that's one page This should take what 17 minutes That's all my schedule This study session of the Independent School District 535 School Board is called to order at 5:33 p.m on Tuesday March 25th 2025 in room 137 of the
Edison building The board acknowledges this site and all RPS sites are situated on the ancestral land of the Dakota people and we honor the Dakota nations and the sacred land of all indigenous peoples Present at this meeting are school board members Superintendent Kent
Pel a non- voting exopicio member and assistant school board clerk Miss Anne Kramer Miss Kramer would you please call the role director Barlo here Treasurer Cook here Director Mclofflin here Clerk Marvin here Chair Nathan here Director
here Vice Chair here At this time we offer the opportunity to say the pledge of allegiance I aliance 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 Item 2.1 is approval of the agenda Are there any changes to the agenda move approval Second It has been moved and seconded to approve the agenda All those in favor say I I I All those opposed The agenda has been approved The agenda and
documents for this meeting are available at rochesterchools.org/simly Our only item on the agenda tonight is our focus topic mission vision and values kickoff Superintendent account Thank you Chair Nathan And I think that um it's in order uh chair agrees to go
around and do a few uh introductions just so that people have a sense of uh who's here But I'll preface that by saying that tonight begins uh a really important process of developing a new mission vision and value statement and then ultimately a new brand identity for
Rochester public schools Um as most if not all board members will recall when I got here to Rochester a bit more than three years ago and we began development of our strategic plan we talked about doing this then and we spent quite a bit
of time uh considering the value of launching into redeveloping our mission statement our vision our values Um but we decided we had more urgent issues to focus on at that time and that became those 15 building blocks that have
occupied our work for the last three years But we also know that the what is sometimes described as the soft stuff really matters and that organizations are not just bricks and mortars and org charts but that they are collections of values and uh aspirations for kids and
that in a competitive environment we need to distinguish how Rochester public schools does that from other people who'd like to educate the children of this community So we reached out and did an RFP process and we discovered some talented folks at uh the firm Fieldrip
who are here with us tonight who have a lot of experience in this space And so we're going to turn this study session over to them I've assured them that this uh study session format in Rochester is much less formal than our formal board meetings and then maybe some others Um
final point I'll say as I ask folks just to go around and if you're uh an employee of RPS please just also say what your role is Um we absolutely are encouraging and expecting cabinet members to participate fully in this This is not a defer to the board members
evening Um and so I really am going to I know as I look at Mona over there she's going to come through for me on that But um so we really do we have designed this so that this is board members and senior staff uh interacting Uh we want to make sure that it is um truly that in spirit
So let me actually just start with our vice chair and we can loop around and then we'll turn it over And actually I'm going to edit the directions for your introduction So as after you introduce yourself I want you to think there's one additional command If you're meeting someone for the first time um they're
unfamiliar Maybe they're new to Rochester If you only had three to four words to describe Rochester public schools to that unfamiliar person what would they be and can you add that to the end of your introduction
my my name is Julie Workman I'm currently vice chair of the school board I've been on the board of first elected since 2010 I'm also um an educator and my three words would be all are welcome Uh I'm Mona Perkins Um I'm the chief
academic officer I'm new to Rochester public schools and to Rochester um to the community And I would say the first couple of things that words that have come to my mind since I've been here is warm and welcome and
um I think we have incredible kids Um Karen Mclofflin I am in my second term on the board I uh was reelected in November and attorney by training Um in terms of words I feel like we're put a
little bit on the spot but that's okay We need that Um I keep focusing on amazing staff Okay Uh I'm Andrew Spalding I'm creative director at Field Trip So not on the board or cabinet but I'm here to listen
to you guys and work with you all tonight to hopefully get this thing rolling I'm Kudson I'm director of communications for the district Um my words would be vast uh diverse and
um I can't get it down to one word Stuff are amazing Good afternoon My name is Don Barlo I'm beginning my third term on the board Uh my three words would be a community uh family and
future Will Ruff the second fourth year in this role as executive director of equity and engagement I'm going to go with on the right path On the right path On the right path Okay We're on our way
I'm Amy I'm the director of community education partnerships 12th year in the district and in the community The strongest word that comes to mind is collaborative I believe both our community and our district are
collaborative Hi I'm John Carlson I'm chief administrative officer So I have oversight over finance facilities technology transportation food service some other things too And when I think of our district I think of it as a big
district but small schools Okay I'm Jackie Peterson chief of schools This is my I don't know 34 some 35th year in the district I grew up in Rochester Um so my words are tradition
which is could you take it either way good or bad community and evolving Just going to put a double up there And the last one was evolving right thanks for giving me time to catch up I'm Carl Bachan director of human
resources I've been in this role nine years I've been in the district 20ome Um I I wrote down innovative hardworking staff and invested Invested or invested invested Invested While she does that I can introduce myself Uh my name is Ryan
Simpson I am an account executive at Fieldrip And so my role on this project is um leading the project um project management connecting our team with your all's team um and really at this stage learning as much as possible understanding the district as much as
possible gathering as many perspectives as possible and really making sure that all the work that we do is uh reflective of what you all have and also u sort of a vision for the future Oh you didn't have to do it i did have
to do that Um Jean Marvin I'm a was a long time teacher in Rochester currently a recovering secondary teacher and a third term on the school board And I have four words but pronouns
prepositions don't count So it's um all kinds of possibilities Don't write that out I said three to four words so it works I also don't three to four I'm sorry You can you can add a fourth word Okay
I'm Justin Cook I'm in my third year on the school board Um I have four kids attending Rochester public schools between elementary and high school Um and uh I'm an attorney when I'm not on the school board or doing other things Um and when I think of Rochester Public
Schools I really do think of RPS as the community's growth engine I'm only going to write those three words but can you just tell me a little bit more about that um Rochester is uh
continues to be fairly unusual for a community of our size in this part of the country in particular in that we are expected to grow Um and that is largely driven by the economic impact of Mayo Clinic But the opportunity to really
realize the potential that that offers I really think comes down to um RPS being excellent and helping to recruit and retain top tier staff for an employer like Mayo Clinic um and also to you know
create the the future entrepreneurs and contributors and civic contributors of our community So I I think it's uh you know Rochester's future state is dependent on what we're doing right here Okay Thank you
I go behind that just um I'm Stephanie Whitehorn Um I am a Mayo High School graduate uh been here that long I have fi five five Rochester graduates Six I got a lot of kids Maybe five Maybe
six Five Yes Five I have five Rochester graduates and well I've got four and one on the way One about to graduate out of eight Um I've been in this community a little while I serve on the school board
It's my first term I'm brand new to all of this Um and I'm glad I didn't have to go first because I would have been stuttering Um but I think my state well he gave a statement He three word three-word statement Um I would
say able we Okay I'm just going to give you my sentence because I can't do this first I'm I'm I'm trying y'all But I would say that Rochester has the ability and the the the tools for transformative
change I'm Ann Kramer executive assistant to the superintendent in the school board Um I've been in this role what not quite well yeah two and a half months So in that and I'm new fairly new to Rochester
not quite a year Um but um what I see around here I just want to tell you all I see everyone is devoted to excellence Those are my three It's a phrase Um I don't think I've ever worked
with such a group of people that like you all come in and focused You're not goofing off throughout the day You have you're focused So I appreciate that So I'm Kathy Nathan the school board chair This is my second term I have two
Rochester public school graduates and um gosh getting me down to three or four words you all knew was hard You had time Yeah I would say uh we have the plans and resources for success
Um well Kemp Pel superintendent if um Dr Marvin can say that um prepositions don't count neither do articles Articles count No no they don't Um heart of a learning community
Heart or part heart Okay I think some of the people got some question We had a poetic bunch here I like it Right I thought of hub and hub is like very
mechanist I think some people got the question in advance That's all Put it out there Stephanie you made it over here I mean this is the special board So you did Did Did you have another word that you'd
like to add no Okay All right So you're probably wondering if there's any rhyme or reason to why there are three different columns and there are but you're going to have to wait We're going to pay that off um after we break into special groups We're
going to talk about why this very short definition matters and how it influences our work Okay Oh yes Hi my name is Jane Fefeifer I'm founder and president of Fieldrip Um so just so you understand my role in this work um is really right now as we're
learning and discovering and then helping to set really what are going to be the the outcomes the things that this work has to not just be done but uplift and create and to make sure that our work is enabling that positive change
and shift and empowering everybody and lifting up the entire district and its students and staff Okay So uh we'll go ahead and jump in Uh so our work um as we've discussed is um it's about uh establishing you know a
mission vision values possibly a visual brand Um and really what that is is helping the district um be able to identify and state really firmly this is who we are and this is what we care about and this is what we're going to do
Um obviously we are getting ready to be in the transition between strategic plans This work precedes the next strategic plan work And so what we're really hoping to do is establish um a firm voice that says uh this is sort of the goal that we can set as a foundation
for this plan So obviously there's a lot of conversations that are already had about this There's probably a lot of notes about okay what worked in the last strategic plan that we should carry over Um we are you know not here to to change any of that We're here really to help uh
the district understand what are the perspectives who are our audiences what are um the things that we care the most about from a philosophical standpoint that we can put out into the world Um because when we say that we care about something when we say that we're going to do something it just goes a lot further in helping us do it And so
hopefully if this work precedes the strate strategic plan the strategic plan is better guided by uh the people it will impact Um so we are having a lot of conversations right now Today already we've spoken to the student school board Uh we did a number of school visits
where we got to speak to administrators uh employees students uh see the the sort of work that you all do in action Uh we just came out of a really great session with our um teaching staff Um and so this next session is of course
with you all Um so we've got a number of questions Um we'll start in a large group and then we'll do some small group breakout work Uh we've got some exercises and then in the end we'll come back discuss and this will all make sense Um I know it's like I'm sure as
you're putting out your words you're like okay there's only two over here and she's already created a second page over here This is very confusing Um and I agree Um we'll explain it So we're we're going to start this is just open discussion Um and as Dr Pel said
obviously we've got board and cabinet here so I want everyone to feel like they can speak freely and comfortably and honestly Um so our first question is a little bit of fluff but can anyone tell us why you choose to work with Rochester Public Schools specifically
why us well I'm not working for the schools the community but u I will open by saying um as a a parent of six children and grandparent of 20
um and coming from a background of where uh both my parents grew up in the segregated south where educational advancement was not u freely available or limited
Uh I was raised with a an awareness um coupled with a modeling on uh both of my parents' part where uh barriers were not necessarily
uh structures which could not be moved but they were barriers which existed to be recognized and and perhaps overcome which um led me to ultimately in my work as a pastor
uh and serving the community I realized that there were many uh children and adults who struggled u with literacy and um uh both my wife and I
were of the mindset that it wasn't really a result of inability but more so a result of um access and perhaps denied opportunity Uh so within our church we developed
educational development opportunities uh which uh led me to begin to attend local schoolboard meetings uh where I observed learned uh oftentimes commented during the public comment period uh
ultimately running for um a seat on the board Uh and there's just that ingrain belief that uh everyone has value Everyone is fully capable It's simply a matter of
making one aware and and uh uh not creating barriers but helping overcome those barriers and establishing the belief that uh everyone is of equal value That's glad you didn't put a three-word
limit on this Yeah Anyone else um I will say because of exactly what my statement was that I believe that Rochester has a lot of the tools and at this space and time we have a lot of
people who are accepting um to transformation Um I can't say that's always been true of this community I'm being transparent Um but I think that we are in a space now where we have a willingness um to want to change and make some of the changes that will
impact our community as it changes uh would be why I more specifically chose Rochester as as I think the question posed Um but also for me uh being a parent as well and being a grandparent um you know my passion in being on the
board um and as coming from a community advocate and moving to the board uh was because from the community standpoint um we we're not seeing the change right so when we look at just numbers you know of black and Hispanic boys they're still
coming in behind in kindergarten um where we have done very little work to dismantle the school to prison pipeline And these are not opinions These are just what the the numbers say right we're not slowing down uh black and Hispanic boys being locked up We're not
seeing a huge decrease in numbers in them coming to kindergarten more prepared So um as a mother of six black sons and four black grandsons I said "Oh my god I'm not going to do this again." um because I felt as though we were
having a lot of the same conversations over and over again And it's not that people are unaware Um but I I felt that Rochester has the potential to be an example for how we can actually implement change and not just talk about
change as we are a very resourcerrich community Uh there are a lot of barriers that Rochester doesn't have um that some of the other maybe urban populations have but I think this is an opportunity for us to show an example of how a
community can come together and how we actually can show that we can do a part in dismantling the school of prison pipeline how we can um make those numbers change with our discipline records um because we're just big enough
and we're just small enough um I believe to really make a a shining example and with us being the land of the male clinic I feel like that would be a wonderful thing if we could come on one accord and really create a true um
inclusive environment that is just not in speech but that our numbers actually support that our kids are graduating from college that our the the black and Hispanic boys that graduate out of here are not going to prison When those numbers start to decrease when we can
show that we have an increase in home ownership um numbers that if y'all can Google on your own have not changed in a very long time But I think uh the school board is an opportunity uh to be preventative and not reactive to those
numbers I can go next Um my comments kind of take off some of the things that Stephanie was talking about that um I very much value public education I think it's a critical piece of our community Um kind of taking off what Stephanie was talking about about the um schoolto
prison pipeline I as an attorney practiced in juvenile court for many years and I was part of that pipeline and I own that Um but it also um led me down a path of looking for ways that I can contribute to this community to make changes um like Stephanie's talking
about that I think there's value in advocating um for that systemic change wherever I could and it brought me to the school board Um one of the reasons I ran for the board is I wanted I could hear in the community that people were talking about ways to provide a more equitable
education but I wasn't see I was just hearing talk about that I didn't see evidence of that Now that I'm on the board I do see evidence of that And I think it's really important that we convey that work to the community to show that we are supportive of all of our students because I think it is
something that does differentiate us um from other nearby communities Um but I think it's important for all of us just to really think about um how we can support our students and staff and their work um so that we can u make that
systemic change in our community because I think it's needed Can I ask a clarifying question sure So you mentioned about um you didn't see the equity happening until you came on the board Obviously it would be great if everyone in the community could go
through that change in perspective but there's only so many board positions Um so what might you I'm trying to figure out if I'm looking future or past So let's go in the If you were
still outside of the school board what would you have liked to have heard or understood that maybe would have made you feel that progress was happening sure Um at the time I was looking at running for the board I knew
that there was an equity statement equity policy in the works but maybe I was impatient maybe it was taking too long I don't know but it just wasn't coming to the board for approval and implementation and I wanted to do something that I could do to push that implementation forward because I think
it was important not only for our students but for our community I guess the way I heard the question was Why why do any of us spend time with RPS because there's a whole bunch of different ways that we can go about trying to make a world in the way that
we want it to be and lots of different passions to pursue And and what I find amongst all all people that I interact with at RPS is everybody just really cares about kids And that that is
um that makes the whole enterprise of spending time engaged with RPS people uh really fulfilling because we can all align on what's going to be best for kids So I mean that that's why I um really enjoy the time that I spend with
RPS folks How do you know and I I've heard that Well so the the reason the reason I know is because you know in my day job everybody aligns around um things like uh uh profit margins and things you know typical things
Um but when discussing um kind of decision spaces around school board items or things that relate to management of the district um it's always really easy to just bring the conversation back to what is going to
benefit kids and everybody kind of snaps to like oh yeah that's that's the right framework That's exactly and it it's I mean not that that kind of redirection is ever even necessary It's like where everything starts So um I I just I think
that's a really um nice place to spend my thoughts and energy I'm curious if there are any answers from any cabinet members I think we've heard from board members just now but obviously board members work with
the district then but but are elected cabinet members you know you could you could work somewhere else maybe technically but I Why are you here specifically i can say having grown up in Rochester and left here to go to college and not I never intended to come
back to Rochester That wasn't a you know I was probably one of those kids that didn't want to come back home You know I didn't set out to do that but I was hired when there really weren't teaching jobs and um this is where there was a job So I came back to Rochester
um with my husband right when we were just married and realized um I felt very well prepared for college Um and I was grateful for that having a great education here in Rochester And so um I
should have been looking to come back to the district that prepared me so well And um and I I was quickly very grateful for the opportunities I had in this district for all kinds of leadership um as a teacher leader And um I could name
a bunch of them I don't want to take all the time but there were a lot of like risk-free ways that I could try out leadership Um and so I look back at my career and think of all the things I got to do aside from being a teacher that led me to the career path that I took
And so um I stayed in Rochester because of all the opportunity that I had um to grow as a person working with with students and um realized along the way how important school is to our community
and the the difference we can make as people working with our young people in the in in schools And so um it's not lost on me when I walk into Ben Franklin and think about my you know first grade
experience there I still see my third grade teacher who inspired me to be a teacher Um when I go to Mayo Clinic I ran into her recently and I think about um that influence I go down to talk to Carl and I remember being a young kid interviewing in the conference room next
door to his office and the life-changing moment I mean that I got the call to come and interview one summer day So um it wasn't a like it wasn't a um sadly it wasn't like I've got to go back and work in my home district but
luckily that's what happened And I committed my whole career to to Rochester and how beautiful it is that the community has changed Like I I said tradition and I said you could take it either way To me the tradition that we've held on to I mean there's some really great things about it but there's
some really detrimental things about tradition here too I hold on to some things that um that I'll always love about Rochester but there's some things that need to change about Rochester too so that we can embrace all students and make sure everyone has the great
opportunities that that I got to experience here But yeah I came and stayed because I love the city and I love our schools and I it's not lost on me every day that I get to do what I do here in a district
that is a great place to grow up All right Well I'll move on to the next question So um part of our work is um looking at mission and vision and values and of course that is um a balance of
who are we but it's a balance of who do we want to be um you know how are what is what is the aspirations that we're searching for So when you look at the words on the board you know that those all feel very much like who we are right now And there's obviously future and there's you know moving in the right
direction There's there's some forward- facing words Um and on the wall here is the current mission statement which I know has been around for quite a while So I'm I'm curious as we work towards this in in your perspective what do you all see as the current and aspirational
mission of the district you know especially if there has been change in the community what what are we looking to the future for i would say thriving young adults Our job is to get kids to young
adulthood ready to thrive And thriving is an intentionally broad word And I'm putting it at young adulthood because I really do believe our mission is the cumulative uh path from early childhood to that that point where our students are going
out on their own And that that is uh a broad construct for success broader than getting a job or buying a house or all those are really critical It's very hard to thrive if you can't support yourself But that thriving is about happiness and
about a positive sense of self And so for me that's if I have to distill the the mission is that idea that we have young people walking across those stages who are ready for life
And I think what what Dr just said um I'm always torn between a a mission statement being about who we are or what we do and you know who we are We want to be that community that is that where kids
feel that they belong and we're we're diverse and we're inclusive and we challenge people But the thing is the kids will tell you the kids will tell you it's what happens that prepares them for the next
thing And it was awesome that Dr Vel is involved with the student school board all the time listening to the kids today the high school kids talk about the experiences they have in high school Um some of them mentioned specific classes but they kept talking about so we'll be
ready for the next thing And some of them were all about going to college others were all about going to career But it's about the experiences they have that get them ready so that they will be successful adults so that they can
engage with the community so that they can do something good something important with what they know And I think that most people who work with kids in this district understand that that that's what we're about I'm not
sure that our community does And for me that's a lot what we're doing here is to make sure that the 80% of people I think it's about 80% who don't have kids in the district or the larger percentage of people who see the district through the
eyes of their one child or their three or their six kids understand All that we have all that we can provide to help every single kid become that adult who feels
confident who has the skills who has the mindset that they want to keep growing And kids get that And I think we need to convey that to the communities some of whom who still really believe reading writing and arithmetic give them the
facts and then send them on Kids don't buy that And and when they're talking about school it's so much bigger than that So that that's a long way of probably not answering the question but I think that's what we need to do better
is just invite the community into that mindset of our students so they can see how powerful how much potential this education is for them Well when I I think about like the outcomes we want for the kids but then I
also think about the how do we get there and that and the change that it's going to require the transformation it's going to require within the system because the system is still set up in in a really old way right like it's and so the
innovation and the just the change in how we do school that that is going to be required but that's not really the ask but that's automatically we're like because I I think that the both are going to for us to you have to consider both for you to really get the outcomes
that we're hoping for for the kids and I think that goes back to what you were talking about like we're there like you've got um we have the tools here and where better can can you can't be better positioned than in the in the home of
Mayo right like place of innovation like so like when I think about the future for us I I would love to see us be more innovative um as a system for the benefit of the kids I mean because I think that that is the
direction that the kids are headed as well My thought is how do we get all the kids to have your experience Jackie right how do we how do we get to a place where kids are all have that same sense of pride you know coming out of RPS and if
we're all honest sitting here that is currently not what we have we currently do not have students that want to return to our district um a lot of times the ones who say I ain't coming back they really ain't ain't coming back um and why is that you know um and when you
start to look into this and if you've ever got to speak to any of the kids that decided not to come back you start hearing things about safety you start hearing things about not feeling welcomed um you start hearing even though we desire So I think that we have a desire
to do some things and it looks good in writing and and you know it's well worded but the action behind it is not really happening um you know when I'm thinking of our future as as some people have said here but I'm also thinking mental health I'm
thinking a whole person well-being right I'm thinking um can we might be able to convince you to stay but do you want your family here right is is I'm thinking community uh of just within our our our school district right so you
know um some of us came out of big cities and we love our high school that the whole town could burn around around doesn't matter We love that school We love that town And I think Rochester is missing that We we don't have that sense of pride in our community Um we don't
have that connection uh with our community And our and and we're all sitting in these little kind of silos Um and it'd be nice if people would come out of their silos Um and to a bigger picture and I know I I I use bigger picture so I don't over talk but you
know what we're seeing when we're talking to employers right you got these really smart kids but they have no social skills They don't have good mental health You know everybody could work behind a computer So when I think of where we want as a mission not as um as Dr Pel said we want to create a a
whole individual an entire individual a a thriving person just not someone who can read and write really well and put things into pretty statements but someone who has good mental health you know they're very intelligent people who are socially awkward or or can't express
even their intelligence Um we have students now that are not communicating well due to mental health Uh I know we don't like to say the co word but postcoid a lot of things have changed um with education with how kids are receiving information Um so I would say
looking towards a statement that is inclusive and and when you read it you feel like I feel good about this And when kids read it they want to repeat it Um not so much wordy but when we think of of statements of pride it's not about
a lot of words right it's about you know when you think back to your high school like I went to Lynen High in Jersey it was just go Tigers but everybody who knew that knew that right or if you went to Michigan State it was go blue All statements don't have to be big statements but it's what that statement
empowers It's how and how it's how it makes you feel It could be worded wonderfully but if it doesn't make you feel good it's just a lot of words So I would say that we should be looking to a statement that our kids want to repeat and they want to stand behind and they
want to say "Yes this is the mission of my school district and and the adults that stand behind me." So I I my suggestion would be to make it more taglining Is that a bad word but something that says this is who we are This is where we stand and without all
the fluff from the lady with all the fluff Yeah We met with the student school board today and you know mom Sue asked at the beginning of the the session who here can tell me the mission statement um it was behind them They were facing
this way Um but no one could I mean so to your point you know what is a mission statement if no one can repeat it you know it's um Yeah Yes So go ahead As a member of the school board you know we see that mission statement every time we have a
meeting here but um John Barlo and I were on the strategic planning committee back in 2012 and I recall correctly I think we spent an entire day developing that mission statement And I think I still really believe the first line is
is important for our students to inspire them so that they can meet challenges and be empowered But it als and the rest of it has the whole the idea of the academics
and being you know part of community and everything else but I think we can really sort a lot more of that out really really like adult that really can I push us to think also about
the adults because if I think in my world we are working with adults who need to learn new skills we're um working with parents who appreciate learning so they can be good parents Um
we're working with our community partners who are adults who want to positively our kids And so I do think that a school district does more than the student the um K12 student or
preK12 student development We are actually impacting the tapestry of the whole community And every act we make of connection is another thread in that tapestry if you will And communities that lose their
schools weaken their tapestry Communities that don't have that collaborative connection across different organizations They have weaker call it fabric or call it a safety net whatever it is But I think it's the
connecting the adult and the students or the adults on behalf of the students is also a critical part of what a school district does what RPS does Yeah So let's um we're going to call not a timeout but we're going to kind of
change direction um and break into smaller discussion groups Andrew is gonna um kind of give an overview of an exercise that we'll do once we break into those smaller groups and then um we'll have some open-ended questions in those discussion groups and then we'll we'll come back together and and
continue the larger group discussion Yeah So on the subject of kind of how do we phrase it how do we build that this is where we get a little bit more into the weeds And you know our job isn't just a sentence or a paragraph It's going to be an entire uh you know plan
of me messaging materials and market how do we get that out there to parents students faculty staff community etc So what we'll do here little worksheets uh we'll do them as a group but it is we call the benefit of the benefit and the same way the students in the classroom will ask why and you give them an answer
I say well why and they give an answer they why it's kind of that so you start with the a tangible rational surface level benefit that RPS is offering um and you can do this for students for staff that's where we're going to kind of focus tonight and then you ask well what's the benefit of that and then
what's the benefit of that what's and that leads you all the way over to more intangible emot emotional and abstract benefits And that helps our team kind of sort out different levels and layers of uh what those offerings are and how do we talk about them and when is it appropriate to talk tangible service
level benefits and when should we be talking in that more kind of not fluffy but high level emotional language So we'll have um a foundation that our team can go build from that is getting your all's input there So we're going to do that and then we have a few more I think specific type questions that we want to
ask in a smaller setting So and then we'll come back together to that Do you want to set a time limit on this part real quick yeah let's uh what it's uh 6:20 right now Um do you think 20 25 minutes yeah Do you all normally take a break in the middle of this for anybody
to Yeah I depends on the length of the meeting Usually not in a study session We usually kind of say if people need that's the chair's prerogative if you want Do you have a sense of how you want us to break into small groups or should we just Ideally three groups so we can kind of pull some chairs and and tables
off to the side a little bit um why don't we number we did that this morning with the students It worked well So yeah that fun Do you want to uh start with you as one and then we'll just go around Two three
One two three one two three One two and three One two three That was just as just as good as the students this morning So I'm so glad I'm so glad it got to be Do you want to do
any ones twos and threes take twos over here and over here Perfect I'll kind of gather some in the same room and then stick us musicians over there together I thought y'all were slick with your little number
I know Okay So um again thanks for the time So we want to we're going to come back to this and explain um you know some of the the questions that we're asking why we're getting into this kind of benefit benefit and tangible versus intangible
rational versus emotional So We all as humans make buying decisions And I know that's a a weird word buying to use uh for a public school district But when you think about buying it's a choice That investment
doesn't have to be financial That investment can be time or I'm choosing this over something else Every buying decision starts and ends in an emotional state but we use
rationale pricing facts and figures to either confirm that first split-second emotional response or to override that emotional response And only when we do that then
do we think about how is this going to work what do I need to do or if I'm saying no to that buying decision what does that mean or I might not even get that far because I've decided no So when we think about
messaging we use what's called the ERT what we call the ERT framework that when we're marketing the more often we can start our messaging with an emotional response So something that creates a split second
of curiosity interest some type of emotional resonance Then and only then do we have an opportunity to explain the rationale and the reasons why you can believe in this emotional response that
Rochester public schools Hoover JM whatever it is is something speaks to me Now I'm not going to make a decision until I go through the reasoning to see
if yeah that still feels good or not But if it does feel good and I believe these are the reasons to believe only then do the tactics and the descriptions of what we do And what we find in working with you know public entities like school
districts and nonprofits is because of the nature of our work because it is often passiondriven over profit driven we expect that our passion is contagious and it's not It would be a
lot easier if it was right and so we tend to start although this group did not with very tactical reasons of what we do We have this many programs We can do this We offer that right the very
nuts and bolts of what might be at a particular school or within the district or within a particular job And then we think if we explain what we do why it's important people will care
The formula actually works better when we reverse that So we want to in our messaging save all the tactical information It has a place and a time but we always want to start in that
emotional space So what does that mean think about a number of marketing executions So if it's a billboard right i'm not saying that we're buying billboards but if it was you've got seven
words pops So do those seven words need to create an emotional or do I need to give you directions on how to find the school it's the homepage of our website What does that first headline say it should be in this emotional space
It's an email newsletter The first thing that headline again just continue to feed that kind of emotional connection and then obviously we have to prove that we can be believed and that
proof is the things that we do every day Now again we could sit here and argue these were just my interpretations of what I thought felt like emotional versus rational versus tactical language So that's why these discussions these
kind of open-ended um kind of wandering conversations because we pick up on just nuggets that could be a word two words or a really big idea that help us build a framework and that's one of the things that we'll come back
with So first of all what questions do you have about this framework if any as I'm sure you know it's tried and proven but um you know prior to you explaining it um uh
I really hadn't considered um what we do or even what I do from uh this point of view I I probably tend to operate well from the passion point of view You know our kids matter and
doesn't education matter to you uh versus um realizing that well you need to maybe have a different approach And so I appreciate what I'm hearing thus far I'm sure it's only better but I I like how you've broken it down uh not
being familiar with uh either your company or the theory of the of of the work Are these um prescriptive um or are these unique to your company in terms of design um do you mean this
framework or these particular um yeah this framework is very specific to field trip Okay Now the buying decisions that is scientific data Okay So um I'm not just saying that because it sounds good And just a little bit back on our
history the agency is 18 years old For our first iteration we were in retail advertising So it was all about buying decisions every day day in and day out And as we shifted and decided who we wanted to be when we grew up and
rebranded and and redid our messaging we applied some of that science And we see it again in such a passion-driven area where we now work that again you know it's it's just like if I was talking to one of my old
furniture retail clients they would be "Well here's the Darcy It's 3.99 and it seats three and it comes in four colors." and that's all they would want to advertise right well which column is that in and so our job was always well let's think
about what's the benefit of having a sofa that sits three people right and so yes the the retail science is out there and bigger than Field Drip but this particular framework is specific to us Thanks
Can the can the tactic be also kind of aspirational like a call to action as opposed to really nuts and bolts typically that is where you see the call to action occurs in this column because again we have to provoke an interest give a reason to believe and now here's
what you can do with that belief in information So it's you know come to this event or enrollment or those types of things Okay Is there anything that you wish we would have asked
do we ever talk about the people who don't like us and why our group We did Oh good We decided that everyone likes us Not necessary I promise I wouldn't change Um so we did at least I know a
little bit It was kind of rushed at the end Um but I don't know if that's something that we should talk through in terms of what are the misconceptions or if you as a group feel like we've covered that I don't know why What are your thoughts
i mean we we didn't go into you were in my group Yeah We didn't say okay who doesn't like us and why but we did try to think of it from the lens of how how is RPS different what are the advantages or differentiators we have against alternate options which is sort of different way of looking at that but I I
don't know if that covers let's look at it this way What do you think we should know well generally I think there's a lot of misinformation about public education in general in in our current environment
And I don't know if it really requires an analysis of you know our community to to look at the pro public education versus people who have negative things to say about the schools or if it's better to say what is our story and
putting more information out there is enough to push back against the misinformation I think maybe part of the problem with the people who don't like us is they're stuck in their emotion and they don't want to hear
anything rational or rationale as to maybe why they might want to adjust their emotion I mean you can't argue with how people feel right and then all the facts in the world don't matter So I don't know how you get
around that You I'll get that to you I I think I think change historically though invokes fear I I just think it does I I don't think there's any way around it I think that that you know because change one thing you when you start talking about change
one you are making some implica implications that something is wrong Right so first there's and I'm sorry I got my little treatment hat on right now because I I taught treatment today But first you have to accept that there's something that needs to be changed Um and in accepting that something needs to
be changed That means that there in in many ways there was something either wrong or doesn't always have to be a negative negative but it it you know if it's not broke why fix it right so when you start talking about change that there's a natural implication that there
was an error and I think that that automatically invokes a fear with people So when we talk about changing public education and we talk about changing the format so in essence you are telling people that weren't taught in this way
that the way you were taught was wrong or the way my grandmother learned was wrong So you you you're up against this natural adversion because one who wants to be called a liar and who wants to be told that everything I was taught ain't
right right Um we're older A lot of people here we're a little older We come from a different generation Discipline was different Um when I started school they they just made it illegal for teachers to pop you in the hand right but again you're telling a whole generation of people that are now
doctors and lawyers and educators and maybe even teachers now that the way they taught you that wasn't right So I think change just evokes a natural fear because in order to accept change you have to accept that change is needed and
in order to accept that change is needed you need to accept that something needs to be corrected So I I think that it's this endless kind of hamster wheel because you cannot change something you don't think is broken or you cannot
accept a change of something that you don't see an error in Right And I think that applies to whether it's a change in the public school system or a change in your own uh belief systems and perceptions When go ahead Well I so you
were you were asking about what you haven't asked yet Um I I don't know that we've really been very clear on who our target audience is for this information like who who is the persuadable audience that we want to
reach with this emotional hook and I I guess I think of people who are ideologically opposed to public education are probably not part of the persuadable audience but but who is it um I I I don't think we explicitly
define it at least in in our group And and I think that's a very fair question And I know you know as we plan discussion guides that is one of the things that we typically um get into and when we look at audiences we look at a little differently So I could say it's
families and staffs and student but that's rolebased and so what we'll typically come with is more of a attitudinal focus So there's an audience that believes these set of things not about Rochester public schools but maybe
about you know education for their child or or just the belief around education in general and is it a you know is it a what was your comment about the uh growth engine or is it you know
well I need childare right it's like the choice between growth or stagnation like which one do you align with right and so will divine addit attitudes and there's going to be at least one or two groups that we just have to recognize that they're there But where are the attitudes where
we can have the most impact and create more support because we we can't change everybody and we have to break it down into pieces So not directly answering your question but that's one of the things that we'll come back with is what
are the attitudinal segments of the world around us and how might we leverage a framework like this to lift everybody up sounds good Okay Okay Last chance Any parting thoughts questions
i had one thought that I guess we really haven't talked because you talk about retail and you know that aspect of things um we haven't really talked about influencers and how to how people make the decision about what schools they're I mean you think so I kind of look at it
that when I was making a decision about a school for my son I looked at all the different options and there were a lot of different options then that I was kind of able to differentiate but I didn't even consider different districts for that choice I mean I I knew it was RPS that that's I wasn't making that
decision so I think it's like or also the other thought that crossed my mind is like not only influencing but um do people um like recommend things to their friends and family is that part of this
thought process it is but it comes at a later part when we're thinking about the execution and the introduction and how the messaging and these things are used in the future is when we'll come more into like
tactics and you know how do we the how do we influence right now we're focusing on where are we headed what do we stand for okay at the risk of interjecting because I know we're ready to uh end at of a big
theme I'm prompted a little bit by the point about the the two points about Um have we defined you know who doesn't like us or I've always thought that the unique history of social movements is
interesting because every great social movement was clearly against something The civil rights movement was against racial oppression The environmental movement is against degradation of the earth The women's movement was against gender bias And if you don't define what you're against I think you have less
chance of that kind of a transformative So I'm going to pull a politically safe but I believe accurate example out because it's was neither a Democrat or Republican But when I was a young administrator in St Paul schools
Jesse Ventura was governor and our superintendent was trying to do all these various things and she was very popular at that point So he kept coming to stuff I remember vividly realizing this man does not
believe in education Foundationally he does not believe in the enterprise of education Everything in his life was survival of the fittest you know brute force of personality physical brute force Navy Seal wrestler And I would remember and
he would come visit these schools I'd be like why is this guy talking to our kids he fundamentally doesn't believe in the enterprise that we are undertaking here And I think for those of us who are in education there's such a presumption that everybody basically agrees with
like what director Barlo just said the you know and you know sharing the story of your parents and things I think when I think about our messaging vision that's what we're against Now I'm not naming who that is but like the forces that fundamentally do not
believe that education can do all of the things that are in society I believe those people also exist today There are forces that do not believe in the enterprise that we are engaged in So when I think we think about mission vision and values we're against Jesse
Ventura And so he's safe because God knows where he is He's like on a ranch in Mex Mexico and he's not a Republican or a Democrat And so that's why I choose But I've literally for 20 years I've thought about that when I would sit there and I would be like everything I'm trying to
do this guy does not believe really matters Um so I just want to push us to sort of define the what this mission and vision and values are actually against Um and that's one of the things that comes to mind
Well thank you for spending time with us today and thank you also for the the roles and responsibilities you've taken to make uh the Rochester community stronger I'll turn it back over to you Great So item 4.1 is our other business our
annual uh board calendar draft or ABCD Is there any items that a board member would like to bring forward for consideration on a future meeting agenda hearing none Our upcoming board meeting dates are April 8th at 5:30 a regular meeting April 15th at 5:30 a
study session April 22nd at 5:30 a regular meeting May 6th at 5:30 a regular meeting and and that's the last meeting on the agenda um on my list And hearing no other business this
meeting is adjourned at 7:29 p.m