Good evening everyone. Welcome to a regular meeting of the Pri Lake Board of Education. If everyone would stand as they're able and join us in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the
republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Uh, all members are present this evening. So, first on the uh on the docket is Laker Pride, Dr.
Thomas. Thank you. So, uh, thank you so much, Chair White. And uh I want to um highlight uh to uh our student board rep an F who is not able to join us this evening. But uh in her absence I do want
to just um share our appreciation for her. Um she'll be coming up on the end of her tenure here as a student rep. Uh, I think she's done a fabulous job and I really appreciate the student council at the high school um being a part of the conversation um here at the board
meetings because I think that brings a really unique perspective. Um, and I so I have a certificate uh to recognize her for for that. And I also just want to um congratulate her on being a board scholar as well. So, she's one of our uh top students in the district and so
we've got a a nice card for her along with everyone else um to recognize her and uh wishing her well as she goes off to college uh in the fall. So, and she's staying close, so I'm sure we'll keep tabs on her. So, all right. Thank you.
And then next is the superintendent report. Dr. Thomas. Yes. Thank you. Um Oops. So tonight I've uh asked uh principal Kabushek and Bezek to join us this evening to give us an update on um uh
how our new uh protocols around cell phones um namely at the secondary some changes there at the secondary and how that's been going this year. And so I'm going to ask the two of them to start off uh the update with um that brief report.
All right. Good evening, board chair White, other directors. Um, I want to just give a little bit of an update at the middle school. If you remember, um, we last spring had a group of teachers that were really kind of a driving force
behind looking at um, increasing our cell phone policy at the middle school because the previous year we had our policy where students had their phones away during the class period, but they had access during passing time and during lunch. And so we had a strong support of staff. Over 90% of our staff
were in support of expanding that. So we went to um a new policy this year where students had their phones away from 720, which is the first bell ring until 206. During that time, the phones should be in the students backpacks or in their lockers. Um I will report that it has
gone well this year. Um, you always wonder how a change like that is going to go. And you know, each grade level is different because our sixth graders are new. They're coming from the elementary. They haven't had their cell phones. It's not really new to them. It's going to be more our seventh and eighth graders that
have had some experience with cell phones during the school day. Um, but it's gone really well. Um, I would say on average we still maybe collect a couple phones a day, but that is hasn't been a problem. Um, we took a lot of time in the beginning of the year sending communication home with parents
so that they were aware of what the policy change was and it take took time with teachers and with students talking about what the procedures are, what the expectations are and what happens if a student is using their cell phone or technology during the day. Um, we continue to revisit those things with
students at the start of every quarter just like we do um the other expectations. Actually, I'll say as we move into next year, the group we need to spend more time educating is our parents because I would say the number one uh rule breakers are the parents texting their students during the school
day even though the students phones are in their backpack. So, um I think that we want to make sure that we connect with parents of if you need to get a hold of your student during the day, how what is that procedure look like? So, that's the update at the middle school. Thank you. Good evening. uh at the high school. Uh
we were looking at uh obviously we knew the middle school was having conversations and uh uh we were asked the high school if uh we wanted to go in that direction and we were already planning at limiting them during the uh class time and that's where we went that's where we landed. Uh I believe uh
I have I'm not aware of a high school in the metro that you know I interact with a lot of them that have gone to a full band. It's just not as practical at the high school students and their lives and things that they have going on. But we have uh cell phones off during class time. So, um and it's going well. I I
really do think it's going well. Uh we did a mid-year survey of uh staff and students uh and got 105 staff to respond and 1500 students on how they felt it was going. It was interesting to see the a little bit of dichotomy of opinion uh
between the two on uh how they feel it is affecting their uh daily lives. Uh and uh Jenny Zumbush has this so she could probably share this with you if you want to see the you know the broader survey but just pulled out a few things here. Uh positive impact on students
ability to focus. Staff thought it was at 89% felt that was they agreed or strongly agreed with that statement. students uh 20% were uh where they landed on that. Uh prompt students interact with their peers more. Staff
felt that that uh strongly of that at 80% and students were at 15. Uh would recommend we continue the policy. Staff was at 83% and students were at 14. And uh recommending a full ban. Would you
want to go to a full band? Staff was only at 32% on that. and uh students were at I've never seen students this united. They were at 2% on uh on that one. So, you know, I I think what we were doing is working. It's easier when we have that expectation that they're off in all classes in the past. We
didn't have that. Teachers would some would, some wouldn't. So, then you were the bad guy and it was just a little more confusing. So, it does make sense. That's what people were asking. So, now it's easy for everyone to say, "No, we just don't have them out during class time." So at passing or at uh uh at lunch uh you can look at your phones
because kids have jobs have parents that they're picking up younger kids and it's just it seems more realistic. So we're having and kids I think even though they're not crazy about it and would like to go back to hey I could use it whenever I want. Kids will follow
reasonable rules. So it seems like it's reasonable and it's working. So um yeah that's where we're at the high school. So any questions for George or John? Um, for either one of you, I understand the year's not over yet. Have you seen
any academic increase gradewise for either either high school, middle school? As far as that, you know, I anything would be anecdotal because how would you we don't have that isolated. Uh I think if you say if teachers are
saying that kids are more focused and uh you know less disruptions that that's going to have a positive impact but it's hard to say that that's an isolating factor on that. I would say that we have less of the uh I asked the APS I said anything that you'd want me to share because you know they deal more directly with things. They said probably see a
little less of the uh you know day drama on phones you know cuz sometimes if something happens everybody if everybody's on their phone you can things happen can spread instantaneously so you I think maybe a little drop in that but it's tough like I said it's
tough to yeah no I would echo the same thing as far as specific grades I wouldn't be able to give an answer to that but the teachers are definitely commenting on the engagement with the students and they're seeing the students even Though the high school students may say they're not connecting with their classmates as
well, the teachers are definitely seeing that connection between the students as they're talking in class. Um, and we also are seeing a definite reduction in um, cell phone issues related to school. Um, I have a question. I know when we
introduced the live more, screen less um, part of the concept was to get the kids to buy off on it. So, um, understand that that that has happened, my understanding at the middle school, but to Mr. Bez, how do you get the kids to buy off on this? You know, it's that
piece of this is reasonable expectation. You're in class. We have, you know, you're supposed to be focused on class. You can put it away for a half an hour, 45 minutes. You don't you can get by without needing to look. If you really had something you need to check, you get to check in between classes or you get
to look at it during lunch. And most kids are like, "Yeah, that makes sense." It's hard for them to argue that that's unreasonable. Thank you. Anyone else? Director Francston, are we still using live more screen less? I didn't think we were. No, we weren't looking. No, this is I think referencing the initial conversations
that we have today. Okay. Yes. Yes. Last year. Thank you. Anyone else? Okay. Thank you. Thank you both. And um you know, I think uh in just to add a little bit to this, I think we're we're shifting a culture particularly at the high school. I mean, there's a certain
level of dependency that unfortunately has been created and we're seeing multiple reports about that. So I think consistency in time and and that's going to be the key. Um you know the the culture that uh many folks adults as well are just glued to their phones to
detach from that you know um there you know even you start maybe you're looking at some of the same news stories I am with um AI chat bots and taking place of human relationships and having friends that are actually AI bots. um you know it's clearly we're we're going to a
whole different space with this and that's not what we're trying to replicate in our schools. So I think that it's it's consistency in time and I think similarly with our dress code policies too. Um, that's something that we want to make sure that we continually stay up on. Like as we go into this week
of almost 80 degrees, we'll start to do some reminders at our uh campuses to say, "Okay, remember we have a dress code policy that changed last year and the weather, you know, will let us know how the long-term memory is working versus the short-term memory." Um, so
again, we want to make sure that our schools are conducive for learning and respectful spaces that um all students feel comfortable. So, thank you both for your continued work on on that. Um, just a couple of quick more uh uh reports. Um just want to share that on May 19th we
plan to have a deeper conversation around um our budget and also um school closure type scenarios uh discussion and uh that will be on the 19th and in advance of that when we upload the uh documents to board book on May 12th on
that day any buildings that will be part of that discussion will be having some um conversations with um staff at those respective sites that first thing that morning because once it goes into board book, the chatter will start, you know, around the community. So, I just want folks to be aware of that that we're in
discussions around this. We're we're not making decisions on the 19th. Um, and so we'll have that conversation. And then we have our town hall on May 21st from 6:00 to 7:00. Likely be kind of an extension from where we land on the 19th to enhance um additional engagement with
our community. That will be at Prior Lake High School as we typically have it. And then last uh Thursday, May 15th at uh Prior Lake High School at their activity center is our annual uh retirement celebration, districtwide celebration. So feel free to come out uh
in the afternoon um to uh say congrats and thank yous to many of our folks who are going to do their next best thing and retire. So with that, chair, um I turn the floor back to you. All right. Thank you.
Next on the agenda or on the docket is uh one proclamation for school communicators week. Director Olstead, would you mind reading the proclamation? Absolutely. School communicators appreciation week, May 5th through the
9th, 2025. Prior Lake Savage Area Schools proudly recognizes May 5th through 9th, 2025 as school communicators appreciation week. Whereas National School Communicators Day is May 9th, 2025. Whereas clear, transparent
communication with students, families, staff, and the community is essential. Whereas school communicators build trust and support through effective outreach and engagement. Whereas they uphold high ethical standards and serve as strategic
partners to district and school leaders. whereas they amplify the district's mission, goals, and message to the broader community. Therefore, the board of education extends its sincere appreciation to all Prior Lake Savage Area Schools communication professionals
and declares May 5th through 9th, 2025 as school communicators appreciation week. Thank you for that proclamation. And uh I want to just thank our um small but mighty communications crew. uh uh whether it's Amy who greets you with a
smile each day out front or Julia who processes a lot of information for our community um or Liz who does her bi-weekly sauna in the back room there uh with our board meetings and Christy who's managing crisis communication or just strategic and general district
information and coordinating with a lot of community partners. This team is an amazing group and I'm uh truly blessed to be able to work with them each and every day as we all are throughout the district. So, thank you for recognizing them this week. All right, thank you. Next up is the open forum. This is
a 15minute period of time set aside for the board to receive citizen input. We do have a full docket of five speakers tonight. So, if uh each speaker would kindly respect the threeminut time limit would be greatly appreciated. Our first speaker is John Cry
um to speak on busing issues. I have four uh items I'd like to talk to you about. The first one is I'd like to go back to work. I am a bus driver on for busy um student transportation.
Um, on March of 15th of this year, I disarmed a third grade student on my bus from a with a lacrosse ball. His mother decided that I created
an assault and reported me to the police department. Um, at that point, obviously, I am no longer able to drive. The uh county attorney has not opened that file at all
at this point. And basically, I'm unable to drive my bus. So, I've been off for six weeks because I disarmed a ADHD student on the bus with a lacrosse ball.
Um, the other point I need to point out is you do not tell me at all about any student and their medical or other disciplinary issues and it's a big problem especially at the beginning of
the year. Um, just so you understand, if I was hit with that ball, the student was seven foot away from me and I'm going 55 miles an hour, we could have a significant uh
accident. Okay, I have been hit already twice this year with objects on the bus. Okay, so I would like to know more. I'd like to know more at the beginning of the year if there are students with this. Now, at the end of the year, after
the 10 uh bus conduct reports and discipline issues, they kind of tell everybody who they are. So, I kind of knew about this particular student. I will also tell you that this third grade student, in my opinion, sexually
assaulted a second grader. Okay? Um, so I would like to know more about it. I realize there's data practices involved and so on and so forth, but we really do need to know it for safety
issues. Now, obviously, um, I've been doing this for eight years, by the way, and I get the hard routes, okay? The ones that have all the difficult people on them. And we happen
to have a uh extra camera that's uh held over from the putting them in all the vans. And you'll never guess where my boss wants to put that camera in my
bus. Okay? And please, one more thing. If you're talking about uh cell phone usage, you need to understand that that needs to be part of the bus rules, too. You cannot record on the bus whatsoever.
And the elementary students should not even have cell phones on the bus. Please, it's very important. I can't tell you how many disturbances and so on that I break up every year with people taking pictures and uh
uh basically causing disturbances on the bus with their cell phones in the middle school. Okay. And thank you. I appreciate it. Next speaker is Katie Gabrio. talk about listening to student voices.
Good evening, Chair White, Dr. Thomas and directors. My name is Katie Gabrio. I use she her pronouns and I have two students in the district. I'm grateful to be a part of a district that is centered on students. They are the heart of the district and should be at the center of each and every conversation
you have at that t at that table and every decision you make. As a parent rep on the district's educational equity and excellence advisory committee, I served on the student voice subcommittee. I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to listen and um hear from student leaders
about their experiences in our schools and how they would like to depict those experiences on a mural in the high school media center. District students have navigated a lot over the last several years, including incidents of racial harm. Events that could have
easily built a wall of division among students. But did these students sit back and let that division build? No. They leaned in together, engaged in difficult conversations in learning, took action, and walked through those years together, finding that through
building bridges, they are now even more united as a student body. They have learned and honed a skill that many adults in our community, throughout our country, and around the world have failed to grasp. How to build bridges, fostering connection and belonging, even
while coming from different backgrounds, lived experiences, and belief systems. In this work, they have been a shining example to us all on how we need to move forward in this world. This strong and clear message has been one of my greatest learnings this past year. These
students are leaders now, continually working for unity, seeking understanding, and celebrating each other. And I can't wait to see the leaders they'll be once they graduate. It is clear why the mural design I believe they unanimously chose to have installed in the media center to reflect
their time in our schools and to inspire future students depicts the building of a beautiful bridge and the destruction of a wall. Inspired by phrases such as spreading love, not hate. to inspire love is understanding and building
bridges not walls. While the symbolism of bridges, connection and bridging gaps and walls, separation and division is not new, this message and the muralist's representation clearly depicts the reflection of student experience and
leadership in our schools and in our community. I want to thank all the students involved in this initiative and for illuminating for us what it means to be bridgeuilders and true leaders. And I ask all of you at that table to ensure
that our district is truly one that is centered on students supporting and lifting up student voices. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Mark Kleener to talk
about uh fifth grade teacher reduction concerns. All right. Thank you board members, Dr. Thomas for this opportunity to speak. I'm a parent of a second and fourth grader at Hamilton Ridge Elementary. I'm here tonight because of the proposal to eliminate a fifth grade teaching position at our school. This action
would force class sizes up to an unacceptable 32 to 33 students per per classroom. Pushing fifth grade classes to this size contradicts our district's educational mission and is detrimental to student success. At this critical age, effective learning hinges on teachers being able to provide
individual attention. Class sizes of 32 or more severely limits a teacher's ability to manage a classroom and meet the diverse needs of every child. We understand you face difficult budgetary dis discussion or decisions. However, your primary responsibility is to uphold
the district's mission by prioritizing student learning. Cuts must align with this mission. Eliminating essential elementary school teachers and increasing uh class sizes directly undermines the uh quality of education our district promises and harms our
children's foundational learning. I know that everyone sitting up here um tonight is committed to providing the very best for our students and several of you campaigned on raising test scores for our students in our district.
I would ask anyone to explain to me how increasing class sizes would achieve that goal. I contend it would do exactly the opposite. Therefore, I implore you to reject this proposal. Preserving effective classroom environments must be the absolute top priority. This decision
to eliminate a teaching position will negatively impact Hamilton Ridg's fifth grade students and teachers and potentially those in other elementary schools facing similar cuts. Please find an alternative solution that protects classroom quality and upholds our district's commitment to effective
education. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Don Leno. Leno again to talk about elementary level class sizes. Good evening, school board. Uh my name
is Don Leno and I also have a second grader and fourth grader at Hamilton Ridge Elementary School. Um tonight I'd like to focus on talking about my 10-year-old's class. He is part of the Prior Lake High School graduating class of 2033. My fourth grader has an amazing
teacher this year and is in a class of 24 students. I recently learned that next school year he will likely be in a fifth grade class of 32 to 33 students. I have tried to stay informed about school district happenings by showing up in this very room as often as possible
since our proposed district operating levy failed at the ballot last November. I'm not naive to the budget challenges that our D district is facing and the hard decisions that you have to make as a school board. I am aware of the large budget cuts that have been in the works
over the past months and in and sorry and that additional budget cuts are needed next year. I was in this room listening as class size increases were discussed this winter. So, while I've truly tried to understand what goes into the decision, when I learned that my
10-year-old could be in a classroom of 33 students in fifth grade, I simply couldn't see how this budget decision to increase the class-siz discussion cap is prioritizing our student centered vision for this district. Our strategic plan
states that one of our four top priorities is a positive learning environment where staff are valued and students can fully engage in learning. I would encourage you board members to see if you could visit one of our district's fifth grade classrooms and then pull in
some additional students so that 33 10 and 11 year olds are together in the room and then see how it goes. I understand that many fourth grade parents have started emailing about this concern and that we have received a response that class sizes are closely
monitored throughout the summer and adjustments will be made um as needed. So, I want to be clear that I do understand that enrollment numbers are a moving target updated weekly. I do understand that staffing changes are made well into the summer months as
needed. But the concern current fourth grade parents have um currently is not about hypotheticals that could happen based on various factors. The concerns we have are about about decisions that have already been made. We're concerned about how things stand currently based
on projected enrollment. We want you to reconsider class- size caps across all grade levels at the elementary school because 33 fifth grade students in a classroom is not acceptable for a school district that claims we are world class.
Lastly, when the levy failed last November, I knew the impact would be felt at every level in every building, by every educator, and eventually by every student. So, while I'm here advocating for one of my learners tonight, I understand that this exact
change will be coming to more of our schools and more of our grade levels next year. We have to do better for our students. Thank you. And our final speaker of the night is Amy Cherneki. Again, speaking on fifth grade
class sizes at Hamilton Ridge. Thank you. So close. Cernicki, but I always love to hear people just try it just for fun. I gave it a shot. Yes. Thank you. Thanks for your good support. Uh my name is Amy Cernicki and I am uh a parent of
a current fourth grader at Hamilton Ridge Elementary. I also have a sixth grader at Hidden Oaks. Um and I am here on behalf of a fifth grade teacher at Hamilton Ridge Elementary that I'm going to read um what they asked us to bring
to the table tonight. So, thank you for having us. To the members of the school board, I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the current fifth grade class size at Hamilton Ridge Elementary, which
is projected to start the upcoming school year with 33 students in a single classroom. As an educator, I respectfully urge you to consider adding an additional section of fifth grade to ensure a more effective and supportive
learning environment for our students. Large class sizes present significant challenges to both teaching and learning. In a room of 33 students, it becomes exceed ex exceedingly difficult for teachers to work with small groups or provide individualized attention,
both of which are crucial during this formative academic year. Students at this age vary widely in academic readiness and social emotional development. A smaller class size allows teachers to differentiate instruction more effectively, tailor
support, and foster meaningful relationships with each student. Moreover, communication between school and families, an essential component of student success suffers when a teacher is responsible for maintaining individual contact with the families of
over 30 children. Building strong homechool connections takes time, trust, and consistency. All of which are harder to achieve with such a large group. Starting the year with an overcrowded classroom sends a message that
compromises must be made at the expense of student learning and teacher well-being. Research consistently shows that smaller class sizes are linked to better academic outcomes, improved classroom management, and higher retention. In short, adding an
additional fifth grade section is not merely a logistical adjustment. It is an investment in student achievement, equity, and the quality of our school community. Thank you for your time, attention, and continued commitment to the best interests of our children. I
hope you will seriously consider this request before the new school year begins. Sincerely, a fifth grade teacher. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, moving on. Um before I entertain a motion to
approve the agenda, just a reminder that I'm going to we're going to pull uh is it uh 14 C the discussion around the ad hoc negotiations committee and we'll move that to the close session as a larger uh discussion around uh
negotiation strategy. So having said that I will now entertain a motion to approve the agenda. So made by vice chair bullion. Second. Second by Director Johnson. All in favor signify by saying I. I.
Opposed. That carries 70. Next on the agenda is the consent agenda. These are items that are considered routine in nature and will be enacted in one motion. Is there anything that anyone wants to pull from the consent agenda this
evening? Okay. Having hearing none, I will entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda. So by director France, second by director Olstead. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed. That motion
carries 70. And next is a resolution for the acceptance of gifts that I will find here shortly. Okay. Uh we have uh several gifts tonight. Um from the Laker Education Foundation
uh for $5,124 for spring grant awards. From Mr. tag worker. $500 uh for Westwood Elementary resources and supplies from the Pri Lake Lions Club. $2,500 for community education youth
scholarships from Enterprise Knowledge Partners. $200 for uh CE youth scholarships from the Pry Savage Optimus. $1,000 for endofear service awards from the Pryl Lions Club. $1,000 for end of the year service awards from
the Prylick Rotary Rotary. $3,000 for the Powow at Prylick High School from the Prior Lake Rotary. $1,000 for the mural in the high school media center from the uh Prile High School softball boosters. $33,000 for a new scoreboard
at Dagot Field. From PLAWY, $28,270 for wall ball at Twin Oaks Middle School. and from the Prior Lake Girls Lacrosse and Laker Athletic Booster Club $16,000
$16,116 for a wall ball at Twin Oaks. This will require a roll call vote, but I have a uh motion to approve these gifts. So made by Director Johnson, second by Director Atinson. Any
discussion? All right, hearing none. Uh Director Olstab I. Director Johnson. Hi. Director Atinson. Hi. Vice Chair Bullion. Hi. Director France. Hi. And Director Mason. Hi. And I that carries
70 with much gratitude. Yes. And then next we do have uh Jamie Anderson and Mary Kayen from the Laker Education Foundation to speak on the spring grants. We have a 10 this one all the way
right. My apologies. All right. One second everybody. Okay. We also have a gift um to the private Savage area schools um from the United States Tennis Association totaling 48,000 $75 for the
resurfacing of the tennis courts at Prylick High School. And I will entertain a separate motion to accept that gift. So made by director Atinson. Second. Second by Vice Chair Bullion. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor?
Uh, I we have to take this in a roll call. All in favor, this will be a roll call vote. Director Olstead, I. Director Johnson, I. Director Atinson, hi. Vice Chair Bullion, I. Director France, I. Director Mason, and I. And that carries
at 70. Now we will move on to the Laker Education Foundation Spring Grant Awards. Awesome. Thank you so much. Um, good evening, uh, Chair White, Dr. Thomas, uh, fellow, uh, directors. My name is Jamie Anderson. I'm the executive director for the Laker
Educational Foundation. Um the Laker Educational Foundation or LEF uh serves to inspire and enrich innovation, creativity, and excellence uh for the staff and students of Prior Lake Savage Area Schools. Um we really work to um engage with our community, engage with
our students and staff in a variety of different methods. Um so we have some different community outreach um events. We partner with a lot of um community partners, Rotary um optimist um fellow businesses in our um Prior League Savage area space. Uh and we also do some
fundraising and our fundraisers um help us to support our students and staff at Prior Lake Savage area schools through our uh annual grant program. So we offer this program in the spring of every year. um staff are encouraged to submit a proposal um that will serve um their
students in a way that again u meets our mission to inspire and enrich creativity, innovation, and excellence. Uh so we're looking really looking for some unique um ideas from our staff that are really going to help our students really um push the limits on their educational experience. So, um, this
year, um, we have a a member of our grant committee, Mary Kaen, who is going to share a little bit about the grants, um, that we awarded this year and how we presented them to our staff. Thank you. Um, I just want to share very quickly, I'm a retired teacher of the
district and very proud to now be able to be on the foundation um, board and to be able to give back to the district uh, by helping students continually. Um, our grant process, like Jamie said, started in the spring and then first part of April, the grant committee met and we
reviewed all the grants and determined the ones that we were recommending to be uh granted or to be recipients. And then after that, we met with the district's leadership team, took feedback and recommendations from them, and then it went to our LEF board. And again, we had
to kind of uh after we had our financial report, we had to make some modifications with the amounts, but we were still able to follow through with the grants that um we originally ended with based on the leadership uh recommendations. um to review them very
briefly. Um there were communication boards that were at I believe it's uh twin hidden oaks and these are communication boards that would be in public areas uh such as a cafeteria, the gym in the pod areas. So students that
um are dealing with speech and language challenges, they would have a way of communicating with the staff as well as with um their peers. And this one we could only partially fund. So, we are setting up, we're taking the initiative of doing a fund a need at our food truck
fest on May 17th where people can donate additional monies to this particular grant. Um, another one was uh for German classroom uh novels and this is going to be combined u between middle school and high school. So, it's a grant that's
being split between both but the teachers are looking to have actual novels for students in German. So they have some uh when they have free reading time, they're continually challenging themselves by able to expand their knowledge of the German language. Uh the
quiz enhancement for social studies, this is a program that provides a variety of different avenues for students to take assessments and it provides um uh various ways that students with different learning styles
will be able to understand and follow through with their knowledge. uh in social studies, the ninth grade compass program. This one is a fund to need as well. And so for this one, it's providing tools for staff that work with the ninth graders during orientation and
the foundations week. And it gives them tools that will enhance communicate building commun communication and relationships with staff in the building, but also the peer-to-peer relationships so they're feeling more comfortable as they transition to the high school. the STEMtastics learning
bins. Uh this is STEM resources in the Spanish language and uh this one um of course is uh promoting the scientific lit uh literacy but in Spanish for the students. Another one for our Spanish immersion program is the library
collection enhancement. And for this one, um, it's updating resources for the first graders who do research in the area of Spanish countries. And then it's also updating resources for fourth graders who um, uh, do research on um,
the United States. And for this one, we were only able to partially re uh, support. So we are encouraging them to reach out to their PTC in the building to see if they can give additional resources because it's replacing resources that are 10 to 20 years old.
So it's giving them more current ones. the digital clocks. Uh this was at um Jeffers Pond and it's providing digital clocks throughout the building uh the hallways, the cafeteria, the gyms and um some students have a hard time with
analog clocks and so it's going to promote better telling time as well as some students not having the ability to stay on task but having the digital clocks as reminders to them. And this one, we also encourage them to reach out
to their PTC for additional funding. The calming room at the high school, this one was also going to be a fun need. And for the calming room, it's um creating a different atmosphere, a more calming atmosphere in the room. And this is for
students that deal with neurological trauma. And um it's a center-based program. And it supports students when they're having a difficult time. It's helping them to self-regulate and having a room that will have the sensory tools.
And the exciting thing about this one, it's a collaboration with the occupational therapist, the special education department, and the family and consumer science department. And in fact, they the interior design uh classes doing the the walls and the
coloring in the room. And then the special ed uh department and occupational therapists are looking for the sensory tools that the students would need. Um then there is the 12th grade diversifying uh book choices and this is for 12th grade English and it's
giving students for their book club unit um opportunities to select uh novels that are a little more current that they're seeing in the bookstores that they're seeing um online and uh without always relying on the classics and so
being able to read some current novels and then have those discussions with their fellow classmates. Um then we have the enhanced play-based learning and this one is also going to be a fund to need and this one supports um uh providing opportunities for
students to learn through play and this is at Westwood Elementary and providing them the tools such as like toys, kitchen materials, house play, all of those things that are so beneficial for students um in those early years and
understanding the social emotional um learning that goes on through those uh tools. And then the final one is mud kitchens and this is also a fund to need. Um and this is um at Edgewood and providing more materials for students in
a very natur center play area and to utilize that area that we have at Edgewood and again giving students opportunities to use these tools for problem solving, communication skills with their peers. Um, so it enhanced that experience for young
children. So, we're excited to present these grants. Um, and we did this in a fun way. Um, a week ago, last Friday, we crashed the classroom. We coordinated with the building principles. We had the large check that the district has. And
we crashed each classroom and went in and told the teacher what they were receiving. they got their grant packet, but it was also exciting to see the students and their excitement. Even 12th grade students were excited. So, you can check our website on the district site
uh for the pictures of the students and the teachers receiving um the grants. And based on that, I guess the only thing we have to say is we look forward to seeing you at the food truck fest on May 17th, 3 to 3 to 7 on Main Street.
All right. Thank you. And before before the two of you leave, I need to present a certificate of appreciation of our partnership and all the support you're providing our staff. Um I'm going to ask that you step forward and tell us Yeah.
Oh, okay. Just because you're retired. So, thank thank you both. Really appreciate you and all the district. All right. Thank you, Chair White. Can I ask a quick question? I'm sorry. Can I ask a quick question? You may. Um, I
missed it. Um, and apologies if it's somewhere in here and I missed it, but what was the total? Um, over It was $5,100. So, $5,100. Okay. Yeah. Thank you. And then why don't you share how much we've given total over the years?
Mhm. on the spot. 305,000. That's amazing. Yeah. Thank you very much. Thank you. And you do not have to ask me twice to go to food truck festival. Some really great vendors this year and live music. It'll be fun. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Thank you for your generosity. Um I just have a question
about the clocks. Um are they taking down the analog clocks to replace them with the digital clocks? No. Okay. They're just adding the digital clocks to what they have. Okay. because it kind of breaks my heart knowing that kids don't know how to right read a clock and so and I understand also from teachers that they use them for some of their
math um curriculum as far as teaching angles and stuff like that. So um it's encouraging to hear that the the other clocks will stay up. So thank you. Anyone else? Thank you very much again. Yeah, thank you. Next on the agenda is personnel items.
Uh Director Herman Chair White, members of the board, there are no personal items for tonight. Okay. Thank you. We have no unfinished business. Uh so in new business, we have a budget update. Director Frederickson.
Thank you, Chair White, members of the board. Um you have two documents in your packet. These were two documents that we presented last Tuesday to the finance advisory committee um to get some feedback on. they have requested some
additional information. So, we will we're working on putting together some more detailed information for you that we'll present um at the 19th board meeting. But basically, the the big huge spreadsheet, which I'm sure nobody can read because it's
teenytiny. I apologize, but we're trying to put all the information on one sheet. Um, we tried to break down this time um to be as fiscally transparent as we can.
We listed all of the state aid num um descriptions and then u down the sides and then across the um things that we have that we spend the dollars on. So, we have the state aid, the levies, uh
the other funds, and then the second page is how we're allocating all of those resources. So, um one of the things that you'll see is um the revenue that we're anticipating
is 122.2 2 million about and then um we're looking at the second document is from our audited financial statements. It shows you all of the um fund balances that we currently have and you'll see that we have a reserve a section for
reserve fund balance. Those are dollars we've already gotten into the district. It's money we have in the bank, but you can't spend it on anything other than what the revenue was intended for. So if you don't spend it that year, you're required to put it into a reserve fund
balance for future use for only those reasons. So um one of the things that you'll see um on this spreadsheet is um that we're including um the
$982,000 from fund balance for the several of the different categories. Um, for instance, literacy aid, um, capital or long-term facilities maintenance, um, staff development, and some compensatory
dollars. So, those are all money that we currently have. We're just, uh, looking at using those dollars to kind of round out, um, the allocations that we have. So all when all said and done, we've got
123, call it 123.2 million in expenses. And if you include that um restricted fund balance, it'll be 122.2 million in revenue. So again, next board meeting, we'll have a much more thorough breakout
of all of the uh where the um expense report or expense numbers are different from they currently are this year. Um, we did reduce the budget this next year by the $4 million, but as we
updated the expenses for next year, there were some things that um actually increased for next year. So, for instance, special education, we did not make any reductions in special education. So, obviously, their salaries are going to continue to increase um
with the needs of the kids. So, uh, you won't see any reductions on the special ed section, but again, we're going to have a very detailed sheet for you at the, um, 19th board meeting. Any questions? Um, I had several that I sent in
actually and I don't know if we want to cover those now or go more into detail on the 19th, I guess. But um I I think we've discussed a lot of it too with the finance committee. But I don't preferences. Would you prefer to
meet privately with director Verdict instead of discussing here or um Well, I mean I guess we're going to get a detailed update on the 19th. Would that make more sense? Well, I think that the general question also, you know, from from both the finance committee as as we reviewed is just um what where the
increase in expenses came from um as from prior forecast, which I think was around the October time frame when it was submitted. So, um you know, if you take the October forecast that was submitted plus our $4.1 million worth of cuts, we've added about $2.4 million
worth of expenses. And just trying to understand um where that's coming from. um if you could either bring that to the May study session um to have available for discussion I guess maybe that's fine but um I think that would be helpful and then just being able to compare to prior
years um and then I think you know my second you know just comment is I'm not personally a fan of um looking at using reserve funds um I know they're restricted for purposes but
um I do think that we need to come forward with expenses lower than uh our revenue and and making sure that we have uh some contingency in there as well. So yeah, sorry. Thank you. Yeah, I was in that finance meeting as well and I think
I would like to also understand where we started at from uh back in November how the expense number changed. Um, so I think you know if I think it'd be helpful actually to see the same documents we saw in November when you started the B budget process from a
consistency standpoint so that we're seeing the same numbers and then we can you can help us understand where you saw the changes. Um, I also understand we are seeing an increase in revenue which is wonderful. So how are we using that revenue to like where is that revenue
going or where has it been allocated? Um, you just mentioned something that's really interesting to me. You said that something about special education and I thought we did make cuts per Michelle Cuka's recommendation for some paras. And so I'm curious what the change was
there. Yeah, there was I think four paras reduced, but there were no teachers as we cut the um $4.1 million. There were no teachers in there. So the teachers salaries are going to increase um based on their contracts. So there was no reduction there. You're actually
going to see an increase. I think also something else that's been very interesting on top of my mind is that as we see a large number of retirees, those are probably the most highest level of tenure teachers at some of the higher levels of salary. So as teachers retire and we hire lower level
tenure teachers, I'd love to understand how that impacts the budget as well. So I can I can just kind of give you an update on that. um because we were cutting staff this year or for next year, those retiring teachers, very few of them are actually being replaced. So,
they are part of the reductions. Um and when we looked at the salary for next year um because we're far enough into the year, we are actually taking everybody's current salary this year and increasing it by the step in um in their
contract. So, we have actual salaries rather than projections. So, we're able to give you real numbers for next year um with the exception that we haven't got a contract that's settled. So, there will be presumably some changes in the
contract settlement, but we advanced everybody um an automatic step. Can I ask a question about that? Actually, also, can I add something really quick? Sorry. I just think it might be important to for context. Um we're also um the last I would say two
to three years. We're in a new staffing um environment than we have been in the past. In the past we've had a lot of new teachers that when we do hire we're hiring them on at step one, step two. That is not what we're seeing in the market at all anymore. We're seeing where there's teachers moving from different districts and in order to fill
these positions where in the past we maybe had 10 to 15 applications, we now have like one to two. we're having to place them on steps higher than one to two in order to get them to meet their experience that they're bringing forward to us. Um so while in the past um
replacing um retired teachers with different teachers may have seen a bigger cost savings, we're just not seeing that anymore because we are bringing new teachers on at higher step placements than one and two because we're getting more experienced teachers coming into our system versus newer teachers. So I would say that has
definitely been a swing um in the last three two to three years. Good to know. Thank you. I apologize for interrupting. I just wanted to add that context. Appreciate that. I think related to that I guess I was trying to understand too like from a forecasting perspective you know you know the existing teachers and
the steps and the contract obviously isn't changed. So what from a forecast perspective changed from October to now. Right. So, I don't know if there were um I mean, if these are existing employees, you know, when they're eligible for step
up, right? And um those contracts or is that not included in your forecast originally? It is included in the forecast, but again, you're looking at it at a point in time. We're projecting what they're going to look like by the end of the year, projecting that out,
doing some kind of um assumption that you're going to make for salary increases. But as you get further in the year, you actually know who those people are rather than just assuming that um the people
from last year are being carried forward into the current year. I mean, you you're always going to be assuming um two years or three years down the road, you're just assuming a
a inflationary increase, not necessarily looking at every person um as you're updating your salary schedule or your um employee list. Sure. And if I can add to that quickly again, um the other the other thing is
um step advancements are not automatic. They do have to reach a certain threshold of days worked in order for them to to reach that that advancement. And the other um really big component that we don't know yeartoear is lane advancement. So where they advance the lanes, that's when they're turning in their course credits, they get it
pre-approved, they submit their application. Um so those are the those are the the movements that we have more firmed up towards the end of the year that we can anticipate for the following year. So, um, and that has the lane movement has increased, um, this year in comparison to what we've seen in the
past as well. Okay. Oh, I was just going to say um, one other thing that came out of our meeting on um, Tuesday that I want to um, share with the other board directors is that there was some conversation about Reed Act and the funding that we received
this year that maybe we didn't spend all the funding and that's why it's in the um, the fund balance. I personally would love to understand how much flexibility is in using that money like instead of using it for professional development could we use it to hire literacy coaches or that type of thing and you don't have
to answer right now but I'd love to understand statutoily or you know what could we possibly use that money for and then if we are taking the money out of fund balance which I defin I haven't supported since I've sat on this board um what are we specifically using it for
is what I would like to understand um for our next meeting. So specifically, it's on this spreadsheet. It's the green highlighted for each of the columns. It's that dollar amount from those exact purposes for the funding, the revenue
stream. I understand that. I understand the numbers and the revenue stream it's in. But if we're spending money out of LTFM, are we buying cameras for buses? or are we buying um like my understanding of money that comes one-time spend money out of our fund
balance should be an investment in our district. Um and so I think it was helpful the first year that we I was sat on the board that we we did have visibility to that what those one-time funds spends were for and I I just I would like to understand that before I
can um Director Atinson if I if I may. Yeah. So just a couple of quick things. Um, with regards to the restricted fund balance, I I I want to be clear for the board and our our public. Um, when we're talking about fund balance in general,
that's the fund balance that the board has set their policy thresholds around at a minimum and kind of your your range, okay? That 8% minimum. What we're talking about here is restricted reserves um that has been paid to us for
staff development. And um for example, some of that staff development dollars that we have in here, we're earmarking because we know we've got new um we we have new literacy standards coming. We know on the horizon we're going to have new math standards coming and we're going to have new science standards. And
I'm not going to hold my breath for social studies. I think that's going to swirl for a little bit longer. But that money that we receive, if we don't use it all, we hold that in reserve. So when we do find these um uh uh upcoming uh
reviews that we might have to do for so for example uh we'll be speaking next week with our or what is it next week teaching learning committee um around um uh how the whole adoption cycle works as well as how we begin to look at
resources in the market and we may need to uh bring and kind of test drive some of these resources to see how they um perform and uh students respond to them, etc. Well, that money comes from some of our staff development money that we have set aside that we didn't use maybe in a
previous year and or we found a curriculum that didn't come in at the same cost. We've found some savings in our curricular purchases. So, the PD um requirement might be a little bit different and so we can put that into that restricted reserve and and so I just like our board and our community to understand um
pulling out of restricted reserves is different than pulling out of fund balance. They are fundamentally different pots of money. The restricted reserves are money that have been in uh resources that have been encumbered by the state. The state has paid us a check for those specific purposes. If we found
ways to be more nimble with our resources to kind of hold them and kind of accumulate because we know there's a big adoption coming, we might kind of hold on that and then pull that for those types of adoptions, etc. So, I just want to be clear that we can talk
about how we'll spend some of the uh reserves that we've identified in those green columns so you have a better sense on where we think we're going to use this. And to your last question or part of your question, Director Atinson, um using like PD money for uh lit uh
literacy coaches. Great idea. That's an ongoing cost. That's not a one-time cost. So, we wouldn't ever do that ongoing in a restricted reserve. So, um would love to do that. Um but unfortunately that wouldn't be something that we would use our restricted reserves for. If I can also add the the
literacy aid, there is actually three different pots of money from for literacy aid. One of them that we have in here can only be used for to pay teachers for training. And there was anou that I believe this board signed
off on. that is what those literacy aid dollars for teacher training is to be used for. And then there's um there's a literacy aid, they used to call it literacy aid. I think they're expanding the name, but um it's based on third
grade reading scores that we get every year. We've gotten it for years and years and that has more flexibility. So that's a separate column on the spreadsheet for that literacy aid. But the the ones that they have for the teacher training is very specific in
statute that you can only use it to pay teachers for training. And then there's another pot that you can use for um curriculum or some of those other things. But um this that we have in here is for those teacher training dollars.
So it's almost like and help me understand. It's almost like this using the the term fund balance is kind of a little bit misleading as I look at this. It's more like it's prior year's revenue that we didn't use. Yes. And so, and for whatever reason, uh, and so I guess
technically it's called a fund balance, but it's really not. We're just spending a prior year's revenue in a different year. So, if that helps anybody understand, we have to report it that way to the state. They're very, I'm sure, um, strict about how we're going
to report that under the account codes. And I think that makes sense like what we talked about the finance committee too is like I think we said $300,000 that was sitting in there earmarked for the redact perfectly makes sense to use that money. We've been saving it for that purpose. I think what we're trying to understand is some of the other
things like out of LTFM what is that money earmarked for? Because is you know I would like to understand the criticality of what we need to use that money for or are we better off saving it just in case another boiler goes out or some catastrophic event happens to our building. Right? That that's what I
would like to understand. And I can I can bring some more information on the 19th, but um director Powers has presented his LTFM plan and I think if you'll notice on the LTFM plan, he is overspending for next year in his project or his proposal and that's
because there is LTFM money in restricted fund balance. So that aligns with this 294, right? Okay. I look at that. The LTFM is got a formula assigned to it and it's based upon age of building. So it is levied. there's certain things that only you can spend
that on. Um, and then we have a maintenance budget that is part of the general fund that sometimes supplements it, but uh, for the most part, most of the LTFM needs to be presented to the state. We vote on that a tenure every year and uh, that's where we need to
spend it on on some of the things do get rolled off or rolled up etc. But we can't spend it on anything other than that's on that list basically. Correct. But it's still a reserve balance for kind of the just in case things down the road we could potentially use for there's always
trade-offs, right? That's under LTFM. We can't pull it and use it to hire a teacher. We Yeah. Yep. But it's for buildings. So we need to also keep a balance for unknowns. I just want to address one thing. Well, absolutely.
This might be a clarifying issue for the group on especially with LTFM funds. the uh the state when we have our budget for the LTFM, the the budget should mean remain neutral every year the same. It
shouldn't go up or down. They want you to average out to being um zero dollars in reserve over a certain amount of time. That's their goal. They want you to use this money as you receive it um specifically for those projects. So they
they frown upon us holding money over. or they frown upon us overspending money for any of those particular year groups. But what they do allow us to do is like we were able to do this year and what the district has done in past years,
they overspent their LTFM money. So they have to make up that amount in following years. So we had several years where we overspent by a considerable amount. So then the last couple years we held back that spending so that we could get back down to that zero mark. Um, so we ended
up with a little bit of a budget balance last year because we didn't spend anything on those projects. So the goal that the state would like us to do is to make sure and spend up that balance. Agreed. It would be nice to hold a certain amount in reserve just in case we do have those hidden boilers go out
or anything along those lines. Their goal though is to make sure that that carryover amount is as low as we possibly can. But Dan, just to qualify, um, and I want to make this clear because you just said on the record, we didn't really overspend as much as when we, let's say, when we did the road
construction and the stuff between, let's say, Twin Oaks and Hidden Oaks, we combined some stuff in there that we had, we were going to do later. It was cheaper to do it all at once, that sort of thing. So, we went up and then we the stuff that we didn't spend on the future
on that forecast then kind of got rolled up into it later on. So it didn't Yeah, that's exactly it's kind of a roller coaster as long as the average stays there and we keep it as close to zero as possible. That's exactly correct. So that's that's their goal is that we maintain that number as close to the
actual budgeted amount chair white board directors on that same this is a conversation we had in in finance committee as well that the general rule of thumb with MDE is that we are not cash coffers. So the money generated in the academic year by the students who
are enrolled should be receiving the benefits of every dollar that they generate in that same current year. Now we know there's not going to be a true dollar fordollar like we talked about the eb and flow. Um and then we know that we're going to have some grade levels or some years where kids have
really high needs and then some years where kids don't have a lot of needs. And so our resource support might go up and down. Um but even though we get that flat funding from the state. So a general rule of thumb MDE expects that
we don't just hold resources generally we want to spend on that zero average. So Director Johnson you had a question. Yes. Um understanding the the readact here the
staff development as well. Um maybe if you can lay out a little bit more would would that be also used for redact training next year or is that going to be used for something else? And feel free if you don't if you don't know the answer, right? We could definitely have
a discussion later on in the month. I understand that that's going to cost a lot and we're going to pay a lot for that. So it would be understandable. Um so so one of the things I wanted to point out uh relating back to theou that we spoke about at last week's meeting uh
we unlike some districts that went to a one-year process to get through the training we've taken two years because we had time built into our schedule and we were in the midst of uh we're in the midst of a new specific at the elementary level year two of a math
implementation. So, we slowed down uh if you will uh which did result in some reserve funding there for that and saved that money to spend for the unexpected uh situations where we have staff
transitioning in and out uh during that two-year plan because everybody needs to be complete by June 30th of 2026. So, for example, any transitions of new staff into this year, we have to be able to catch them up, either pay them this
summer or into next school year to extend uh their training. And we had some staff who we trained in advance of this. So, uh that's one uh place where we will potentially have some additional expenditures. And then also, as Dr. Thomas was talking about, we'll be
sharing more detail uh around this topic at the teaching and learning next week. uh so we can come with uh some additional information here at the board table on the 19th with regard to that implementation of uh field testing some resources that we want to uh consider
and any costs associated with that as well. And if I can just clarify there there is the read literacy aid money for those readact implementations and then there's also a staff development um column in there that you'll see. We are
required by statute to set aside 2% of our um revenue for staff development. Can't be used for anything other than staff development. So that includes textbooks um any training. We give uh money to the schools. We reallocate
money out to the schools for them to buy curriculum and um textbooks. And again, if you look at the fund balance from the audit, there is staff development money in there. So again, we don't necessarily spend it all or we didn't last year. So
we're taking um some additional of that restricted fund balance for next year, the 238,000 to anticipate some of the staff development needs that we have for next year, but we are required to set that 2% aside. Um we don't have an option on
that. Okay. Thank you. I got one other question. So, I just went back to the the budget book that you put together um and understanding that everything is a forecast um with the projected
2526 projection that you had in there. Um and I I could just reference a page number and feel free to get back um whenever it was page 22 there. just with the cuts that we made on there, it was
almost 125 million um versus what we have on here. It just everything didn't really add up. So, if you you could either reply back to everyone, that would be phenomenal just to for the 19th. I think that would be great. That's one of the preparing for you for
the 19th that's going to break down each of those categories. So you'll be able to see exactly all of the increases and decreases and you can see right where we cut the $4 million and then where there were no reductions. Excellent. Thank you. I appreciate it. Dr. Atinson. Yeah.
And then Tammy, will you be able to um show historical information in the budget because I think the document that you shared with us in November from where we started, it's basically titled revenue/expenses. Um it'd be helpful I think to show as we've worked through
this budget process now where we've landed. So um I just don't know if you're are you planning to update that as well or I think that's what this spreadsheet is intended to the big spreadsheet that you have in front of you. Those are the expenses. This one
doesn't show the historical. So there's you know it doesn't show like where we were last year or the year before or whatever. And I think that the page 22 in your um book does show doesn't it show the historical? Yeah, it shows the actual. So that's what I was referring to. Yeah,
Director Atinson, those are actually the sheets that were updating. So um that had I think that came from our scenario sheets in the fall and those are the ones that we're going to try to identify where the increases and decreases
occurred. Um again from the forecast to where we came in as actuals and then where was it? So at the finance committee last week we mentioned like three broad areas that made up for a big a significant portion of that delta um in terms of the expend expenditures from
from the forecast. And so that will be broken down. I believe that's the document that she's referencing that we'll have for deeper discussion. It's in our November board book um called revenue/expenses. So, and it's also this similar to this page 22, but um I think another like flavor of that was in last
April's um finance committee like this budget. So, the categories are just different. So, it's hard to like understand where the increases are from last year. So, like special ed was one that you know caught my eye where I know I think last year we had around 21 million but this year I just see a line
item for 6.5. So, no, actually on I don't know if it's like embedded in the in the there's a separate line item on the big spreadsheet for special education. It said um 206 million. I miss it.
There's a 6.5 like third up. No, state special education. It's like right there's the unemployment column and access column and state special ed. Yep. there kind of like in the middle and it's 17.7 million. Okay. And then
there's a federal special ed right in the next column. That's it's the fifth column after the second green box at the top. Um Director Mason. Okay. Yeah. But it's separated. I see what you're saying. So it's sliced a little differently. So it's separated by
school. I got it. Yep. Okay. We disagregate it on the left. Yep. Per the large aggregated column of categorical age. That's the same with your question about the utilities and the transportation. They were one line last year on that other one and we put it in
a separate column so you can see actually how much goes to schools versus how much goes to the department. So we were trying to make this detailed allocation that you have for 2526 much more detailed and transparent
of where all of the money goes in each of the categorical and show where the school how much the because I think on that spreadsheet that you looked at from last year if you look at how much was spent just in that school column it was like 63 million but
if you look at this spreadsheet it's 95 million because there's a lot of all the embedded school that are embedded in the department. That's why it was hard to compare like apples to apples like if one school has gone up dramatically versus another because it's all diced a little differently. So that's what I was trying to understand. Okay. I don't know
if it I mean if there's a way to tie it back to prior year. I guess it'd be helpful to see just like where the increases are. And I think that will be the update on the sheet that Director Johnson just mentioned that we talked about I think at um finance committee last week. Yep. That's one that um her
and Andrea will be working reworking kind of retro as much as we can um to convey that. Any other questions? I just wanted to qualify. Uh Dr. Edwards, she kept on talking about theou that we discussed. We actually voted on thatou
for the readac training and went through a lot of this discussion last week and we voted on it at the beginning. So we're not talking about anotherou, are we? No, we're done with that. We've already Okay. All right. Thank you. Next item on the agenda is approval
of issuance of 2526 purchase orders. Director Frederickson. So, this is not anything new. We do this every year. uh because we have staff that leave our buildings for the summer, they um try to get orders in for um things at the
school that they're going to need when school starts because they don't come back in time to get all these orders in. So, we just asked the board for approval to issue um purchase orders now for 2526. It won't be paid for out of this
year. We're just issuing the POS um so that we'll have the orders for when school starts, but it will be taken out of next year's budgets. Is there a motion to approve uh the advanced purchase orders? So made by
Vice Chair Bullion. Second by Director Mason. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor signify by saying I. I carries 70. Moving down to policy, we do have a
second and final reading on a number of 200s tonight. Um, I would entertain the the idea of approving them all in one motion unless there's a specific policy that someone wants to pull out and talk
about separately. Yes. Otherwise, Director Johnson, go ahead. Yes. I'd like to pull out policy 203. Okay. Well, then why don't we start discussion on
20 203 then? Um just with Director Johnson. Are you talking about 203 or 203 point anything or just all of it? Okay. Thank you. Um so uh I did reach out to MSBA and um
after discussion with them and vice chair Bullion um I think I would say that we came to the consensus to on 203 number two the general I'm
sorry 203 number three letter A We would after Robert's rules of order, we would do a period and there would not be the four small boards as prescribed by
Minnesota School Board Association. That is what their suggestion was and uh that's was their recommendation and I would like to move that we strike the rest of that. So, period after Robert's rules of
order. That is correct. I'm sorry. I don't know where you are. Can you say that again? Yep. So, uh, go back one page. Policy 203. Just regular 203. Regular 203. Oh, okay.
Sorry, I wasn't very clear with that. I apologize. Okay. Yeah, just regular 203. Okay. Thank you, Vice Ch. You had something. Yeah, just to for context and to clarify, um the
reasoning behind removing that is there is no specific um Robert's rules of order for small boards. There's books that have been um but it's all all Robert's rules of order. Rules transcend
the the different books. Um, and uh, Minnesota School of Business uses Robert's Rules of Order. So, just to to alleviate any confusion, Robert's rules of order is Robert's rules of order. That's correct. Yes. So, it's like the
the is there a section within the broader rules that that deals with small boards? Yes. Robert's rules of order does talk about small boards under 12, which is what we qualify as. Okay. So, we would do Robert's rules of order to small boards. Period.
No, just Robert's rules of order. Period. Period. Okay. Because I also talked to the Minnesota School Board Association and I did that quite uh a lot in the past week and um they did say that that um and I did show them
previous school board meetings where areas of the book were pulled out and they would say, "Well, that doesn't apply to you because you're a large board." Okay. Well, then do we use your small board training and the training that you based on the small boards or do we use the larger board because it was
called out that we needed to have a parliamentarian in one of them and that of course we don't afford or have um it was called out a couple of other things too. So they suggested to me that we use small boards. The small boards is a part of Robert's
rules of order, right? It's a section of it but not the whole book. So you can't just pick and choose out of the whole book. You would pick and choose out of that. And they have training. Their training for boards is basically on the small boards since the boards larger than 12 don't apply to us, which is what
the whole book is based upon with the carveout section for small boards that they train on. Director France, I think my concern with saying small boards is that there are specific rules for small boards and we do not use all those rules for small boards. So, one of their rules
for small boards is you when you make a motion, you don't need a second. And so, if we're going to change the way we work and don't require a second anymore, that is part of the small board rules. So, I think stating that means that we need to
follow the rules for small boards. And I can tell you from sitting on this board last year, I made several motions and never got a second and the conversation could not continue. So we as a board we follow Robert's rules of order and I do think we incorporate some things for
small boards like the chair is able to vote and the chair is able to um continue or contribute to discussion but if we're using specific rules for small boards then we need to change a lot of the things that we're doing currently
including the motions there will be no second motion needed for a disc or for to bring something to the table or to have a discussion. Well, actually in Robert's rules, you don't do the motion in the second until you're ready to vote. You don't do it in order to have the discussion either. So, that's not
true. That is true. Um, also, you know, the all the boards don't allow any any rule or whatever does not allow uh actually doesn't even require discussion. It doesn't require um the chair to ask for a discussion. It only
requires you to allow discussion on every single motion. But the small boards ask for it to be called out in order to uh on any major motion uh after things that you don't have discussion on. So in other words, a major agenda
usually doesn't change. So you don't have to call for a discussion on that, but you have to allow it. The larger boards one. So what they described to me is if we're going to deviate for that that we probably should have a meeting and decide what parts we want to use
because overall if we say we're going to use Robert's rules. What I don't want to do is have anyone on the board weaponize the book when something doesn't go their way and instead us decide what our operating norms are going to be. And if
we're going to follow small boards, then we follow small boards. And if we're not going to use parts of small boards, then we actually just memorialize that in a policy. That way everything runs smooth and there's no question and all that kind of stuff. And so the reason why we had small boards as prescribed by the
Minnesota School Board Association is because that's their training. When you go through phase one and phase two for the Robert's rules, you get trained only on the small boards piece. you don't get paid get trained on the whole parliamentary structure that happens in parliament legislatures all that kind of
stuff where you actually call and you have like the small board say 10 minutes max and that's max per the entire discussion so you have to call out and say I yield my time that's in the full Roberts rules we don't do that here because we're trying to encourage open
discussion for the small boards so I just want to make that really clear that if we're going to do that then maybe we should have another uh discussion about what part we're going to use and consistently and make sure everyone's aware of that because we don't yield our
time but that's in Robert's rules so you know if we pick and choose that's fine but let us pick and choose and be in agreement on that um and the only thing we do generally follow is the small board section that's all I'm trying to
say because you know we have had situations where those those you know, you got a book this big and you can find something in there somewhere um that applies to parliaments and full legislatores that we're not following when it chooses an
argument, but then you decide not to use it on another argument. That's we don't need that inconsistency. That's all I'm trying to say. If I could I think you're talking a lot about um procedure which we could put within
the board handbook itself. Um that would be good. So we could actually refer to that here and then we can pick and choose which rules we use something. Um that agree that if everyone is we could go to Robert's rules of order period and
then we can bring this up right when as we're working on the handbook itself and and memorialize kind of the process within the handbook and how we do things. Sound good? I would like for that to be then
referred to here so that when we do come up with the procedures we're using the procedures and not the full book just note referred to handbook or something like that understanding it does that sound
agreeable to everyone okay so we will put the period at the end of uh rules of order and then scratch the rest and then add a referral to the handbook book where those specific rules that we use are spelled
out just added as a cross cross reference like the policies. I think that would be that would work. Yeah. Well, actually references you could put it in here that Robert's words of order according to the board or board handbook and procedures
that way because the I don't know how you would reference that e either way it's it's the either way anyway the language I mean you could put according to uh board handbook which I think accomplishes the same thing. Yeah. Okay.
Is there anything else then on just 203? That was all I had. Okay. Um, we can continue on and try to take this all one motion. Is there anything in the others that is
uh Dr. Johnson that you wanted to bring up specifically any changes from last time or are we voting on what we see? That was that was it. Other than that, I think uh Vice Chair Bullion and I got all the changes that were done. Okay. Um
I would ask I would ask if we under 2.3.1 for schoolboard procedures, then we add another statement in there to refer to the futuristic Ford handbook simply because then you go through and
you only talk about how a motion is adopted and carried, etc., and you've got only a couple pieces in here. And if that's the case, that's what we would be only satisfying our board policy with rules for. So if we're going to expand
upon how we conduct the meetings, then we probably need that reference in there because you do go into a lot of detail then like on B, how a motion is adopted and carried, how on C, all motions that require a second so receive a second prior to opening. That's kind of the
start of the minimal rules of order. Um and again per policy if we don't actually state it here or state we're going to a handbook then we only follow the minimum that's in here and therefore the first statement with the large
statement of all Robert's rules actually contradicts then 203.1. I think that actually brings up a really big po good point because if we're starting to call out all these little things that we follow on Robert's rules of order. I mean, Robert's rules of
order is just like a giant book of rules and the rules are in place for a reason. So, I don't think we can cherrypick. I mean, I think it's going to be really hard to cherrypick which ones we're going to use and which ones we can't use. And that's why I think keeping it general for Robert's rules of order is
actually a really good idea. And when I went to the training, I remember specifically for MSBA, um they talked about the need for a motion and a second. And again, that falls under small board rules, don't require a second. So I I
I'm just I it makes me very concerned that we would I mean, we use Robert's order for a business meeting for a purpose different than a study session. So, so does to Director Franc's point though, does it
does does putting it in 203 um 3A that reference to the the handbook does that is that does that supersede transcend the rest of the.1.2.3 or that's kind of how I would read it.
203.1 that the rules of order that we only call out a couple of them and again as director Atkinson says that first and a second only corresponds to the Minnesota schoolboard training. It does not correspond to the actual book. That's the way school boards in
Minnesota have done it for a while. That's the way we trained it and that's the way we're all used to doing it. So we call that out only a subset of the rules that don't even match the rules of order. So that's why I was saying it's a contradiction. Um and and it's just um
it's just so that we have consistency. That's pretty much it. Consistency and also simplicity to get the job done. Chair White, um I'm on MSBA's website. They have their Robert's basic rules
updated as of January 23rd, 2025. And it is um it is their training that they offer boards. this 22 pages could be um referenced or even put
into our board manual, but this is what we've all this is the same training that we've all all received and and unfortunately it does not match the full as we noted it does not match the full book of Robert's rules or all
the small boards. So, what if we did this? Um, because we do have a contradiction on the rules of order and 203.1 and the other one. Um, could I ask that you guys go back and look at the MSBA and see if you want to refer to
that again just on the training that they have? Uh, or do you want to leave it as is and put the subnote in there until we have a handbook? Well, and then go for that. I did ask that specific question. I sent them our specific
language that we had in a and they referred with Robert's rules of order period. Right. Not not MSBA anything. Robert's rules of order period. That that is what
their suggestion was. Not with MSBA, not with small boards. Robert's rules of order because having been one of the two people up here to most recently have taken that training and having done a a full series
on Robert's rules of order, right? You can't you don't want to sit through that, right? Because it takes quite a long time to do it and it's very different, right? They're they're not doing it so that you can ingest the entire book there. They're doing it for
the things that mainly apply, which is why we have 203.1, which points out the things that we're going to do the most. And that is why they say Robert's rules of order, period. And
then we have 203.1, which gives us our rules. And then we have a study session, right, which we've added in here, which says we're not going to listen to Robert's rules of order. is going to be different and then we can say right as
director Atinson suggested we can put it in the cross references at that point that transcends throughout all of our policies right to go back to so if we want to add anything specific we can put it in our board handbook and say we need
to do this within there that's a very specific thing with this so the policy wouldn't necessarily change the handbook would change the handbook would change which Right. Within our handbook, right, it says we should be going through that every single year. It's not a policy thing, right? As we should go through
every three years. Our board handbook, we should be going through every single year. And then we can adjust that as we see fit, right? And nitpick little things here and there. That would be my suggestion. Just go back. Rules of order
period. Add the cross reference to the board handbook. I understand. Right. And then the board handbook is going to come in a month or two, right, to everyone. And then ultimately, every single one of these policies are going to come back up
for another approval because they're all going to be in the board handbook again. So if anybody has anything else, we can adjust at that time. Adjust at that time. So what do we do with the contradiction that currently exists between what you put in three rules of
order for how we do motions and what's actually in the Robert's rules book then? because our policy is more strict. That's why 203.1 is more strict. It it lays out the exact thing of what we're going to do. Okay. So, if Robert's rules of order, just to take the example
of doing a motion in a second, y isn't in there. And yet, the very next policy that talks about our rules of order says it's in there. Are you suggesting we follow all the other Robert's rules of order except for the ones that these supersede? We're going to follow our
policy because that's what our policy says that we're going to do because our policy is more strict than what it says. Okay. I'm still I'm sorry. I'm still not following that. Director France, can you show me what where specifically on 203.1
is the contradiction? So, if you look at section three in rules of order, we talk about raising the hand, a motion will be adopted. carriage receives affirmative votes, which is fine, but then we also go in to require a second to re and
receive a second prior to opening the issue. That is not in Robert's rules. Um, yes, it is. Actually, you just agreed that it wasn't earlier. No, what what I said and I'm sorry if I was rules of order for small boards, but for
Robert's rules of order for small boards, it specifically says that there is no second needed in order to bring a discussion to the table and I know for a fact we don't operate that way. So does the way can we remove that contradiction
by I mean C seems a bit procedural to me. Can can C be moved from the policy to the manual? It can. I wouldn't suggest that. Yeah. I mean, I'm just ask a little question. We absolutely can. Yes, 100%. I mean, we
sit up here and we say, can we get a motion to I mean, I I don't want to give specific examples, but I was on this board last year where I was a minority voice and I specifically asked, I remember the example, can we bring Dr. Thomas's contract up in March so that we have a
full year to review, can I get a get a second? Nobody gave me a second. We could not continue that conversation at the table. It happened multiple times while I was on the board. I remember it. You can go back and look at the minutes. So, so but so your point would be what I'm point is being is that the policy the way it's
written is exactly how that's how we operate as currently like on our board. That's how we use Robert rules of order. Correct. But the Robert's rules that's in the book doesn't require first and a second prior to discussion every and even for small boards, it requires a
first and a second prior to a vote. So that so we just change this wording to to reflect what we do because you're right we we we we don't typically don't discuss until there's a second on the table. That's just because that's when typically the chair asks for discussion.
It it's not necessarily a rule. Yep. So, can we change the phrasing here to make that a little more while still um reflecting how we operate without maybe such a stringent requirement? You
understand what I'm saying? Can you help me understand the way C is written? How we do not operate that way? What part of it don't we currently follow? So, that's not the point. The point is we are doing that. The the point is is that it contradicts what's in the Robert's Rules of Order book. No, it doesn't.
This is standard I'm I I don't want to be chuckling but standard oper operating procedure for Robert's rules of order is a motion and a second and then comes discussion that is like the basic 101 of Robert's rules of order actually no in the larger book and if you watch any
legis I am very well verssed in Robert's rules chair in fact I don't want to go down that path with you so so I just I think I'm fine with it and I'm not I think it muddies the water if we change it to be honest with you. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that
either we keep three and we we say except where maybe you know the handbook or whatever procedure in in 203. It's just that um you know the again you say Robert's rules
period and it's a large book and I'm going to use the very obvious example of we don't yield time. We don't go through all that. We don't do the whole uh process in every our boards. So like right now this discussion wouldn't be allowed under if you're following the direct Roberts rules book this
discussion we're having right now. So the reason why we did small boards specifically and the MSBA reference which they update every that the last update before this one was 2023 is so that we adopt them that are more set to school boards that the way
we've been taught not the full book. So then if we go be if we go back to page 79 just 203A can that sentence be altered for instance uh Robert's rules of
order as spelled out in our schoolboard handbook because then would that remove the contradiction then in 203.1. Do you understand what I'm saying? Yeah. If we do it in both places. Um, that's what that's what I was mentioning is just be consistent because otherwise we're going
to end up in a thing where people are cherrypicking the rules uh and they're not going to go along with what we've normally done. Is it a big deal again in B to add as spelled out in the handbook? I I have so Robert's rules of order right here. It says a motion must be made by a member, seconded by another,
and then discussed before putting to a vote. Right. And that's that's in the small board's MSBA training. Well, that only and that is what it says. Well, that's for Robert's rules of order. So, right. I just don't know what the argument is.
I just think if we start I my concern is I like my concern is if we get to the handbook, right, and we're putting down these are all the Robert's rules of order that we follow. I mean, there's going to be unique situations that come
up that do fall under Robert's rules of order where a minority board member does have the right to do something and then I don't want to get into a situation where somebody says, "Well, you can't do that because it's not listed in the 10 items that are in a handbook." When Robert's rules of order is really to
protect the minority voice on the school board. So, I just I think that I think getting into the weeds of the I think we're getting into the weeds and I really don't think we need to. Um I think if we follow generally rules of Robert's rules of order, I think we're good. Like just like every other board.
So, how do you have how do you have uh page 79 a how do you have that sentence finishing director Johnson? Right now I have in conjunction with the schoolboard handbook and I would be fine with that. We just
need to make it consistent with 203.1. That was my comment. Um no matter again no matter where we put that even if we put it in as a cross reference putting it in once covers based off of based off of additional discussion with Terry
Marorrow from MSBA. Okay. Covers us because it transcends the policies. Okay. So whether we put it in one or we put it in both, we're covered either way. Okay. Yeah. Um there's nothing further on that. I
understand what you're saying, Mary. I understand what you're saying and you're saying um if the consensus of the board is we're comfortable with adding that language in uh 2033A to cover our tracks in the rest of the policies under 203 I'm comfortable
with moving ahead. I'm I'm fine with that. Okay. So if there is no further discussion on the balance of the 203s which would be uh 203 203.1
203.2 203.3 203.4 and 203.6 I will entertain a motion to approve those with noted changes as by director Johnson. Is there a second? Second by director Atinson. If there is
no further discussion, all in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed? Nay. Motion carries six to one. All right, moving down to administrative reports. Are there any admin reports this evening?
Oh, director, Chair White, members of the board, um just wanted to give a a quick uh two updates, quick um shout out to the two retirees that we have um today on our agenda. wishing them all the best as they um explore the next chapter of their life and thank them for their service to our district. And then the next update um just want to give a
quick um staffing timeline update. I know we shared a little bit last meeting and this meeting um we are continually looking at all the enrollments that are coming in and as we we do our sections at this time of the year um we keep a really close eye. We also have to um
we'll be working with the special education department um to look at how many of those um enrollments that we have in the sections are centerbased students, resource students, and then we'll also be working um uh with to identify any of our English language um students um any of those uh needs in
certain classrooms as we're looking at the the total um number of sections and um the and total enrollments in in each of our our our classes. Um, from there, we'll continue to look at this um each week as we um monitor with the class targets and discussion caps moving all
the way into um starting off the school year. So, we'll keep um the board updated as we have any major updates or changes. Um but we do still have that reserve um that we have set aside that we will be closely monitoring on on where we can make those adjustments and changes um as we move forward in the in
the the um planning for next school year. All right. Thank you. Are there any board reports? moving around the table starting with director Olstead. Uh yes, briefly. Um I uh thank you again
to uh Director Mason for uh sitting in for me um on the last month's Southwest Metro uh board meeting. Um I unfortunately had to miss pizza from the culinary arts students. I had to miss the international teachers program
update. Um it was amazing. Um more work on the strategic plan. Um, and please fill in the blanks here, Director Mason. Um, but we're moving forward with all of those things and there's a finance committee meeting tomorrow that I'll be uh in and we have some exciting um
developments that I can maybe bring uh next month. So again, thank you. Thank you, Director Johnson. Um, just wanted to give a shout out to all of the LABC uh members that were at the last meeting
there and all of the changeover that's going with all the senior parents that are leaving and all the incoming ones that are coming in. And then to the PAA um people that are that are continuing to push through and and move maneuver all that. And a shout out to the high
school choir for the the 70s show that they just put on. It was absolutely phenomenal. So yeah, that's it. Director Atinson. Yeah, I attended the early childhood um education advisory committee and um
they're just really busy planning for next fall. So um they're planning some fun events and some new classes. And then um they've done a book swap that's gone really well. And they're having a split a spring playground event that they had actually on May 1st. Oh my
gosh, it's already May 5th. And then um I already gave a lot of details during our board meeting this evening about the finance advisory committee. Um thank you to our new members for attending and participating. Um I thought it was a great meeting and look forward to our next one. So all right, thank you Mr.
William Director France. Um yes. So um we kind of already talked about the teaching and learning and everything that happened before that I did miss. So thank you Director Olstead for showing up to that last time. Uh but scale will be on our last phase of discussing waste
management and all the implied tax issues that are going to hit our county uh as well as the uh we're running out of time with our um with the uh ability to have uh new landfills etc. And they
are trying to figure out ways to increase recycling. So, we have one more um one more round of that uh coming up. Uh and it will affect our taxes eventually. Um as far as a legislative update goes, uh the publication process
or the ability for us to not have to publish in a paper. Looks like there is no contention to it. So, that will probably pass. As far as the education bills, as you guys all know, as of last Friday, they pretty much passed all the lowhanging fruit and got an agreement between the two houses and the majority
of health, education, and the rest of the items that are still uh outstanding. There's a pretty big gap still uh between all between the governor, the senate, and the house. Um they may have to go into special session. Uh but the biggest issue is of course the free and
reduced lunch, the all the free lunch. that's probably looking like it's going to be on the chopping block. Uh which is going to cause us to do some rework in that area, but I will leave that up to uh Director Malone to uh figure out how to do that. But that's where we are with
the legislative process and again the next scale meeting is this coming Friday. Hi question on the um do you all did you all get the grid from MSBA on the legislative updates? the side by side grid. Did that come to you guys? It was
a really unique visual that we had in AMSD last year. I think we m we might have got unless we might have just gotten some some MSBA sent one out. I think the MSD did too to everybody. The chart. Okay. Just wanted to make sure you guys got that one, which I thought was a good visualization of what you
just shared. Yeah, it's it's pretty far apart actually. So, we got a long way to go and only 14 legislative sessions days left to do it in. Um, so, uh, they are anticipating a probable special session on that, which of course leaves our next
year's budget based upon what they do a little bit in limbo. Um, so that's it. All right. Thank you, Director Mason. Um, yeah, as director said, I attended the Southwest Metro Board meeting, so that was my first time attending that. It was great. Um, celebrated several
successes, the international teachers program and the culinary program. Um, and then also highlighted uh prior Drew Hennon I thought was really cool. Um, a 2025 Special Olympic uh world game in um Italy for snowshoeing. So if you haven't
read that story, it was kind of neat. Um, and then I wanted to thank uh some teachers and principal Sherman at uh Five Hawks for letting me come in um a couple Fridays ago. I spent a couple hours there and um sat in uh some foundations and bridges math. So, um,
saw that in action and got to have lunch at Dairy Queen with a couple of students. So, that was super fun. Um, and then, yeah, welcome also the additional finance committee members and a couple of new people that I hadn't met there. And then also looking forward to the seek meeting this Wednesday.
All right. Thank you. And I just want to reiterate what Director Johnson said about the coral concert. I've had a chance to attend a number of those post having kids in school over the last years and going back to when I had we had an exchange student a number of years ago. A highlight of her year here
was that that show. And as someone who was real involved in coral music in high school here in Prior Lake, um nothing stretches a student uh belief in what they're capable of more than making them stand in front of an audience and sing a song. So, uh, I
was blown away by by by the talent and, uh, just the whole show. What an undertaking by our staff and, you know, directors Her Lson. So, it was, uh, great fun. So, I have one more thing to add that I forgot to add. Uh, community ed is obviously hiring for their summer
sessions and they are looking to hire high school students. So, if anyone's listening to this and they are looking for a job for the summer, uh they have plenty of openings and they do hire high school students for the uh lower kids or the younger kid uh supervisory areas and
staffing. So, all right, they did want me to ask that. All right. Um we have future events as listed. Uh probably most importantly or most urgently is the next uh study session on May 19th. Uh we've reached the uh end of this part
of the agenda. I will now entertain a motion to enter a closed session for the purposes of discussing uh negotiations strategies with the PLSEA. So is there a motion to enter the closed session by director Johnson second. Second
director Olstead. All in favor signify by saying I. I. opposed. That carries 70 and we'll take five minutes to let everybody clear out who needs to and be back here at 759.