um so high school students were able to have a individual plan to pivot so they would continue to um not affect their graduation

89
00:33:33.360 --> 00:33:49.519
requirements. Um but K through8 students we found that there was learning loss taking place. So we were able to direct this this money and it will be used um this summer during the summer excited program. And so we're able to I

90
00:33:49.519 --> 00:34:05.720
understand that you're able to um support all of the students that um that were not attending school and will be able to kind of get back up to grade level.

91
00:34:05.919 --> 00:34:23.280
So why our partnership matters? Um we are here because collaboration works. Um Edina Public Schools knows where the need is. I spoke a lot about this at our gala in my recent speech. The teachers, social workers, billing leads are the

92
00:34:23.280 --> 00:34:40.320
front line of the work that we do. Um, but we have the resource and the reach to meet that need. So, this collaboration really works. Um, and as the demand grows, so does the importance of staying coordinated. Um, so we want to keep

93
00:34:40.320 --> 00:34:57.520
building this partnership so that no student in this district misses an an enrichment opportunity simply because of cost. Um, and with that, I just wanted to say thank you for the support that you all show to Adina Gib and go and for all the

94
00:34:57.520 --> 00:35:15.680
work that you do every day in our community. Do you have any questions? >> Board members, what questions do you have this evening? Well, Stephanie, I just want to say thank you. Um, give andGo makes a huge difference in the work that we're able

95
00:35:15.680 --> 00:35:32.880
to do. And I think about all those areas that you talked about, driver's ed, credit, you know, um, advancing credits, dance, all the things that we talk about up here as a well-rounded student. the fact that we don't want finance to be the barrier between a student having

96
00:35:32.880 --> 00:35:48.720
access to that and that's where give and go comes in, it's changing lives. Um, and so I think all of us can say, you know, the the gala was a really fun event to go to and the video I look forward to seeing that again, but thank you and thanks to the board of Give and

97
00:35:48.720 --> 00:36:10.000
Go for all the work that you do um on behalf of our kiddos. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. All right, we are moving on to our consent agenda. Is there anything anyone would like to remove from the consent agenda?

98
00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:26.079
>> All right, we'll vote to approve the consent agenda. Do I have a motion to approve? >> So moved. >> Is it there a second? >> Second. >> Director ma'am. All those in favor of approving the consent agenda say I. >> I. >> Anyone opposed? The consent agenda has

99
00:36:26.079 --> 00:36:42.480
been approved. We are now moving on to the discussion items for this evening. And our first item of discussion is the preliminary budget for the fiscal year 2027. So I will invite Mert Woodard, director of finance and operations up to

100
00:36:42.480 --> 00:37:03.599
the table to talk to us about this item. Welcome. Good evening, Chair Gabler, members of the school board, Superintendent Bitman. Um, thank you for allowing me to present um our 2027 preliminary budget. Um, before I walk through some of the facts and figures, just want to give a brief

101
00:37:03.599 --> 00:37:18.640
summary as to why the change in format this year. Um, typically we'd provide you a a static schedule of charts and graphs and some numbers that may be not super interactive or informative. Um so the the the main reason that we made that change is u a richness of

102
00:37:18.640 --> 00:37:36.000
content. Um this budget contains um data from all 328 independent school districts in the state contains more than 50,000 um rows of data from Edina public schools 10 years of financial history. All of which is um web content accessibility guidelines 2.1 level 2A

103
00:37:36.000 --> 00:37:51.920
compliant. Um, so it will be fully um keyboard accessible, um, fully reader compatible, supporting a number of different devices and and mediums of viewing, which we're really proud of, and we do plan to submit that to the Association of School Business Officials

104
00:37:51.920 --> 00:38:07.040
for their meritorious budget award for the very first time. In terms of the budgetary highlights, um, the total general fund revenue for fiscal 27 is budgeted at $180.8 million. So, the district as it continues to grow and as the years go by um approaches

105
00:38:07.040 --> 00:38:22.560
that $200 million mark, which is a pretty big milestone, I think um total expenditures just under $174 million. So, we do plan to add to our fund balance next school year. Um fiscal year 27 does bring meaningful investment from the state. Um next school year will be

106
00:38:22.560 --> 00:38:38.000
the second year of the bienium in which um the basic education formula, the chief revenue formula for all school districts in the state will be tied to inflation. We're expecting or actually we know we will receive 2.69% on that formula which is above the historic 2% average that we've received over the

107
00:38:38.000 --> 00:38:53.680
last 20 years. Um notably the special education cross subsidy is also rising from 44% of the calculated cross subsidy to 50%. Um that was newly written into law in 2023. And of course our local residents continue their robust support of the

108
00:38:53.680 --> 00:39:11.040
school district um with a $74.26 $26 increase to our operating referendum authority and a $286,000 increase to our capital projects levy. Um that puts us in a great position moving forward. I'd also like to provide a little bit of context um regarding fund balance. Um

109
00:39:11.040 --> 00:39:26.720
looking at fund balance in a vacuum is one thing. Looking at it compared to peers provides a different level of context. Um you'll see that fund balance was significantly lower than both metro area peers and statewide peers in 2028. bottom bottoming out at about 11% as

110
00:39:26.720 --> 00:39:43.040
measured by the statutory operating debt calculation that the state provides. I'm happy to report that as of fiscal year 25, which is an audited figure, we've kind of crossed back above the medians and got to 21% which converges with the metro area peers and puts us in a much better position financially moving

111
00:39:43.040 --> 00:39:59.359
forward. Um, none of that is by luck. We did go through a relatively painful $7.62 million of budget reductions in fiscal 23 and fiscal 24. Finally, bringing us to the five-year forecast, we do project an unassigned fund balance at the end of next school

112
00:39:59.359 --> 00:40:16.240
year 11 of 11.05%. And under our current assumptions, we do believe that we'll be stable through fiscal year 2031. Although, you'll notice in the 5-year forecast table that I've put together that beginning in fiscal year 2030 and then in fiscal year 2031 and beyond, we do start to deficit

113
00:40:16.240 --> 00:40:32.400
spend quite significantly. All that means is that while there's no imminent need for budget reductions this school year or the next three school years, the current structure also does not allow for significant enhancements. So all of the um safety and security enhancements that we'd like to make. Some of our enhancements that are

114
00:40:32.400 --> 00:40:47.760
proposed at the high school and other programs are not possible within our current funding structures. Um this isn't just me saying it. can actually go into that 5-year forecast, interact with it, add numbers, and you can see how the fund balance then behaves when you begin to inflate salaries, benefits, and other

115
00:40:47.760 --> 00:41:03.839
items. With that, I'll take any questions you might have. >> Board members, what questions do you have for Director Woodard? And as was stated, this was seen at our work session last month, so the board has had a first opportunity to ask some

116
00:41:03.839 --> 00:41:19.680
questions. Director Alenberg. Um, Director Woodard, um, first of all, so everyone doesn't fawn over your report, I'll just do it for on behalf of the whole board and community, this is a phenomenal report. I can't even imagine

117
00:41:19.680 --> 00:41:35.119
the amount of time that went into it. So, thank you to your team for doing this. It answers questions I've had for years about our district. So, thank you very much. Um I was wondering if you could answer for um the community if you could explain

118
00:41:35.119 --> 00:41:51.680
the blue ribbon commission its importance to our and its importance to our um district financing. >> Absolutely. So over the last several years prior to 2024 um the special education cross subsidy

119
00:41:51.680 --> 00:42:09.040
aid was at 6.43% of the calculated cross subsidy. Um the 2023 legislative session boosted that tremendously to 44% and then 50% next school year as I mentioned. Uh one of the um kind of caveats to that was that the legislature said that for the 202829 bianium the

120
00:42:09.040 --> 00:42:25.200
state would have to come together and find $250 million in reductions um in the area of special education. And so for fiscal years 28 and 29, that would require again that 250 million plus an additional perhaps 50 million um taking the total to 300, which is what the

121
00:42:25.200 --> 00:42:42.319
governor has proposed. I'm not sure if that will be written into law or not. Um however, we are going to see a reduction to uh perhaps not direct special education aid, but ancillary components of the formula um such as ADS, which we um use to finance 11 or 10 and a half to 11 um intervention positions at our

122
00:42:42.319 --> 00:42:58.480
elementary schools. So the the pressure on financing is real and and that's why we like to carry a little bit more significant fund balance so that we can weather those storms. >> Thank you. That's that was a leadin to my point which is I think that um I

123
00:42:58.480 --> 00:43:14.640
appreciate the diligence of both our administration, you and the board in having a larger fund balance because of exactly that. Um the financial forecast is not wonderful in our state and

124
00:43:14.640 --> 00:43:29.920
particularly looking at things like cutting some of those special education funded positions that we rely on. And so I think that I hear some grumblings about how large our fund balance is. Um that is because we are not anticipating

125
00:43:29.920 --> 00:43:46.400
having the same funding over the next many years from our state. And it's important that we like everybody has a robust savings account for the future. So, um, thank you for clarifying that, especially around the special education and its implications for our district

126
00:43:46.400 --> 00:44:04.880
budget. >> Thank you, Director Alenberg, for asking those questions. Seeing no further questions, uh, thank you for your work on this. Well done. and we will see this uh come forward in June for approval

127
00:44:04.880 --> 00:44:23.640
from the board. Correct. So, thank you. >> All right. Next up on our agenda for discussion is our Spanish dual language middle school placement and our speaker this evening is Superintendent Dan Bitman as well as some guests.

128
00:44:23.760 --> 00:44:38.960
>> Yeah, go ahead. >> Okay. And I wanted to um this has been a topic that the board has been looking at for a while. And so I wanted to mention that tonight as we're receiving this recommendation, I know that many families in our Spanish dual language

129
00:44:38.960 --> 00:44:56.240
program have been waiting for and have feelings about this decision. And so I wanted to say before we start the conversation that the passion that this community has for this program as well as what we see for passion for our other programs in this community is something

130
00:44:56.240 --> 00:45:12.319
we should all be proud of. Uh it reflects how much our families have invested in their children's education and in each other. And our job as a board tonight is to ask hard questions, make sure we understand the administration's reasoning and process

131
00:45:12.319 --> 00:45:27.200
fully and ensure that whatever decision is made that every child in this program has what they need to thrive. And I want any SDL families that are listening to hear that that I want them to hear this clearly that as we start this

132
00:45:27.200 --> 00:45:44.160
conversation. So turn it over to you. >> Madam chair, members of the board, those in the community want to just thank you. I couldn't agree more. Uh there have been so many folks involved in this process and so you might remember that over the last several years there's been conversation about a future middle

133
00:45:44.160 --> 00:45:58.960
school program and maybe even what that might look like at the high school. Our task coming in as interim superintendent was really to identify the best option with what we have. And so what you'll see in front of you and what you were able to have conversation about at the

134
00:45:58.960 --> 00:46:14.800
recent work session was a really comprehensive matter of all of the different things that come into making that decision. So there were a lot of people obviously involved in that. And so in this comprehensive document that's available online, it talks a little bit

135
00:46:14.800 --> 00:46:29.599
about everything. It talks about the information from the inception of the program, the reasons why this program was put in place, how it has changed over time. It also talks about the current SDL program. Um, in the current

136
00:46:29.599 --> 00:46:44.800
program, there's um varying levels of dual language by grade level as each of you know and again this information is is in that report. There are total number of students 44 at the kindergarten level, 48 at first grade,

137
00:46:44.800 --> 00:47:02.160
44 at second grade, and 46 of third grade. So we still have those students that will progress to fourth grade, fifth grade, and then ultimately sixth grade. The reason for making this decision and recommendation sooner would be so that we have an opportunity to partner with our community, partner with

138
00:47:02.160 --> 00:47:18.800
our administrative teams, our families, the board, curriculum experts, etc. to make sure that we have a wellthoughtout plan from kindergarten all the way to 12th grade. In this particular uh report, it talks about the different model and how that model progresses

139
00:47:18.800 --> 00:47:33.119
throughout the elementary grades starting with an 8020 model at the kindergarten and first grade level where 80% of the curriculum is spent in Spanish and then 20% in English. that progresses to the fourth and fifth grade

140
00:47:33.119 --> 00:47:50.319
which ultimately is a 5050% split. Currently, we have a number of strengths within our program aligned to student achievement. We continue to see growth across all levels. We have a leadership infrastructure with bi-weekly coordination meetings with clear role of

141
00:47:50.319 --> 00:48:06.880
differentiation, a coaching model that's in place at point 6, strong family engagement as well as targeted professional development recognizing that that's a unique environment throughout this process or throughout this report. It also talks about some of the amazing

142
00:48:06.880 --> 00:48:21.920
achievement that we're seeing in each of the grade levels. And again, that's in both the language, the targeted language as well as mathematics. And you'll see some information in that report about that. One of the questions we really had to think about when looking at best

143
00:48:21.920 --> 00:48:37.280
practices across the country is really what a best model practice would be at the middle school. And that model would be similar to what we currently have in our French immersion program. And at the middle school, what that means, it would be typically be two core classes that

144
00:48:37.280 --> 00:48:52.160
those students would take in the targeted language. And we provide some information uh in this report. You'll also note that of the 182 students, about 50% are are students that would typically go

145
00:48:52.160 --> 00:49:08.240
to South View and 50% would typically go to Valley View. And so one of the things that we were thoughtful about is to really understand the population and the students that we were serving. You also have information about a number of folks that were involved in this evaluation

146
00:49:08.240 --> 00:49:24.720
and assessment. And we leaned on best practices not only for the model but also what we've learned from our French immersion program here in Edina public schools. When we look at each of those areas, whether it be transportation, whether it be budget, whether it be

147
00:49:24.720 --> 00:49:40.319
training, whether it be facilities, when we go down each of the components that we've identified, and there are many, there was not strong indication from any of those that led us to believe that it should be at one particular site versus the other. There are certain limitations

148
00:49:40.319 --> 00:49:57.200
as we've talked about as a board around space and around some of the things that uh if future decisions were made in terms of growing etc. Um there would be challenges more so than what there are right now but again difficult choices to make as we've talked about. Um but again

149
00:49:57.200 --> 00:50:12.160
none of those point to one school being ideal over the other. The one particular matter that changes in terms of the recommendation that you will see in here is really the student experience. Primarily starting with the teameing

150
00:50:12.160 --> 00:50:28.960
experience. If we were to present, excuse me, if we were to place this program at Valley View Middle School, it would be extremely difficult to maintain that teameming model which we've talked about and it would have a negative impact on the number of exploration or

151
00:50:28.960 --> 00:50:45.599
elective courses that others would have an opportunity to be. The reason for that is we have a number of students already going to Valley View that have the general experience. We then have a number of students that are in the French immersion program. So if we were to add another particular program, it

152
00:50:45.599 --> 00:51:00.559
then would create additional challenges. We would need to program it primarily like a junior high model or even like a high school model where students were taking a number of various classes and would share a lot of different teachers. So there would not be like one cohesive

153
00:51:00.559 --> 00:51:16.800
group of teachers that would provide an opportunity to team. In the document, it talks about the importance of teameing in regard to the research that we know is successful. And while we recognize there are also positive things about various

154
00:51:16.800 --> 00:51:32.960
structures, we know teaming is an incremental one from a research standpoint. Making that larger school seem smaller and having a small team of adults that can pay particular attention to how students are doing across that particular team and structure. In

155
00:51:32.960 --> 00:51:49.280
addition to that, there was a lot of feedback and experience conversation related to providing a level of experience in terms of the middle school experience being somewhat similar at both of our schools. If we were to place uh this particular program at Valley

156
00:51:49.280 --> 00:52:05.599
View already having a French immersion, we would then have one middle school with multiple language programs and we would have another school without any. And so we were very clear, we heard feedback very clear from teachers and staff and others in the community saying we do want some level of experience to

157
00:52:05.599 --> 00:52:21.119
be similar and great opportunities to be available at both of our particular sites. I did want to raise that there were families um that indicated that are currently part of the SDL uh program that have siblings that will go to

158
00:52:21.119 --> 00:52:38.079
Valley View. And so in this recommendation, we make the recommendation for that program to be placed at at the other particular schools we've talked about, but in this particular situation for those families, it would mean that one one student may potentially go to Valley View and one

159
00:52:38.079 --> 00:52:54.559
student or sibling may go to the other school. And so we want to be really thoughtful about how we place our different students, whether they be at South View or Valley View. When we looked at those numbers of families that are currently enrolled, there are 15 families that would be in that

160
00:52:54.559 --> 00:53:11.920
particular situation where they would have to make that make that decision. We would certainly work with those families uh to accommodate and do what we can to support them, but we wanted to honor that difficulty with those particular 15 families. We also wanted to call out the

161
00:53:11.920 --> 00:53:26.880
sentiment, the feelings from families who are currently in that program who really feel strongly about one countryside because that's been the heart and soul of what's happened with this program. And so those feelings are absolutely real. And so again, we want

162
00:53:26.880 --> 00:53:44.000
to thank folks for their feedback and again recognizing that regardless of the choice, we know that they both have some things that would be really really exciting and some other things that would create some challenges in that particular situation. Again, we talk about the teaming and the

163
00:53:44.000 --> 00:54:01.119
and the possible tracking. You also see with the electives and the steam programming, for example, at Valley View, that certain students do not have the same opportunities for certain classes because they're in the French immersion program. Those options would also be limited if we added an

164
00:54:01.119 --> 00:54:18.319
additional program. In fact, those would be enhanced or greater. In addition to that and in the report it talks about if we have students in a French immersion program in one school and we have students in a Spanish program in one school they're not taking other electives which means that then there

165
00:54:18.319 --> 00:54:34.480
would be a difficulty in keeping those same number of electives other languages for example which would then mean that those other electives would not be available to any of the students and that that would be a reduction in staffing. And so again, uh, some real

166
00:54:34.480 --> 00:54:50.480
thoughtful planning went into that. Really grateful for our both Valley View and South View administrators who are both in the audience who worked tirelessly to provide examples of schedules. There are links to those different schedules by grade. There's

167
00:54:50.480 --> 00:55:06.720
also a chart for each of those schedules at the back to talk about what those implications would be for a student at each of those grades, a general ed students and then also a student who would be in that particular language uh program. And so that you'll see that all of the things we talked about in the

168
00:55:06.720 --> 00:55:23.119
report would be real. As we continue to look forward in the report, you'll see that both schools would be capable of supporting. Both schools would have some challenges. we've talked uh about with space etc.

169
00:55:23.119 --> 00:55:38.319
and that future decisions would have to be made in terms of adding square footage, adding space to be able to do that. While we have some opportunities within our system to control some of those things such as we can always share classrooms, we can limit open

170
00:55:38.319 --> 00:55:53.760
enrollment. We can do some operational type things to change that but again not ideal. And so that recognition that space will need to continue to be part of that conversation is important. Uh with that said, we also know that both

171
00:55:53.760 --> 00:56:09.760
Valley View and South View provide amazing opportunities for our students. Amazing. And I would not hesitate if my students were if my own kids were younger, I would love them to experience life at both of those particular schools. But again, for the reasons that

172
00:56:09.760 --> 00:56:25.200
I've shared, for the reasons we've talked about at our work session, and for the various folks that we have involved throughout this process, my recommendation this evening would be to place SDL for sixth grade at South View Middle School. With that, I'd be happy

173
00:56:25.200 --> 00:56:43.920
to take any questions or feedback. board members had an opportunity to hear this report and hear from um administrators from both of our middle schools at our April work session and there was robust discussion at that time. Uh board members, based on what

174
00:56:43.920 --> 00:57:04.000
you have before you tonight, what additional questions do you have? >> Dr. Barry, >> um I just wanted to thank you Dr. Bitman and your team for putting together a very thoughtful and thorough report. Um,

175
00:57:04.000 --> 00:57:20.079
and we have two really strong middle schools here. Um, my hope is that by making this decision years before the transition happens that the team at the middle school is able to welcome and transition

176
00:57:20.079 --> 00:57:42.079
and make contact and have the kids feel so welcome and excited to go to South View. Um, is that the plan? >> That would be the plan. Thank you, >> Director Alenberg. Um, uh, I echo what

177
00:57:42.079 --> 00:57:58.160
Director Barry said. I appreciate all the time, um, that was taken on this. I appreciate our middle school, um, administrators and their teams that worked on this. I think we're building a great program and I agree that we can't have two language programs at one

178
00:57:58.160 --> 00:58:15.680
school, so it needs to go to South View. Um, I do want to express, um, and this actually has nothing to do with anyone sitting in this room. um because none of you were here at the conception of this program. So I just want to make it clear that you've done a great job

179
00:58:15.680 --> 00:58:31.280
leading this to get to here. You guys have done a great job. I think as a leadership team, we need to make sure that we have a more uniform approach to the elementary to middle school transition experience and that we

180
00:58:31.280 --> 00:58:48.000
communicate very clearly to families when you enter kindergarten in a choice program, this is what it means. And I think we'd owe that to families. And I think that that's something that should have been thought about in the conception of this program is where would this go to middle school before it

181
00:58:48.000 --> 00:59:04.240
landed anywhere. And that is something that I think that is um was a failure in the conception of this that it wasn't thought through um and there's not more thought put into that. Um again, that's

182
00:59:04.240 --> 00:59:20.240
not on any of you to be clear. But the impact to that is on the families that have their kiddos in the program. So, and that's not to say it won't be an outstanding experience. I just think that again sometimes you talk about unintended consequences. And I

183
00:59:20.240 --> 00:59:38.559
think um we now have a multiple or we have a program on one side going here and one side going here. So, I would love leadership at some point to think about what makes sense, what is most efficient. Um, and I know that needs to

184
00:59:38.559 --> 00:59:55.200
be separated from this specific process and decision. Um, but I think we owe it to our families to be able to do that at some point. I echo that and I would only um add that at the very least um the learning from that I take away from this experience is

185
00:59:55.200 --> 01:00:12.160
that if we aren't sure what the impact is going to be that on the proactive side we give some plausible here are some pathways this could possibly go so when people are making decisions about joining a choice program in United public schools they have as best information as they could possibly have

186
01:00:12.160 --> 01:00:26.799
in the moment they have it and that doesn't mean things can't change is just like we're talking about our facilities and what we need to do with building space and so on so forth. We're exploring that too. That could change dynamics based on what can and can't be done based off of that. Um there was no

187
01:00:26.799 --> 01:00:45.119
ill intent, but it's unfortunate that um as this was being uh thought through at the beginning that we maybe didn't articulate as best we could have about what the possible avenues were that could have grounded some of these families a little bit better than they are. Um and at the same time, anyone who

188
01:00:45.119 --> 01:01:00.240
um either loves this decision or is not fan not a fan of this decision, um it's again just another opportunity to reinforce what Director Barry has said both at the work session and again tonight that our goal in Udina public schools is to make sure this is the most successful SDL program it could possibly

189
01:01:00.240 --> 01:01:16.000
be. And I certainly know that the team at Southview is looking forward to that opportunity. will do everything they can just like they do for all the other middle schoolers who come and join Southview every year from the diff the different schools that they come from uh to be able to make that happen. Southview is an amazing uh environment

190
01:01:16.000 --> 01:01:31.839
just as Valley View is. Um and uh we have confidence that we'll do that and we want continued engagement that as we bring SDL to the middle school um what's going well, where can we innovate, where can we improve, where can we change, where do we recognize maybe we went left when we could have gone right. That's

191
01:01:31.839 --> 01:01:46.400
going to happen. um you should expect that and that we're all the professionals are dedicated to making the best experience possible and I have no doubt um that that will be the case. Thank you. >> Dr. Bitman, thank you for this report.

192
01:01:46.400 --> 01:02:03.920
Um question that I have for you as we prepare for this first cohort to move to the middle school. Are there opportunities or can we work together to have opportunities for the board to get updates on some of that onboarding and preparation?

193
01:02:03.920 --> 01:02:20.520
>> Absolutely. And we'll make sure that as part of the planning that we're also incorporating feedback and involvement with our parents who are involved in that as well, but we will absolutely continue to bring uh that to the board and look forward to working collaboratively.

194
01:02:20.720 --> 01:02:36.079
>> Then you're going to have to excuse me. So, I will not be here at next month's meeting when we vote on this. And I've been thinking about this quite extensively. And so, I wanted to just take a moment and say a couple thoughts that I had about this decision. Um, to

195
01:02:36.079 --> 01:02:52.000
those families that are possibly watching tonight. So, what I want families to hear from the board tonight is that the district's commitment is to your children and to the Spanish dual language program. It's not to a specific building. It's not to Countryside. It's

196
01:02:52.000 --> 01:03:07.839
not to Valley View. It's not to South View. Um, and the work that your children have done and the growth that they've shown, their bilingual skills that they're building, none of that belongs to the building they belong into. It belongs to them and it will go

197
01:03:07.839 --> 01:03:24.160
with them wherever they end up going to middle school. And so, as we've seen in this report, um, there's a lot of data to to feed into this recommendation. And those are not small things. Um, but those are structures that research tells

198
01:03:24.160 --> 01:03:39.839
us helps kids thrive in middle school and especially during a major transition like middle school. And so the recommendation I know came from administration was made with their your children's full experience in mind and

199
01:03:39.839 --> 01:03:55.520
not just one part of their development. So, the board makes the commitment that we will work with administration to ensure that communication comes early and concretely and that any questions you have are answered. And I'm confident that you can expect as your children

200
01:03:55.520 --> 01:04:12.000
approach middle school that you will be informed about what the transition to South View will look like, what your children's schedules will look like, how the program will be supported, and how your children will be embraced alongside the other incoming sixth graders who are looking to make and will make new

201
01:04:12.000 --> 01:04:29.440
friends. And we are fortunate here in Edina, as has been said, that we have two outstanding middle schools. And I am confident that your children will thrive at Southview. So, thank you for letting me take some time and make those remarks. All right. Well, then we're moving on to

202
01:04:29.440 --> 01:04:47.039
the policy part of the meeting and I turn it over to policy chair director Alenberg to take us through some policies. >> Um, we have three, well, we have four policies that we reviewed at last month's committee. Um, Assistant Superintendent Swenson, I believe, is

203
01:04:47.039 --> 01:05:04.160
going to help with the policy review. Um these are all um policies that get reviewed annually. Um so policy 13 date 113 data request only had one word that was updated. Um

204
01:05:04.160 --> 01:05:19.039
>> I'm sorry. Did you say it's required to be done? >> We as a some are required and then these we review annually. So 113 >> that's what I thought because I remember it coming up in the last few years. I >> Yes. Yeah. So in policy 113 only one

205
01:05:19.039 --> 01:05:41.440
word was changed. um for semantic purposes. >> So, does anyone have a question or comment about that? >> I do. Um I was just a question on the appendix um for what we can and cannot charge for.

206
01:05:41.440 --> 01:05:56.319
>> Yeah, >> I was surprised to see that we can't charge for administrative time to redact information. I would think that's one of the most time consuming pieces. >> Timeconsuming and expensive depending on who's doing the redaction. >> So is that our choice or is that by law

207
01:05:56.319 --> 01:06:11.280
that we cannot charge for that? >> That's stated that's just by law. That's just the way the guidelines have been given. Most of what we can charge for is like copies, which we really don't do very often. >> Right. the few instances where we

208
01:06:11.280 --> 01:06:27.599
require someone or to come in to view data is the only time that we'd really be in a situation with copies. There are some circumstances in which we could charge for staff time, but to more directly answer your question. Yes, that's a little that's a that's a tough

209
01:06:27.599 --> 01:06:44.920
one to swallow. >> Okay. All right. Thanks. I just wanted to make sure that that was a state that that wasn't our doing. >> Oh, no. Okay. No, that wasn't our choice. >> Thank you. Another way to say that it's just a cost of doing business. >> Yeah, it's true. Yeah.

210
01:06:45.440 --> 01:07:02.319
>> Thank you. Um policy 5006, student conduct and discipline. Um there were very few changes to the policy itself. There are some updates to the um appendix where the actual um infractions are listed. Um, and I just want to make

211
01:07:02.319 --> 01:07:17.280
sure that people understand that there was some um, we basically there aren't changes to the discipline itself, but there was some disconnect between um, the summary that

212
01:07:17.280 --> 01:07:33.440
we have for how consequences should be enacted for students. And it says in the like fivepage introduction that um these are guidelines and that our site level administrators um ultimately do have

213
01:07:33.440 --> 01:07:49.920
discretion within these guidelines. And then when parents would look at the guidelines, they would assume that is the specific um thing that has to be the discipline and that there wasn't any discretion. And so the there's no change

214
01:07:49.920 --> 01:08:08.000
in um in the discipline itself. We just added the words up to so there's better understanding as to um how the discipline policy actually works in function. Um but I will also turn it over to Assistant Superintendent Swinson

215
01:08:08.000 --> 01:08:24.080
for any added um any added content that I missed. I just want to add that I appreciate the dialogue that we had at policy committee as we work through um this this change and just trying to pair

216
01:08:24.080 --> 01:08:39.120
the language that's in the beginning of the appendix with how uh discipline is meded out in the grid. They're now in alignment with one another. And as uh director Allenburgg uh said, there isn't

217
01:08:39.120 --> 01:08:56.159
a change to the actual policy. >> And I apologize, I failed to mention we did remove suspensions from preK to grade three um in alignment with Minnesota state law. So you will people will see that

218
01:08:56.159 --> 01:09:10.640
that is that's removed from every single but that's Minnesota state law. There were two instances in the grid and I think maybe they just they got left in there by accident um that where there was a consequence that we actually

219
01:09:10.640 --> 01:09:27.839
couldn't met out. Um so >> um I believe that there was something at the legislature this year about that component and I while I'm on the legislative action committee I haven't heard anything that's actually where it's gone forward past committee hearings or whatever it is. Do you have

220
01:09:27.839 --> 01:09:44.960
any other information that you've been tracking that says something might still change with that or those eliminations have are more likely to stick? I >> I believe with this session and Dr. Bitman, you can add add in to I believe with this session I I don't believe anything is going to change. Um I do

221
01:09:44.960 --> 01:10:01.600
know that it continues to be somewhat of a pain point depending upon who you who you talk to. but was a one-sizefits-all approach in the law >> and that's what's caused some heartburn since it's been indicated or implemented from that standpoint. Um, and I'm not

222
01:10:01.600 --> 01:10:18.320
saying it's good, bad, or otherwise, but it's just from the legislative action committee, we saw a bunch of of dialogue going back and forth. That's why it's so interesting when I see this >> to your point being done. >> Correct. And so so the impact of that is to ensure our policy aligns with

223
01:10:18.320 --> 01:10:36.880
Minnesota state law. If there do happen to be any changes, then we will update accordingly. >> Yep. >> Any questions on this policy? Um the next one is actually a recommendation to resend policy 810 and make sure that um

224
01:10:36.880 --> 01:10:52.800
any content from 810 that needs to be um that we need to is included in policy 806. And the rationale behind this is um we do believe at one point in time that there was the need to have um specific

225
01:10:52.800 --> 01:11:10.400
security information around the site. Um and then 806 um talks about um emergency management procedures. Given how integrated those are these days, um it it's confusing to have them in two

226
01:11:10.400 --> 01:11:27.199
separate policies and some of the information was in both of them. So, we're recommending that we have one general safety and security policy that covers both the site level security and what our procedures and processes are.

227
01:11:27.199 --> 01:11:42.320
>> Very well put. >> Very well put. >> Nothing is actually missing at all. We're just putting it in one cohesive policy that we think is a lot more clear. A couple of minor changes to add to what um director Alenberg talked

228
01:11:42.320 --> 01:11:59.120
about is um we use the language emergency operation plans now and we defined that term and we also included emergency management and school safety officer and defined that in the policy too just to reflect the new position

229
01:11:59.120 --> 01:12:17.360
that we have. Director Gayler, Chair Gayler, I >> I had a thank you for the work on this and for looking at them holistically and saying there's some some overlap and we can combine them under section five

230
01:12:17.360 --> 01:12:36.800
district-wide security protocols. Uh A3, it says doors leading to nonK12 sections. Should that say E12, especially because it's our community center? >> I can make a note of that. >> Okay. I I didn't know, but I just I was

231
01:12:36.800 --> 01:12:54.800
like, "Oh, wait. We got our preschools downstairs." So, okay. >> Did you write that down? >> Yep. I sure did. Yeah, >> cuz I sure didn't. >> Thank you for that. >> Anything else?

232
01:12:54.800 --> 01:13:09.920
Thank you. Thank you for your work on these. >> Thank you very much. >> All right, moving on to the action portion of this evening. Do I have a motion to approve the intermediate school district 287 long-term facilities maintenance expenditure budget for

233
01:13:09.920 --> 01:13:25.920
fiscal year 2028? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> I welcome Director Woodard, dire uh Mert Woodard, director of finance and operations to discuss this with us. Welcome. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um intermediate

234
01:13:25.920 --> 01:13:41.840
school districts and special education co-ops in the state of Minnesota do not have direct taxing authority. Um however they do operate a number of different facilities that require u maintenance to be um in a good state of repair for students and staff. Um as a result the state legislature does allow its member

235
01:13:41.840 --> 01:13:58.800
districts to levy on behalf of the intermediate um if the member district's boards um do agree. Intermediate 287 uh their board of which um director Burman is a member did pass a resolution to once again levy for long-term facilities maintenance revenue for fiscal year 28.

236
01:13:58.800 --> 01:14:16.800
Um, and at this point, all of the member districts need to pass similar resolutions so that they can get that onto the levy this fall. Um, the ask for 2028 among all member districts is 1,652,875,000, of which Edina's proportionate share is $144,614,

237
01:14:16.800 --> 01:14:33.360
which is a very modest increase of $876 over fiscal year 2027. I think um 287 does a really good job of working with the area finance directors to make sure that the levy ask is as flat as possible while still meeting their needs. And so we recommend that you um enact that

238
01:14:33.360 --> 01:14:49.760
resolution and so that we can get that information over to 287. >> Any questions board members? >> More of a comment. Um, as representative uh for Edina on 287's board, I do want to at least comment that 287 does an

239
01:14:49.760 --> 01:15:05.199
incredible job of trying to minimize as much as as possible. Sometimes stretching things longer than it should. And so I just want to make this board aware even though this request is here and I would certainly advocate us to approve it. Um there was discussion at

240
01:15:05.199 --> 01:15:21.840
the 287 board amongst all member districts that we wanted to push a little bit with doc with uh superintendent dow and her finance people to make sure that they're looking at especially over the next three to five years. There are some things that definitely need to be addressed just like we're trying to address some things here in our own district that 287 is

241
01:15:21.840 --> 01:15:36.960
also going to need to be looking at. And so I would just encourage both our finance and Dr. Pitman to to look into those things and and be proactive as far as making sure that there's so we we look at how we can support that. Um, but I just want to make sure our board understands that just like any other

242
01:15:36.960 --> 01:15:53.440
district, they are struggling to to take care of all of their long-term facilities needs. And if you think about it, their needs, especially at their facilities, are more robust given the the students and the and the wear and tear that takes place in those facilities is significant. So, I just

243
01:15:53.440 --> 01:16:08.880
wanted to share that with everyone. Thank you. >> Right. We will now vote. All those in favor of the recommended intermediate school district 287 long-term facilities maintenance expenditure budget for fiscal year 2028 say I.

244
01:16:08.880 --> 01:16:25.120
>> Any opposed? The board has approved the long-term facilities maintenance expenditure budget for fiscal year 2028 for school district 287. Thank you. All right, I will kick it back over to Director Allenberg to take us through

245
01:16:25.120 --> 01:16:40.320
some policies for action this evening. Do you want to do the motion? >> Oh, yes I do. Do I have a motion to approve policies 515, 708, 8, and 812? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second.

246
01:16:40.320 --> 01:16:58.960
>> Um policy 515 um 708 and 812 um have very minor updates to them. So we were suggesting that they come through quick review. Um, and so I can answer any questions about them if anyone has any questions.

247
01:16:58.960 --> 01:17:15.920
Um, but they um have very few changes to them. >> I didn't look specifically at their timelines, but are these ones that are kind of looked at every couple of years? >> Yes. >> Great. Thanks. We try to update and

248
01:17:15.920 --> 01:17:32.719
approve or we've changed it this year actually to make sure we look at the annual policies now so any changes are done in time for our handy dandy new fancy student handbooks. >> Dr. Alenberg, I just had a curiosity

249
01:17:32.719 --> 01:17:47.920
question. Um on 708 expense reimbursement I see we added under um exceptions to the normal procurement process includes travel convention and conference fees. Is that based on MSBA or was that um a

250
01:17:47.920 --> 01:18:10.800
recommendation? Can you speak to that a little? >> I cannot but I would be happy to turn it over to um assistant superintendent Nate Swinson or business director Mer Woodard. Did you hear my question? >> I mean, but I would rather have an

251
01:18:10.800 --> 01:18:32.320
expert speak to that. >> Madam Chair, I believe you're referring to the um section 3 paragraph B >> right right above B number four >> travel convention and conference fees. I believe that language is simply missing in the prior version. And so to provide

252
01:18:32.320 --> 01:18:48.880
more clarity um for paragraph B except under special circumstances, there are times where an employee will use a personal credit card um to make an emergency purchase for the school district and at that time they do pay sales tax because they don't have a tax exemption form with them. I think it would be a penalty to the employee to

253
01:18:48.880 --> 01:19:05.040
not reimburse the tax. So situations like that we would need some sort of fallback um in order to to not harm them. >> Okay. I figured that. I was just curious about the travel convention and so that's in MSBA model policy and we just didn't have it. >> I'm not sure it might be. It very well might be but that's not where I got it

254
01:19:05.040 --> 01:19:20.159
from. >> So it's just a recommendation. >> That's an administrative recommendation. >> Perfect. That's all I needed to know. I read these things and I learn a lot about our district. That's why I'm asking. So thank you. >> While I'm up here, I will mention that um the main I guess um proposal is to

255
01:19:20.159 --> 01:19:39.920
increase the PDM rate. It's at about $60 per day now. Um uh the United States General Services Administration recommends $86 per day for a conference in Duth. So we're we're we're well behind inflation in that regard. And the last one was policy 812 and we

256
01:19:39.920 --> 01:19:57.679
um the program is health and environmental safety which is what it is actually supposed to be. >> Great. Thank you to the policy committee. These are always um laborious but such important jobs. So, thank you.

257
01:19:57.679 --> 01:20:12.159
All right. We will vote to approve policies 515, 708, and 812. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Anyone opposed? Policies 515, 708, and 812 are approved. Board members, uh do

258
01:20:12.159 --> 01:20:29.760
you have any leadership or committee updates? All right, then I will turn it over to you, Dr. Bitman. >> Madam Chair, members of the board, just an exciting time for our families, for our community, and for our staff. So many culminating activities here at the

259
01:20:29.760 --> 01:20:44.480
end of the year. So much to celebrate in terms of whether it be fine arts, whether it be drama, whether it be athletics, and or whether it be academics. So just grateful for our entire staff, our cabinet who's sitting here tonight and the work that's happening behind the scenes to make sure

260
01:20:44.480 --> 01:21:01.360
that kids and families are successful. >> Great. Thank you. Do I have a motion to adjourn tonight's meeting? So >> move second. >> We will vote to adjourn the meeting. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Anyone opposed? The motion is passed and

261
01:21:01.360 --> 01:21:08.600
the May 11th, 2026 board meeting is adjourned. Thank you.