Good evening, school board and members of the community. Um, at this time I'll call our June 8th regular school board meeting to order. Please stand as you're able to uh join me in the pledge of allegiance. After the pledge, please remain standing for a brief moment of silence.
>> I pledge algiance >> to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, liberty and justice for all.
At this time, I would like us to share a moment of silence for Sammy Lucas, an incoming Diamond Path kindergartener who passed away on May 3rd, and Ethan McMullen, a Rosemont High School student who passed away on May 13th. Thank you. All right. Good evening, school board.
As usual, our first item on the agenda is the approval of the agenda. There is no additions or deletions to the agenda. Is there a motion to approve the agenda as outlined? >> Still moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Sakin, seconded by Robin. All those in favor of approval of the agenda say I.
>> I. >> Those opposed? Motion carries on a 50 vote. At this time, we'll move into our recognition portion of the agenda. And I'd like to welcome Christopher Anyango Robshaw, director of finance and operations, to the podium to recognize
the district's nutrition services department. >> Good evening, Chair Johnson, members of the board, Superintendent Balsson, and our public stakeholders. I'm excited to introduce Spencer Fischer, our coordinator of child nutrition and the teams at three of our schools uh who
have two awards that we actually rec being rec recognizing them for uh this evening. So the first one is the golden drumstick award which three of our sites uh valley middle school south view combined site and emerald trail and Thomas Lake received. Uh the second
award uh also goes back to Valley Middle and Southview which is a hero site award and I'll let uh Spencer speak to those. Good evening Chairperson Johnson, school board members, Superintendent Balsani. Thank you so much for this recognition
tonight. First, I am proud to announce that we received the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Golden Drumstick Award for the second time. Now, for those who might be wondering, no, this is not a delicious chicken dish that we create, although our kitchens do
make incredible meals. The Golden Drumstick recognizes school districts that show exceptional leadership in farm-to-school initiatives. That means we aren't just feeding our students. We are intentionally sourcing fresh local foods from Minnesota growers
and teaching our kids about the vital role agricultural plays in our state. It's connecting the cafeteria, classroom, and the community in agricultural success. Of course, an achievement of this scale is never a solo effort. It takes an entire
ecosystem of passionate people. I want to extend a thank you for the coordination to Abby Walter, Pam Peterson, and Ross L Ross Larson who support the monthly local purchases and promotional materials. Then the dedicated nutrition staff who work
absolute magic in the kitchens every single day. And then thank you to our educators and district champions who bring agricultural literacy alive for our students. And then the local farmers and producers whose hard work provides the
top tier ingredients that fuel the classrooms. Our second recognition tonight is the exact same deep dedication to our students. It is wonderful to celebrate the 14 in incredible individuals at Valley Middle
School and South View Elementary. This team is led by Jamie Keris and Nikki Calfman. They were awarded the 2026 Heroad Award through the Minnesota School Nutrition Association. The team showcases excellence in teamwork, creativity, and customer
service. They don't just serve meals. They build a culture of belonging, greeting students by name with warm smiles. For many of the students, this staff have watched them grow from wideeyed kindergarteners to confident eighth graders. The secret to their
success is an inspiring level of teamwork. They share the heavy physical load while the lunch dudes provide a perspective for our students. Furthermore, as a team that includes seven district 196 parents, they lift each other up daily so they can better
look out for our community students. Being a hero site also requires incredible vigilance. And this team masterfully balances warmth with safety by monitoring allergens to protect every student. They also bring excitement directly into the school, hosting corn
chucking relays, creating impromptu pizza parties for canceled field trips, and letting kindergarters know how nutritious foods give them superpowers. They aren't just feeding bodies, they're fueling minds. And finally, thank you
for allowing nutrition services to champion the initiatives that prioritize the health, minds, and bodies of our students. I appreciate your continued support as we keep cultivating a healthier future for District 196. >> Amazing job. Congratulations.
>> Thank you. >> Amazing job. >> Great work. Thank you. >> Great job. Congratulations. Such amazing work. Of course. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Congratulations. >> Great work. Thank you. >> Amazing job. Congratulations.
>> Awesome, >> Spencer as always. Great job. Big so proud of this team. Next, I'd like to welcome Dakota United Hawks head softball coach Scott Oxley to the podium to introduce the Dakota Hawks
state champion CI softball team. Hi, Mondo. How you guys doing? Good. Um, okie do. I got to get some glasses on, otherwise this is going to be more difficult for me. So, again, thanks so much for having us this
evening. Um, good evening school board members, Chairperson Johnson and Superintendent Balsson. And again, um, thank you very much for, um, for
overseeing and offering the CI program. Um, it means a lot means a lot to anyone that is involved. So again, thank you. Um, so my name is Scott Oxley. myself along with uh uh coaches Jeff Anderson
and Jenny Clattz. Jeff, go ahead and Yep. Give it a little wave. Are proud to say that we are now the three Pete 2024, 2022, and now the 2026 state CI softball champions.
So, this season was much different than the last two state championships. This year, the Hawks regular season record finished with six wins, three loss record. Uh, last year, we only had one loss. And our record this season would
not automatically qualify us for state. We had to earn that opportunity. That's when things really began to change. as his team started to see the results from the hours and hours of design practices, efforts, hard work that would give them
the chance to compete with the state's best teams. In the playoffs, we defeated St. Cloud 14-0 in five innings, which qualified us for state. Our state bracket clearly showed that we would need to knock off
the two number one seated teams from the north and the south. Both having perfect 8 and0 regular season records. And we if we wanted if we wanted to compete for another state title,
it's going to take some work. So on Friday night, we faced the number one team from the north, AIO. The Hawks were ready both defensively on the hitting and base running side of play. Our early lead forced AIO to try
to push players across the plate to stay in the game. On that push, all but one AIO player early in the game scored. The rest were tagged out at home plate. So tremendous. We defeated AIO by a score of 14 to6.
The reward for the win was the opportunity on Saturday in the semifinals to play number one seed of the South Prior Lake or the Prior Lake Stars regular season. Uh they had defeated us by a score of 9-2. That was
our first game of the season. Again, we were up to the task. Players were well prepared. They were ready. We had peaked at the right time as we defeated the previous unbeaten stars by a score of 9 to4 in the semifinals to earn another
chance to defend our back-to-back state titles. We would now face New Prague in the championship. Again, second year in a row. Editors for the local paper described the win due to solid defensive play, always throwing
ahead of the runners while offensively scoring in almost every inning as a Hawks in just six innings defeated New Prague by a score of 10 to zero. That's our biggest championship win that we've had and it was incredible. What an
amazing state tournament for the number two seated Dakota Hawks, defeating number one divisional teams to again win for the third year in a row as a three repeat state champion. In CI softball, three repeats had only happened three
times in state history. We celebrate being the fourth time that it's ever happened. The Hawks finished the season with a nine- win, three loss record. The relationship shared, the extra effort, skill building, and continuous work at
creating a strong positive culture has given us continued success over the over the past few years. I'm also pleased to announce that Dakota United Adaptive Sports Organization, CIPI, have been named the Star Trip Varsity All Minnesota Championships Adaptive Sports
Program of the Year. families will be recognized at the Aliance Field this summer in St. Paul. We also I haven't gotten the word yet and I'm expecting um that we'll be recognized at a at Target Field during championships nights where the other
championship teams will be there from the year. Um don't know what twins game it will be but uh we're planning on being there. Individual members of the Hawks are as follows. And I'm going to ask you to step forward and I will announce the the players that are here
tonight. And then I'll announce the players that uh could not make it. Center fielder Max Pooie, Rosemont Middle School. Third base, Jacob Stats, Rosemont High School.
Center fielder, Remington Benedict, Rosemont Middle School. left field. Jacob Finch, Rosemont Middle School. Mustafa Adnan Rosemont High School. And then we have designated hitcher,
designated hitter, outfielder Amando Bintos Galina from Two Rivers. and second base and captain Miles Johnson, Rosemont High School. You could probably see that Rosemont and Rosemont Middle School are being very
good to us in our program. Also want to announce pitcher and captain Logan Healey, Rosemont High School. Our catcher Orin Hill, Two Rivers outfield, Molina Finch, Rosemont High
School. Outfield pitcher Ryan Orrigo, Two Rivers, Henry Kaf, shortstop, Rosemont Middle School. First baseman Nolan St. Sver Hastings and right field Braden Davis, Rosemont
Middle School. So you can also see we're a little young. So kind of cool. Players named to the all tournament team were Rosemont High Senior Captain Miles Johnson. Miles Rosemont Middle School shortstop Henry Kaf and from Hastings High School first
baseman Nolan St. Sver. So I'd like to just say a special thanks to our dedicated coaches, our parents and fans. Parents, if you'd please stand up. We we have awesome parents, awesome fans that show up each and every time that we
play. Without their help, none of this would be possible. Also, special thanks to East View athletic director Matt Perl and athletic director secretary Michelle Thyson who oversees the Hawks programs and have helped support our team's
decisions. Thank you very much. Amazing job. Congratulations. Great job. Congratulations. Amazing job. Great job. >> Congratulations. Great medal. Great job. Congratulations.
Great job, coach. Great job, coach. >> Thanks, Scott. That was great. Appreciate it. Congratulations. >> All right. Now, I will turn the meeting over to Superintendent Bosone for superintendent recognition. >> Thank you very much, Chair Johnson. I
would like to begin this evening by congratulating the class of 2026. Over the past two weeks, we had the privilege of celebrating more than 2400 graduates as they reached this important milestone. Across 10 different commencement ceremonies, we watched students cross the stage, ready to take
their next steps, carrying with them the knowledge, skills, and experiences they gained during their time in District 196. It was a joyful season for our students, families, staff, and communities. Congratulations to the class of 2026, and a special thank you to the University of St. Thomas for
hosting us at the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena. It was a wonderful venue for our comprehensive high schools to celebrate this special occasion. This is also an exciting time of year for District 196 activities and athletics. Congratulations to the Egan and Rosemont High School girls flag
football teams on outstanding seasons. Egan recently captured the NFL flag regional championship and earned a trip to the national championship in Indiana this July. while Rosemont has advanced to the state tournament. We are proud of both teams and wish them the very best
in their next competitions. We also congratulate the Rosemont High School boys baseball team on winning the section championship and advancing to the state tournament and the East View Eastview High School boys volleyball team on earning the number one seed in the state tournament following an
impressive postseason run. Eastview opens state tournament play on Tuesday evening and Rosemont begins state tournament run their state tournament run on Thursday. We wish both teams the best of luck as they compete for state championships. In addition, several district 196 student athletes have
qualified for state championship competition in golf, tennis, track, uh golf, tennis, and track and field. We wish all of our state qualifiers the very best as they represent their schools and their communities. Next, we learned on Friday that the National School Public Relations
Association awarded District 196 with two national awards for video communications. Our technology learning video series won a national award of excellence and the project on our personal finance classes won an award of merit. We were we will more formally
recognize these awards uh later in the month at a follow-up meeting. And we'd like to congratulate our very own Cliff Dodge for his outstanding work on these videos. Finally, as we close another school year, I want to express my appreciation to our District 196 staff. This year
brought challenges, opportunities, and continued growth. and our staff met each one with professionalism, care, and an unwavering commitment to students. Whether in classrooms, on school buses, in kitchens, on playgrounds, in offices, or supporting students and families in
countless other ways, their work makes a difference every day. The impact they have on the lives of our students extends far beyond a single school year school year. I am grateful for their dedication and their service to the community. Please join me in thanking our staff for another outstanding year
of serving students and families. across district 196. And that completes my comments. Thank you. >> Thank you, Superintendent Bosone. Uh that brings us to our special communication request portion of the agenda tonight. We have two speakers signed up for special communication requests. Um couple notes for our
speakers signed up tonight. Um just as a reminder, the board takes special communication requests as a time to be able to listen and as such they generally do not respond to our special communication request speakers. However, if there are specific questions asked, a board member or likely district administrator will follow up with the
speaker afterwards. Um, additionally for our speakers tonight, um, we do use, um, speakers are limited to four minutes of comments and we do use a timer um, to keep the meeting on track. Um, once you come up to the podium and introduce yourself, we'll start the timer just so our speakers know. Once we start the timer, you'll see a little green light
on the podium go on. Um, that will stay on until you have about 30 seconds left. When you have 30 seconds left, the light will turn amber. And when it turns red, please conclude your comments. And you probably hear a little bit of beep. That means your four minutes have expired. Um, our first speaker signed up for a special communication request is Grant
Eustace. And Grant, if you want to start by just introducing yourself and connection to the district and then we'll start your time. >> Great. Great. Uh, good evening. My name is Grant Eustace and I'm an educator and a parent in the district. My views do not represent that of the district. Uh thank you to the school board and
superintendent Balsson for the opportunity to speak tonight. A few months ago, two of my colleagues and I uh along with a student advocated for a phone free uh bell-to-bell or away all day policy for all of our K through 12 schools. Tonight, we'd like to continue that conversation by highlighting two
proposals. The first proposal is a request on behalf of our community to join over,900 school districts across the nation in an ongoing lawsuit against social media. Please consider bringing this proposal to a vote tonight. Over 30 community members and staff endorsed
this idea. See their comments in your folder about why this lawsuit matters to them. The core claim is straightforward. These companies intentionally design their platforms to promote compulsive use, especially among young people, and schools are now paying the price. Here
are a few of the core claims. Students cannot stop scrolling. Anxiety, depression, and self self harm have increased dramatically. Classroom focus has declined with teachers losing instructional time every day to phone distractions and conflicts that often
begin online. This is not only a student problem, it has become a school operations problem. In their defense, one of the core arguments that social media has brought against these claims is this. Schools should have banned phones sooner. We can't say we disagree
with them. Discovery in these lawsuits reveals that these companies were specifically t target targeting school environments to reach students, parents, and teachers. In an article titled, "Teachers are going to hate it." How social media apps hooked teens at school, the New York Times reported last
week that the National PTA sought sponsorship from Tik Tok with a promise to help with sentiment and create more understanding and comfort among parents. What do I make of this promise by our national PTA to be a prop propaganda machine for these companies? Tik Tok
manipulated all of us for profit at the expense of our kids' educations. I feel outrage, I feel disgust, and I feel distrust. On top of this mounting evidence, the Surgeon General's office recently issued a report which advocates for the same bell-to-bell ban that we have
championed. The report underscores the unique position of our schools in navigating this public health crisis and shaping healthier norms. Tonight, let's move beyond seeking accountability and move toward alignment and action. This brings me to our second proposal. Please
consider endorsing a resolution declaring that the District 196 school board supports delayed developmentally appropriate smartphone use as a community norm and recommends that District 196 families delay providing their children with smartphones at least until the completion of 8th grade and
ideally later. Note that this would not be a mandate. Instead, it would empower our leadership and staff to support and communicate the wait until 8th initiative as a community norm aligned with existing District 196 phone policy so families who want to delay smartphones until after 8th grade can do
so together, reducing social pressure and improving student learning behavior and well-being. We're sharing sample communications that leadership could adapt for implementation. Please note some of the messaging references their bell-to-bell statewide ban, but this proposal is not dependent on that. We
can still adopt this resolution even if the board does not change our current cell phone policy. As part of this resolution, we might also consider a campaign that features alternative device fairs, community education classes, and other ideas that would help educate our families. The earlier we can get this message in front of the parents
be the better. When all parts of our district, from ECF to community education to our leadership to our PTAs, are trumpeting the same message, we can begin the important work of rebuilding trust with our communities. Thank you. >> Excellent. Um, our next speaker is Becky
Hagen. Is Becky here tonight? Didn't know she was going to make it. Doesn't look like it. All right, that concludes our special communication request portion of the agenda. And that brings us to our consent agenda. Board members, we have 27 items on the consent agenda tonight. Those items include the
minutes of the May 11th, 2026, special school board meeting, meeting of the May 11, 2026 regular schoolboard meeting, district memberships for 2026 27, official newspaper for 2026 27. Designation of identified official with authority for Minnesota Department of Education, external user access reertification system, resolution with
Minnesota State High School League. Gifts, grants, advertising, revenue, schedule of investments for April 2026, summary of claims for April 2026, revenue and expenditures report for April 2026. Treasures report for April 2026. Personnel employment agreements probationary teachers termination of not in non-renewal of probationary teachers.
Agreement for clinical experience with Alexandria Technical and Community College. Agreement for clinical experience with Mid America Nazarene University. Agreement for clinical experience with University of Wisconsin Stout. Agreement with agreement for student teaching with University of Wisconsin Stout. Agreement for student teaching with Valper Val Perezo
University. Workers compensation insurance. UCOP Endov report. Records retention schedule amendment. 6th through 8th grade math curriculum. 6th through 12th grade world language curriculum. Spanish curriculum, sixth, 11th grade, and advanced placement social studies curriculum. Are there any items on the consent agenda that board members would like to remove today?
>> Seeing none, is there a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Robin, seconded by Katherine. All those in favor of approval say I. >> I. >> Those opposed. Motion carries on a 50 vote. That brings us to our report
section of the agenda. And I would like to welcome Christopher Anyango Roasha uh and Carol House back to the podium to go over a bond construction update. Good evening, Chair Johnson, members of the board, Superintendent Bulson Sony and the public. I am Christopher,
director of finance and operations, uh Carl's House, coordinator of P project management and purchasing joins me in this evening's report. Uh tonight uh we sh we're proud to share we are proud to share our latest bond
update a reflection of our commitment to fiscal stewardship and transparency. Uh this presentation highlights how we are translating the community's investments directly into purposeful student centered environments for our learners. Carol will present the main project work
and I will close with the financial status review. Get my glasses on. >> Good evening. Tonight, we're excited to showcase the progress happening across our district. And it's a lot. You'll see dramatic transformations,
remarkable construction milestones, and behindthe-scenes moments that bring this work to life. But beyond the concrete and steel, these projects represent something bigger. a commitment to our students. Every improvement supports our district's core values by enhancing
learning, strengthening safety and well-being, promoting equity, and responsibly investing in our schools for generations to come. The real story of our bond program can be summed up in five words: Partnership, collaboration,
purpose, community, and stewardship. Every day, district staff, school leaders, architects, contractors, engineers, and trades people come together to solve challenges, make decisions, and keep projects moving
forward. What happens in the job trailers and planning meetings is just as important as the work happening on the job site. At the center of every conversation is a shared purpose, creating exceptional learning environments for students
through strong partnerships, thoughtful planning, and a commitment to collaboration. These projects bring our district values to life and support our strategic priorities. Our bond program is truly built on part
partnership and driven by purpose. One of the best examples of partnership is the relationship that Wool Architects and Engineers has built with students at Apple Valley High School for over the past seven years. Through the leadership
of Sal Begley and her colleagues, W has gone far beyond their role as design partner. They have spent time in classrooms sharing career paths in architecture, engineering, and interior design, helping students understand what those professions look like and what
opportunities exist after high school. They've hosted office tours, supported student projects, arranged job shadow experiences, and welcome students onto construction sites to see the learning come to life. They have helped bridge
the gap between what students learn in the classroom and what those skills look like in the real world. This work reflects genuine commitment to students and to our community. As we think about our theme of being built on partnership and driven by
purpose, Wol's work reminds us that the most meaningful partnerships don't end when the drawings are done or the building opens. They create opportunities, inspire future careers, and leave a lasting impact on students long after the project is finished.
Tonight, we have Sell Begley from W Architects and Engineers with us. Thank you, S. Another example of our purpose in action is how our partners choose to share their work with others. Recently, canes and construction under the leadership of
Josh Cooper, Ike McWaters, and Phil Lir hosted a tour of the Eastview Activity Center for a group for a group of educators from across Minnesota. These attendees were part of an MCTC educator group connected through the
builder exchange network, bringing together teachers from technical education and shop programs who are actively working to connect students to realworld career pathways. During the tour, educators explored both the visible proc pro progress and the
systems behind the building from structural design and storm shelter integration to mechanical systems and construction sequencing. Just as importantly, they had the opportunity to ask questions, compare practices, and
connect what they saw on site to what they teach students every day. This is another example of how partnership and purpose continue to show up through every part of our bond projects. And we have Ike McWaters here tonight from
Canuting Construction. Thank you, Ike. Next, we'll move into some progress photos. While the progress photos are impressive, they don't always tell the full story. So to capture some of the moments behind the construction, we asked our canutes and project managers
to share what they considered the most remarkable accomplishments or the wall moments from their sites. These are the stories they chose to tell at East View High School. The activity center began with the installation of a 35,000 square
foot slab-on grade pour. This picture shows the early foundation of the project led by Brian Leech from Canutes and Construction in close coordination with W district staff and project partners. Significant planning and sequencing were required to manage
multiple trades, coordinate elevation work, and prepare the space for future systems and finishes. What this image represents is the scale of effort required before a space begins to take shape where precision, communication,
and teamwork establish the foundation for everything that follows. Just 5 months later, the same 35,000 square ft space has been fully transformed into a completed activity center floor system. Before the wood
athletic floor could be installed, the building had to be maintained at carefully controlled temperature and humidity levels to allow the wood flooring to properly acclimate. This behindthescenes step is critical to ensuring the floor performs as designed
and remains durable for years to come. It's another example of the planning and coordination that h happens long before the court is ready for students to use. Students will be bouncing balls on this court in just a few months.
On May 7th, the Apple Valley High School activity center slab on grade was poured, marking a major milestone for this project. Led by Kudson project manager Brett Wagner, this milestone reflects the commitment, endurance, and
teamwork required to deliver complex work at the highest level. Nearly 500 cubic yards of concrete delivered by approximately 50 trucks were placed in a continuous monolithic pore to maximize long-term durability.
The work began at 5:30 a.m. and continued until 12:30 a.m. the following morning, requiring nearly 19 hours of continuous effort from the entire crew. When the Apple Valley Activity Center opens this November, it will be bustling
with activity, excitement, and opportunities for students and the community. One of the less visible, most impressive aspects of our projects is the effort that goes into matching new brick and exterior materials to our existing
schools. Before construction begins, the contractor develops multiple masonry mockups using different brick blends, mortar colors, and installation techniques. These mockups are carefully reviewed on site by w construction and
district staff uh canen construction and district staff to evaluate color, texture, scale, and appearance in natural light. What may look like just brick is actually the result of extensive
planning, testing, and collaboration to ensure each addition respects the character of the existing building. Would invest significant time and expertise into matching new uh new additions with existing school
buildings, and the work pays off. At our last board meeting update, I commented that the brick match at Scott Highlands Middle School would be a perfect match after it was washed, which understandably, I found out later, made the architect in the room a little
nervous. Um, after all, no new masonry can perfectly replicate brick that had weathered for decades. But the results are remarkably close. In fact, George Sullivan, project manager at Scott Highlands Middle School, commented that
the finished product was one of the most striking details of the project. The transition between old and new is so seamless that it's difficult to tell where the original building ends and the addition begins. Here you are looking at the new addition, which added four new
science rooms and four new classrooms. Students will enjoy these spaces this coming fall. We are just getting started at Egan High School with the activity center, but this is one of those behindthe-scene moments that made Canson project manager
Sarah Arnold say, "Wow." Recently, crews completed a unique underground storm water infiltration system beneath the future parking area just south of the football stadium. Instead of constructing a large surface storm water pond, Wool designed a hidden underground
system designed to capture, store, and naturally filter rainwater before it leaves the site. The scale of the system is impressive. Hidden beneath the surface is a reservoir capable of holding 22,53
cubic feet of water, more than 168,000 gallons. That's enough water to fill 200 280 bathtubs or nearly one quarter of an Olympic sized swimming pool. Beyond maximizing valuable sight space
for parking and student activities, the system provides significant environmental benefits. It allows water to slowly infiltrate back into the ground, helps remove pollutants, reduces runoff, and minimizes the risk of
flooding and erosion. In many ways, it mimics how water would naturally run through undeveloped land, helping to protect local lakes, streams, and ecosystems. It's a great example of the innovative infrastructure solutions built into our
projects. Most people will never see it, but every time it rains, this hidden system will be quietly working beneath the parking lot to support both the school and the surrounding environment. This time lapse captured and compiled by
Kudson project engineer Jay Yanoviaak provides a remarkable look at the transformation taking place at Rosemont Middle School. There we go. Beginning in June of 2025, the TI team started capturing drone photos from the exact
same four locations to document the construction of this 230,000 square ft facility. What makes the video especially powerful is not just seeing the building rise from the ground, but appreciating the
incredible amount of effort behind every frame. What Jay's time lapse captures is more than construction progress. It captures the teamwork, craftsmanship, and commitment of hundreds of individuals working toward a common purpose. A
phrase often heard on this site is it's for the kids. And that mindset has helped create a culture of collaboration across the entire project team. As you watch look beyond the walls,
steel and concrete, what you're really seeing is partnership, dedication, and thousands of work hours of work coming together to create a space that will serve our students for generations to come.
It's amazing. All right. For a school serving nearly 2400 students, closing a major hallway is much more than a construction challenge. It's an operational challenge to the entire building. This hallway, known as link B by staff and students,
was a primary connection from the main entrance between the north and south sides of Rosemont High School. Closing it required extensive planning and coordination led by Tony Hagga, construction PM at Rosemont High School. Students had to learn new routes to
classrooms. Staff adjusted supervision plans. Emergency evac pre procedures were revised. Wayfinding and signage were updated and daily traffic patterns throughout the building were re-imagined. This is the first of three links that will be closed over the
course of construction. Having a little problem with my pointer here. Thank you. Here you can see the exterior opening where the former hallway has been fully removed. What once was link B running alongside the courtyard and
connecting the north and south sides of the building is now completely open as the structure has been taken down to prepare for the next phase of construction. This space will soon become something much larger and more impactful. A new
hallway that is 10 feet wider that will lead to expanded counseling spaces to better support students, a new classroom wing, and a renovated media center. It's a dramatic transformation and a clear example of of how temporary disruption
today is creating opportunities that will benefit students for decades to come. On June 5th, the day after students left for summer break, our summer projects kicked off in a big way. A major renov as major renovation work begins, three
schools are temporarily relocating their summer school programs. Scott Highlands Middle School is going to Highland Elementary. Falcon Ridge Middle School is going to Blackhawk Middle School. And Valley Middle School of STEM is going to Apple Valley High School.
Multiple crews mobilized across the district, protecting walls and floors, moving furniture, and removing projectors, wireless access points, and cameras to prepare for construction. This marks the start of coordinated work
across 12 schools this summer. Safety remains a top priority in our bond work. This summer, new secure vestibules are being constructed at Dakota Valley Learning Center and the School of Environmental Studies. These improvements strengthen visitor
management and provide additional layers of security while maintaining welcoming school entrances. Across the district, summer construction is creating more functional and flexible learning environments. Projects include
completion of renovations at Falcon Ridge Middle School, Valley Middle School of STEM, and Scott Highlands Middle School, and reconfigured spaces at Transition Plus. Restroom renovations at several sites are also improving
functionality, accessibility, and supervision. Some of the most important projects are the ones most people never see. This summer, Apple Valley High School is receiving a new boiler system. Southview Elementary is getting a new HVAC system.
And Rosemont Elementary is getting a new loading dock. These investments improve reliability, efficiency, safety, and day-to-day operations, helping ensure our schools are ready to support learning for years to come.
During a recent safety celebration launch at Rosemont High School, an impromptu moment captured the heart of all of this work. Without a script or preparation, Pete Roach, principal at Rosemont High School, took time to share
a message of appreciation with the construction team and trade partners. What followed was a simple but powerful reminder of the broader impact of this work, not just on buildings, but on the school community as a whole. It reflected something at the center of
tonight's presentation, community. The shared commitment between staff, students, families, and our partners who all experience the outcome of this work together. >> Take a quick second here. My name is Pete Roback. I'm actually the principal
here at at the high school. I just wanted to say thank you with our athletic director, Mr. Finley, and we just couldn't be more thrilled about what's happening at our campus. You got to understand something. We've been waiting for 25 years for something like
this. And this is a huge deal to our community. We're a growing community and what you guys are doing is we're setting the stage for Rosemont High School for the next 40 to 50 years. We will not have another opportunity to do what
you're doing to our building and to our campus literally for the next 40 or 50 years. It's that big a deal to us and it's a huge thing to our teachers, to our students, and to our community because this is a hub of Rosemont and it'll become even more so the hub of
Rosemont once all these new spaces are gone. So, I just want to say thank you. We're thrilled. It's been great working with uh the leadership team. We have a great relationship with them and um so I want to say sorry for taking time of
your precious lunch here. Thanks a lot. Appreciate it. Woohoo. >> While construction progress is visible across our schools, some of the most important work happens around tables in job trailers and conference rooms. Each week, district staff meet with Wald and
Kusen project teams to review budgets, risk reports, schedule impacts, contingency use, and potential change orders. These conversations involve careful analysis before any decisions are made. Every risk is evaluated. Every
change is reviewed. Every dollar is considered to ensure it is necessary, responsible, and aligned with the commitments that we made to the community. This process reflects more than project management. It reflects stewardship.
Through collaboration, transparency, and disciplined decision-making, the team works to ensure bond funds are used wisely while still delivering highquality learning environments for students, staff, and the community.
I'll end my portion by sharing a picture of the recent beam signing at Rosemont High School. It creates a meaningful connection between students and the building process, allowing them to leave a personal mark on their school while building pride and ownership in the
finished space. A sincere thank you to the community for their trust and support of building our future referendum which made this work possible and continues to guide every decision. At its core, the purpose
remains simple. delivering the best possible outcomes for students while honoring the community's investment. Thank you. I'll turn it over to Christopher now. >> Thank you, Carol. So, now we'll let us look
at our bond budget overview for the project from the project perspective. As you can see from this breakdown, the vast majority of our planned work, 73% consists of active bid projects that are either underway or the value thereof
locked in with another 23% already finished. Only a tiny fraction of remain in design and planning stages. What this appears on paper is a total current spend of $243.3
million translating into direct physical safety upgrades in our buildings, furniture deployment, new learning and activity spaces that we just reviewed. To put this spending into perspective against our broader financial framework,
our total voter bond budget was 538 million. We have planned draw down of 400 million that has been issued to date. 100 million is left for the coming spring and as you can see the 243 million we have expended so far fits
neatly inside that in issuance pool. More importantly through careful fiscal oversight we have earned an additional 28 million in interest earnings. We are actively m maximizing these funds, ensuring that every dollar stretches
across this multi-year plan and works harder for our learners and our taxpayers. As we look into the horizon to the remainder of 2026 and into 2027, our work continues. This summer and fall, we will begin reimagining the current
Rosemont Middle School and how that space will will take shape into the future. We're incredibly excited for the students and families to step inside and utilize the high school activity centers this fall as well as the Scott Highlands
uh middle school, Falcon Ridge, and Valley Middle spaces that are being uh renovated this uh over finished this this summer. Planning for summer 2027 work is already starting in behind the scenes. This forward-looking approach
ensures that our momentum carries through seamlessly, keeping our promise to the community and continuing the strong stewardship of these funds well into the future. And as these projects continue, we just want to extend a welcome to the board and other
administrators to visit this space. Um they're taking shape. Uh and as you can see from the pictures and the drawn activity, um the work that you've supported and the community supported that they'll be opening up in these spaces, it's something that it's to be
celebrated. Um and so at any time that the board would want uh you can contact myself or Carol and we'll be more than happy to uh take you on a tour. That concludes our remarks. We will pause and see if there are any um items
that may need clarifying from our presentation. >> Excellent. Thank you very much. At this time, are there any questions or comments from the audience? Seeing none questions or comments from the board. Robin, >> um I would like to tour all of the spaces, so you can just write my name
down and um I'll be ready whenever um because I'm very excited. But I mostly just wanted to um highlight and thank you for the partnership between Wald and Apple Valley High School and showing those students um the real world application of what they're studying. I
think that's incredibly valuable and I just um think there um I can't say enough about it. I think that was really great. So, thank you for that. >> Thank you. Other questions or comments from the board? >> Yeah, Katherine. Um, I just wanted to recognize that I thought that was a wonderful presentation and really loved
the way that all those different themes were intertwined with the story of the construction. I thought it was just a really good presentation. Thank you. >> Absolutely. >> Yeah, Jackie, >> I'm going to echo and say thank you to for both both of you for the excellent
presentation and Wen Kudson. You've worked with us for years and years and years and it just keeps getting better and better. the involvement of students is just top-notch. Making sure everybody who else wants to come and see the wonderful work that you are doing in our
district. Thank you for that. And you drive by these schools. I don't know if we can get any more on the property at Rosemont High School. All of a sudden, some days you're driving down Highway 3 and it's like, "Oh, wait. Did this isn't our property. This is the road." It is
amazing to watch what's going on at all of the different schools and watch the construction going on. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. >> Other questions or comments? >> I was just going to say um when
uh the community put a big investment um into these construction projects and seeing them come to life now and about to be open and these activ I mean it's just amazing. Um especially in a time I I think we all sometimes um you know
actually I have I remember one we had a a surveyist come here once and said Rosemont Apple Valley alley Egan you're like almost in a bubble and I feel like that a little bit with this construction too. We're almost in a bubble because sometimes we don't know how good we have it. And I look across the state and a lot of places where they're working on
closing buildings or making bud budget adjustments and here we have this public trust to be able to build and provide these amazing opportunities for our students. It's just so awesome to see and I just really appreciate everyone on the construction team, the architects, the district administration that went um
to put this all together because um it's just an exciting time for our district and I just it's just really exciting to see. Thank you. All right. Um, next I'd like to welcome uh Janet Switchikowski, director of communications, and Senator retired Greg
Clawson and Wyatt Miller, members of our legislative advisory committee, to the podium to go over our 2026 legislative session review. Give it just a minute to get the presentation up. Good evening, Chair Johnson, schoolboard members, and Superintendent Bone.
We're thrilled to be able to give an update on the legislative session. As you are aware, we have a really active active legislative advisory council and members are here today to uh share in presenting this um presentation.
We had mixed hopes coming into the session. Um, as we all know, we have a divided government and they don't agree on much these days. Um, so we as we come out of this legislative session, we're actually pleasantly surprised with some
of the progress that was made. The legislative platform and our legislative activity is critical to our district and our strategic roadmap because we depend on the legislature for at least 75% of our funding annually.
And with the looming state deficit coming forward and concerns about cuts in special education, we are continually advocating to protect some of the important legislative gains that were put in place in 2023.
We also want to thank our legislators for what was a really difficult session. Every law that was passed during this session required bipartisan support and working across the aisle. We are fortunate in 196 to have a large and
active contingent of legislators representing our district on both sides of the aisle. and we want to take time to reflect and honor the retirement of Senator Jim Carlson, who will be retiring from the the Senate this year. In addition, three of our legislators
are running for different offices. Matt Klene, Caleb Berg are running for US Congress. Uh, Representative Liv Ryer is running for Minnesota Senate. Um, so we'll likely not be in their seats in the future. our other legislators um are have all
been very actively engaged in conversations with us and with the district and I want to especially thank them for the time they spent when we went down to the capitol in April um and talked with each one of them about our key priorities. They've also carried
extensive legislation everyone. And while I can't talk about all of the legislation that was introduced tonight for time, um we will highlight a few key legislative initiatives. Our legislative priorities focused on three areas. Stable and predictable funding for
public education, uh teacher lure, and safe and supportive schools. I'd like to introduce Wyatt Miller who's one of our students at Rosemont High School um to talk about the stable and protective predictable funding priority.
Wyatt. >> Perfect. Thank you. Good evening, Chairperson Johnson, Superintendent Bosone, and members of the board. Uh as the budget was set last year and with the deficit coming in a couple years, anything that costs real money was really tough to sell. uh when it comes
to stable and predictive funding, two of our priorities held up and two are still in process. So, some good news first, we wanted the state to keep the school funding formula tied to inflation and it did. Nobody reopened it, so it carried over and that's exactly the type of
predictability we need in funding. Uh we also got held harmless on compensatory revenue. So, the dollars that follow our highest need students, about $10 million statewide, got held harmless. and the big school groups AMSD and uh MASA and
the uh school board association were all behind both of these. So that's very important. And am I able to scroll here? I able to scroll here. >> We need to back up. That's a great question. >> Technology. You gotta love it.
>> I'm gonna ask the control room to please back up one slide. Thank you. >> Perfect. All right. However, special education did fall through this session. Uh this is one to watch next year as well. Um there's a $250 million cut to
special education on the table. It's set to land in 2028 and 2029. Uh this is already set in law. A commission has already been created to sort of find these savings, so to speak. Uh this session, a bipartisan repeal bill run by Representative Bakeber did make it
through the House Education Finance Committee, but it did stall. Uh so this cut is still in the books. Uh the real fight is in next year's budget. Uh the other miss was summer unemployment for our ally hour staff, the bus drivers, food service, the paras. Uh the fund
keeps running short, but nobody actually put up the money to cover it and nobody repealed it. So for now, that cost still lands on districts such as ours. Uh so the bottom line for stable and predictable funding is that we got two of our legislative priorities uh protected and two which are still on the
table for next year's budget year. Uh so for safe and supportive schools the two priorities for this one was mental health and school safety. Uh first was safety. What we asked for was specific. It was the raising the cap on school safety levies so the district
could fund safety locally uh on our own terms. Uh, nonetheless, that's a change to local taxing authority and an tight, evenly split election year. Uh, nobody actually picked it up. So, what did happen though was that the state did put a modest $5 million towards school safety statewide and did set up a new
way for students to report threats anonymously. So, we did get a modest funding, but not exactly the local control that we were hoping for. Uh one thing that did pass however and big pass big across both parties was the new social media protections for kids which is a big step towards continuing mental
health as well as that we heard uh earlier in the evening and on that the state kept putting money into school-based services which is very good and important for that. Uh but the bigger ask which we had was more counselors and social workers through state programs that didn't move as we
hoped. uh which was the same reason as everything else is it wasn't a budget year and nobody picked it up. And so on safety we got the funding we wanted uh but it was modest and we didn't get the flexibility that we were hoping for and on mental health we had more of the same investment and not a lot of the progress
that we were hoping for for social workers and counselors. Uh so that is what happens in regards to our priorities of safe and supportive schools this session. Uh, thank you for listening to me and I'm going to turn it over to my colleague Senator Clawson to
continue the presentation. Thank you. >> Well, good evening. It's been a long time since I've been behind this podium, but there are some faces I recognize. Well, it's a pleasure to be here this evening. Uh,
looks like I need to advance this. There we go. We do have a const constitutional amendment that's before us, uh, the voters this year. And uh in my 10 years of serving in the Senate, uh I served uh
with the 12 member legislative permanent school fund. And I'd have to say it was one of my enjoyable experiences uh working in the Senate. It's it's an area a lot of people don't know very much about and I'm going to take a few minutes and talk about that if you don't
mind. I think we have to give our founding fathers a great deal of credit for their vision for the future and for public education because starting in 1785, the US Congress passed a law requiring one square mile in every
township be devoted to public education. And when Minnesota became a state in 1858, the federal government granted 16 section the 16th and the 36th section in every township, a total of,280 acres
that were dedicated to schools, public schools. And there were three things they could do with that land. One, they could build a school. And maybe you remember traveling out in the hinderland of Minnesota and all of a sudden there's this little white building sitting at a corner. That's school trust lands. They
built a school on it. That was one of the options. The second option was they could sell that land and they could use it for public education. The third option would be they could use that as a revenue producing section of land. Uh timber sales,
um lots of different things. Mining especially, and I'll talk about that was something. and uh that was 8.1 million acres that were devoted to public schools. The vast majority of school trust lands however in Minnesota have been sold. Uh
all of the southern lands pretty much if you draw a line east and west from Brainard, everything north is pro is still school trust lands, but everything in the south has pretty much been uh turned over to agriculture. Um
if you look at the the total trust lands uh fund right now it's about $2.3 billion dollar and uh we have 2.5 million acres that are still left in the trust fund and another 1 million acres in mineral
rights. Most of our money from the school trust lands comes from the mineral rights. We're very fortunate that when they discovered iron ore and they built the mint mine in Mountain Iron, Minnesota, it was on school trust lands. Every year we get about 16.5
million dollars from that property alone uh producing money for our public schools. One of the things that um has been a 50-year issue with the state of Minnesota is that 80,000 of the school
trust lands are locked up in the BWCA and they're not producing any revenue. The federal government controls that. And so the state of Minnesota has been negotiating for 50 years wanting to swap land, keep the 80,000 acres, but give us
some land in the Chipoa National Forest or the Superior National Forest uh as compensation. Uh you've probably heard though that there are critical minerals up in that area that have been discovered and so the federal government isn't willing to
give uh that land back to the state. So what they're doing is proposing now that they would purchase uh that BWCA land for between 20 and $40 million. So there'll be some additional funding that'll be coming uh revenue into that
uh school trust lands. Uh in 2025, uh district 196 received $1 million from the fund. And now we're getting to the constitutional amendment, which you can see there. Um, basically what it the
amendment does that we'll be voting on in November is to kind of change the way that the funds are being distributed. Currently, it's at about 2.5%. And we're looking at changing that
through the amendment to 4.5% distribution. and uh they have a a series of looking at three years of the previous uh funding to determine that 4.5%. It'll provide a more reliable uh
distribution of funds to school districts so you can build that into your budget a little bit better which is good. And if you look at the impact that that's going to be the current distribution is about $6824 per pupil across the state. and it would
raise it to $9553 per pupil. So, it's about a $2720 increase. Now, what that means to district 196, it's uh nearly $800,000 additional dollars. So, it moves that up to about $2.7 million that would be
coming to District 196. So, vote in November. I need to advance this, I bet, because I got Nope. I went the wrong way. >> And then you can talk about
grooming bill. >> Yep. The grooming bill. Um, this is a one that I had uh a personal involvement in. Uh, this legislation was
uh brought forward uh by 2016 Egan High School graduate Hannah L presto and Egan police detective Chad Clawson. You might uh familiarize that last name. Chad is my nephew. So that's full disclosure.
And um one of my my colleagues in the Senate when I retired said, you know, you can never really retire from the Senate. And I learned what he meant because people call you and say, ' Do you know so- and so? Can you introduce me to so- and so? I've got this bill.
Can you read it? What do you think? And so about two years ago, I got a call from my nephew Chad, and he said he'd been working on this case with a young lady from Egan High School that was now a young adult. And uh from that, I met
with Hannah and Chad. uh they had a lot of questions about the legislative process and what happens and how do we form a bill and who do we see and all those kinds of things. So, uh, it was it was one of those experiences that, uh, I
guess you'd really never retire from the Senate, but we really need to, I think, thank Hannah, uh, for the courage of coming forward and revealing to publicly talk about a very painful story in her life as a young person. And also a
thanks to my nephew for the investigation that he did and the followup. And those two really made a team because they pursued this uh they testified uh in many many committees both in the House and the Senate to make
sure that this was going to happen. This was important to them. Both of them felt that this was kind of a something in their life that they needed to accomplish. So the the legislation which is now a state statute has six main provisions in
it. The first one is that grooming is defined. And I bet you I need to turn it. >> What did they do with that? >> You don't have Oh, you don't. Okay. So, the grooming uh bill is defined because
they're previous to this bill. Uh, grooming was a word that didn't mean a whole lot to people, but it had to know about an adult knowingly engaging in a pattern of conduct that seduces, solicits, lures, or entices, or attempts to seduce, solicit, lure, or entice a
child or engage in participation, an unlawful sexual conduct, which is sexual gratification or arousal of the victim, the accused or another individual. So, it's defined. Secondly, it establishes a new criminal offense criminal criminal offense called
grooming as a felony. So, it is a felony in Minnesota. Thirdly, it requires law enforcement agencies to notify licensing boards if a teacher is criminally charged with grooming. And fourthly, mandated reporting. There's going to be additional training uh for mandating
mandator include specific modules on identifying and also reporting grooming. Fifthly, it allows the Department of Education to investigate grooming reports for more than the current three-year look back, which is
important. And then lastly, the legislation provides for clearer and stricter guideline requirements for student supervision during school field trips. So, this piece of legislation, uh, I'm just after working with the
people that really, uh, work so hard to to, uh, get this passed into law, it's, uh, was a privilege just to give them a a little piece of advice now and then and, uh, see this through the finish line. So, thank you for your time.
>> Thank you. So that grooming legislation was part of our platform um and something we supported as a district moving forward um and was heavily carried by uh Senator Muade as well. Um in addition in the
teacher license area of our platform, we also um are still looking at redact training um at the uh preparation stage for teachers coming in um from higher ed. Um and then also to continue to invest in uh teacher recruitment and
preparation programs. Um and we did not see any uh much action in those two areas. Um next we have something that we're watching very closely and that is it was an interesting phenomenon this year um that many education bills came through
other committees than education and one of those was health and human services. Um, and the one bill that we are watching most closely was carried by Representative Liz Ryer and it is laying the groundwork for a statewide education group insurance program affectionately
known as Egyp. Uh, this is a significant effort to move all school districts in the state into one health insurance group. Um, there is much speculation on the cost of this program. So this year a
bill was passed that will authorize the legislative budget office to gather information on group health insurance plans from all school districts. District 196 is a self-funded plan and that has served us very well over the last decade because we have a large
group and we've been able to get fairly favorable rates during a difficult and um increasing cost time for health insurance. that is not the same for all school districts um particularly outstate and smaller groups. So this is
an important bill to watch because it as it move forward moves forward and if it moves forward it will impact our district and it will impact the insurance plans available to all of our employees. So we will keep an eye on that one. Um finally another bill that went
through is school bus safety bill which requires vehicles approaching a bus to stop anytime um the red lights are flashing. There have been different versions of this bill over recent years but we are trying to get more strict with uh bus safety. Uh, finally, as
Wyatt mentioned, this is not particularly an education bill, but Senator May Quaid carried a a couple technology uh big tech bills, and one specifically looks at youth and social media. As you recall from our uh report
from the Minnesota Student Survey, um our youth are on social media often between the hours of midnight and 5:00 a.m. Uh and it is a disruptor uh to sleep patterns and many healthy development um areas of healthy
development. Uh so Senator May Quaid brought forward a bill that would restrict social media accounts for youth. Uh Minnesota is now the 27th state in the country to pass an age assurance law uh for kids on social media. And while it is likely to be
challenged in court by big tech companies, it is also clear that unregulated social media has caused harm to many youth and there are actions that companies can take to mitigate that harm. So, this legislation seeks to
compel them to do so by restricting addictive behavior tools, not targeting advertising to children, and using age estimation to turn off accounts when they believe a child is under 16. It also provides for stronger parental
controls. So, this legislation offers parents leverage in putting up some more guard rails um and restrictions for their own children in their social media use. So with that, we as I said have a highly
active and engaged legislative advisory council, 14 me uh community members, nine staff members and three board members. Um and three high school students and we enjoy deep discussions about educational policy, employment law, tax law, health and human services,
all of which impact our students and families. So, we would invite community members who wish to join the legislative action committee um to please apply and the application is on our website. And that concludes our report for tonight. >> Excellent. Thank you very much. At this
time, are there any questions or comments from the audience? Seeing none, questions or comments from board members? I just wanted to say thank you so much for all of the work that you did advocating for so many bills and all the
deep discussion that the council had. Um we made a lot of progress. There are some things we still need to work on of course. Um but we keep at it and I do know that our legislators listen when we call them. So and that's a lot of the that's a lot of due to the work that you
and the committee do. So thank you. Excellent. All right. Next, I'd like to welcome Janet Fman and Mary Langworthy to the podium to give an immuniz immunization update. Okay, get started here. The slides. Uh, good evening, Chairperson Johnson,
members of the board, and Superintendent Balsone. Tonight, we are proud to highlight the vital health and safety work taking place across our district. Joining me this evening is Mary Langworthy, our health and services coordinator. Mary is here to share an update on the incredible proactive
outreach our nursing team has done this year regarding student immunizations. Thanks to their tireless dedication, we have made fantastic strides in ensuring our students have the protect protective vaccines they need to stay safe,
healthy, and most importantly ready to learn in the classroom. With that, I will turn it over to Mary to share more about this vital work. All right. Good evening, Chairperson Johnson, school board members, and Superintendent Balsson. Uh, as Janet mentioned, I'm Mary Langworthy, and I'm
the coordinator of health services, and tonight I will be providing an update around our immunizations. To start with, our immunization work is grounded in our core value of wellness and our strategic priorities of well-being and equity. As we have a disproportionate number of students in
our BIPO population in particular that are undervaccinated and at risk for vaccinereventable disease. My approach this evening will be to walk through immunization requirements, share the plan that we developed and executed to address concerns in the data and to
help reduce the spread of disease and then share the positive outcomes of that effort as well as look ahead to next year. So let's start with requirements. Um so we have Minnesota statute 121A.15 and district regulation 501.5 AR that
requires that all students have current immunization records or exe exemption documentation on file. This law came in into effect in 1967 when we had a measles outbreak happening at that time. Why are immunizations important? because
they help protect students from childhood communicable diseases. They help reduce illness. They address absenteeism and permanent health conditions that may impact a student's ability to learn. And we know that since the COVID pandemic that immunization rates have decreased. And that's not a
phenomenon locally, but also statewide and nationally and really across the world that people have not continued those rates. And that leaves our community much more vulnerable to outbreaks of vaccinereventable diseases. Uh these are our immunization schedules
that are required in the state of Minnesota. The chart on your left is our early childhood requirements in Minnesota and then the chart on the right is our kindergarten through 12th grade. Um there's certain shot requirements and then certain timing of when you receive those shots. Students will vary in the times of when they they
may receive doses um as well because they may be on a catch-up schedule and that can often occur when students are new to country, maybe coming from a state where there's different requirements. Perhaps they are just behind on on going to the doctor regularly or maybe parents have chosen
to delay vaccines for particular reasons. In addition, the CDC has revised their guidelines. There's new requirements that were recommended this year. We continue to follow the state guidelines and state statute in Minnesota, but if at any time that were to shift, then we would shift our
guidance and practice as well. So, how is Minnesota doing in comparison to state requirements or meeting the state requirements? Today, we're going to look at briefly at our kindergarten and our seventh grade data. And in particular, we're focusing on these two grades because those are times when new
shot requirements are needed. So on the left you'll see that we had in 2017 92 to 95% compliance for shots that were required. You have a little dip in the middle there during the pandemic. And then now in 2026 we're at 85 to 92%
compliance for kindergarteners across the state of Minnesota. And then similarly on the right our seventh grade data shows that back in 2017 we had 92 to 94% compliance. The bigger drop in the middle during COVID. And then in
2026, we're sitting at 84 to 86%. So, how did we get here and what are the reasons for this? So, as I mentioned, the pandemic really led to people going into the doctor more infrequently. Um, we saw that again nationally, locally,
as well as at the state level. There's definitely more mistrust in government and mandates. And then, of course, the changes from the CDC recommendations compared to the state really leave parents a little bit more confused. Um we definitely have vaccine hesitancy
that is out there um somewhat related to unreliable resources and information that's circulating in social media. And then I also like to share that um people generally haven't lived through experiences of serious disease and outbreak. So, just to share a little
example, um there was a major outbreak of polio that occurred in New York City in 1916 where over 2,000 people died and then the worst recorded US outbreak in 1952 led to over 3,000 deaths. In 1952,
the polio vaccine became available and then two years later in 1957, the annual polio cases dropped from 80 or 58,000 to 5600 cases. And then just a few years later we had already dropped to 161
cases. The last polio case in the United States occurred in 1979 and the last imported case through travel was in 1993. So because polio is effectively eliminated in the United States, we rely on widespread childhood immunization to
protect any future spread or outbreaks. Um however without the presence of that ongoing disease people don't necessarily understand or have that lived experience for the benefit of vaccination andor the impact that that disease can have.
Similarly, the MMR vaccine is 94% effective with the first vaccine and 97% effect with the second in preventing measles. As we are experiencing continued cases of measles across the U US with almost two 2,000 cases in 2026
alone, our hope is that people will understand the benefit, want to protect their children from getting measles, and prevent the continued spread even without that lived experience of seeing the impact. So, where do we sit as a district in meeting those requirements by
comparison? So, as a district, we um we have meeting immunization requirements in our regulation, and that's been there since 1990, but we've inconsistently enforced that over the years. You may know the term no shots, no school. That's what I'm talking about. Um, but
we allow for medical and non-medical exemptions as part of our plan. So students cannot attend school or participate in activities if they don't meet the requirements of our plan. But since we haven't been communicating about that or enforcing it, our numbers have grown unfortunately.
So as you can see on my slide, in August of 2025 when we had looked at our data, we had over 6,000 students that were not meeting requirements. And that's about 20% of our population was which is really concerning. some of that data breakdown. When we looked at the the high schools, our four
traditional high schools, we had about 600 six six00 students at each of those four high schools that were not meeting the requirement, which is a really enormous number for the nursing team to have to manage along with all the other priorities of their job. In addition, we had about a thousand students that were
missing their MMR vaccines, which again really concerning considering that measles is circulating. And then our overall compliance rates range from 64 up to 85 or 86% across the district. And if you remember, if you looked at the 25
266 data, that ranged from 84 to 92. So we were definitely below where we should have been as a district. So, as a result of all of the preceding concerns and trends and also my nursing team vocalizing that they knew their numbers were high, but we didn't have a
path for them to follow or to correct it. So, we reestablished our commitment to this important work. We wanted to make sure that we had some really good goals in mind and our number one being removing barriers and sharing information and resources that were valid to our families. We also wanted to
make sure that we could update our student records. To us, it's really important as a team that we can look at shot information and that's our goal is hopefully people want to get their children vaccinated, but if they choose or need to go another route, we still need that paperwork because it helps us
understand that if we have an outbreak or a case of of a particular disease in a building, we know which kids have shots and which ones don't so that we know what next steps we need to take. In addition, with the big footprint of our district in Dakota County, we wanted to
make sure we were being a good partner around reducing spread of disease and preventing outbreaks in our community as well. So again, when students are not up to date on their required immunizations, they are at risk for exclusion from school and activities, but really
exclusion is the end result when everything else has failed. So, a lot of hard work went into developing our plan and making sure we were heading the right direction. Um, in particular, we started with our regulation as well as developing a procedure that really created
transparency for our families and clear expectations and so that my team knew which path we needed to follow and in what steps we would take them. We knew we had to to strengthen our partnerships around vaccines. So, traditionally, our district would do three vaccine clinics in the fall. Um, but because of our
conversations with both Homeland Health as a partner and Dakota County as a partner, we were able to share our gaps, share our timeline, share what information we had about immunizations in our district. And we partnered to offer 15 vaccine clinics from spring of 2025 to spring of 2026, which was an
incredible lift, but also really important. I worked really hard to gain um, uh, information exchange with our local clinics because we knew this also would be a heavy lift for them. they would hear from their families more frequently, maybe hear from my team more frequently, and we wanted to make sure
they were really engaged in that important work and hopefully messaging their their patients as well so that we could be on the same page. Traditionally, we import our immunization data from our state database and we would do that only annually, which left a lot of really inaccurate information for our team to
rely on. So, we changed that plan and we we started importing that weekly, which meant we had reliable information at our fingertips so that our families were clear about what they needed to do, that we made sure that kids did not receive shots that they did not need, and we had the added convenience for our families,
that we could report to them what we knew their children had had or had had missing with really good integrity with that data. We also knew we needed to partner with a lot of resources, our communications department, our tech team, instruction and achievement. This allowed us to
partner more efficiently. Um, utilizing our new parent square system was a great timing for us and our team this year to be able to message to our families regularly. Um, but that was a new system. We wanted to know knew it well know it well and leverage that data and information really well. Um, we also
wanted to make sure that we were developing detailed tracking information for our team to be consistent. We also utilized our interpreters, translation services, and notaries to be able to support our families. Um, I mentioned parent square. We did do a lot of regular messaging from spring
of 2025 on both at the district level through our parent square system to try and alleviate some of the heavy lifting that our team needed to do. We took that on for our our different buildings. But then we also had building level messages and or newsletters and or pulling a
student down to have a conversation with them too. So lots of messaging going on so that our families were really clear about what to do and when. I wanted to engage our principles in partnership because this was a change in expectations and really trying to keep our students at the center of the work.
I wanted to make sure we discussed why we were making the shift, address their concerns and problem solve together. And then I really wanted their help in a cohesive district-wide approach so that our families had the same experience regardless of which school their child attended.
And then lastly, we developed a number of tools and resources both for our team and for our families to be able to count on and again have consistency and then did a lot of continuous improvement along the way. So our plan was executed and we kind of
worked backwards in our timeline but we needed to develop an exclusion and again this was last resort but we needed exclusion dates that we could work towards. Um we purposely did not have any exclusion dates in the fall because we needed not time to drop that number. A goal again our goal was not to exclude
but to avoid exclusion. And so anything we could do in the spring, summer and fall leading up to that to try and reduce our numbers as much as possible was really important. The February date was our key one. That was the number that 1600 number that we were trying to
target. So with that plan in place and our team all ready to go, we really again worked hard on that parent square messaging. We worked on translating letters. We tracked all of our contacts that we made at the building level to our families. We created temporary exemptions for our families that had
varying hardships so that we could support them in that process. Even deferring some of the deadlines around when their students would be required to have the shots in place because again we wanted to lead with support and care for our families. And then we utilized our full nursing
team to be able to support this work. I'm happy to share that every single one of my team members was a part of this project and plan and that doesn't happen very frequently and it was really exciting to watch. This is the core messaging we provided in our letters and ongoing information
that we shared out with our families. Again, centered around our regulation and state statute. But in order to meet requirements, our family needed to comply in one of these four ways. So they would either show their full immunization record, meaning they were up to date on all of their shots, or
they would show proof that they had at least one dose of each required vaccine plus a planned with their provider on how they were going to catch up on that schedule. Thirdly, we would address medical exemptions, and those would be either a contraindication to a vaccine because of a medical condition or they
had a history of disease. For example, if they had chickenpox, they would not need to have a Vericella vaccine. Or lastly, if they had um been exposed to a disease before, they might have immunity and we can test that through a lab draw to check on that. And then lastly is the non-medical exemption where we would
have a notary that's required at the state. Um families could go get a notary if they objected to a particular vaccine or all vaccines and we help support that work too. Along with the core messaging, we did um include in our letters regularly lowcost
vac vaccine options, how to access shot records in their infant and campus parent portal, school nurse contact information, and then again letters were translated in both Spanish and Somali. So here's the fruition of our work. Um again, we started with over 6,000
students that were not up to date in August of 2025. And then you can see the steady decline of that number with the culmination ending on February 26th when we had dropped from over 6,000 down to 91 students that were now only on that
list of not meeting the requirement. Again, a huge heavy lift and a lot of ongoing effort and communication that was made by our team to make that happen, including official letters that went out along with all of the really hard work at the building level that happened. Um we had 40 students that
then remained at the end of the day on our first day of exclusion. And you may ask what happened to the 40 kids. Um so a week out from that um we dropped that number down to seven students. Um and with that we continued to message our families and work with our families to
be able to support them. The seven students that remained were typically students that were chronically absent routinely even before this process was put into place. Um, but even so, we steadily supported our families all the way through the end until we hit zero.
So, here's the culmination of our work. We went from 80% compliance to 99.8% compliance, exceeding where we're at at the state level, which was incredible. We also had 13 schools that did not have to exclude at all on February 26th and
19 that by the end of day one did not have to exclude or had only excluded for that one day which again an incredible lift at each of those buildings. Again, we hosted 15 vaccine clinics that was hosted both by my team in partnership with either Homeland Health or Dakota
County. Anywhere from 8 to 15 of my nurses would show up regularly. We'd be there to greet our families, help fill out paperwork, help identify shots that were needed, send them over to our partner to get vaccinated, and then before they left, we would enter all of their shots in our infinite campus
system so that when they walked away, everything was taken care of for them. We really imp this was a good continuous improvement project all along the way to cut down on wait time anywhere from like an hour and a half in the beginning to a half an hour which is pretty quick to be able to come in have a bunch of people
be vaccinated and be able to walk away. In particular, I'd like to thank Drew Mons. We often head over to Apple Valley High School um to be able to use his great space and because his students often need our support. Um, at our January 2026 clinic, we h we had 211
students received 491 shots at that clinic alone, which is a really incredible lift and a really good partnership with Homeland Health and with Apple Valley High School to make that happen. And then lastly on here, just a lot of really good learning that occurred with our nursing team and with
our principles around how to best support our families and work with and communicate with our families. So, lots of celebration that occurred. We were able to receive feedback and talk with our team afterwards to see what the process looked and felt like for each of them. Have great
opportunities to celebrate as a team. Again, with everybody touching this project, it was a really incredible lift and honestly really brought our team together really nicely. Um, I think they all felt very proud and excited by what we accomplished together and it's really witnessed in some of the feedback we
received from our nursing team, even in conversation at home that would trickle over with a husband um to be able to talk about the exciting work we were doing in our district. Um, and in celebration in addition, we were nominated for a public health achievement award and we received
honorable mention for that work and I couldn't be prouder of our team for all that we accomplished together. So, what to expect next year, we will be shifting into a fall exclusion date and a spring exclusion date. And that will allow us to really go into more of a
maintenance mode. So, this hopefully doesn't grow and get out of control again. I know our team does not want to see that because when the numbers grew up grow, it's a lot more work for our team to manage. Um, but again, I'm really proud of our team and how we came together as a group and all the people that supported us in that work. It was
an incredible lift, a lot of really hard work. I think people were often sick of talking about immunizations, but they really wanted to see us get to that end point. We had a great spreadsheet we were able to walk through either at the building level, you could see your progress daily, or at a district level,
if you weren't making a lot of progress, you could see collectively what we were doing. And lots of really great moments with our team to to celebrate each of those moments along the way. So, I'm happy to answer any questions with you tonight. >> Thank you very much. At this time, are
there any questions or comments from the audience? Seeing none, questions or comments from board members. >> Yeah, let me uh start with uh uh adding comment to this celebration part. Just a
good job. I mean the hard work just moving from in August 2025 with that numbers and all the work you have done while I was just listening I'm like what else is left I mean you set with a plan you're doing all the stuff just just
curious uh what really worked I mean is it the clinics I mean 15 putting together 15 clinics is a lot you also have done everything that they always tell us in public health is that outreach outreach outreach looks like that communication
use of the parent square everything really worked partnerships just wanted to kind of say like moving forward not to get our numbers drop again just one thing I'm curious about is what is happening that you know grade to olive I mean that number is always low right at
least to the 6,000 is made out of the high school level all the traditional high schools what is happening mean was the data kind of pinpointing into it uh so this and that happen again. So to use a targeted you know outreach or maybe
targeted solution at some point and the other thing is are you going to be holding up you know this clinics uh you know going forward and what amount the efforts you have done a lot what really worked to the best that we could replicate or you know that's something
we could share other district I mean other districts that have same issues. So >> thank you. >> Yeah thank you great questions. Uh yeah, we we looked at our data and information very regularly in a lot of areas to figure out which directions to go with the work, what we needed to have prepared. I'm also thankful enough that
I came from St. Paul public schools where I implemented something similar and learned from those experiences and brought that here. Um so when when people were maybe nervous about this process and about excluding because that's a hard word to say about thinking about excluding our kids from school, we
want them at school. But my experience in St. Paul showed me that kids really get this taken care of or families will get it taken care of and we don't need to worry about a hundred kids at a building showing up because we've done the leg work. We've communicated. We've offered resources. We've done a lot of
flexible options to be able to support our families. Um and so that experience carried over here to be able to understand what that would look like and feel like to reassure people that were maybe nervous about that path. Um so that helped a lot. Uh we do have a plan to have vaccine clinics again next year.
We've already committed to doing four clinics because we think that should be enough, but if we find that the numbers are maybe not what we can meet in that capacity, we will make a shift. But we're planning a September clinic, two October clinics to align with our new deadline in October, and then a March
clinic as well to align with our March exclusion. Because what we see typically is people will show up right before the date, as much as I wanted them to early adopt back in the fall, and that's why we messaged a lot. A lot of families waited until that last few weeks and then they took action. And that's
honestly why you need an exclusion date because it holds everybody accountable to something and you drastically drop in my experience and I've worked in four districts and I've seen that in all four districts as well. Um, parent square was a great tool. Um, and I think we
benefited because it was a new tool and probably families were getting excited to use it and so because we were an early adopter of that, an early communicator ongoing to our families that had non-compliant students, I think it worked to our benefit. I don't know what that will look like long term, but
we certainly looked for opportunities at the building level to communicate to um in in key I'll mention one of my nurses um Kim Bergland. She was really the heart and soul at Apple Valley High School and Egan High School and calling kids down, talking to them, letting them
know about an upcoming clinic, making sure they showed up, letting them know that they would be excluded from a sport or theater or whatever might be too. And that was a huge motivator for the kids to be able to come back home and say I need to get this done. So we leveraged that a little bit too, not as a threat,
but really more like we don't want you to miss school or your activities. Go and get this done and let's get it taken care of together. The notaries were another piece too that were really helpful and we added I was a little nervous about that leading into it, but I think it was a really good resource
for our families at least this year because of the heavy lift. They came um we had Kristen actually came and was a notary at our for at one of our clinics at Diamond Path and she was really helpful to a lot of our families in meeting that need. So that parents that had barriers or maybe there was a cost
associated with it, we were able to alleviate that through our notaries that were so kind enough to give their and generous of their time as well. So lots of great resources for sure. Did I answer all your questions? Okay, good. Other questions or comments? Katherine?
>> Um, I just I wanted to thank you for this and I didn't think last meeting could get better where we talked about ACEs and now we're here talking about vaccines and um and it's all based on data which is amazing. And the fact that
I love that you were able to show like real time like look at your numbers going down. That's so cool. Um, and just like the coordination that it took to work with all the different entities, state, you know, data and our data and
merging it together, it's just so fabulous. Um, and really the your success is such a testament to the trust that this district has with families. I mean, it's it's wild that you were able to get that many people to come um and
get vaccinated in this environment. So, I think you need to sprinkle your fairy dust around the country a little bit. Really, congratulations. >> Thank you very much. >> Other questions or comments? Robin, >> um, this was incredibly thoughtful and
well planned out and it, you said it was a heavy lift and it absolutely was done in a very short amount of time and I just want to recognize all the organization that must have underpinned all of this and the work that the team did is just really exceptional and
that's seen through the exceptional numbers that you were able to get by February or the end of February early March. Um, so kudos to urine team, all of the nurses on the ground, the notaries, everybody who went together to help families do what they needed to do
within, you know, their specific challenges potentially to help them meet that need. I think that's just um it's remarkably well done. >> Thank you. >> Other questions or comments? I'll just say um end by saying I don't
have a lot extra from what I've already heard, but this is an a remarkable feat. Like this is amazing. You were able to get our district at these numbers. So, thank you to your team and thank you for your leadership. >> Thank you very much. I appreciate it. >> Excellent. All right,
that brings us to the old business portion of our agenda and I'd like to welcome Adden Watenburgger to the podium to go over the second reading of policy 503, Student Rights and Responsibilities. All right. Good evening, Chairperson Johnson, school board members, and superintendent Bolson. I'm here tonight
with the second reading of an amendment to policy 503, student rights and responsibilities. Um, this specifically is our proposed prohibition on students wearing or using smart glasses at school. And by smart glasses, we're talking about any eyewear that has enhanced capabilities to do things like
take photos and videos or analyze things and transmit information to the person wearing them or shoot laser beams, all sorts of things. So, um, administrators had expressed concerns about these devices, um, particularly around data
privacy and academic integrity and specifically just the inability to determine when a student might be using them appropriately or not. um is really challenging with these types of devices. So um this uh went through the cabinet, went through the policy review committee, brought it for a first
reading last month. Um and now we are here seeking approval tonight. Um I won't belabor the discussion further, but happy to take any questions. >> Thank you. This is an action item for our board tonight. So before moving into questions, is there a motion to approve policy 503 student rights and responsibilities as presented?
>> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Robin, seconded by Jackie. this time. Are there any questions or comments from the audience? Seeing none, questions or comments from board members? I think we asked all our questions of the first reading. There's a motion to approve from Robin, seconded by Jackie.
All those in favor of approval say I. >> I. >> Those opposed? Motion carries on a 5-0 vote. >> Don't go too far though because now um we'll have you back up to go over the 2026 27 overview of student rights and responsibilities.
>> Thank you. Good evening again. Yes. So now I am here with our uh 2026 27 student rights and responsibilities. This is often referred to as our student handbook which kind of contains an overview of the various policies and procedures that uh relate to students in
a more manageable package for families. Um it also includes our rubric of standard consequences for various types of behaviors. Um as we discussed last month, not many significant changes or updates this year. Um we updated some language in a few different spots. We'll
add that smart glasses uh regulation. Um and so um that's kind of what we're doing here. We will communicate this to families electronically. It is posted on the website. Um there will be some paper copies available at our buildings for any families who need them or for staff
to use as a reference. But a couple years ago, we uh removed uh the paper distribution as our primary means of doing that. So a fraction of the cost um in terms of what we are putting out there now. So, um, yeah, I we talked through more of the specifics last
month, so I will leave it at that unless there are any questions. >> Excellent. This is an action item for the board again tonight. So, before we move into questions, is there a motion to approve the 202627 overview of student rights and responsibilities as presented? >> So, moved. >> Second.
>> Motion by Katherine, seconded by Saken. At this time, are there any questions or comments from the audience? Seeing none, questions or comments from board members? I say it every year, but I'm so glad we saved money. Stop printing that thing.
Love, love the extra money we saved. Um, there's a motion to approve by Katherine, seconded by Sakodan. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Those opposed? Motion carries on a 5-0 vote. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right, that brings us to our new business, and I'd like to welcome Danny Duchene to the podium to go over the
202627 preliminary budget. Good evening, Chair Johnson, members of the school board, Superintendent Bull Sony, and the District 196 community. My name is Danny Duchen, coordinator of finance here for district 196. Tonight, district administration presents the 202627 preliminary budget for first
reading and review. The preliminary budget will be brought back to the school board at the June 22nd meeting for recommended approval. Districts in Minnesota are required by state statute to approve a preliminary budget by June 30th of each year. Tonight's presentation will provide a
highle summary of a few key areas of the preliminary budget. A draft of the preliminary budget book, which is included in your board packet tonight, supplements this presentation content and dives into much more details about the various funds, budget processes, and statistics throughout the district.
Before diving into the budget content, I'd like to take an opportunity to acknowledge the efforts of our district budget administrators, our finance department staff, specifically Kim Woods for all their time and hard work during this particular budget cycle. In addition, I always enjoy acknowledging
our talented students who provide the artwork that brings our budget books to life. As is the case with all of our budget presentations, the budget development process focuses on the resources aspect of our district's strategic roadmap. Adequate resources, people, buildings,
and things make everything else on our strategic roadmap possible. A quick review for the 2627 budget cycle. The preliminary budget is the second step in the district's five-step budgeting cycle which began last fall with the levy certification which was approved in December of 2025 or
certified in December of 2025 by the board and will conclude next in the fall of 2027 with our annual financial audit. Development of the preliminary budget requires the district to make assumptions for variables that may not be fully known at the time of the budget
development and attempt to minimize the impact of those unknown variables when the budget is created. Some examples of these assumptions include using enrollment projections, continuous impact of recent boundary changes, unsettled contracts and benefit
provisions, timing of decisions at the state legislature, projecting ending fund balance for the current school year, which we have not fully completed yet, and planned transportation adjustments, which have been discussed over the last few months. The preliminary budget includes 825.4 4
million in total revenue across all funds. The general fund, the district's main operating account, accounts for the largest share of revenue at 66%, which is very normal for school districts across the state. The next largest share is the building construction fund at
13.3% of budgeted revenues, primarily due to the third bond sale for the 2023 construction projects, which is tenatively scheduled for spring of 2027. The next largest share of budget revenue are the district's internal services funds for health and dental insurance
and severance at 10.9%. The district's other funds including nutrition services and community education and debt service account for the remaining 9% of budget budgeted revenues respectively. On the expense side of the equation, the preliminary budget includes budget
expenditures across all funds of $98 million. Similar to revenues, the top three proportions of budget expenditures are the general fund, the building construction fund, and the internal services funds, accounting for over 91% of budgeted expenditures
overall. Across all funds, total revenues and expenditures results in a decline in total fund balance of $83 million. This is an expected result as the main culprit for the decline in fund balance is the building construction fund which is slated to
have its largest year of expenditures in 2027 um so far. So nothing to be alarmed about when we're showing a negative $83 million total fund balance overall. Let's take a peek more closely at the district's three main operating funds.
Beginning with the general fund. Total budgeted revenues in the general fund equal $549.6 million. As is common each year, state aids accounts for the largest share of revenues sources at over 71% of budgeted revenues within the
general fund. Property taxes account for 24% of budget revenues with federal grants and other sources rounding out the remaining share of revenues. Budgeted expenses in the general fund equal $548.5 million. This current slide
is cross-sectioning general fund expenses by the program code, which is broad categories that tell a story about where particular expenditures are being budgeted for. 82% of general fund expenditures are targeted for either student instruction or student support services. meaning that over eight out of
every $10 dollars that are budgeted are earmarked for programming that are directly impacting and directly related to our students. This aligns our budgeting practices to our strategic roadmap in many ways. Another way to cross-section
expenditures is by the object code or the what that we are purchasing. As is typical for all school districts, employee compensation and benefits remain the largest share of general fund expenditures, accounting for nearly 83% of the general fund budget. Total budgeted revenues and expenditures in
the general fund equate to a projected increase in general fund balance for the 2627 school year of $1.1 million. Now, let's look at the district's special revenue funds, beginning with the community education fund. The community education fund includes
budgeted revenues of $12.36 million. What makes the community education fund unique and different from the general fund is that the largest portion of revenue comes from other revenue sources and not state aids. These are primarily fees paid by patron by patrons to participate in the various programs that
our community education department offers. While state aids holds a considerable share of revenue in community ed, it is a much smaller percentage than the general fund. Similar to the general fund, the community h in the community education fund employee compensation and benefits
comprises the majority of expenses accounting for 86.5% of the 12.45 million in budgeted expenditures. $12.45 million in expenditures against 12.36 million in revenue results in a projected a slight projected decrease in
the community education fund balance of about $90,000. Now, let's look at the district's other special revenue fund, the Nutrition Services Fund. Total budgeted revenues from the Nutrition Services Fund equals just shy of $24 million with over 50% of revenue
stemming from state aid sources and over 40% of revenue coming from federal sources. The primary drivers in state revenue sources and federal revenue sources are reimbursements from these agencies for meals that we serve in our buildings throughout the course of the year.
What's interesting to note is the proportion of revenue from state sources has shifted dramatically since the inception of free meals for all students which directly led to an increase in meals served across the district in total throughout the year and then subsequently led to more meals being
reimbursed to the district. Supplies and materials, primarily food and milk purchases, account for more than 50% of the 27.7 million in the nutrition services expenditure budget. Employee compensation and benefits comprise the next largest share, 30% of budgeted
expenditures. Total projected fund balance change in the nutrition services fund is a decrease of $3.9 million which continues our deliberate spendown of this particular plan according to state statute. As we close, let's zoom back out to
review the fund balance summary for all funds, focusing specifically on a few funds not discussed in the previous slides. As mentioned near the beginning of this presentation, the building construction fund anticipates an $83 million decrease in fund balance in 2627.
This results from $193 million in projected construction costs. Once again reiterating that would be the largest year of expenditures in that particular fund since we started the new building projects against $10 million in revenue which includes the planned third bond interest and anticipated interest
earnings based on bond proceed investments. The district continues to track health insurance expenses closely on two fronts. Analyzing market trends for claims expenses as we close out the 2526 school year or fiscal year, but also the
financial impact of the district switching to a single highdeductible plan offering for the 2627 school year. This will be one fund that we watch very closely between preliminary budget and the final budget. The final fund I'd like to call tonight is the LCTS account. The LCTS program is
a collaboration for special education and mental health services that includes Dakota County, school districts within Dakota County, and some private agencies that offer those particular services. Earlier this year, the district took on responsibility to serve as the fiscal host for the LCTS collaborative within
Dakota County. This means we are a participant in the collaborative as well as the fiscal host of the collaborative. Our transactions as the part as a participant is handled in the general fund in its own in its own fund. All
transactions that are handled as part of our responsibilities as the fiscal host are completely separate and a completely separate fund from our transactions as a participant. So what you're seeing on this particular side is the our responsibilities as the
fiduciary for the LCTS account. The LCTS program has its own governing board that sets the budget and that board will be setting the budget at the end of June for the 2627 school year. This is why there are zero dollars
budgeted in the LCTS fiscal account for revenues and expenditures as we need to wait for the LCC LCTS board to take action on their own budget prior to including it in our district's preliminary budget as the fiscal host. As I mentioned, the preliminary budget
will be presented to the board for a second reading and recommended approval at the June 22nd meeting. And at this time, I'd be happy to answer any questions. >> Thank you very much. At this time, are there any questions or comments from the audience? Seeing none, questions or comments from board members?
All right, we will see you back in a couple weeks for the second reading. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> All right. Next, I'd like to welcome Kaia Bruce to the podium to go over administrative regulation 801.5 AR, community use of district facilities. Good evening, Chairperson Johnson,
members of the board, and superintendent Bolone. Community Education is proposing updates to administrative regulation 801.5 AR, community use of district facilities, to establish rental rates for the new activity center gymnasiums and to revise existing high school
gymnasium rental rates in preparation for the opening of the two of two of the district's new activity centers in 2026. Because these facilities were not in existence when the current fee structure was established, rental rates have not yet been defined. To inform this
recommendation, community education staff conducted a market comparison of activity center and high school gymnasium rental rates across neighboring and comparable school districts. Based on this analysis, we are recommending a consistent per court per hour rate structure across both
facility types at the high schools. The proposed rates range from no charge for class one users to $60 per hour for class 4 users. They fall within the range charged by peer districts and are designed to support operational
sustainability, equitable community access, and administrative simplicity. Community education is also recommending a $5 increase for the daily rental rate of audiovisisual equipment. In addition, we have made some minor language edits to align with district language and
reformatted the layout of the facility fees to ensure that they are ADA compliant. This item is being presented as new business this evening. I will return on June 22nd to request your approval, but I'd be happy to answer any questions in the meantime. >> Thank you very much. At this time, are
there any questions or comments from the audience? Seeing none questions or comments from board members. >> We'll see you back in a couple weeks. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right, that moves us to our other action portion of the agenda. I'd like to welcome Janet Switchikowski back to
the podium to go over our resolution regarding November constitutional amendment for permanent school funding. Good evening, Chair Johnson, school board members, and Superintendent Palsani. Earlier today during our legislative update, Senator Clawson talked about the
constitutional amendment that will be on the ballot for all voters statewide in Minnesota um in November. In your packets tonight is a board resolution talking about the facts of that resol of the constitutional amendment and
authorizing the school district to conduct a voter information campaign to make sure that our voters are well informed on the issue. unique to a constitutional amendment in Minnesota,
the total cast, the total votes cast in the election is used in determining whether the amendment passes. What this means is that if a voter comes
in to vote in the election, votes for offices, but does not vote for the constitutional amendment and leaves that blank, that counts as a no vote because the vote must have a majority of
voters in that election vote for the constitutional amendment to make it pass. So, it's extremely important to public education across Minnesota that voters understand that casting a vote on that question,
either yes or no, is an important um contributing factor to whether it will pass. Um because if it is left no, if it is left blank, it will count as a no. Um I think Senator Clawson gave the history and background very well on the
constitutional amendment. I'd be happy to answer any other questions. Um, and I don't know if you want us to read the resolution or it's just in the packet. >> Yeah, it's in the packet. I think we can. Thank you, though. >> Um, this is an action item for the board tonight. So, before I move into questions, is there a motion to approve
the resolution regarding November constitutional amendment for permanent school funding as presented. >> So moved. Second. >> Motion by Jackie, seconded by Robin. At this time, are there any questions or comments from the audience? Seeing none questions or comments from
the board. I just say thank you for both um you and for Adam, our general counsel for drafting this amendment I or this resolution. Um it is really really important given the history of the amendment to make sure um and it and
actually our permanent school fund in general to make sure that voters understand what they're voting for because I think a lot of voters do go to the podium and or they do go up to vote and they see something. I don't know what that is. I'm just going to leave it blank because I'm not going to I don't have opinion one way or the other. And they have to realize that leaving it blank is actually kind of having opinion
of how constitutional amendments are are um written or decided on in our state. So appreciate uh you drafting this and appreciate well if this passes all the work you're going to be doing informing voters before November. So thank you. Uh motion by Jackie, seconded by Robin. All
those in favor of approval say I. I. >> Those opposed. Motion carries on a 5-0 vote. Thank you very much. All right, that brings us almost to the end of our agenda tonight. I'll turn the meeting over to to Superintendent Bosone for superintendent updates. >> All right, thank you, Chair Johnson. We
want to thank families for submitting over 22,000 responses to the Plan My Ride transportation forms that were received before the last day of school. We had more than a 95% completion rate. We are following up with families who submitted questions and also those who
we haven't heard from yet. Bus routes for next year will be released on August 17th via Parent Square and Infinite Campus. As we move into summer, I want to remind families that free meals are available for all children ages 18 and younger at locations throughout our
community. These meals help ensure that students have access to healthy, nutritious food while school is out of session. Families can visit district196.org for locations and schedules for the meals. Summer learning is also beginning across 196. Programs such as credit
recovery, Camp Propel, AVID, and extended year services provide students with opportunities to continue learning, strengthen skills, and stay engaged throughout the summer months. While many people think of summer as a quieter time in our schools, our work continues every
day. District 196 staff members are supporting students, providing services, and creating opportunities that help learners thrive. That commitment extends also to transportation where we continue to recruit school bus drivers to join our team. District 196 transportation
will host job fairs from 3 to 6:00 p.m. at Egan High School on June 11th and July 9th. These events offer an opportunity to meet current drivers, learn about paid training and benefits, ask questions, test drive a bus in the
parking lot, and even apply on site. If you are looking for meaningful work that makes a difference for students and families, we encourage you to stop by and learn more. As noted already tonight, our community education department offers a wide variety of enriching educational and
recreational opportunities for learners of all ages. Whether students uh or community members want to explore new interests, build a skill, stay connected with learning, there is something for everyone. Community Education is offering 265 courses with more than
5,000 participants already registered this summer. To learn more, visit CE the letter CE. 1996.org. That concludes my report. Thank you. >> Excellent. Are there any board members with items they'd like to share?
>> Uh, but you kind of talk about it. You spoke about it in your opening remarks, but I just wanted to take the time to publicly thank St. Thomas for hosting our graduation events this year. Their new arena was amazing. It was fantastic and as a lot of people know, we were
kind of left in a bind at the beginning of the school year when we lost our venue at the U of M and St. Thomas really came through and had a fantastic ceremony. So, I just wanted to say my um on behalf of the board to give my public thanks for them uh for being able to host that for us. So, thank you.
>> All right, that brings us to the end of our agenda. Is there a motion to adjurnn? >> So, moved. >> Second. I heard Robin and then I think I heard Katherine first. So motion by Robin, seconded by Katherine. All those in favor of adjournment say I. >> Those opposed. Motion carries on our 50-
vote. Our next regular school board meeting is on Monday, June 22nd. We stand adjourned.