in most cases. >> No rational party would object to >> And equal distance between them. Yeah, that doesn't matter. >> I'm pretty good. >> Is everybody here? Sorry, but Hans got to bring her that clipboard. Does she have it?
She's got it. Yeah, she just she did she texted. So. So clickers over there for you. Ready? This regular meeting of the Independent School District 535 School Board is called to order at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday,
June 16th, 2026 in room 137 of the Edison building. Present at this meeting are school board members, Superintendent Ken Pekel, a non-voting ex-officio member, and assistant school board clerk Ms. Ann Cramer. Ms. Cramer, will you please call the roll? >> Director cut.
>> Here. >> Director Marlon. >> Here. >> Director Workman. >> Here. >> Director cut. >> Here. >> Director McLaughlin. >> Here. >> Director Whitehorn. Director Marlon. >> 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. At this time we offer the opportunity to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge a >> 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. >> The next item on our agenda is our Rochester Public Schools mission, vision, and values. For the people in the audience, I draw your attention to the back wall that lists our district
mission, vision, and values. And during this agenda item at each meeting we make a connection between those and one of our agenda items. Board members, I think it will be obvious when we get to item 6.1 social studies curriculum adoption that our mission to equip every student
with the knowledge, independence, and resilience to pursue a fulfilling path is the foundation of that work that has been done and the discussion that we will have. The next item is the 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. >> Any opposed? The agenda has been approved. The agenda and documents for this meeting are available online at rochester.schools.org/assembly. Our next item are comments to the board. The school board welcomes communications
from our stakeholders via email, phone call, and here during comments to the board. The purpose of comments to the board is to give community members an opportunity to provide input directly to the school board about issues that fall within our authority. The board and superintendent do not respond directly to the speaker's
comments during the meeting, but may follow up with the speaker if required and appropriate. Persons who want to make comments to the board must fill out the online form by 5:00 p.m. on the Monday before the school board meeting. The form is available on the RPS website and on the assembly main page.
Comments to the board are governed by policy 206 and procedure 206A, and by participating in the public comment period each speaker agrees to abide by this policy and procedure. Members of the audience are reminded that clapping, cheering, booing, vocalizing approval, or vocalizing
disapproval for a speaker is prohibited during the school board meeting, including during comments to the board. Speakers, when your name is called, please come to this table. If you have written materials for the board, please provide them to the assistant school board clerk prior to your remarks, and she will distribute
them to board members. Choose a microphone to speak into and be seated. Please direct your remarks to the school board. You will have 3 minutes to speak, and the timer is displayed at the front of the table. Please begin your remarks by stating your name. Our first speaker tonight is John
Waylon. >> Mhm. >> Our next agenda item is information and outreach, our retiree recognition. This is always [clears throat] a bittersweet agenda item every year, but we have some great RPS staff to celebrate. Superintendent Pakou. >> Thank you, Chair Nathan. We are joined
by a subset of the people who are concluding their distinguished careers in Rochester Public Schools, and we are going to have the chair and I step down here to the front. I do appreciate that if some of you are not planning to stay, this might be a good moment to go just because so we can recognize the
retirees. If you plan to stay, we really welcome you, but these are folks who have spent a wonderful career in Rochester Public Schools, and so we want to take a moment to recognize them, and we would absolutely welcome people to stay. >> Are you going to vote on the agenda item? >> We are we're we're going to continue,
and the agenda is published, sir. And so, if we can have our retirees and the mic and the chair and I will will head down, and we will move forward. Okay. it is. >> Okay, so I we hope that we have got all of the retirees who came. We know we
have a larger group and we also have a gift that we want to make sure all of you pick up before you move on. I'm going to move in the order in which I have you listed. We're going to have you come on up and want to have a chance to say a few words about the extraordinary work that you did over the course of your career and then we're going to have Sally from our communications department
take a picture with me and share Nathan and I know the rest of the board shares in this exciting moment of acknowledging you. So, Lauren Allen, would you please come on up. Thank you. And we will acknowledge all of these folks after we embarrass them a little bit. So,
So, Lauren was specialized education support professional work with our deaf and hard of hearing students. She spent 15 years at Willow Creek, four years at Mayo High School. When we asked her what was what is one memory you'll take from your years at Rochester Public Schools, she said, "As a note taker and if I'll
just tell you if you've never seen the note taking they do in the classroom for our deaf and hard of hearing students, it's extraordinary. As a note taker, I've been in many classes over 19 years. I'm impressed with our teaching staff. They care deeply about their students and make daily sacrifices to impact the
next generation. They face many challenges every day yet come back year after year. I've enjoyed working with the staff at both of the schools where I taught." And we asked her what's one of your hopes and what goals for your retirement, "I look forward to spending more time with my eight eight
grandchildren and having more time for my hobbies, photography, hiking, kayaking, and reading." So, Lauren, it is with great gratitude that we congratulate you on your retirement and wish you the best. So, here we go. We got to That That's the worst bullet in there. So, thank
[applause] you. Here we go. Oh, yes. We're good. Please get your gift from Mr. Bakken back there. I think Catherine Fruiterer did not make it. You're here, great. I didn't have a chance come on up. Didn't get a chance to say hi to you before, so wonderful.
Perfect. So, Catherine was an elementary reading specialist and who's really made the rounds in the school district worked at John Marshall, Century, Friedell, Kellogg, Willow Creek, and John Adams. Taught reading at John Adams for the past 11 years at Riverside Central Elementary. So, we
said what is one memory you're going to remember? When I was laid off from Century High School due to budget cuts, sorry about that. Some [snorts] of my students threw a potluck going away party for me. As I drove out to the house, the students and
my own children, and we have this picture on the screen. The students and my own children created a human sculpture in the road. It was hilarious and so very thoughtful. When we asked what is a hope for retirement,
Catherine and her lesser half, equal half, Bruce who's also retiring from us are going to be grandparents at the end of June and they are so excited to be moving forward. So, we thank you for your service and your work on behalf of children and wish you the best in your retirement. Thank you, PLEASE REMAIN.
>> [applause] >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND CHARLENE HAAS, come on. So, Charlene is one of our elementary assistant principals but has held many roles. She has taught music at Lincoln, Pinewood, Folwell, Sunset, Jefferson, Churchill, Hoover, and was in
administration at Churchill, Hoover, and Gibbs. One memory that she will take with her is, I love this, the cheers students gave when I rolled the principal chair, capital P, capital C, student winner down the hallway each Friday morning to
greet the classrooms. Uh And one hope or goal for retirement is more flexibility and time for my family, travel, and volunteering. So, Charlene, want to thank you for your not only teaching but your leadership on behalf of our students and as I keep
saying, wish you the very best and thank you. That's very good. >> [applause] >> ALL RIGHT. AND JODY HENNING. COME ON UP. SO, Jody Henning, this shows all the different functions and roles that we have in Rochester schools. Was one of our school psychologists, a critical role that not many people in
the public necessarily know how important it is for us. She's provided services to many buildings in her 24 years. Started out at John Marshall, John Adams, here at Bishop. Then she She had a good long tenure at Harriet Bishop of 22 years, but had also served
Washington, Sunset, Terrace, Elton Hills, Bamber Valley, Longfellow, worked at middle school, high school, the alternative learning centers, and a bit of time at both Mayo and again at John Marshall. Um Jody says, "The best memories I have of my time in RPS are my is my time spent
with parents when needing to explain some very difficult and sometimes hard to hear messages regarding how their child is doing in school and measuring up to their peers. It's rewarding to form trust with parents and to have the opportunity to
work with their children to help determine and clearly explain their child's disability and educational needs. I believe I had a strength in helping them feel comfortable and more empowered to face the challenges that school can
bring to their child. And one more on the goals for retirement. I like this one. First and foremost, I want to spend time connecting with people that I have not had time to see due to the demanding role of a school psychologist in RPS. I want to focus on spending time with my
family and enjoy watching my grandson grow. I'm also looking forward to more travel. Immediately after retiring, and this is not much time that you've done all this. I know, but that's not that much time. Went to the Bahamas, Norway for 2 weeks in May, been to Colorado twice visiting
her oldest daughter, plan to continue traveling as much as possible and spending time with her husband, taking the first year to enjoy, relax, and reflect, and then you'll see what additional adventures and ambitions are in your next chapter. So, thank you again so much.
>> [applause] >> Thank you. And Kent Covian. Come on up. So, uh Kent, and we did enjoy being two Kents. There are not many of us on some of our negotiating teams. Um he worked at John Adams Middle School his first 2 years,
and after that was at Mayo High School, uh where he was one of the real centers of the culture of the school. And he'll remember the trusting relationships with students and staff. And what is a goal for retirement? I hope to stay healthy so I can enjoy time with my family, friends, and many hobbies. So, Kent,
thank you for your work and your leadership. >> [applause] >> All right, thank you. And Linda Lang. Linda was right there, very close to where a lot of the magic all begins in first grade, the really foundational experience.
And she went through Rochester Public Schools as a kid. She attended Burr Oak Elementary, Kellogg Junior High School, and graduated from Mayo High School. Then worked for 37 years in Rochester public schools at Sunset Terrace at Golden Hill, also in the graduate induction program as an ESP at Gage, in
kindergarten at Jefferson, worked in kindergarten at Hawthorne in grade two at Longfellow, also was in grade one at Bamber Valley. She does say Bamber Valley is what she considered her home. It will always be her home and she will always be a Bamber Valley Beaver.
Um when we say, "What is one memory that you'll be taking?" said, "I liked making connections with staff and kids. If you have relationships with people, learning just happens." Like I'm going to put that on my wall. If you have relationships with people, learning just happens. It makes for a happier, more
productive work environment. And what's a goal for a hope or goal? I want to read, travel, spend time with my grandkids, and get out in nature. So Linda, thank you for your years of work. You have changed a lot of lives. >> [applause] >> Yes, thank you. And Margaret Lundquist.
So Margaret was a social studies teacher, a proud thing to have been, I will say. Oh, except but you were >> Just my license. >> Got it. >> [laughter] >> But you did other good stuff.
Well, I saw you at work and you waved a lot of good stuff. >> [laughter] >> I spent 20 years at the Education Service Center when I was hired to start a new program for students being expelled from school when the zero tolerance policy was implemented around 1995. That was a different era.
The program was RPS's first success lab model and was under the umbrella of the Rochester Alternative Learning Center. Then when Golden Hill closed and moved to South Broadway, My ESC program was moved to the current Rochester Alternative Learning Center on Woodlake Drive Southeast, where I've continued the Success Lab model for an additional
13 years. Now, when she says what's a memory she'll take, the memories of all the young lives I've influenced. I've loved every minute of my teaching assignment. I feel very fortunate to have found the perfect job for me.
What is a goal for retirement? My hope goal is to improve my health so I can enjoy being more active. I know [clears throat] that it'll take some time, so meanwhile, I'll enjoy my pool, gardening, and a new puppy by mid to late June. So, congratulations on a great career and the puppy.
>> [applause] >> And Tamara Mammel. Tamara was an English teacher, has been an English teacher, probably always will be an English teacher in a lot of ways. 36 years all spent at Willow Creek. I know this is rare, but Willow Creek has been a fantastic place to work. I
will always consider it my home. We said what was a memory, she said, I have so many wonderful memories of my time at Willow. One of my favorite memories is a surprise 50th birthday party that the staff threw for me. We spent the day socializing, laughing, and eating. Also, I was gifted with a pair
of gold pants that I wore for the day. I don't think I got much work done, but it sure was fun. Do you have the gold pants still? >> Uh they disappeared and nobody WILL FESS UP. >> NO! >> I have my suspicions of who has them. >> It's Fogarty. >> [laughter]
>> I think so. He wouldn't Um what's a goal for a retirement? After my retirement, my husband and I are hoping to do some traveling. We're planning to go on a Mediterranean cruise with some friends this fall. It is my dream vacation. So, have a great time on that wonderful, well-deserved cruise, and thank you. >> We really thank you.
>> Yeah. >> [applause] >> Annette Peters. Come on up, Annette. Annette has been one of our specialized education support professionals working with many of our students who face emotional and behavioral challenges
and she has made a difference in so many of our schools, Hoover, Bamber Valley, Ben Franklin, Lincoln, Gage, Golden Hill, Churchill, Gage and back to Jefferson. At times a program was moved, I was displaced or the need to be challenged spoke to me. Which I love
that. What's a memory you'll take? One memory I'll take with me is having the opportunity to connect with administrator staff, students and leadership through the years. Each building had its own uniqueness which helped me grow as an individual. Many things have changed during my employment. In 2017, I was recognized as
one of five in the nation for the recognizing inspirational school employees award in Washington D.C. That was truly an honor to be nominated by my peers. Absolutely. >> [applause] >> And when I said what's what's a hope for
retirement? My hope for retirement is summed up by this quote from noted author Gladys Tabor. Quote, we need time to dream, time to remember and time to reach the infinite, time to be. So this is my time to be.
That's beautiful. Thank you for your work. >> [applause] >> And David Turhar. Come on up. So [clears throat] David has done amazing work at grade six. He has done 33 years in Rochester public schools, 37
total in education. First year at Hoover Elementary and then 32 years in the same room teaching science at Kellogg Middle School. They didn't They didn't let you out. Yeah. Um what's a memory he'll take? I'll take fourth good thoughts of students, staff,
and administrators that have treated me with respect all these many years. I'd love to hear that. And what's a hope for graduation? Our first grandson was born on February 9th. My goal is to spend time with him and the rest of my family at our cabin up north. So thank you and I'm glad you finally got out of that
room after all these years. >> [applause] >> Thank you very much. >> [snorts] >> And Roberta Tweed. I love how this really runs the gamut of ages because Roberta's work is coordinator of early learning. Um she
worked for eight years in the um ECFS department primarily as a parent educator and also as an early childhood educator, then moved to teaching family and consumer consumer science at John Marshall for four years, and then three years at Century, and three years ago came back to ECFS as the coordinator of
early learning. One memory she'll take uh from her years in RPS is having two of my children and a niece and a nephew in my high school classes, and which was really special. You must have been good that they didn't feel terrified or annoyed by that.
That's And a hope for retirement is to continue working with family, spending time with grandchildren, offering time to my mom and parents-in-law. I have a large family and I'm looking forward to having time to share with them. So thank you again for all your work and best wishes for what's next.
>> [applause] >> And I believe we have made the list. I think there's no reason Did anybody show up who we didn't know was coming? And I don't want you to be embarrassed to say yes cuz I'm going to interview you on the spot if you did.
Okay, not seeing that, I want to thank our Human Resources Department for helping us put this together. And more than that, just thank all of you for the extraordinary contributions you've made to kids. I honestly think every day how privileged I am to build on the work
that this district has had for for decades and generations really. And so we are going to try to carry your legacy forward. Um we hope you will stay in touch periodically. I said to several of you earlier that we have a lot of people who are terrible at retiring from Rochester Public Schools cuz they're so
committed to kids that they sub or they volunteer or things like that. But again, we are grateful to you for your work and your leadership and we wish you the best. So thank you and um on behalf of the board, let's do one round of applause for these folks again. >> [applause]
>> AND YOU MAY BEGIN YOUR RETIREMENT NOW BY leaving if you would like to. >> [laughter] >> Bye. >> [clears throat] >> The next item on our agenda are board member updates. Does any board member have updates from their committees or any other information or experiences to
share? Director Cook? >> I I did have one item um as the the board's um school board representative to uh the Minnesota State High School League um year and because we will in the consent
agenda be considering the um I guess annual ratification of the board's membership or the district's membership in the Minnesota State High School League and explicitly adopt the constitution of the Minnesota State High
School League I just wanted to share what um what I find is a uh um a particularly I think worthy purpose that's found in the Minnesota State High School League among other things
the purpose of that league is to elevate standards of sportsmanship and to encourage the growth of responsible citizenship among the students member schools and their personnel. Um so I look forward to continuing to be part of the Minnesota State High
School League but that's really all I have by way of update at this time. >> Well, we had an RPS presence at Juneteenth on Saturday and it was a great day to talk to students and parents and alumni which
was a surprise for some of us. Had some alumni show up and the community members and even some potential employees which is always a good reason to get out there in the community. Um the biggest hit was our school mascot stickers. We have stickers for each of our schools with the mascots and it was
popular with both students and alumni. And I just want to thank director um Workman and director Marvin and Lindsay Nelson our HR recruitment specialist for coming and staffing the table in a in the midst of some big gusts of wind and some [clears throat] uh some hot sun
but it was a great day to be out in the community and share resources and information about about RPS. Oh, director McWatters. >> Um I I think we've had a board update since graduation and I just wanted to recognize that we all group of us were at graduation to accept the class, and
that's always very gratifying to see that end result and how excited the students are to launch into their futures. Exciting day. >> Great day. >> And congratulations to the teams at each of the high schools for how efficiently and effectively graduations were won. I
believe John Marshall won the uh quickest graduation this year or maybe it was Mayo. I don't know, I may be wrong cuz somebody's going to get me on that, but it was Mayo. Okay, Mayo gets the record this year, but really well run and and a great celebration for everyone.
The next item on our agenda is our consent agenda items 5.1 through 5.14. [clears throat] Uh would any board member like any item removed for separate consideration? If not, do I have a motion to approve? >> So moved. >> Second.
>> It has been moved and seconded to approve the consent agenda. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? The consent agenda has been approved. We'll now move on to our prep for action item, the social studies curriculum adoption. Uh this is a prep for action
item. The board is scheduled to take action at the July 7th meeting. Superintendent Pakou. >> Thank you, Chair Nason and board members. I'd like to ask Mona Perkins, our chief academic officer, and Heather Willman, our director of secondary education, and Deidra Fipps, our instructional facilitator for the
humanities, to come on up um to the table. Um board members, the state of Minnesota every 10 years, uh with a bit of variation uh from time to time, updates the academic
standards that we are required by law to introduce to our students and ensure that they master. And so, the state has done that with our social studies standards that uh direct the great work that our social studies teachers do across the district. And so
correspondingly, we are bringing you a proposal for the purchase of new social studies curricula. Board members, the more we look at school systems, not just across the United States, but around the world that are
improving student learning at higher rates, the more clear it becomes that knowledge-rich curricula is an indispensable component of the formula for success. That what we teach really matters, along with, of course, how we teach and how we
test. And as board members know, over the past few years, we've put in place a significantly enhanced process of continually evaluating and updating curricula across all academic areas. Board members know well the work we've done in literacy, and I'm and science,
and I'm pleased that we're now moving on to social studies. Mathematics comes next. So, with that, let me turn it over to the team. We are not asking, as Chair Nathan noted, for your vote tonight. However, we really would like to have your approval in the
subsequent meeting, because we want to make these purchases so that we can get them into the hands of our very eager social studies teachers as soon as possible after your final vote. So, with that, thank you for the work you've done on this, and look forward to updating the board.
>> Well, we're thrilled. We've been waiting a long time to be able to bring social studies to you. And so, as we start, we just wanted to kind of remind you that when we talk about social studies, we're talking about more than history. We're looking at economics and geography
and government and citizenship, and really that training ground to be active citizens. So, we'll be talking about really helping our students think deeply, um, read, and then be really good citizens.
That's kind of, um, what our what our focus is. So, um, we wanted to tell you a little bit about the process because it was a a comprehensive process, and although we're just coming one night to talk to you about it, it's really been 2 years
in the making. Um, so in 2024-25, we convened a social studies leadership team. We called them the visionary team, um, and they were kind of self-nominated to help us think about how do we do the best job at at making sure that all of our teachers know about this process.
So, they gave us some advice. Um, we did some thinking, we did some planning and strategizing, and then in 2025-26, we planned three curriculum development days in conjunction with, um, the ethnic studies, uh, grant. We received a grant from the Minnesota Department of
Education. And so, as a part of our curriculum development, we also, um, embedded professional development. That was kind of a new model for us. Um, sometimes we have professional development that might be a stand-alone course, but in this case, teachers came
together, same grade level, um, did some studying of the standards, and then thought about, well, how do we actually make this happen in our classrooms? Um, so we had three times during the year, a fall, winter, and a spring meeting. Um, we had 66 teachers
participate, which is is very exciting. Um, we we had over 90%, um, which sometimes can be challenging when you're bringing them out of the classroom to do this kind of professional development. And then, the products that we really worked on were a common scope and
sequence, common assessments, um, and then really looking at the alignment to some of the shifts that we're going to talk with you about. Something unique about world history was that we actually participated in a co-design process with students. And that's still kind of in process. We had
students really, um, come together, then they interviewed their um, other students and told us what was most meaningful for them, and then where could we improve in terms of world history. And so they have recommendations that our teachers will really look at next year.
And that was also part of some of the resources that we're going to be recommending. So I'm going to turn it over to Deitra, who is our instructional facilitator for social studies and English, and she's going to talk about the shifts that have guided our work this year. >> Thank you, Heather.
In working with social studies teachers this past year, we recognized that there were three significant shifts within the new state standards. The first is the addition of a new strand for ethnic studies. Heather mentioned that social studies is interdisciplinary. The way that is
featured within the standards is through strands. So there's a citizenship and government strand and one for history, geography, economics. So this is a new strand that is being added specifically for ethnic studies. And a good bit of our professional development this year
with social studies teachers was based on ethnic studies. Next year, we will be looking at emphasizing disciplinary literacy practices. That is the second shift. And the reason why we would look at that next year is because we really need our curriculum materials and resources to be
able to do that effectively. The third shift is centering student inquiry. We did a bit of professional development with that this past year and will continue to do so next year. When our social studies teachers were looking at potential curriculum resources, they did have an evaluation
tool that they used, and with that tool, there was a lot of emphasis placed on these three new shifts within the standards. In addition, criteria for is it accessible to all learners, looking at the structure and the overall organization, things that you would want
to consider anytime you're purchasing a new curriculum. But there was a lot of emphasis placed on whether or not these resources would align with these new shifts. So in looking at our social studies work for this past year with the shifts, first with ethnic studies, we did have
professional development um through a grant with NDE for ethnic studies. And the way we did it this year is we had the professional development embedded within the curriculum days with our social studies teachers. So they had professional learning in the morning and
then they could immediately apply it to the curriculum in the afternoon as they collaborated with each other. And since this is a new strand, we wanted to give you an example of a benchmark from the ethnic studies. This one specifically comes from eighth grade. Examine the cultures and histories of
one or more ethnic groups who have immigrated to Minnesota since the 1950s. And so our teachers, when they were looking at these resources, were looking at these benchmarks and these standards within the new strand to determine, do we feel that these resources meet and align with these new standards?
The second shift with disciplinary literacy practices will be the focus for next year. I think it's important to note the difference between content area reading and disciplinary literacy. Content area reading are strategies that can be used across disciplines. So that includes social
studies, but also your English, your science, your math. These are the strategies we use to help students be able to comprehend and understand text. So thinking about your graphic organizers that you can fill out in order to students understand how to summarize the main idea of a text or
marking and annotating a text to guide their understanding. With disciplinary literacy, it is how you read, write, and think within a discipline. So it's how does that disciplinary lens look at and interact with different parts of academia that's
different from your English, your science, your math, and other core subjects. So if we think about how we read like a historian, we're going to be interpret interpreting these primary and secondary documents and looking at the credibility and validity and we're corroborating those sources and we're
synthesizing information. So, then we can write like a historian, which in the case of these new standards, a lot of that's going to be argumentative. So, can we formulate a claim and then have students be able to pull evidence from those sources to back up that claim. And
then also to think like a historian. If we go back to our example with eighth grade from immigration in the 1950s, it's not just about understanding what happened in the 1950s, it's about making it relevant for students so they can see how does that impact us now? And then what can I do with that information and take it and use it when I want to be an
active citizen within society in the future. So, really looking at ideas and inquiries over a long period of time. And our third shift, centering inquiry. This is based upon the C3 framework,
which is from the National Council for Social Studies. C3 stands for college, career, and civic life. And the reason why we spent some time in for professional development on this framework is because MDE developed their new state standards framed on this. And
looking at this, we have four different dimensions. The first is developing questions and planning inquiries. So, instead of introducing a unit with simply a topic or a region, we would give students a compelling question and they would have to look at it and see
that the question is relevant, arguable, open-ended with the goal being that they would be able to answer that essential question at the end of the unit. In doing so, we would provide them with a variety of sources. So, that's dimension two, applying disciplinary tools and concepts. Going back to that
interdisciplinary idea. And then of course, dimension three brings us about to that disciplinary literacy where you have to read like a historian by evaluating the sources. And then also write like a historian by being able to develop your claims and use evidence
from the sources. And lastly, dimension four, taking informed action. That goes back to thinking like a historian. What can I do as a citizen or what can I even do as a student now that I have this information? And so, though we have these compartmentalized,
they really do intertwine together and work together these shifts. And so, in order to embed these shifts effectively, our social studies teachers have made some purchase requests that Heather will share with you.
>> Right. So, we have um a list, a long list of resources that we are hoping that you will approve. Um you can see that many of them are textbooks. Um so, as Dr. Bickel talked about that idea of a knowledge-rich curriculum, having a
strong um text, having primary sources, secondary sources. Um we really feel like that is an essential key for the learning in all of our courses. Um so, we've kind of listed what each of the groups are are hoping for. Um in in
every case, we looked at more than one textbook. Um and then we really looked at those three shifts to say, "How will this material help us uh further the learning for our students?" Um there are a variety of vendors because as you look at the different disciplines, um there
are stronger vendors in particular disciplines. Um for example, sixth grade, we have our Northern Lights textbook that's actually published with the Minnesota Historical Society. Um but in many others, you'll see that there are are um different vendors that came
forward as the strongest. Um so, and then we do have one course, anthropology, which is an elective, and they made a request for some new materials. I think it's been might be over 20 years um that they have had texts that they've been using. So,
we feel like the the reading, writing, speaking, listening that we want students to be able to do really need to be supported by these high-quality [clears throat] materials and that's why we are coming to you today to ask for your support. So, we'll turn it over to you for
questions. >> Board members, does anybody have any questions they want to start with? Director Marla. >> Uh I was asked a question and really didn't know how to respond to it and it deals with um
our process. Um and the question dealt with where well, two-part question. Where was or was there parent and or community input regarding this process?
Um and is there a uh opportunity for uh parent and or community input to occur moving forward? >> Absolutely. I'll take the second part maybe first. Um I think one of the
things that we like to do with our community curriculum advisory is give families an opportunity to see the texts that we have selected and so that would be an opportunity for them to come and see the materials. >> I think one thing that is important for
the community to know is that it's often a textbook but then there's also sometimes an inquiry journal. There might be assessments both formative and summative and so that would be an opportunity for them to kind of see what those resources look like.
>> Now to my actual questions. Um what accommodations exist for multilingual uh, multilingual learners and students receiving special education services. >> Yeah. Um, I think one of the things that we looked at, um, pretty strongly was what
are the language supports? So, sometimes there might be, um, sentence frames, um, there might be vocabulary that's, um, actually, like, um, called out ahead of time, um, before the reading. Um, we also have in in many of of the cases,
um, the the students can actually listen to the text. Um, and so they're able to hear the text and sometimes there's even a feature where you can actually click on the vocabulary word. It will show you a picture, um, and then you can hear it pronounced.
>> Are there any other things that And most of those supports are found in the digital access for teachers, um, and so that is included in the prices that you are looking at. >> Are you Can I ask are you wondering if if there's like completely separate books?
>> Not necessarily, but how will the multilingual learners and, uh, those receiving special education services be um >> access the material? >> Yeah, a lot of that is through instructional strategies and the supports we put in place. Cuz you
definitely want to maintain um giving all students access to high-level like rigor and but you just have to provide the uh, the appropriate scaffolds and supports in the classroom. At the secondary [clears throat] levels like our um our ML students that are
level ones are often in a sheltered course, so they are receiving high level of support and then as they, um develop their English proficiency, they might be in a co-taught class where it's taught with the gen ed teacher and the ML teacher. Um
so there's a a wide variety of supports. There's some special ed courses that are also co-taught. Just depends on the level of need of the students. And often it will actually tell you within the chapter if you have students who are learning English, these are things that you can
do to support or if you have a student that has a learning disability, these are ways that you can build in visual support. Often what we find is that those strategies are good for all students. And so as we do the training with teachers, we talk about the fact that if
you have strong scaffolds in place, it can be really good for almost any of the students in the classroom. >> And if I may continue, um >> [clears throat] >> the C3 framework, um I was um
uh excited to see that and thank you for the appropriate links to that. Uh the anchor standards, I want to kind of touch on briefly, the historical perspectives and the uh ethnic studies. Um I appreciate how
uh there will be an opportunity to identify and I'm just simply reading from what's provided now. I'm just uh acknowledging that uh through the board process. I appreciate the fact that there's an opportunity to identify diverse points of view
and describe how one's frame of reference influences historical perspectives. Uh because sometimes I think we hear, well, you're that's DEI or that's this or that's that. And really, that's historical perspective, the recognition
that things are viewed differently based on one's perspective and point of view and and how the impacts occurred. So thank you for uh embedding that, well, not you necessarily, but that the standards do call for that. And and then also
um the ethnic studies, how it was not uh necessarily limited, again, simply reading an extract from it. Uh That it uh It's based on understanding to one's own one's own social identity and other
groups living in Minnesota centering on those whose stories and histories have been marginalized, erased, or ignored. And I thought, "Wow, how powerful that is." Because sometimes, well, what it's designed to address has actually occurred. So, again, thank you
for the state Minnesota Department of Education, those I think you said 66 teachers who participated in the work, and the product that you have presented to us this evening.
Oh, I'm sorry. So, what is the actual total cost and uh what is being recommended? Is that Is that the a final number or
will we have to continue not we have to, but will there be an ongoing need to provide the financial support to maintain this access? >> I think it was right around 616,000 14. Um and that's it's very close to um
where we're going to come in at. We We're looking at We want to make sure that we have digital resources for students at Mounds View Inc. And so, as we look at the quotes, just trying to make sure we have all of the resources we need. Um and that should be kind of
our all-in cost. Um you know, it doesn't mean that we won't um down the road say, "Oh, you know what? We'd like to add this text." Um but Mona has done a really good job of getting us to long-range plan and think about, "Okay, we have other courses that are coming
up. So, how do we make sure that we really think through this um on a a longer cycle so that we make sure we've got resources, so. >> And your question is so valid about the ongoing cost cuz that's kind of the new thing in curriculum purchasing and you
make this massive purchase and then there's annual cost and we were trying I I can't remember if we landed on eliminating all future besides Minsync. I don't know. There was one other group that wanted the online courses. Might have to look
>> Yeah, we have we, um, we're recommending online digital access for the students for 6 and 9. And then all of the grades we have digital access for the teachers. And the teachers sort of helped us come to those decisions because some of the groups really felt strongly that they
wanted the hard cover text and that they wanted more of the paper pencil and a little bit less of the Chromebook and the, um, time on the the computers. So, we really looked carefully at that and then thought about, um, what that would
look like in terms of resources. >> Director Ortman. >> I know when we were considering our literacy curriculum, um, the state of Minnesota had some choices. So, do our textbooks that we select do is there an approval list from the state of Minnesota or not?
>> In social studies there's not the same type of list that, you know, where [clears throat] it says these are the ones that you need to look at. Although, we really looked at those three shifts, so this C3 framework, could we see that, um, embedded in the the textbook and the
materials, um, the disciplinary literacy pieces, like are there opportunities for students to read and write and speak, and is it explicit? Um, and then, um, the ethnic studies. Like how do we see the materials, um, making sure that we
can really hit those shifts. So, although they didn't give us a a specific list, we really thought through those those pieces, and that's what our rubric was built around. >> I was really pleased to see the emphasis on primary and secondary sources, um rather than simply a lot relying on
what is in the textbook, um which I know we don't do here anyway, um but I know in some states that's been an issue as to do we get only our information from the textbook, and what is the accuracy of the information in that textbook? So, thank you. >> Right.
And we have we use a variety of sources. Um we do pay for some databases. Um our media specialist recommend certain databases so that we have high-quality resources that can supplement, but we have found that without having like a
high-quality comprehensive text, um it can be challenging. Um so, that's why we we feel like this is a good recommendation. >> Dr. McLaughlin. Um thank you for answering the question about the student co-design. That uh that was one of the questions I had and
and how that's involved here was helpful. Um I guess I have more just a comment that I love the fact that this is inter- interdisciplinary, that that's just make I think it makes it so much more interesting and relevant to the students. Um and looking through the materials, I can just see how
students can be excited about this topic, where I think historically they maybe just did it as a checkbox that they had to complete that I can see that this is much more interesting than I remember from my high school days, um and middle school days, and I'm just really excited to see this roll out.
>> If you want to be in I mean, hearing the students talk about how much they valued social studies and what they wanted out of their social studies class, I think both teacher and I would leave the co-design sessions like, we have hope for the
future because um they talked a lot about how one of their recommendations is that they would like to see us anchor more in the current day, and be able to say, here's what's happening now and then how does that how does that impact
things and how can we see that pattern? And they really wanted to to see that. Um Some of their other recommendations had to do with um they felt like they only heard the stories of the big and successful countries and they didn't
always hear the stories of the smaller countries or even the daily life people. So they talked a lot about like that they they wanted more and nuance. Um they also talked about wanting the teachers to create a safe space where they could disagree um in respectful
ways and they gave a lot of very concrete ideas for what that could look like. Um so I think each time we had a session and they came back with recommendations, I think we all felt like okay, our future is in good hands.
>> Thanks for sharing that. Dr. Cook. Um yeah, no, thank you and I I I I love the intentionality that we're embracing the social social studies curriculum as a a vessel to develop critical thinking skills. I mean it's a it's a perfect um
subject for that and I'm glad that we're leaning into it. Um I guess my question is uh just very basic high level here. The the state standards are K through 12. These recommendations are for curriculum in grades 6 through 10. So
what else is there um that isn't addressed by this or have we already done K through 5 or I I'm just not sure. >> Not yet. >> Okay. >> It's coming. >> Okay, got it. Okay. >> [laughter] >> We're it's we uh I think with with code when COVID hit
everything just got like >> pushed back. >> stopped everything and so we're trying to roll stuff out one thing at a time, but it's coming. >> Okay, understood. >> think I think with the elementary, you know, one of the things that's a challenge is it's the same teacher. And
so, as you know, they've been working really hard on Witten Wisdom and doing that well. And so, um and then secondary, it's a little bit easier because we have a set of teachers that just teach social studies. And so, we're able to work with just that group of
teachers and then move to science. So, I think that's been a little bit of the intentionality with um elementary is just trying to make sure we're not adding in uh something new on until we're ready. Well, that and we're I mean, it was the reading curriculum, then the
science. Now we're doing the math. So, it's and you're right, it's the same teachers teaching all the subjects, so just takes a little bit of takes us a little bit longer. But we'll get there. >> Okay, and I'll I'll I'm I'm perfectly fine waiting for the the coming attractions of of of what that is going
to develop into, but um I I'm assuming that that these recommendations that have been made um will lend themselves to a a coherent framework for what we anticipate using in K-35 and that everything will um
I mean, I don't know why that wouldn't be the case, but I I'm not sure if there's anything in particular to be sensitive to on that or if that's something that >> No, but the standards align. >> Sure. Okay. >> And so, and the C3 framework is really K-12, even E-12.
Um so, I think you will see the same shifts. And as we've even um gone to professional development, often they'll talk about here's how you build it at the elementary level, here's what it looks like at intermediate, but you're really still talking about the same shifts.
And just having them build over time. >> Well, thank you. >> Dr. Walker. >> Um so, how long will these materials be expected to be used by our students? What's the what's the life on them? I mean, Good question. Our Our cycle is really built on like a 10-year cycle.
So, when we get um new standards at the state, that's when we >> [clears throat] >> will start to look ahead of that, usually a year ahead of that. We start to look at the the standards, we'll go into rule making, and then we kind of study them, look at what needs to happen
so that we're we've got plenty of time. Sometimes though, you know, things do get longer than [clears throat] that. Um COVID that happened with COVID, so we're more like a 12-year or a 13-year um right now, but we're hoping for for a 10-year cycle.
>> I guess my reason or my question really I wanted to verify first of all that it was indeed a 10-year cycle is that I mean, I remember students their their textbooks had been even if they'd had them for 10 years, it's like that's where they stop. You know, in history, and they were
asking me, "Well, what actually happened during a particular period of history because they weren't learning about it?" So, is there any uh are there any supplemental materials that these um textbook creators provide to extend beyond whatever happens to be in the
textbook? >> They do. When you get the digital, they will often give you the updates. Um so, like we're recommending purchasing a 7-year, um and so then we'll have it for that 7 years. Then when we come to that next point, we'll have to say, "Okay, is this
still the right um material for us?" But they'll often update over that over the life of of what we've done in terms of purchase um so that we can keep that up to date. That is a challenge. Um >> I think it's part of when you think about our curriculum cycle,
once you get past implementation and we're in revision, like there's there should be a constant cycle. You you know, where we're talking meeting with teachers and getting feedback and making adjustments. So, if we're seeing that there's things that have happened in the world that we need to supplement. Uh
my favorite phrase recently has been we're ridiculously in charge. Like we can we can make those adjustments, right? Like so we can be responsive to the needs of the kids [clears throat] and and the you know, in the moment, I think. >> And anthropology was a good example of that because we were really looking at
core materials, and then our anthropology teacher said, "Well, what's the process for us who teach an elective?" Um because we may not you know, get a chance to to be on that that cycle. So we have a process where teachers can
um request and then talk about what the needs are and why they might need that so that we can be a little bit more responsive because sometimes we do need something more quickly than in 10 years. >> Good. Thank you. >> Well, aside from the um the purchase of the new materials that
refreshes, you know, what we have access to to um work with our students with um the C the C3 framework is I mean, it's just everything. Um and and when I read about these and the elevation of the concept of inquiry, I'm
reminded of the conversations we've had about science and the next gen science standards and some of, you know, our own experiences with introducing student inquiry in other um of our subject areas. And I I just have to read this part from the C3
framework because for me it just explained the fact that our state standards are aligned to it and that you've done professional development with our teachers, um you know, I I was thinking about um assignments we probably all had in social studies. Read pages 36 through 43
and come to class prepared to discuss. And I am I'm sure I could ask you in these curricular materials yes, there is the access to that information, but the professional development and the instruction
that our curricular cycle allows us to do, I mean, because of this model of inquiry, it it's four more steps than than just reading that that source text, which is very exciting. But, I'm just going to read this piece. Active and responsible citizens identify and
analyze public problems, deliberate with other people about how to define and address issues, take constructive collaborative action, reflect on their actions, create and sustain groups, and influence institutions both large and small. Teaching students to act in these ways
as citizens significantly enhances preparation for college and career. Many of the same skills that are needed for active and responsible citizenship are also crucial to success in the 21st century workplace and in college. A rich social studies education is an education
for college, career, and civic life. And I I see that in reading the standards, um even even in the elementary level standards, you know, you're already asking students not only to reflect, as Director Barlo said, on their own identity and their own experiences, but
immediately on the experiences and the identity of others and coming together with the knowledge. Um I I I appreciate this last the last step. The dimension uh four, communicating conclusions and taking informed action, that the emphasis is on a range of
venues and a variety of forms, and it's very similar to the conversation we've had about our new finals uh week period that we're developing, that it's not just the traditional thought of a final test, but a number of
modes by which students can demonstrate their mastery, and that that's embedded in in these social studies standards. So, um I don't really have a question, but just a compliment that I I I think what you said about everything being
interconnected, um and especially hearing that the students have already been exposed to it and that their reaction to this kind of of learning dovetails with what what they're asking us to to do is is really a positive thought. I think Director Barlow was next. >> Sure. Uh Director Nathan, you used the
term interconnected. So my question deals with how does this support the goals of the 2030 strategic plan? I I That's not meant to be a >> Superintendent >> Yeah. Thank you Chair Nathan. Director Barlow, one of the high-level priorities
that the board has approved is the adoption of a knowledge-rich curriculum that is continually updated through the kind of process that um uh Mona just described. And so this would be the next step in that continuum um in the process.
Um we've included it in the high-level priorities for the strategic plan that the board has approved. And I anticipate I'll be bringing it back to you in October precisely for the reason that I shared at the outset of this discussion. That there was a period in American education
where we really undervalued curriculum. The idea was sort of that um students' self-discovery should guide learning. That was one school of thought. Another was that really learning your content knowledge was not so important because we're all just going to learn critical
thinking. And so learning the substance of history, the substance of science was less important. And then there was a period where some people sort of said, "You can Google anything. What do you really have to know?" Think we've learned the hard way that is setting kids up for a very problematic trajectory. And so that
we are investing in knowledge-rich curricula and investing in the kind of continual feedback loop. Um and and I do uh Director Barlow also just briefly appreciate your point um about the parent input on these issues. I think we are doing much better than we
were in frontline teacher input as you've heard, which is a a a new process that we're getting. I would agree with you that going forward, increasingly engaging parents and caregivers in the process is another good step. Many parents don't necessarily have the
content knowledge expertise to judge us math curriculum or something, but they add a valuable perspective, especially cuz they're going to be one sitting there helping the kid with the assignment when they say, "What is this new math?" or "What is the assignment?" So, we will take that point and factor
it into our work going forward. >> Director McLaughlin. Um since we don't meet until July 7th now, is there any detriment to moving this to action tonight? >> Uh I would say Director McLaughlin, to the extent that the board feels comfortable with that process, there would be an
advantage to doing so insofar as it would allow us to do it. As you know, we try and stick pretty fastidiously to the prep for action action, but when a decision, as seems to be the case tonight, meets with universal board approval and there's been, I think, good stakeholder input, I would see no
reason, Director McLaughlin, to defer that if if it's uh acceptable to the board. >> It would be helpful in getting the materials in the hands of the teachers. If you feel comfortable. >> If we don't have further discussion, I would make that motion. That we move this to action.
>> Second. >> So, we have a motion and a second to move it to action. All those in favor of moving it to action, signify by saying I. >> I. >> Opposed. All right, so it is now an action item. And I will read the resolution.
And we can have additional discussion if you would like to. Be it resolved, the school board directs the office of academic services to purchase the following curricula: grade six Minnesota history Northern Lights textbook third edition $189,592
textbooks and digital access for both teachers and students. Grade seven US history document based questioning resources DBQ $1,000. Materials have already been purchased but this will be additional resources aligned to the DBQ model. Grade eight global studies My World
textbook Savvas $54,942 for textbooks and teacher access. Grade nine world history world history textbook McGraw Hill $202,168 for teachers and student digital access and textbooks. Grade 10 US history US history McGraw
Hill $41,297 textbooks and digital teacher access. Economics economics McGraw Hill textbook $56,516 textbooks and digital access. Human geography contemporary human geography
textbook by Rubenstein $51,800 for textbooks and digital access. And anthropology the anthropology Pearson textbook $14,499 for total of for grade six through 12 social studies resources $611,814.
Move approval. It has been moved and seconded. Um any other discussion questions? I want to ask one. Um you talked about how it would be great if we passed it cuz we could get it into the teachers' hands more quickly.
So what's next? If they get into the teachers' hands what do the teachers do with it? To get ready for fall. >> We are already planning for back to school week. Um we have a facilitator um colleague model where we have teachers
that um help support that collaboration and so teachers doing a little bit of planning around that. Um and then we'll have some days next year when they can actually come together um work together with the materials um and kind of solidify what their common assessments will be, Um and then spend
some time looking at student work as well. I think the next step two would just be providing some training around those resources and letting the teachers get comfortable with them, and then looking at how we align them to the new shifts and the new standards.
>> Good work. So, when will the implementation of these materials be? Is that for this coming school year? >> Okay. >> So, students, teachers, and parents will see this implemented at the beginning of the school year.
Any other questions or comments? God bless. Hearing none, all in favor of the resolution say I. I. Opposed, the resolution has been adopted. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> The next item on our agenda is the approval of the fiscal year
2026-2027 budget. This is an action item, and the board discussed this item in prep for action at the June 2nd meeting, so I will read the resolution and ask for discussion or other comments. Be it resolved, the school board of Independent School District 535 does
hereby approve and appropriate $483,123,565 for the 2026-2027 original budget as follows: For the general fund, $322,691,294. For the food service fund, $14,612
and $15. The community service fund, $16,632,332. For the building construction fund, $41,794,341. For the debt service fund, $32,927,456. For the FSA plan and HRA trust fund, $3,271,000.
Workers' compensation fund, $1,120,963. The dental trust fund, $2,615,000. The health trust fund, $46,789,964. And the post employment benefits trust fund, $669,200. >> Move approval. >> Second.
>> It's been moved and seconded. Board members, any questions, comments? Additional information? >> I would say, Madam Chair, we've not prepared another presentation for you. Our Director of Finance, Andy Croxton, is here. I know he'd be pleased to come up if board members have any questions. We provided some responses to your
questions in the electronic document that uh that we use every meeting as well. Um so, we'll defer to you for uh any additional information you'd like. I will say that this, of course, as board members know, is the culmination of a year-long process that has involved a
lot of analysis, input from many stakeholders. I want to thank Andy and the team because, in addition to running the budget process, as board members know, [clears throat] for the second year in a row, we've completely reinvented a core aspect of our uh financial structure. This year, we did the central office
redesign. And last year, we did the school-based budget redesign. And so, this has been the quintessential reinventing the airplane while you're flying it. Um I am enthused about the result all despite the fact that it does include difficult reductions, which I believe we've made whilst preserving our
academic agenda. >> Director Waclaw. >> Um I was frantically looking for the Q&A document because I don't always keep that super handy. Um and I'm not seeing answers in here. Am I missing something? >> They are. >> I am looking at answers in in the live now. If there's some
>> Oh, let me let me check this link. Maybe that's what you're looking at. >> If there's anything she'd like to raise, we'd be >> Well, Are you looking for a specific one? >> Um no, I was just curious in general about the answers because I don't see any in what I'm looking at. Thank you. I think I can just review this later.
Okay. >> And we should point out that since the prep for action item, there were no changes to those numbers that um were included in the resolution. >> The totals have not changed. We made one minor adjustment um moving one expense
from one cost center to another, but otherwise no uh changes to the bottom line or totals. >> Any other questions or comments, board members? Hearing none, all those in favor of the resolution say I. >> I. >> All opposed? The resolution has been
approved. Thank you. Sorry to make you come up. >> Thanks, Amy. >> Our next agenda item is an action item approval of the 2027-2028 district calendar. This is also an action item and we discussed this in prep for action at the June 2nd meeting.
So, I will read the resolution. Be it resolved, the school board of Independent School District 535 approves the 2027-2028 calendar for district schools. >> Move approval. >> Second. >> It has been moved and seconded. Board members.
Superintendent. >> Thank you, Chair Nathan, board members. Um uh in partly in response to some of the um questions we've heard from community members, we have added to the calendar the federal holidays including Christmas Day that have historically always been there, but we wanted to make explicit
that those days are not days when our students uh will be in class. There are many many factors that go into establishing the annual calendar, one of which is student attendance. If any of you have been a classroom teacher, you know that when one student is gone,
it is a significant effort to bring them up to speed in terms of what they missed in class, homework, other aspects. When a larger group of students is gone, it can have a very negative impact on instruction and it can sometimes for very reasonable reasons lead to a teacher deciding not
to introduce new content on a day when they otherwise might have. And so attendance is a valid reason to not schedule a day of school. Notably, it doesn't mean we don't have a day of school. We added a on another day when students would not
be there. Now, I think it's fair to say that given that all of the federal holidays, Christmas Day included, New Year's Day, are well-established days when kids do not expect nor do parents or staff to come to school. Should we somehow have decided to hold school on
those days, we would have had massive absences. And so we know that those are days that need to be off in in support of our educational mission. The recommendation around Eid, which has generated good discussion,
was driven by the same rationale. We saw significant increases in absenteeism on multiple instances of that holiday. This is not a statement about the official approach to that holiday just as it is not a statement about the
Christian holiday of Christmas. It is tied to absenteeism. We looked at all of the other holidays and did not find a significant increase in student absences. And so that is why I brought the recommendation. I think
it's it's important to say that for many of our students, not all but a significant share, whose families observe the holidays of Eid, they're also multi-language learners. And so, in addition to learning math and English, they are adding valuable language skills. Again,
not all students in that group. So, when they miss instruction, there's a double loss. There's the loss of the mathematics, the science, the social studies, and the linguistic development. And so, after quite a lot of discussion, and as board members will remember will remember a very different proposal on my
part. I initially did not propose taking this step, but I took a look at the data, first of all, and then of course we got input. But, that is the rationale. It is a recognition of the fact that that that large and growing segment of our school community
keeps their kids home to observe that holiday. And that is the rationale behind it. And of course, we will continue to honor any family's request to excuse their child for any faith reason without question.
And we will do that in other instances as well. But, Madam Chair, we have added those federal holidays cuz we thought, yes, let's make very clear. But, we also will not be in session on Christmas Day as well. >> Director Way back when
>> I appreciate that summary and also this recommendation. I think it's a really good example of us [clears throat] as school board members having local control over a topic like this and I think it's very relevant to our particular community. So, I plan to support this recommendation.
>> Director Cut >> I I do not plan to support the recommendation and I just want to take a moment to explain why. Because while I recognize that the administration's attendance-based rationale is legally permissible, I still believe this approach sidelines
the fundamental wisdom of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause. By closing for one religious holiday based on attendance, this board is inevitably placing itself in the position of sitting in judgment of which faiths deserve similar recognition in the future.
Moreover, regardless of the rationales provided, the public perception is bound to be that the board has established a hierarchy of religious observance where some want a school closure and others do not. To that point, if we approve this, we
must be prepared to justify why days like Good Friday, Rosh Hashanah, or Diwali do not meet the same threshold. I just do not believe our district should be in the business of drawing these lines. My judgment is that the best way to handle religious holidays in our
district is already established in current policy 503, uh which mandates that the district accommodate religious observances through excused absences. Um still, if this calendar is adopted, I will strongly encourage the district
to do two things. Uh first, transparently share the precise objective data and attendance metrics that led to this proposal. And second, explicitly define what metrics the administration would require over what period of time before proposing similar calendar
changes in the future. I do think we owe it to our community to have a clear predictable rubric for these issues. I also just want to be clear because I do feel a strong impulse to demonstrate solidarity with district families that celebrate Eid al-Adha,
particularly in the current environment. And I disagree sharply with the latent Islamophobia, racism, and xenophobia that undergirds some of the opposition to this proposal. I also appreciate the efforts of students and staff that have urged this
change. Nevertheless, I believe the risks to our governance process outweigh these factors. And because I believe the board must avoid the role of arbiter of religious observance, I will respectfully vote no. >> So, Dr. Ryder?
>> [clears throat] >> Uh my initial reactions um based on the uh initial rationale uh
attendance impact and how that directly related to educational operations and outcomes I I believe was sound. And uh but it caused me to wonder, well by establishing by name
uh uh a um if you will non-duty day a recognition um uh have we uh uh unwittingly established a preference
uh for a particular religion? And as I gave that uh more thought, I began to realize, well, wait a minute. Well, certainly when I was in school, it was indeed called Christmas break. Okay. versus winter break
and Easter break versus spring break. Uh and and Superintendent Picou, you made the point uh a few moments ago that uh uh while uh we still have those breaks um and by name now uh
uh it appears on our calendar Christmas. Uh I think it's important that the board uh and I will support uh this uh recommendation not because uh I Let me be clear. I'm a Christian pastor.
Uh, I don't advocate uh, my uh, Christianity. I don't lead with that. Uh, though my values and my viewpoints are uh, rooted in that. And yet at the same time, I fully recognize that uh,
as I uh, hold as a uh, uh, priority for me to observe and engage in my religious observations, I recognize that others have that same right. Uh,
regardless of their uh, religious uh, denominational or um, belief. Um, that being said, >> [clears throat] >> perhaps the rollout and how we approach
this the communication and and how it was presented did uh, create the impression that we potentially favored a particular religion and that was not the case at all. Uh, it was not the case then nor is it
now. Uh, I think it's a a recognition. I appreciate the fact that you have uh, spoke to the fact that we indeed uh, uh, through uh, the negotiating process, sitting down with uh, various labor unions. Uh, and I
don't know the behind the scenes if indeed you not you, but if there are discussions that are held regarding when breaks occur. Again, I'll just reference the winter break. Uh, with an understanding that it occurs and for the most part, let's not be naive,
it occurs around it. Christmas is the driving agent of when that break occurs. Uh, I would venture to say that uh, the uh, same thing may hold true with uh, spring break. Perhaps it it doesn't. Okay.
Okay. Uh I I I I >> [clears throat] >> I'm comfortable in simply saying it as for the Christmas break. And And so, uh I don't want to start, you know, dealing in dealing out. But, uh in that we have already established,
if you will, and to Director Cook's point, uh perhaps it would be of some value to uh establish a formal framework for future calendar decisions involving religious observances. Uh at least we have that in place. Uh I am
and I want to acknowledge the important role that our public comment period played and the siblings uh who presented uh uh and interestingly enough, through our uh earlier presentation of social studies,
they modeled civic engagement or or civic life by speaking to something they believed, not in terms of religion, but something that they wanted uh to present before the board, and I'm thankful uh uh they did that and would encourage uh
other students uh uh to do the same. And And I'm sure that a similar level of of effort will be put forth to uh consider all uh future considerations. And again, I've already said it, I will be
in support of this and I'm thankful for the work that's on that's occurred. >> Director Workman. >> Yeah, and just addressing um spring break, we did used to have it revolve around Easter, but there can be a wide
variation of when Easter happens from the at the end of March to the middle of April. And so, a week was set to be spring break. Sometimes Easter coordinates with it, sometimes it doesn't. Regardless, the students never
have school on Easter because it's always on a Sunday and it depends on the lunar calendar as to where it's going to fall, similar to to Eid. >> So, uh Superintendent >> I I I just and I appreciate um all of our members' comments. Just
briefly to amplify a bit when I said this was not initially my proposal. As board members will remember, I initially proposed we have an absenteeism challenge on these days. So, I proposed that, of course, we would excuse uh families as we always would and we
would ask our teachers not to introduce new content on those days and we would not have assessments, field trips, so that we would try to avoid. As we went and worked with our partners in the Rochester Educational Association and the Rochester Principals Association
and parents and teachers, they said that is unworkable. You're essentially having a wasting time day. Um uh like a study hall day. And so, um I uh I appreciate the points that um Director Cook just just made and um the
change in my own proposal was reinforced by looking again at the data and and we did look at um Good Friday. We looked at Diwali. We looked at Yom Kippur. We looked at Rosh Hashanah. Um uh I think Director Cook, your point about establishing some
criteria, there was a significant sustained change not just in one year. I think that's an excellent idea. Uh Dr. Barlow uh I endorse that. I think that should you pass this, that's a very good idea for us to say, "Here's the increase that we saw. Should we see that in another day,
um we might apply the same standard." Potentially not even to a religious holiday or there another civic celebration or something that was causing kids not to come to school. We might choose to do that um as well. So, I just want to I I greatly appreciate the thoughtfulness with which the board
is grappling with this, and I grappled with it myself in my recommendations. >> Um, and just to clarify, um, uh, the uh, Director Cook brought up the establishment clause, but we have validated with our legal counsel that taking this action is
>> Yes, based on the fact that we can point to data that shows the increased absentee rates. >> And we've mentioned it a few times. Uh, it's not in the uh, resolution because it's really not part of approving a calendar, but to be
clear, um, any student who would like to miss school for a religious observance will receive an excused absence by state law. State law requires us to accommodate any student, um, who desires to miss school for any religious
observance, for any religion, for any holiday, and that our policy on excused absences is that the teachers then have to give them the opportunity to make up the work or to uh, get the credit for work that they may have missed on that day. And I
think that's it it it's not just the piece of the absence of school, it's the it's the workload of the teachers on a day where a significant number of students are absent. And then how does that take away from that whole class moving forward if a
a lot of the students in that class are working on makeup work or making credit versus the students who were present that day and are on on a different pathway. So, and I know that that was part of the conversations that you had with the teachers, um, regarding the
impact of the of the student absences. Did you also talk to, um, any other uh, what were the conversations you had with religious leaders in the community, um, in developing this proposal? >> Uh, we talked to religious leaders from both the Jewish and Muslim traditions,
and there was an understanding that absenteeism would have to be the standard and take a look at what that um where that applied, but a very strong expectation, which we agree with, that all students would be excused for to
honor their faith, which we assured them was the case and that we would continue to have be the case. The only thing I would add to that, Nathan, to the point about the teacher workload, that certainly is an issue, but the bigger issue, even more than that, is that the student misses the instruction. So, catching a kid up who missed your
introduction of how to do a geometric proof or how to do a topic sentence or how to um uh do a certain type of painting in art, means you lost that class section to introduce the content and you have to find some time to do it and unless
the student comes after school for an hour, which is not practicable for many different reasons, they are losing the introduction of key content and so that was the even bigger issue than the workload issue. Cuz if you have 10 12 kids gone, you're
either not introducing content that day um and it was not 10 12 kids in every school and every district, but it was that in a significant number of classrooms. And so therein therein is the issue. I I I would also say finally, Madam Chair, that the board approves the calendar one year at a time.
And so this is a recommendation for one year. Um should uh we find that it raises challenging issues educationally, I would bring a different recommendation to the board for a subsequent year. And as the board also discussed in its first study
session, because the holiday of Eid shifts with the lunar calendar, there is the possibility that the actual holiday will not fall on this day. If that occurs, it likely would really shift the logic of not having school on this day because of
attendance. Um that said, having talked about this every year for the five years I've been here, I think it's prudent to try it for this year's calendar and see what the impact is. >> It's important to clarify that this would be for the 2027-2028 school year,
not the school year that is beginning in September. >> That's right. >> Director Workman, did you >> Um, yeah, I think the other thing is is we're not losing a day of instruction. That's being added back on. So, um, and I think that's a a really important point because
then everybody has the same access. >> There There was a moment, Director Workman, when I met with some of the students who advocated for this when I made that point, and there was a flicker of, "Oh." And then they said, "Okay, no, that's right. We should We're We're not asking for a day off." So. >> And even though we are adding a day of instruction,
uh, this is a year where our last day of school falls before Memorial Day. >> I which was uh, a subject of of even more staff discussion than this issue, which of course was This was very important to the community. We had uh, a lot of
discussions about this issue of trying to end the school year as early as it would end this year. Very much driven by the point in June at which students are not as focused on learning new content. So, that's actually another important thing for us to observe when this calendar is
implemented. Is ending the year this early uh, as effective as we hope it will be for maximizing learning time cuz we're starting earlier uh, in August because of that. >> Anything else, board members? Okay. Hearing none, and I've read the resolution, correct? Yes.
Um, all those in favor of the resolution, say I. >> I. >> Opposed? >> Nay. >> The resolution passes with a vote of 4 to 1. Our next item on our agenda is other business. Our ABCD updated
the current version is available on this agenda for reference and upcoming agenda items are displayed on the slide. On July 7th, we have a regular meeting and we have a focus topic of our long-range technology plan free prep for action topics, a review of our long-term
facilities maintenance plan and two policy committee recommendations. And an action item the social studies curriculum adoption which we can now remove because we took action on that this evening. Um our agenda items for the regular meeting on July 21st, the policy committee recommendations come for their
second briefing and then we will have a prep for action on the school and program relocations and changes which we talked about at our study session on June 9th and then the action on the review of the long-term facilities maintenance plan. Any other um uh agenda items board
members would like to raise for consideration for a future meeting agenda? Hearing none, um we talk we'll talk about our meeting dates July 7th, July 21st, um uh August 4th and August 18th. The only
difference to the start time of 5:30 is that we are considering changing our August 4th meeting from our 4:00 start to a 5:30 p.m. start. Board members, you have some information in your email inboxes to respond to that and the possibility of adding a study session as well.
Um hearing no other business, this meeting is adjourned at 7:09 p.m.