To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you. I'll start off by reading the roll call. Miss Anna,
>> Miss Jones, >> here. >> Uh Mr. Carup, I'm here. Miss Shriner >> here, >> Miss Stark >> here, >> and Miss Yang >> here. >> Next up on our agenda, we would have uh our approval for agenda for our agenda for tonight's meeting. Do I have a motion? >> So move. >> Motion made by Shriner. Do I have a
second? >> Second. >> Second by Anna. All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> All those opposed. >> Motion passes. Next on our agenda, we have our report from Dr. Lewis. Dr. Lewis, the chair is yours. >> Thank you so much, chair. I'm going to
uh reorder this and the first item that we are going to talk about and I'm going to ask him to pause for just a moment is Matthew Hammer, our um financial adviser will be coming up and sharing with us an
update about um borrowing. And I wanted to he will share information. I wanted to start a little broadly here. Um, Fidley Public Schools continues to experience significant cash flow challenges despite ongoing efforts to strengthen the district's financial position. [snorts] These challenges are
primarily the result of timing differences between when the district incurs expenditures and when state and re federal revenues are received. significant factors including the timing of special education aid payments and true-up adjustments, transportation reimbursements through Northwest
Suburban integration school district busing, reimbursements for homeless foster care and special ed transportation, as well as increasing transportation costs resulting from annual contractual rate increases, additional transportation routes and fuel escalator sir charges. I want to
draw your attention to an example that will be used later in the agenda during the fiscal update. One of the areas that Fidley is experiencing significant expenditure differences is in the area of transportation.
If we look back across um transportation in fiscal year um 24 we had a grand total of $4 million 4.1 million of which approximately 2.9 million of that was reimbursed. again um reimbursements come
prior this year would have included 100% reimbursement on special education and um 100% reimbursement on homeless as well as in theory 100% reimbursement on
um the DIG dollars that flow as a result of the northwest suburban um busing. However, as I shared with you in the video update, the district carries those costs for quite some time and the DIG reimbursement costs we carry for quite
quite some time by the time we get that full payment. As we move to fiscal year 25, our transportation costs went from 4.1 million to 8.16. 6.3% approximately or 6.3 million
approximately was re is reimbursed. this year's cost and we don't have every single invoice in yet. We are currently at 18,949,51518 of which $14,749,73360 is reimbursed. Again, we have to carry
that. So when you look at those transportation changes, one might say we need to reduce transportation. So, as we look at that, our integration um interd district digg magnet transportation
$6.4 million. Last year, that was $2.4. So, if we opted out of Northwest Suburban Integration District, we would not have the enrollment that we have in
Fidley Public Schools. Again, this is reimbured. However, we carry these costs for quite some time. So, we do what I call real-time payments of that and then we have to wait and wait and wait as that is brought forward to paying in full.
When we look at special education transportation, 5,252,85.7574. This is not all in yet from the school year. Again, these are non-negotiable expenses that we have to provide under state and federal law.
Prior to um the legislation uh the governor's legislation um two years ago, we would have received that 100% reimbursement. I'm going to read the amounts again because one might say 5%. Not a big deal. 5,252,85.74
reimbursement amount 4,989,48145 cents. Homeless youth and transition. This is the right thing to do and as and it's also governed by federal and state law.
Fiscal year 24553,71856. Last year 1,592,134.73. This year again, not everything has been realized through with all the invoices. 3,316,191.17. an average of 300,000 a month we're
paying for homeless transportation. Again, this is 100% reimbured, but we have to carry these costs. So, when we look at our budget and we look at $20 million in transportation costs, just
wanted to run the analysis for you on that. Like I said, almost $19 million. [snorts] will realize over time 14,750,000 reimbursement but that takes us some time so we prepay right but when you
look at the transportation costs we also pay for increased costs in the percent of our contracts we also pay in fuel escalator costs so these are pieces where it's really not our in district routes or open
enrollment routing that's causing this. So again from two years ago we have seen probably what will be what is currently now 14 million over
and will be much more I think than that. So, this just illustrates, and I don't want to call it flexibility, the true reality that we're facing in Fidley public schools when it comes to transportation. And our district also is
one that's very unique. As I was racking my brain with our team here, I could really come up with Brooklyn Center and us that would be similar because Brooklyn Center is also part of Northwest Suburban and I anticipate Brooklyn Center with a population that
they are as well honored to serve would see very similar transportation um costing around homeless. And this is what's different than when you look at a district with a different free and reduced price launch rate. So these are
these pieces. And when we hear legislation calling for $250 million reduction in special education revenue, I also would like to remind the board that the law behind that is not going
away, nor should it go away. This is reminiscent to two years ago when um the presidential administration withheld our title 3 funds around English language learners. The law did not change about what we are required to service but the
revenues did not come in at that time. They were frozen and then they were unfrozen if we recall. So I just wanted to start with just the discussion around our transportation to really illustrate that
that is a significant part of our financial um concerns here of which unfortunately we don't have a lot of control over the pieces. And then again from a core value standpoint we absolutely need to be
doing this transportation and more directly from a legal standpoint we must. So those are pieces um as we look as well um here regarding our um borrowing here. I'm just going to go
back. Um, as we look at also our community education operations have also contributed to the district's overall cash flow challenges and continue to place pressure on our district's cash position. In addition, the district continues to work, which has been a very
public discussion on historical coding issues and reporting issues to ensure all eligible expenses are actually captured and that the district receives every dollar of revenue. We'll talk about that when we talk in the finance update about our work around CEDRA, which is the reporting system for
special education um for districts report to MDE for MDE then to use that to um give us our revenue payments. Um the district has an approximately 1.5 million debt service payment due in late September 2026. Based on current cash
flow projections, the district does not anticipate having sufficient cash on hand to comfortably meet both its ongoing operation obligations and the scheduled debt service payment. When I pulled the numbers today and as you look into our cash flow, as you would
anticipate, that fluctuates um we're looking to be little north of 3 million that we would be short. Again, that does not factor in the changes in payroll that we will have as we come into the start of the school year. Um, all of those sorts of things.
It also doesn't factor in things like special ed true-up, pieces like that. Um, the administration is recommending that the school board authorize the district to borrow 23 million through the issuance of aid anticipation certifications. The borrowed funds will provide the working capital necessary to
meet the district's operating expenses and debt service obligations until anticipated state aid revenues are received. This is not a pleasant position for our district to be in. Unfortunately, it's a position that a rising number of
districts are finding themselves in that they are unable to work through payroll and other debt service needs that they need without these um certifications. And in a different conversation, we're going to
talk about the need for us to continue telling the story to elected officials around how these situations happen and how when we hear things like you need to do more with less.
When you look at a $20 million transportation expense that we have to carry, when I look at that, I look at us coming together as a Northwest suburban group and finding elected officials that will support and write legislation that
we get reimbursed real time from that. I plan to lead that work and invite my colleagues to join in on that. That would really help us so that we're not carrying those expenses. I'm not going to approach that with the special ed because that's a far different animal.
Um but I'm certainly going to try to really get um work on that and that wouldn't come with any fiscal note. So that's a piece maybe I'm pie in the sky on that but I'm certainly willing and want to elevate that as I had shared
with each of you last week. So with that Matthew much longer intro than I usually give for you so thanks for being here. Good to see you. >> Yes for sure. Good evening everybody. Matthew Hammer from Ellers. We're the district's financial advisor and we're just here to give an update on kind of
where we stand right now as the district continues with some liquidity challenge that um we really started taking care of last January through the issuance of the 11.5 million in a anticipation certificates and we continue to have
those liquidity challenges as we move forward here. Um that payment comes due at the end of September as Dr. Lewis stated. Um the payment is uh due at $1.8 million. And right now um the authorization that we'll be talking
about uh that'll happen as part of later in this meeting really is positioning us to get borrowing in place ahead of that payment and then have working capital for the district to be able to manage cash flow and maintain operations as we go through the school year in fiscal 27.
Um, from the perspective of where we sit today, um, really what we're looking at doing is covering short-term cash flow shortages here. And what an aid anticipation certificate is is we're securing
that borrowing with future state aids. So, the timing at the beginning of the fiscal year is pretty important because as we're looking at the amount of state aids the district has throughout the remainder of the year, um this is the amount or this is the time where those
numbers are the higher as high as they're going to be um as we progress here as we move forward. Um, this obviously is part of your SOD plan, but it's not taking care of anything from a standpoint of where your structural imbalance from a budget perspective is.
Um, these have to be repaid and they're not money you get to keep for your operating budget. So, it's just a short-term mechanism to borrow cash um until um your state a future state aids come in or budget adjustments get made in the future.
So, as we look to what we what we're talking about from an app operating cash flow perspective, you have many funds as part of your budget. Um, when we talk operating cash, I'm getting a little feedback here. Operating cash, we're talking about your
general fund, your food service fund or nutritional service fund, and your community service fund. So as those borrowing limitations are defined, we you need to exclude your debt service funds that are required to make and were secured to make um those general
obligation bond payments that um you issued over the number of years. Um you have an internal service fund that is funding self- insurance. Um and those funds have to be set aside and can't be included in in the operating cash um
calculations as we move forward. Um, as as we've stated, uh, maintaining and operating cash flow is super important, not just in times of cash flow pressure, um, but it's it's a requirement to make sure that you have that information as a
school board to make sure that you're maintaining on ongoing liquidity um, information um, as part of uh, the p the big picture. And this will be super important as we continue forward um that the board has a good sense after even
after we get the borrowing in place that um the liquidity is managed and your cash forecasts are maintained um to ensure you you have the sufficient cash flows to meet your ongoing operations. This I'm just going to give you a little
bit of the timeline of where things have been at and this plays into the marketing of the aid anticipation uh certificates which are going to be a security issued out to the market and um this is an important consideration as we
start thinking about um how we're going to go about the process, the amount of time we're going to need to market the securities and making sure that we have uh uh the right um folks in play to be able to hopefully get a successful
issuance and being able to close at the beginning September when you're going to need the funds. Um your guys's uh audit still remains open uh through June 30th atuh 25. uh that required a market disclosure
that went out at the end of uh at the end of June um for a failure to file. When you issued your original bonds, there were certain um market requirements to be able to provide ongoing information to the markets. Um that hasn't happened. So that market
disclosure went out. Moody's uh subsequently um is your rating agency and they uh took rating action on the district on July 2nd. Um they've downgraded the district's rating from B3
or BA or BA3 to B1. Um now which is non-investment grade from a market perspective. Um so as we are looking at uh uh accessing the market to get the necessary funds in the tune of 23 million to create a working capital
account for the district to maintain operating budgets as we move forward. Um, DAD Davidson is the underwriting firm who we used last time that has familiarity with the district uh as part of the 26A issue and they have indicated
um interest in working with the district and the district's going to be engaging them um as part of this process as we move forward. Uh right now you're going to be uh authorizing that issuance as part of the meeting tonight. We're we're
uh planning to award the sale of those certificates um in mid August at this point in time. Our target date is um August 18th. Um we have quite a bit of work to do to get to that point. Um and
uh right now we'll start that work after the board authorizes this um already as soon as next week to have due diligence with the district, engage with the a Davidson on the marketing plan and then actually uh get the documents prepared
so that we can go to market and have a a window of at least two weeks to be able to market those certificates out to the markets to hopefully find purchasers that will be purchasing the certificates so that we and have the cash that we need in in September. Um, you do have
some commitments. Uh, you have on on July 27th, your payment is going to be due for uh your existing debt service obligations. That's the interest payments that are due. Um right now based on the in um anticipated cash
flow, the district's anticipating being able to make those payments and have sufficient cash flows through the beginning of September based on the the operating cash flow um that we're working off of at this point in time. Um
as uh after we close on September 3rd, then those dollars will then a big portion of them will go to allocate to make the payment that's going to come due on the 26A bond. So that or 286A certificates that's uh a little bit
north of 11.8 million that'll come due. And then as you can see we've just uh forecasted out the district will continue to monitor cash flow um your next big obligation from your debt service payments will be the debt service payments on the bonds that um with the principal payments that will be
a little bit north of 5.2 million due in at the end of January. So as we look at the action items, there is some limitations that we're uh identifying as we go forward. I think this becomes an important consideration as we move into the future. Um we have
sufficient um we're working within those limitations right now and we have sufficient capacity. The authorized amount is going to be 23 million. We'll tell you a little bit how we came up with that number um in the subsequent slides. But when districts look to cash
flow borrow, you h you're limited to 75% of your future anticipated state aids. So haven't that haven't been received. Um so this time of year, right, this is why we're we um districts typically are borrowing at the beginning of a fiscal
year, you have um your last year's uh state aids just in your general fund were about $48 million. um as we look to next year, you're going to be at that amount or probably a little bit north of that and this is the time that you can borrow um and have that capacity. There's another
limitation as you look into your forecast. So, this is where the cash flow forecast come into play. Your other limitation is your largest forecasted deficit over the next uh 12 months or the time that the the certificates are outstanding times 5%. So, those are the
two things that we're working with. Um, we are working with estimates obviously at this point in time because your financials still remain open. So, we're we're working with the best information that we have. When we look at that cash flow, this is what the forecast looks
like without borrowing. Um, so this is information that we've worked with the district to obtain in your operating accounts. Uh this doesn't include debt service funds and your internal service funds that the district also has that are part of your cash position because
they can't be included in the operating cash projection. Uh so as you looked on the far right hand side that gives you an idea of what the deficit cash position is being forecasted right now through the end of fiscal year 27 and then into September of next year. The
next slide gives us uh a look at as we bring in the borrowing which is we're assuming we're going to be at about a little bit north of 22.9 million after the certificates are issued with the cost of issuance. Um we are able to create an operating or working capital
um reserve so that district operations can be maintained through fiscal year 27. And then right now in that forecast, the district will have to be looking um at other adjustments to your budget or other um operational adjustments um
because there'll be another forecasted borrowing without any changes that happen right now when we get to next September. So, here are some of the considerations we're working under. The first one is super important. Um, as part of the resolution, you're going to be accessing
what we call the credit enhancement program. And that's a a state program that is offered to school districts that allows school districts to access the state's rating, but also allows us you to access the repayment if the district
for some reason can't make their payments uh of the of the securities and gives an extra in in essence insurance to the um bond holders or the people that would be interested in investing in the district's bonds or certificates.
Um, we're working with DA Davidson again like we talked about um on this transaction. They're named in the resolution. You do have a BA B1 rating which is below investment grade. So, there is going to be some challenges to the market and there's going to be some costs associated with that and accessing
the market. Um, we're looking at due diligence. Um, we'll have a conference with the rating agency just on a credit and enhance rating. We're going to carry, we're not going to do a full underlying rating as part of this issuance, but we are going to be requesting Moody's to provide us what we call a credit enhance rating, which is
in essence the state rating, and it'll document that um representation that the state is providing that insurance to the district. And then um as we've said, we're going to be marketing these securities and we're going to pre wanting to provide us some extra time
with our credit profile to make sure that we have sufficient time to be able to market it out. NDA Davidson has the amount of time to market out to the market to find a purchaser for the district um on the financing.
So here's the timeline. Uh starts tonight with the authorization. uh we'll be conducting uh due diligence the week of the 21st of uh or 27th of July. The goal will be to have a a draft
preliminary official statement to present to the markets. We'll have to it'll um we could have a rate conference rating call with movies as part of this process that would happen that week of July 27th. The distribution of the official statement is similar to a
prospectus, right? That's going to be the public document that'll be taken out to the markets. Um our target date is to have that available by August 4th and then um we're looking to um award the
certificates on August 18th. So, the resolution that is put in front of you tonight is going to designate designated officials to be able to award the certificates um based on um the uh
anticipation and um I'm blanking. I'm trying to get the word right now, but the uh the satisfactory of the results that we get as part of the sale process. Um that is uh Dr. Lewis, superintendent,
um, or senior officer Lorie Anner, and one board member will be authorized to sign off on the certificates. Our anticipation, our anticipated timeline is August 18th. Um, but we do want the flexibility, which is why we have the resolution drafted in the way we do to
be able to move that timeline around depending on what we um find or or even if we could accelerate that timeline depending on marketability when we get into August. Um, so the resolution is authorizing one board member and
designated officials to be able to sign off on that. Then we'll be looking at about a week, a week and a half to closing. And under this timeline, we'd be looking at closing on September 3rd, which if you go back to that initial cash flow document, is when your
anticipated cash flow pressure isn't assumed that you'll um have some liquidity challenges to maintain operating cash um in September. So, um, action tonight, uh, that'll, that's the resolution. Your, uh, bond
council, Peter Martin, drafted that document. That'll be the action. There's also a pre-sale document that is a much more detailed document that outlines some of the assumptions going into the sale. That's available also as part of the overall documentation. Um, but
that's, uh, the information that we wanted to share tonight. Um, and we'll be working over the next number of months to make sure that we can um, hopefully get a successful sale and get the the cash flow borrowing in place for the district at the beginning of
September. So, I can answer any questions folks have at this time. Matthew, you already said this, so I'm going to propose it again because this came up the last time. Is this new money to the district?
>> This is not new money to the district. This is >> money that's there to meet cash flow needs, but it does not result in new operating dollars for the district. >> Thank you. And I know you stated that.
>> I do have one question, uh, Dr. Lewis, just regarding the the waiting period for our reimburseables. like is there a hard fast time that we can expect to have reimbursement for those expenses or is it kind of like a moving target? Does it
come in increments? What does that look like? >> So my first year was the 2324 school year and um on June 20th we received our final payment of the DIG dollar reimbursement for the 2324 school year. >> So we're like three four years out for
some payments. >> Is that good? the special ed payments and um uh the homeless transportation payments catch up with us next year. >> All right. >> Um so think of carrying some of our
payments from um because we also have to prepay on the Northwest Suburban for September. So think of carrying that now the Northwest Suburban DIG dollars. I call it Northwest Suburban. I want to
very much clarify the money does not come from Northwest Suburban. It is part of the desegregation dollars that come because Fidley Public Schools is a member of Northwest Suburban Integration School District of which the transportation is funded through the desegregation dollars.
So the last reimbursement, the final reimbursement that I talked about there, that would have been um starting in the September of 2023. If you look at special education and homeless um that
transportation expenditures, first of all, it's all complete. And secondly, that would have been starting in September that we're paying our vendors. And um that carries through to getting that money caught up
with us through a series of payments um throughout the first really quarter of next year. >> Okay. And again, I just want to re-elevate chair to your point here. When you look at the amount the district
carries, it's it's always been a signific significant amount. And I I'm going to stop by saying for a district of our size because if you look at AIO, they are a much bigger district, their costs are going to be bigger, right? So
I would say that proportionately we carry our portion. But if you look at those transportation costs on the portions when you look at reimbursement when you look back on those expenditures
you see and again I'm just going to I'm trying to pull up that document. One second here. I'm just going to reg those to you because it's timely and it's something that I think our public is
owed. Um are those transportation costs so that they understand because when you look at how you're carrying them [sighs] the impact is far different. So when I talked about directly
the sorry I'm getting it up here. when I talked about directly the transportation costing from my first year in the district and how long we were carrying that for.
So, in fiscal 24, which was my first year, we're talking about a grand total of 4 million, right? 4,17,000 of which just south of 3 million was reimbursed. The northwest suburban portion of that that I talked about that we got our
final reimbursement on June 20th, the entirety of that was 1.6 million, not the reimbursement amount, the entirety. Now if you look at this year and again these are not final numbers our northwest suburban alone is 6.4
million. So under let me I I want to be clear in that it's actually 6,444,000 so far. So when you look at that and you think of that over the next several years of payments that's a lot more to
carry than we were carrying on the total of 1.6. When you look at special education, again, that used to be funded at 100% reimbursement rate. Now it's at 95. So that's 5,252,000 that we're carrying. And my first year
special education transportation was 8001,000. >> Yeah. >> One more chair, if I may. Again, going through the homeless, my first year 553,000. This year 3,316,000.
So when you look at carrying 18.9 million in transportation costs versus 4.1 million my first year. I think we can agree that transportation is a part of our story. >> Pretty significant.
>> Yeah. And then you you mentioned the the legislature and I know you and I talked, but do you have do we have some partners here that would be willing to shore up the legislation that would get us immediate reimburseables instead of waiting months and years for millions of
dollars to come in? >> I'm not going to tackle special ed. >> Yep. Um, so my intention here is um, Senator Hoffman reps an Okahhanapen um, and then Senator Kunish >> reps us and a portion of an Okahipen. So
I'm starting with those two. >> We have good relationships with them. So it's a good start. >> And they're very much friends of Fidley Public Schools. So, and I'm going to keep shopping till I find somebody. [laughter] I'll just say it like that. And again, this one doesn't have a fiscal note.
>> Yeah. And when I talked to MD about this, they were understanding and said, um, why don't you try to legislate a change? >> All right. Thank you. Any other questions for Mr. Hammer or Dr. Lewis?
>> Oh, Ryan Matt, thank you. >> Thank you so much for being here. Good to see you. >> All right. Now, um, we will move on. Kim, is it just you and me or is Cararissa here? Okay, I'll come up with you. >> Okay, because we want you by the mic.
>> Okay, >> short enough I could stand and still talk. >> We're similar height. [laughter] So, Kim and I and Cararissa Rankin had the wonderful honor of being invited. Um Liz Jensen was also invited but um had a
conflict uh with that time to represent Fidley Public Schools um to the Avid National Board of Directors. So it was a very significant honor and the work that we presented on is very powerful work
that's really um unique to our district and a tiny number of other districts that AVID wanted their board to hear about the massive success. So with that, Kim, you take it away and I'll just fill in as needed. >> Yeah. So, as Dr. Lewis said, we were
invited by the AVID Corporation to come and speak about Fidley Public Schools and our journey with AVID. Um, again, immense honor. This is not something that I've even heard of happening in any district around us. So, a really great opportunity to also showcase the amazing
things that are happening at Fidley Public Schools. They were so blown away with us asking so many different questions. Um talking about our growth in the AVID program throughout middle and high school. Um talking to us about, you know, different things that we've
had to kind of like overcome and barriers that we've had and how did we solve them? How did we kind of work with what we have to still find the success for our students through the AVID program. Um huge honor to meet the founder of AVID, Mary Katherine Swanson.
She's in the picture next to Dr. Lewis. Um, fang girl moment for sure for me. Um, so again, a really great honor, a really great way to represent Fidley Public Schools and I was very honored to be a part of this opportunity. Um, and I
think we left there with her even saying, "Yeah, I'd love to come visit your district." Which again is like, "Oh, oh, come on down. Let's go." So, a really, really great way to talk about the amazing things that we are doing with our AVID program and the way we've
grown and I've been with Fidley for 11 years now and seeing the program grow on from the outside and now as a coordinator at the middle school, it's it's great. So >> the work >> the work that was featured um was really
around AVID new educators and um part of the work that I'm honored to do is I was asked to be a part of a very small group of superintendents that are what I would call AVID through and through that we are kind of the old
guard in AVID and have been with them through several iterations of AVID. I've been uh with AVID. Harold, you and I started together. So that would have been 2009. So that's how long I've been with AVID. Um and what
this superintendent advisory group is is we literally meet with the CEO of AVID and other top decision makers for AVID and they pilot items for us and say, "What do you think?" And while they're piloting that, they're also shopping for
districts that will take a risk on them when it's in the pilot phase. And they were talking about AVID SER certified educators, which I loved. we've benefited from. You've seen that. You've heard that. You went to the reception and I literally said to their CEO, I
said, "Love this, but we need something for either new teachers to the profession or new to us teaching to the profession." And they did it and they built it. And they built it in under a year. And we just finished our
implementation of it. And it has been so powerful. And even Carissa, who's an experienced veteran teacher but new to Fidley, spoke about the outstanding impact that it had on her. So, it was just quite a moment of celebration and I have been also the beneficiary on behalf
of our district of a number of people reaching out that either were at that board of directors meeting or heard about it and just emailed about the impact of them still talking. And it was actually a funny moment because I said to Gina Gamnus, our rep who has really
built this side by side with us and is very responsive and she's Minnesota based. And I said to her when we were leaving, I said, "Mary Katherine's coming to visit Fidley." And she looked at me, she said, "She's coming?" And she's like, "She doesn't come and visit districts." And I said, "Well, I just
asked her to come and she's coming." And she's like, "Perfect." I said, "Will you be there, too?" She's like, "Yeah, but you understand she doesn't visit districts." I said, "Well, she's coming to ours, so [laughter] they're going to come and um see it." So, it's just a moment of spotlight. Um
I was actually reminded of this when I saw a LinkedIn um post that was written um by the Denver Superintendent and it Relle, remind me, what's his name? >> Alex.
>> Yes. He wrote um a piece about stop giving up on urban districts and when I read that I was literally like Avid believed in us and they continue to believe in us and often times including vendors they don't believe in urban
districts and the power of that we could feel that in that room. It was just phenomenal. So, and I know Kim has um littles at home and it was a big sacrifice for her to come and um [laughter] >> day off from her kids. Let's go.
>> There we go. Or to be perceived as that. You remember I did the board meeting virtually that night [laughter] um from there. So, it was just quite an honor. Liz, I know that you weren't able to be there, but you were there in spirit. I think you found out about the visit. I wasn't texting you cuz you were like in
Yellowstone or something. And then all of a sudden you circled back and was like, "Oh my god, I saw the social media and I was like, I wanted you to hear it from me first, but um so you heard about it like instantly. Anything you want to add about the visit?" >> Um I just one thing that I was really
thrilled by, we ran our um early educators. It was formerly new teacher academy. Now it's going to be the early educator academy this past year and monthly we met with all of the new to Fidley staff teachers and it was really great. was really focused around the foundations of instruction. And just to
kind of add on to what Dr. Lewis said, it really was beneficial for veteran teachers as well. I was a little nervous um as a veteran teacher to be offering a new teacher academy to some of the very veteran staff that we were able to hire and they all found it beneficial. So, I
do think that that was very unique. I also think another unique component of that was combining it with our added certified educators and The two really blend together really helping to onboard to schoolwide systems that are literally
built for student centered I won't say programs but systems embedded within schools and also to support teachers that really want to dive in um to continue on this year we have a cohort of teachers myself included that are going to be added certified for
instructional coaches you guys all know that I am all added all the way every day but I did do the launch for it and I have been in school since I was like three, right? Haven't stopped. This was by far some of the
most important work and some of the most beneficial work that I did in those three days. Um I was actually at a conference on that day with other um educators when they were there and I was just blown away by this. Also, Mary Katherine Swanson here
would be like a [snorts] celebrity if you want to see but I I really appreciate that we were able to bring the voices in of our teachers and the practitioners that are in our classrooms every single day working so hard with our students and are always student focused >> and I truly believe that that's where
the work is. So I was delighted that we can share what we are doing at friendly public schools to change every student every day. >> Excellent. >> And to really share the impact I saw a couple of my students at comments after I had went and they were like how's your summer Miss Haley? I was like good.
actually got to go to Sacramento and go meet the founder of Avid and they're like, "Wait, what? That's really cool." And I was like, "All right, if you as a seventh grader can understand how cool this is, we definitely, you know, achieved something." >> And it was a whirlwind for you all. It was like almost 36 hours. I mean, you
were barely even there for a day. And AVID did fund the whole thing for us. So, I think that's also important to note. Um, and that I recognize I have grown kids now, but um, well, teenagers are grown. Um, but having little kids that is like that, but it really was a
whirlwind to pack in that much in 36 hours, >> any questions for >> just thank you. Thank you for taking the time to do that. Fan girl and everything aside, it's work. I know it's work and what you're doing in the classroom matters. And I just want to say teacher
to teacher, thank you because it makes a huge difference. >> Well, thank you guys for trusting me on this journey with Avid and allowing me amazing opportunities like this. It's great. So >> awesome. Thanks, Kim. >> Thanks. Good work. So [laughter] proud of you. Next, we are honored to welcome
activities director Justin Reese and guests for our spring activities recap. Go ahead and take it away. >> Absolutely. So, I have two of our amazing seniors for this upcoming school year that's going to give us a recap on our 2026 spring um recap. And I will
start off with we have Sasha Bugs here as well as Tori Carsten. And I have Tori Carson start off with giving us their spring uh middle school participation numbers update. >> Gota lo. So yeah, you can start talking now. Bring it up to
>> Okay. So uh when it gets up, we have a chart that shows our uh spring middle school of sports particip participation numbers over the past three years. And the chart shows that like every year we have been growing steadily or a little bit and then this past year in 2026 we
have skyrocketed our numbers. Baseball, softball and track and field. Baseball and softball. I feel like the uh contribution to our participation numbers is our new baseball fields, new softball fields, new facilities, and then track and field. I feel like with
the success that we've had lately in our new incoming track that we are getting gets people excited and want to play sports and just the coaches and uh their buyin that they're having at the younger level. >> Yeah. Um I guess I can start talking
about some of our athletics at the high school. Um so first I'm going to talk about the baseball community service. So, just a little shout out to Philly Baseball Team for partnering with the um locals line the local Lions Club to participate in the annual um highway cleanup. Um each spring after the snow
melts, team members uh volunteer their time to keep our community um clean, safe, and looking its best. The service project reflects the team's commitment um to making a positive impact beyond the baseball field. And we just want to say thank you to the players and volunteers for the hard work, dedication, and willingness to give back
to our community. Uh next we have the Fley boys volleyball team. Uh this this past season they achieved a historic milestone by uh winning the first tournament championship in uh program history at Cret and Dervin Hall. This accomplishment was especially impressive
considering this was only the second year that we've had our volleyball team. And uh tournament victory reflects the hard work, growth, and dedication of the athletes and coaching staff as they continue to build a strong foundation for the future boys volleyball at Fidley High School. Congratulations to the team
on this uh memorable achievement and exciting to see a step forward for the program. >> Yeah. Next we have um our adapted bowling team. So our adaptive bullying team had an outstanding season with their entire team qualifying qualifying for the state tournament which is just an impressive um accomplishment that
reflects their uh hard work and dedication throughout the year. Um at the state level, two athletes earned um medal honors. Josh Tolifson, he's in 11th grade and then tied for fourth place in his category. And then Elijah Bosley Arard in seventh grade. Um earned
the elite title of state champion. And we just want to say congratulations to all of our athletes and coaches for an incredible season and representing Fidley with pride at the state tournament. >> Uh for track and field, we have uh Lorenzo Hampton. He continued his outstanding career by qualifying for the state tournament in both the 110 meter
hurdles and the 300 meter hurdles. He earned his third individual state championship, building on an impressive legacy that includes state titles in the 300 meter hurdles in 2024 in the 110 meter hurdles in both 2025 and 2026. He was also a key member of Fidley's 2024
team state championship squad. And next year, Lorenzo will be continuing his athletic and academic journey at uh University of St. Thomas where he will join the track and field program. >> Next, we're going to talk about our Athena Award winner this year. Um so basically it's an award that's presented
to one senior female um athlete from each participating school who has distinguished herself through exceptional athletic achievement and success across um one or more sports for the class of 2026. Fidley's um recipient was Addison Elshshire. Uh throughout her high school career, Addison competed in
competed in girls soccer, basketball, track and field making a lasting impact amongst all these programs. Um, she's especially dominant in soccer, um, where she set this Minnesota State record for the most career saves with an incredible 1,147
saves. Her consistency, leadership, and competitiveness made her one of the most accomplished goalkeep keepers in state history. Addison will continue her academic and athletic journey at the College of Saints Galaska, where she will continue her soccer career at the collegiic level.
Uh for our commitments, we'd like to congratulate our Fley student athletes who will be continuing their athletic careers at the collegiate level next year. In addition to Lorenzo Hampton and Addison Alashshshire, two more seniors will be competing at the next level. Tyler Oel, he will be playing basketball
at Free Lutheran Bible College while Fuad Salah will continue his wrestling career at the University of Sou Falls. We are uh proud of these students for their dedication, commitment, and accomplishments, and we look forward to seeing them succeed at the next level. >> So, next we're going to talk about the
activities, and we're going to start off with culture day. So, during one lunch at FHS, we celebrated culture day, which is a special event that highlights the um diverse identities and traditions and backgrounds that make up our community. Um students had the opportunity to share and showcase their cultures through
displays, activities and conversations fostering um a greater appreciation for their unique experiences and perspectives um that enrich Fley High School culture day was a very meaningful um celebration of inclusion, pride and the strength found in our diversity.
uh model UN model UN UN we had uh 24 FHS FMS students join more than 750 students from across Minnesota at the Model United Nations conference where they took on the role of diplomats representing countries from around the world. Throughout the weekend, students
researched global issues issues, engaged in debate, and collaborated [clears throat] to develop solutions to international challenges. Fley students represented Lithuania, Central African Republic, Slovakia, Bosnia, Belgium, Finland,
Bolivia, Rwanda, Afghanistan, and Mongali Mongolia in both small and large committee settings. In recognition of their leadership and participation, four Fley students were elected to serve on various assemblies at next year's conference. >> Now, we're going to talk about um visual
arts. So 12 Philly High School students were recognized for their outstanding artistic achievements through the Minnesota State High School League visual arts competition. Their work was displayed for two weeks in April at the Parridge Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley, showcasing their
creativity and talent to the broader community. Students submitted pieces across a variety of categories including painting, digital photography, graphic design, craft, ceramics, and sculpture. Their participation reflects the dedication, skill, and artistic talent
um of Fley High School visual arts students. >> Our uh high school spring play drama proudly presented the dining room by AR Gurnie Jr. as its 2026 spring production. The play took audiences on a journey throughout different eras,
characters, and emotions as students act student actors portrayed multiple roles ranging in age from five all the way to 95. Through a series of interconnected short scenes, the performance explored family relationships, traditions, and changing social dynamics. The common
thread throughout each story was familiar a familiar setting where many of life's most meaningful conversations once took place. The production showcased the versatility and talent of Fley student performers while bringing this thoughtful and timeless work to life.
>> Yeah. Um, we're going to talk about the speech results. So, five Fly High School students qualified for the state speech meet this year, competing in categories of drama, discussion, poetry, and storytelling. Their success reflects the hard work, dedication, and talent of Fidley speech team throughout this
throughout the season. A special congratulations to Amamir Hussein and Muhammad Al- Shamari for their outstanding performances at the stage speech meet. Amamira placed sixth in poetry um while Muhammad placed fourth in drama which is an incredible accomplishment at the state's highest
level of competition and we're just very proud of all five of these students just representing um for the high school with excellence. uh for key club. Flee high school's key club was highly recognized at the district convention earning numerous individual and club award for leadership service and dedication to the
community. Special rec recognition goes to Dua Abdelal who received the Tom Pin distinguish award. Pretty Rana who earned both the Sandy Nininger award and distinguished president honors. Michelle
Ortiz, who was named distinguished secretary, Nari Iva Ivy, who received distinguished treasure honors, and Leah Ivy, who is recognized as distinguished vice president. These awards reflect the exceptional leadership, service, and commitment demonstrated by Fidley's Key
Club members throughout the year. >> Okay, next we're going to talk about some of our alumni spotlights. Um, first we're going to start off with Devin Williams. Devin Williams earned all-American honors in football at Bethl University, recognizing his outstanding performance, leadership, and impact on
the field. His achievement reflected an exceptional level of dedication and excellence throughout the season and highlighted him as one of the top performers at the collegiic level. >> Next, we have uh Isaiah Watson. Isaiah Watson was a class of 2024 grad, earned first team all-American honors after
placing eighth in the NCA Division 3 outdoor track and field championships. He delivered a strong performance with a first attempt jump of 15.05 meters, securing his top eight finish on the national stage. Congratulations to Isaiah on this uh outstanding achievement.
>> Next, we have Maya Kirsten. Um we just want to say congratulations to her for an outstanding achievement with the inaugural club flag um football team at St. Olaf College. um serving as the team's quarterback, Maya helped lead the squad to a third place finish and earned all conference honors for impressive
performance throughout the season. Next, we have uh Caleb Blaha. Caleb was a Fidley class of 2020 grad 2020 graduate uh and former student teacher at Fidley Middle School in Stevenson Elementary. He continued to make national headlines following an outstanding collegiate career. He was named division three
national champion and earned the prestigent gag gagliardi trophy recognizing excellence both on and off the field. He then took the next step in his football journey earning a rookie mini camp invitation to the New Orleans Saints as he pursues a opportunity at the professional level.
>> Yes. And our um last alumni we have Harrison Bloom. Um we just want to say congratulations to him. Um he's a class of 2019 graduate who has been signed by the Boston Red Sox. Um Harry played for four years at Lutheran College and competed an additional and completed an
additional season as a graduate at August Augustana uh University building a strong collegiate career um marked by commitment and growth across both programs and we just look forward to watching him continue his athletic journey at the next level. I think
that's everything that we have. >> Any questions for Sasha or Tori? I know I have one. Like how did you convince Tori to not talk about his sister? [laughter] >> Actually, it's kind of funny. We were going over it earlier and I was like, "Oh, would you want to talk about Maya?"
And he was like, "I mean, yeah, I guess I could." And I was just the way that we kind of formed it just happened to me that I talked about her. Um, but >> good answer. Good answer. [laughter] Plus, plus it would have been on, you know, been recorded forever for her to play at like Thanksgiving and Christmas. >> Um, would you guys mind because you guys
are going to give these reports like once a month, right? Could you tell us a little bit something about yourself so we kind of have an understanding of what you guys do? >> Yeah. Um so um right now I um we're starting our volleyball season. I was the captain last year for my junior year um which is something that I've loved
doing. I'm also involved in youth and government um black student union student council. Um and just love serving. Um I've served on all of those boards of the clubs I just named. I just love also playing volleyball and being a varsity captain and really excited to see what this new season has for us.
>> Awesome. >> Um I play uh football and baseball. I was a football captain last year and uh this year I'm going to be the one of the baseball captains and I've been in Ferly my whole life. So I've seen how it has been since I was a little kid and how it has been now. And I feel like we are
taking a step in the right direction and I feel like everything is getting better and better as the years come and I'm just so glad to be a part of it. >> Awesome. Thank you guys. so much. >> Thank you. >> Go Tigers. >> Go Tigers. >> Go get [laughter] some rest. >> So very proud of you both board. I know
that the link isn't set so that you can view it. So I'm working. I don't have access either to view it um to share it with you. So we are working. Sorry, this one got past me and I should have checked the link and I didn't. So that's my apologies there. So we'll get you access as soon as possible. Um, so as
you know, we had talked about uh bringing in an activities coordinator [snorts] and um it's a little awkward, Liz, because it's almost like I'm saying, well, you are a second choice, but you aren't. >> You are our platinum choice. [snorts]
So, we had um a candidate that came forward um that very much was a unanimous decision through the hiring teams and then um she chose to stay on the East Coast. And then as we looked um
in the pool, similar to the Hayes assistant principal, we just the folks that came in, there was a staunch difference between the top candidate and those that came in. And I um was not comfortable with
moving forward with what we would call a second choice. And um literally I was racking my brain, racking my brain. And I called Rochelle and I said, "Let's look at capacity internally." And we were thinking and all of a sudden I
said, "Um," and I'm being vulnerable here. I said, "I need someone that is uber organized, type A, that stays on top of all of this and bleeds Fidly." And then I said, "I think it's Liz Jensen." And so then um I was on
vacation that day and so I said to Michelle, "See if she can meet me at the school and so drove in and met with you. I think you had to leave. It was like 2 to 2:30 and I'm like here's the deal. We need you." Um, and Liz has done an
amazing job already with Abid for athletes. Really has been just a phenomenal asset to our curricular team. And also Liz does an amazing job of she's a critical part of our graduation
rate and I just couldn't be more proud of you stepping into this work. I know one day you'll be whether it's in my chair or the chair in a different district of being a superintendent. I know that you will do that and I know you will do that well because I can spot talent very early on and I'm just really
proud of you and thankful for your willingness to take this on and um to really partner and I was just um joyfilled when I heard you talking already about some of the work you're doing in activities. So with that board activities from a cabinet standpoint is
directly um supervised and supported by Michelle. So I'm going to have Michelle fill in anything there. Thank you so much. Um I mean tonight Liz gave a work session. Um you've seen Liz's work. There's just really no wondering why she
came to mind. Um I think she's the perfect compliment to our activities director Justin Ree. Um Justin Reese is um full of ideas, full of relationships, might just need someone to help him get organized, which is great, right? And as
do as do we all. So um Liz brings a perspective of all the things the superintendent said but also as a parent whose um students also are participate in sports. So already viewing things with a critical eye making adjustments
um have dug right in and all I could say is welcome to the team and thank you. >> Okay, >> thanks Liz. Looking forward to it. Next up is our final SOD module. So this
is module six. I love the the I'm going to take it as genuine enthusiasm. [laughter] >> All right. So this uh final module is on board communication guide. And just as a
reminder, these modules are linked on our website and they are recorded as well as my talking here is also recorded because these modules were recorded in February and a lot of it is the same and some of it is different. So that's why
you would hear two different versions um sometimes around this. So when we talk about SOD, statutory operating debt and the board's role in that, we really talk about our communication principles.
So transparent. How do we talk about the challenges? So we're not hiding the fact that our district is in statutory operating debt. You heard that talked about today. It's been referenced for every meeting, I believe, since October,
maybe um November, somewhere in there. um and to talk about centering students, centering students in that conversation. And that is exactly what MDE will say. Minnesota Department of Education, they
have said and will continue to say, "Please do not harm students." When they talk about that, what they mean is fiscally slashing to the level where students are not benefited and
furthermore harmed. Consistency, talking with our unified messaging across all platforms, timeliness, talking about that proactive communication before rumors spread. And when we do have um inaccurate information, which I do not
believe is done with ill intention, I think school finance is hard to understand. Right? You heard me talk about when chair asked about the reimbursement timeline. I wasn't able to give a unified answer to him that those
payments arrive by October 15th. But the real answer around that was this payment structure lags for two years and it's a portion of it. If I were to answer around the special education true up where that's reflected, I would have said there's 30% paid on August 30th,
40% paid on September 30th, and 30% paid on October 30th. So just all of that, it is very confusing when it comes to school district finance and and complex. Again, the tenant around student centered, always emphasizing the student
well-being and our educational quality. I'm going to pause here and talk about that. What is the danger when decisions are made around finances and other
factors that don't center students? This district has lived that. When I came to [clears throat] Fidley Public Schools, including in my interview process, I think we can all agree that the hallways and classrooms
look very different than they do today when you walk in our classrooms. And that was a direct direct result of understaffing. And it wasn't an understaffing because we didn't want to staff. It was an understaffing because we didn't have the capacity to staff.
That was prior to the International Talent Program. And what we saw was students were feeling that students had teachers who were covering each other's uh through their giving up their prep and planning time sometimes out of a
place of goodwill and oftentimes out of a directive because there wasn't enough staffing. So when we desenter students, you see enrollment drop and enrollment is our largest factor to fiscal health.
And the reason that I can say enrollment drops is because as we have worked to fully staff our classrooms, you've seen the 2425 school year, the 2526 school year, including
the impact of ICE Metro Surge, including that impact, you [snorts] still have seen that we have come in above what our projection enrollments have been, and that matters. And so that's why we need to make sure not only do we harm our
children through the student experience, not only do we become a workplace where individuals are not wanting to stay here and we have constant turnover which becomes expensive and many other ways.
We also become a school district that will backslide on enrollment that we have worked so hard to continue to stabilize. So that's what I really mean when I talk about student centered two-way listening to our community concerns and responding thoughtfully.
During the work around the referendum campaign, there was a lot of information that I will not say was misinformation. I will say it was not updated. So information about open enrollment that was correct, but that legislation had
changed in 2014 and our community hadn't been educated on that. um that that legislation had updated and what the impact on that was. So, how do we hear the community concerns and respond thoughtfully to those and address those?
And I think that we have and continue to do that well. Um we have developed a clear fiscally responsible plan regarding our SOD while again centering students, protecting that quality education. We continue to be transparent.
our state approved uh recovery plan that's part of SOD. Um we are implementing a three-year plan. We really have a three well we have an eight-year um window. So as we continue to work on the audit and our fiscal health, this window will continue to be
updated regarding SOD stabilizing enrollment. Again, I continue to talk about that we are looking at retaining the enrollment that we have, which is actually going above the
projections that we have had. So, Fidley, like most school districts in the state, are experiencing decline in enrollment. And I continue to have a renewed concern around enrollment in that the state demographer shared in
November the latest figures and this was prior to ICE metro surge and the place the place not places one of the places the place
where Minnesota is seeing enrollment growth is through immigration into Minnesota. And the story has not yet been told if come October 1st, Minnesota and our
school system will still be seen as a place that is attractive to immigrants. And my statement is not partisan. It's simply the facts that is what is showing where our enrollment is
is it's in immigrants coming to Minnesota from other countries. Um stabilizing enrollment also looks at pieces like starting the virtual academy. It also looks at how do we look at a
need that currently exists in Fidley public schools as well as a need that exists in the metro area and frankly throughout the state. But we can't help the whole state. But we are doing our part that children that um under state
and federal law are required to have and we owe them what's called a setting for placement. And that's where we have our Vista programs. And what was happening in Fidley was we were not able to serve our children, our resident children,
meaning children that live in our district boundaries. We were not able to serve them if they had a setting for um for their IEP with their particular disability category. Setting 4 is the most intensive setting that you will see in public
schools. And we were then sending our children on bus rides to most of the time 916 which is our intermediate district. They have amazing programming. They have amazing staffing. They have
amazing facilities. What also happens is we tell family um adult caregivers of our most vulnerable children so sorry we can't help you. Further so sorry that your child is
going to be on a 45 minute one-way band ride for they're so sorry they're going to have to wait two to three years to get that placement. What that also does is it has fiscal impact to our district. We are paying
the transportation on that which is the right thing to do and legally required and we are paying those special education costs that we are the right thing to do and is legally required. So that's also part of enrollment. And what has also been a
helper is from a moral compass standpoint, finally families have a place that they have belonging. Whether they are Fidley resident students or districts who have said, "Hey, we have a child that we think would benefit
Fidley. Can you please take them on a tuition agreement?" And that district pays the transportation costs. they pay for um the programming and not only do our children um get served with dignity, love in an academic setting, it's also a
fiscal helper for our district. So often when we think about statutory operating debt, the narrative that has been told our public is cut, cut, cut, cut, cut. And this is my 27th year in education.
And I was very moved in an unfortunate way by a quote that the superintendent of DUTH said and I've shared that quote before and I'll share it again. There are no good cuts right now. They
are all what is less bad. And that's the situation that we're at. And we are at a crossroads where there are not cuts to be made. You heard me talk about $20 million in transportation. Like we can't cut that,
folks. We can't cut that. Um so when $20 million of our district budget is on a prepay structure essentially, we also have to look at when we are so so thin in our staffing, we have to look at
increasing revenue. And increasing revenue to me is about enrollment, but it's also about our reputation. It's about that if we go back to the staffing levels that we had that frankly
Fidley public schools was forced into with a workforce shortage when I arrived. Please watch our enrollment walk out the door. That is the reality here. um the whole concept of do more with
less. We're doing that. When we look at the pieces that have been legislated in, which ISD14 we agree with, but they haven't been funded. Whether you look at menstrual products, we agree with that,
no funding. Look at paid family medical leave act, no funding. the um excuse me, no sustained continued funding. When you look at unemployment benefits for what's considered seasonal workers, so think of
para educators who don't make a liveable wage anyway. Think of student nutrition services um staff members. That unemployment is an extreme need and that bridges them and that helps us retain
them, right? It helps us retain them. Um but again there's not an ongoing sustained funding the read act none of us are going to argue about we have work to do in literacy every district in the state of Minnesota unfortunately took
legislation to bring that not sustained ongoing funding insurance costs they are at an unsustainable cost so the cost of labor is continually go
up transportation, utilities. So when we talk about do more with less, we're we're well past that conversation. So this is why I talk so much about stabilizing enrollment. And enrollment can look like many different things. And
our last prong that I know I am constantly needling you on is our elected officials need to sit in the decisions that have been made and hear from us. As painful as that is, what that feels like and
looks like when you have two school districts that neighbor each other that served similar, not the same, similar populations that were both harmed by ICE Metro Surge in different
ways, but both harmed very deeply by ICE Metro Surge. And one district loses $1 million in compensatory ed and the other district loses 2.2 2 million. We have to have that conversation. We have to and it takes all of us. And
the work that is being done in education, it cannot be made into a partisanship. It has to be about children centered. And that's the work that I think this board and superintendent and cabinet team and all of us are doing really well is how do we
look at maximizing our resources and bringing some innovation in? That leads right into operational efficiencies. Again, how do we seek efficiencies where we can? You heard the very simple
example of our contractor saying to us, I know that's an ISD14 employee that's doing that drywall repair. That's different than what you would have seen 5 years ago. That would 100% be contracted out. Now we have our own
employee doing that work. What we're protecting, I think this slide says it all right. We're protecting classroom instruction, teacher student ratios. Fidley public schools is a very complex district. We are part of Northwest Suburban
integration. If you just stop and look at our transportation alone, that's complexity, right? But when you look at us, 80% children of color, 72% children who come from poverty. Uh 20% children
who are multilingual. three years ago that was 13%. Our district was 67% white 11 years ago. So the changes that this district have seen in a very
very rapid manner. We are also a district that is not at the cap for referendum. We are also a district that I believe um has the 13th lowest uh tax rate uh that you will see. That's why we keep working on tax equalization in the
entire state and there are 700 something districts. These are the pieces that all play into the fiscal health of our district, special education services. We it's the
right thing to do, but we have to legally protect those services. Student safety and support. I think I've talked enough about that. What that looks like. And then what you heard tonight, we are not a viable school district for families if we don't have this. We are
not a viable school district for families if we don't have this. And you all know my children have experienced, my personal children have experienced a number of school districts as mom's career has led them to different places
across not only the nation but the world. Fidley Public Schools is the only district that my children have had the honor of attending where they can be a firsttime athlete in a sport as a junior
and still get playing time. You don't have to be a payto-play kiddo from the age of three to have a spot on our teams. And I will argue that every moment. You all know that that you want to come at me at activities, we're going
to come at that and we're going to come at that hard. You see the well-roundedness and without that we are also not attractive. That enrollment walks out the door where changes are focused. I don't know team. I don't know what
else I have to reduce at the district office because we've done more reductions than I even said when we were going to talk about this in February. We're going to keep looking, but I don't know. Right. And that's my me being honest with you. Service contract
and operations as we um transitioned and continue to transition in finance. Uh we moved away from the CISO contract. Um we were also um contracting out with Robert Half. So, we've recovered some of those
um savings. A really painful move that I have made is I moved the Levvenia contract only to setting four pretty much exclusively and we saw the results, right? But that's the choices that we
make when it comes to these types of pieces and I'm very hopeful that that's a temporary move. Um, financial systems and procedures, I think we've talked in depth about that. While I will say
elevating the past coding issues do not bring us that revenue back, but it certainly prevents the revenue errors that we have cost this district and now we can move forward and we've identified those um
talking with families about is this a viable school district when we talk about that and I will say as awful as what I'm about to say it is factbased. based. You're pretty hardressed in Minnesota to find a school system that doesn't have
significant financial pressure right now. So, unfortunately, this issue is not as big as when I was in Rochester public schools 10 years ago. It's just not as big of a conversation.
our talking points. I'm going to summarize all of this up by just reminding our public that our mission is children. And we had a I was in a very powerful professional learning um a couple of weeks ago and the presenter kept saying
you serve children through adults. And that has really changed my mindset because you have heard me say I have zero impact on student achievement. But really she has reframed me that I have a lot of impact on
student achievement by the work that I do with the adults that I'm honored to serve in our district. And that has really changed my viewpoint of how I see that. And I would also hope that that would be something the board would think through. And I think that you operate in
that way very much so. Um I think again we've been very honest and transparent with our messaging with the public and we do that in multiple formats. Board, this concludes our last SOD module. Um
so I'll stand for any questions. Um and we'll just keep keep with the updates. Our SOD modules have really kind of grown into the finance updates too. So I'm going to pause here chair and then I'll move into the finance update. >> Awesome. Any questions last module?
>> No. All right. Thanks Dr. Lewis. >> Sounds good. Um the finance update a lot of this I have already said um but it's also very comprehensive and it's open to all public um as well here. So, um, we
initially talked about, um, the aid certification, um, talked through that piece. I'm not going to revisit that. Our FY2025 audit that continues, which again, just as a reminder, FY2025 audit means our
school year 2425. Um, that audit has not been completed, as you know, that continues to be our centered work on that. It's our highest financial priority. Um, we continue to work closely with our auditors to address outstanding questions, provide
the documentation, and reconcile complex year-end accounting items. As you know, that's linked directly on our website on the schoolboard page. Um, and you have access to that and Lori updates that in real time. Significant progress has been made. However, several key audit items
review remain under review. These include payroll acral, salaries payable, year-end journal entries, bank reconciliations, and revenue recognition, as well as transportation related expenditures. I'm going to pause here. Um Relle is actually going to
clip. I mean, there's multiple places you could clip on the transportation from tonight because our auditor in doing her due diligence, and I agree with her, is very much feeling like we have issues within our
transportation, which we agree, but the issues that she thinks we have are not the issues that we have. It's about the increase of students that are homeless in our district that are requiring transportation. It's the increase in special education. So, she is actually
sending that clip tonight. Um, there's multiple Michelle there that you can send her to really speak through that. And I appreciate the due diligence around transportation. You heard the figures tonight, right? And I will say that other than Brooklyn Center, I can't
think of one other district that has the compounding factors in the state that we do. Um, so it's it's just very complex with these pieces. Um and then the review and reconciliation of the
financial statements. Um we continue to have our auditor directly respond to Minnesota Department of Education when they reach out. Um we're very transparent in that. Um we talked about
here of $66,000 in credits to the district on um duplicate billing issues that we surfaced. um literally looking through those um and again our primary focus continues to be the 2425
audit and um as I continue to give this update. We'll continue to be transparent. Um I don't have an end date when it was completed. I more than anyone in the entire district want this completed. Um I'm going to move on to our CEDRA update. This again is the
special education reporting system. uh as I shared with you on our journey that um was discovered [sighs and gasps] a few months ago that Cedra hasn't been updated since June of 2025 as we expand special education
programming through the Vista programs as well as through our regular special education programming. When you don't have staff in there, when you don't have furniture expenses in there and other pieces, what happens? It impacts your revenue.
when it impacts your revenue, what does it also impact? Your cash flow, right? So, thankfully, we are in the window of able to correct that. Harold is leading that work. I will continue to diligently update you on that work around Cedra because that is a huge significant lever
as far as our um health, our fiscal health in the district. and I'll continue to provide updates actually on this one in between board meetings as well so that you have that um our special education costs rise
also in fiscal uh school year 2122 we were at 6.2 2 million in special education revenue this year before the trueups happened before our our numbers were actually entered and we'll know those numbers um first quarter next year
or really this year now um we're looking at a $ 12.3 million in revenue in special education. So, one of the things that we have to keep ourselves honest with is yes, we need to talk
about with transportation and special education the increased expenses, but we can't use prior year revenue. Because in districts like ours that have massive increases in
transportation costs due to mostly those items that are reimburseable, you are not honestly representing to your public if you don't bring about by the way 70% of that is reimbursed. You're also not having honest conversations when you talk about the cost to special ed and by
the way our revenue has more than doubled. like we need to make sure that we have that conversation because you can't have one without the other. It would be also the same as if I used the revenue and didn't tell you that the expenses went up.
Also when I talk about coding and again board you have been so patient because I say the same thing every time but um when you talk about coding it is things like coding for setting four classrooms that are three
uh staff members, one teacher typically and two para educators. Also there's lots of other staff that serve in those classrooms in and out staff I'll call them. um that staffing ratio with six
students, those are federal guidelines, federal law is a better way to say that that staffing ratio is not the same than you'd even see in a setting three, which is in our neighborhood schools. It's certainly not the same setting as you would see it as setting two. So, when
things are coded in CedRA, as resource, what would be a disability cat for resource, Michelle? um often things like um specific learning disability, speech. So when you look at a resource room as
the LRE with a disability category of um learning disability and what is actually occurring is a setting for emotional behavioral disordered disability category served in least
restrictive environment setting four. Would the revenue by the district realized be lower than what we should be getting the same or higher? Um, if that question's directed at me, that would be much lower
reimbursement rate because that student should be getting more significant reimbursement because their needs are more services look uh much higher. >> Also, the importance of detail work on our transportation.
We discovered just last week that several special education routes were not coded by our vendor. So when they're not coded, where do they go? >> General fund. And is that reimbured? And our most intensive routes by law are
$300 a day. $300 a day. That we are not at the at the beginning of this. the district pays it regardless. But what are we missing out? 95% of $300 a day. And when you think of
it was only 5%. 5% adds up substantially. So that's really the work around why we are increasing our due diligence around special education. Coding matters. Coding matters so much. MDE, we continue
to work with them. Um, all of the documentation is here. That's also out for the public on the MDE tracker. Uh, we talked about uh Matthew Hammer talked about it. I've talked about it. It's embedded um until we get our audit completed. We're continue to get
downgrades from um our rating agency and that's just the fact. Um Teamworks mentorship. Uh we continue to work with teamworks who you work with Ry Queener around um support to our um fiscal team
Lori and her team around getting us to a healthier place for processes and procedures. We just don't have processes and procedures in place. They're getting there, but those pieces. She also has been working with a business manager from quite some time ago that was with
Fidley that's a consultant now and he has worked and he's also um jumped into calls with Lori with our auditors as well. So those are the pieces around our finance report. Did I miss anything? Anything you want to add? Okay. This is what Lori said and I'm choosing to take
it as a compliment but I'm not sure that it was. I said to her because the update said Lori Anner and she's like did you want to do it or did you want me? I said what's your preference and she said well you bring all the passion.
So we're choosing to take that positively. I'm not sure. It was positive. >> Absolutely. [laughter] >> When she said it I was like because sometimes I use that term when people are upset with the school system. I say they're passionate. So when she said it,
I was like, "Oh god, did I uh mistake that?" But I brought the passion tonight. >> You did. >> Okay, perfect. All right, I am going to move on if there's no other questions around finance. >> Okay. Um, we're good on the geo bonds. Um, next we're moving up to the
construction update, which you saw live tonight. So, I'm going to turn it over to Relle Cox who is overseeing construction for us. Well, I hope I bring similar passion to construction um uh that our superintendent does. So, I'm
glad you got a chance to tour today. We'll continue to do that because it's getting exciting out there. So, here is our stadium remodel. You can see a ton of work being done out there. Um a couple things, as you know, um we had some contaminated soil. We found a few
things when we did some digging. Um our uh soil tested high for lead. So last week we put a product on the soil um processed it. It is still on site covered up. That soil is being tested and we should hear by tomorrow as to if
it's ready to go to a landfill or not. One of the things just to be looking forward to, I'm not sure I'm super excited about it, but we've got about seven tons of sand coming in that'll be part of putting this all together. So, we will be um utilizing um certain parts
of our our um our parking lot and making sure that we still um keep things open for our student athletes and our athletics. We've got that great play coming up. So, um we'll be working on that as we move forward. >> I can't even visualize how many tons.
>> Seven. >> Seven million. >> I can't even visualize that >> yet. Yeah. >> Trucks of sand. I'll count and then I'll passionately count that and report back. >> Okay. That's right. That's right. Have a four-year-old. That'll help.
>> There you [laughter] go. There you go. We could um have a fundraiser to have one of those extreme sandboxes because I think this will be extreme. [laughter] Um our pool remodel is coming up. You can see in this picture um our paint painting is happening in our upper
level. The rest of the walls will be a uh vinyl um uh tile uh wall. So that is not being painted. Um you can see this hallway. I think this is one of my favorite parts of this remodel where we'll have the family restrooms. So our
families who are coming in for community ed or open swims or hopefully joyous birthday parties um we'll have those individual rooms. So, um it's really transforming over there from what used to be very large outdated locker rooms. Um our middle school classroom
renovations. Here you see a picture of our cool carpet um in our band and choir rooms. And I know this is silly, but these doors just knock my socks off. Like I just love how they're shining. And um in the classrooms, we're putting in new flooring. Um we have select
classrooms that are getting painted, doors that are being um worked on. So really trying to make some upgrades on some selected classrooms as we move forward. That's it. Um we also just um don't have any pictures yet, but we have signed
contracts on both of our um uh both of our Vista remodels for both middle school. We got a tour of that today, what that'll look like, and then also here at the autism center. Um, so really excited about those getting started and give you some updates in August.
>> Thanks so much, Michelle. Any questions, board? >> Any comments from what you saw? >> I'm really excited to see it all come together. It already looks so much better and it's not even done. So, looking forward to it. >> I think the windows look great.
>> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Big upgrade. All right. Um, as we have done in the last few meetings, we revisit on a very tiny scale the um, work session uh,
because that is not published or livereamed, excuse me, and this way our public can hear about it. So, Liz is going to give like a 60-second overview of the much more robust presentation, but the slides are in here so our public can see them. Go ahead, Liz. Thank you. Hello, Superintendent Lewis, Assistant
Superintendent Cox, Lori, and school board. Um, thank you for your time today. Again, uh, the purpose of today's presentation at our work session was to provide an overview of the relaunch of our Fidley online academy and the work underway to expand highquality learning
opportunities for students uh, while supporting the district's strategic and financial goals. The presentation that is there is that highlights our online academyy's instructional [snorts] model. Thank you, David. For both elementary and secondary students, emphasizes
flexible learning options, uh, rigorous coursework, and comprehensive supports that are available to all students who enroll. Additionally, the presentation that is accessible, as Dr. Lewis shared, shares our outreach, um, our enrollment strategies that are being implemented and how we and my team at Academics and
Innovation are increasing awareness to reconnect with families and attract new students. Together, these efforts position the Fidley online academy as an innovative student- centered option that meets the diverse needs of our learners while strengthening the district's long-term sustainability. So again, the
full presentation is available to you online. Team Lori was able to fix our um activities update. So that link should be working to you and the general public. So Liz, excellent work.
Appreciate you. and you can stay or go. >> Um, we had our autism update in here, but I quickly just pulled that down because we are waiting to give that in August. Um, and as a reminder, my hope is that you'll be able to see a little
bit of the construction then too as part of that autism update. So, we're so excited about that. Um, we had a community leader gathering a little over two weeks ago at a co-op in Minneapolis and we just had outstanding turnout um
to hear about our Vista Autism Center. So, we're just really proud of that for their outreach. Uh, I am no longer ISD14 is no longer unfortunately a rot Rotary members, but we are able that was part of a budget reduction. We are able to uh
still present. Um so they invited us in and then um Principal Wrenchay presented on autism and Dr. Cochran presented on um virtual academy. It was interesting though I'm not a Rotarian anymore and
they didn't give me the coaster and I have nine but they didn't give me one anymore so I'm not sure what that was about but those two got him. I did not get a tenth one. Um, okay.
Transitioning over to our upcoming events here. Um, this is Thursday night, right? >> Yeah. >> We have our Hall of Fame evening at Forgotten Star. I'm going to leave off the rest of that there title. Um, it's a
social at 5, dinner at 6:00 and program to follow in the um, Fidley Golf Tournament, which is always a grand time. Friday, July 21st at Green Haven Golf Course at 100 pm. So with that board, thank you for your immense
patience here. This was again a lengthy one. Now that we have SOD modules done, hopefully um our our superintendent updates will be a little bit um quicker for you, but I appreciate that you allow us to be thorough. >> Awesome. Thanks for the the report, Dr.
Lewis. Next up on the agenda, we have our business action item. Um, we're looking at uh the next motion to approve would be the revision of policy 598, which we've all reviewed specific to school admission. May I have a motion? >> So, move.
>> Motion made by Shriner. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Have a second by Anna. Um, here we're going to have a roll call vote. Please signify your vote. Um, when I call your name, Miss Anna. >> Hi, >> Miss Jones. >> Hi, >> Mr. Carup. I Miss Shriner. >> Hi, >> Miss Stark. >> Hi,
>> Miss Yang. >> Hi. Uh, passes 6 to zero. Next up, I would entertain a motion for a resolution to approve the long-term facilities maintenance plan. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Motion by Jones. Do I have a second?
>> Second. >> Second by Anna. Um, here we roll call vote. Uh, Miss Anna. >> Hi. >> Miss Jones. Hi. >> Mr. Carnup is I. Miss Shriner. >> Hi. >> Miss Stark. >> Hi. Miss Yang
>> I. >> Motion passes. Uh, next up, as discussed with, uh, Ellers, I would entertain a motion uh, in regards to the borrowing borrowing resolution presented by Ellers. >> Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> I have a motion by Anna. Do I have a
second? >> Second. >> Second by Shriner. Another roll call vote. Miss Anna. >> Hi. >> Miss Jones. >> I. >> Mr. Carup is I. Miss Shriner. >> I. >> Miss Stark. >> I. >> Miss Yang. >> I. >> Vote passes. With that, do any other board directors
have any other items up for discussion? >> Okay. Yep. Um, I would like to discuss on changing the board roles. Do you want me to? >> Yeah. Go ahead. Yeah. Have a specific >> myself as treasurer. I would turn into clerkana.
Clerk Stark would be >> director and then Par would then be treasurer. >> Perfect. So I would certainly entertain a motion to place that discussion on next month's agenda. >> So moved. >> Motion made by Shiner. Do I have a second? >> Second.
>> Second by Stark. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. >> I. >> We can vote tonight. >> Okay. So I read this wrong then. Okay. So I would >> Can I Mr. Mr. Chair, can I offer clarity as to why? >> Sure. >> So, this is a decision that we've made
to keep things as transparent and moving as smoothly as possible over the next few months. We have um one of our upcoming meetings is the same day as my due date. And so, to not delay things like minutes being signed, although like that could be really fun, Rochelle, you could show up to my delivery room with
the paperwork and I could sign it in the moment. You could meet baby. um to keep things on schedule for the community, to keep things transparent for the community. This is being done um so that somebody else can be clerk to make sure things are signed and handled in an
appropriate timeline. >> I thought we were just holding the meeting in the delivery room. >> We could do that, too. They're pretty big now. >> Yeah, >> Mike could use the support for sure. [laughter] >> Awesome. Uh thanks Avana for that. Um so let's kind of redo this because it's a little bit different wording. Uh, I
believe a motion was made by Treasurer Anna to make some movements within um, our positions. Uh, Treasurer Anna would move to clerk. >> Clerk Stark would move to director >> and director Yang would move to treasurer.
>> Do I have a second for that motion that made by Anna? >> I'll second. >> Second by Stark. Um, I don't think we need a roll call vote here. So, all those in favor, please signify by saying I. >> I. All those opposed. That motion passes and I assume that change will be
effective immediately. Are there any other uh discussions that we'd like to have tonight? >> Um I think that it would be helpful to discuss the change in our um public forum and when we are able to start our
meeting following the public forum. But I would propose that we have a convers like I think that that's something that we should have a conversation about and so I'm wondering if that's something that we can move to the August work session. >> Sure. >> So I think there I would certainly entertain a motion uh tonight to add to
the August meeting to have a discussion specific to the timing of the public forum or the public comment in regards to our normal meeting. >> Yes. Do I have >> I would I would move that we have that discussion at our August work session.
>> Perfect. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Second. >> Second by Anna. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. >> I. >> All those opposed. >> Motion passes. And that will get added to the August agenda for discussion. Next. Are there any other discussions
anyone wants to bring up? No. Okay. Move up to the consent agenda, which includes the minutes of the June 16th business meeting and work session. our new contracts, amendments, leaves of absence, lane changes, terminations, resignations, and retirements. May I have a motion to approve the consent
agenda? >> Motion made by Yang. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Yeah. Second made by Anna. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. >> I. >> All those opposed. >> Motion passes. Next up, we have a very small list of
important school board dates. Thanks, Michelle. Uh, first up, we have um but now it's escaping me the play that's coming up. >> Shrek. >> Shrek. Shrek presentation on July 24th, 25th, 30th, and 31st at 700 p.m. And
then the matinea on August 1st at 2. Um, we have high school fall sports start on August 11th and sports physicals are available August 13th from 3 to six. Do we know what the location is for that >> at the high school? Perfect. And is
there a charge for that? Free, right? >> Awesome. That's which is great for our student athletes. And our next schoolboard meeting will be held uh August 17th here at the Fley Community Center at 7:30. With that being said, I would certainly entertain a motion to adjurnn. So moved
>> second made by Anna. A quick second by Stark. All those in favor please signify by saying I. >> I. >> All those opposed and we are adjourned at 9:18. Thank you everybody. >> Thank you.