[Music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [Music]
Good evening. It is Thursday, May 8th, 2025 at 6 PM. We are at the District Service Center in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. We would like to acknowledge that the land on which we gather is the land of the Midawakatan Dakota people. Midwakatin means dweller of the spirit lake. First item on our agenda is 1.0
roll call. Dana Louise Hines is absent. Ryan Clark here. Sharon Vanlair here. Eric Tesmer here. Melinda Doss is absent. Sydney Kneak here. Katie Schwarz here. 2.0 pledge of allegiance. Please stand. Okay. 3.0 is the approval of the agenda.
Can I get a motion to approve? Second. Motion by Sharon, seconded by Simmyi. All those in favor? Any oppose? Motion carries. 4.0 is our workshop items and we do have one this evening and it is
4.1 nutrition services budget and that will be presented by Abby Baker. Good evening. Tonight we have the privilege of hearing from two amazing leaders um who play such a vital role in our students health and wellness every day. Wendy Peterson, our director of
nutrition services, and Bobby Joe Grummans, our assistant director of nutrition services, will be taking us through the nutrition services budget tonight, as well as some of the great work that they are doing both throughout the district and in our community. So, thank you both for being here. Thank you
for having us. Um, so I am going to take on the first step of our presentation today and discuss some of the highlights for the year for nutrition services. And so when the year started, um, Julie asked all of the different departments to come up with a department initiative
as well as a a district initiative. And we really wanted to tag on to the goal of improving literacy and thought about how could we do this in the cafeteria. And so one of the ways we did this is come up with a campaign that was called food is fun. And we did this in a
variety of ways. It was um started with the elementary level and we did so with nutrition ed that was based for the littles and then we also did some fun themes and jokes and different special events for them and then as the students got older we built on that and made it
more age appropriate. Um, one of the other things that we were very excited to do this year is that was that to bring back our theme days. And it has been quite a few years probably since COVID that we were able to do this. Um, but this year we were able to
incorporate a variety of theme days into not only the menus but fun in the cafeteria. And so the first thing that we did for the year is our border battle. And you can see some pictures and examples of some of the things we did. So, for instance, during border battle, um it's the Vikings Packers
game. We turn everything on the salad bar purple, yellow, white, and green. We have to throw some green in there. Sorry. Um but that was a fun event for the students. They get encouraged through communications to dress in their favorite sports attire. Um, we had a
dead of winter luau where we make the entire salad bar, different um, citrus items that they can select from encouraging kids to try different things that are out of the ordinary that they may not try um, at home. So, kumquats were on the menu, different types of oranges, um, things of that nature. And
then there's a couple other examples up there, twins home opener where we celebrated that. And then new this year was we had a Kentucky Derby day for the where they got to dress up and do some things for that event. um our um one of the things with in that enabled us to do
so is because for the first time since prior to COVID we've actually maintained a staffing level that was appropriate um for our department and so we've ran really under staff for many many years and when you have more you can do more which we're so excited about that
because we felt like almost being in survival mode and just trying to get through the day and get food in front of kids now we're able to do more that and we're definitely proud out of that. Next year, we have a new prime vendor that we went out for a request for proposal and
that new prime vendor, their name is IFD. We're super excited to get them on board. They have a lot more options and choices for the kids. And so, this is going to be a huge focus for us next year, get bringing in different products and doing simple scratch recipes. And
so, there's a couple pictures of baked potato bar. Um, we're going to piggy back on the state fair and we're actually going to have dill pickle pizza on the menu next year and really look at age appropriate items that we can get in front of kids to get them excited about their nutrition and what they're eating
on a daily basis. Our department initiative, which I think is one of the highlights for the year, is that we started a food rescue program this year. And it started in October with pilots of about five schools where they are repurposing items that the students
either do not eat or did not want. And then they are being redistributed to basic needs food market in Cottage Grove and being repurposed for families that have food insecurities. and the the this last month we actually hit
5700 pounds in one month of donated food items. And so so far year to date we're probably pushing close to that 20,000 pounds of donated items to the community. So, it's been a collaboration between nutrition services, the
lunchroom paras, a lot of work on the department, um, the communications department, a lot of principles that were involved in the success and it's really just been an outstanding program and something that I think that we're very proud of and the community has received. So, um, has just had such a
great reception for that program. Um, we have worked directly with the communications department and we put together a little little video that also highlights this program. So, we're going to show that for all of you this evening. [Music]
Well, the food rescue program is a program where students are able to take unwanted and uneaten items that will be safely redistributed to a company that we have partnered with called Basic Needs Food Pantry. So, either a milk, a
piece of bread, or some fruit. They'll just grab their breakfast that they want to eat and we have to give them a fruit or vegetable and instead of throwing it away, they just automatically go to the basic needs cart. I would say about two years ago, we really started concentrating on the amount of waste that was happening in the cafeteria.
Since meals in the state of Minnesota have become free, we're seeing a lot more students eating not only lunch but breakfast with us. We're up about 25%. In conjunction with that comes an increase in the amount of waste. and we tried to figure out a way to use like
use the resources and at the same time help the community and that's how the partnership was developed. Over the past 3 months, we've donated almost 10,000 pounds of food. The food rescue program has been an excellent addition to our cafe experience. Students are excited because they know they're helping others
um and they also know that the food isn't going to waste. I think it's been successful because people are helping other people. There's people in need that need food and helping them by donating this food is a big success. What I love most about this partnership
is that it came from the school district itself. Um it came from nutritional services and they were so passionate about not wanting to just simply throw away this food. They wanted to give it a second life and they wanted to make sure that it got out into the community to
the people that really needed it. And this has just opened us up to serve the community in a whole new way. When we receive it, we weigh it, we sort it, and then we put it out on the floor to be distributed for the community and
anybody who needs food items. So, I think it's really been a wonderful collaboration between nutrition services and the buildings and really just the entire school community. If people'd like to help, if they'd like to show support, um they can go to our website
at basic needsmn.org. Um and you can find out how to volunteer there if you'd like to make a donation for the mission here. [Music] So, the great thing about this program is that for our department, this is just
going to become common practice for next year. And we anticipate that what we do the students will become more and more used to um repurposing and donating items. So we anticipate those numbers continuing um to to rise. Now the thing that I did want to mention with that is
we are doing our best I believe in nutrition services to get options in front of students that they do want to eat. And so I don't want this to feel like you know that our team isn't doing a good job. I really feel that those out in the field are working very hard um to
put beautiful produce bars in front of students, but sometimes because of the federal regulations, there's just items that no matter what we do, they aren't going to eat. And so, we're very very very glad to be repurposing those items. And one of the um last things that I want to mention regarding the program
before we really start to dive into the budget is that there will be some um nutrition changes taking place next year. Um, one of USDA's focus coming up next fall is a reduction in added sugars. And there's three primary items
that they're looking at that we have to look at immediately for next fall. And that's what the cereals that we offer to students are yogurt and then our flavored milk. Some of our items are already meeting these nutritional standards. Some of the items the manufacturers are getting out ahead of
this. And so as soon as those options become available to us, we're transitioning over. What we don't want for the students is for them to see a massive change in the offerings that they're that they're seeing in the cafeteria. Um for fall of 26, there will be no huge changes, but then in the fall
of 2027, there's an implementation of added sugars that they can't constitute more than 10% of the weekly calories. And there's also going to be additional sodium reductions for breakfast as well as for lunch. So when it comes to our overall programs that we administer, every school that we
have operates under the National School Breakfast and the National School Lunch Program. And then in the summer, we'll be doing the breakfast and lunch program for our targeted services. And that will take place at Bailey Elementary, Cottage Grove Elementary, and Cottage Grove Middle School. We'll also be doing
catering. And I should have backed up. So those schools, the meals will continue under that program and they will be free for those students. At their kids club locations of Greycloud, Liberty Ridge, Red Rock, and Woodbury Elementary, we have to do catering because it doesn't qualify to continue
for free meals. It must be for educational purposes only. And so in those um sites, the meals will be charged directly to the parents if they're interested in participating with us. And then also to mention that families that do qualify through the
state, there is a program called SunBucks where if they meet the criteria for free and reduced meals and direct certification in some cases, they're eligible for certain reimbursements for their students um for food for the summer um to help bridge that gap of
potential food insecurity. Now it's my turn. All right. So, now we're going to get into more of the numbers. Um, but first I want to talk a little bit about our department and how it works. Um, I didn't know until I started working here that our nutrition
services budget is it's like a business within a business. So we have our own um revenue which is mainly through the federal government, the state and then alle cart sales and we have our own expenditures too. So it's kind of
operating a business within a business with the school district which is something I didn't realize until here I am. Um and I don't think a lot of people do know that. So to give you a little idea of our breakdown on our school meals and the timeline. So, let's look
back in the orange. We're at school year 2023. This is when we had our last um where meals were reimbursed based on eligibility. So, you're free reduced and your paid status. Um then we moved into
2024. Meals were free. This year, meals are free. And we are making the assumption that next year meals will be free again. Here is a breakdown of the reimbursement rates from 2022 to this
current school year. Um, as you can see, for breakfast this year, we're getting $2.37 for every breakfast we serve, reimburseable meal, I should say. And then for lunch, it is $464 um for all of our lunches that we
serve. Um, you can see it has gone up in reimbursement except for 2024. uh that was due to COVID funding that was removed or taken away. So that's why that number went down. So again, these
numbers incorporate both federal and state what we're getting reimbursed for. And currently all of our meals are reimbursed at the free reduced rate. The next slide we have here is breakfast participation. So you can see that we're doing pretty well. We are up
overall 10% over last year and then we're up about 81% from the last time meals were um based on eligibility. So that was that red line. Um so overall year-to-ate average is about
4,137 breakfast a day. We are anticipating a 1% increase for next year which brings us to that level. the orange line uh 2022 you can see there that those were free meals too. Um but
that was when we had classrooms bringing kids down. So it was we had very good participation but on the flip side of that we didn't have staff to truly support those efforts. So of course we want kids to eat breakfast with us. Um we encourage that. Uh but right now
we're just feeding the kids who absolutely need it or desire it at this point instead of having classrooms come down. All right. And then lunch. Uh we are just when we think we are feeding all the kids that we could possibly
feed. Here we are. It bumped up again. Um which is great news. So we're up overall from last year and we're up 21% from again that red line when things were um paid based on eligibility. So again, we couldn't be more proud of
our staff and all the things that they're doing. I mean, they're serving about 13,680 lunches a day, which is I mean, they feel it and you can see it out there. But the good news, like Wendy said, is finally we are staffed
appropriately. So we feel that um by having a secure staff and our buildings are staffed as they should be, it's we can do more things and more fun things. So I think they do such a great job and it's a lot of hard work. Um so next year
we are anticipating a 1% increase there too. So that'd be about 13,815 meals a day. And then we're hoping to with the menu revisions. So, we talked about the simple scratch recipes, doing new and exciting foods.
Maybe we'll even capture more than that. Uh, you just never know. Average daily alart sales. So, all cart is things that are in our snack shacks. Uh, so we have snack shacks in all seven schools. Uh, so we have been
able to keep these rooms open from the beginning of the school year. So that's why our blue line this year is so good because again we had enough staff and we are open from day one where last year in the green line uh we did not have enough staff and oftentimes we didn't have
those rooms open and it was around November but by by the time all seven were up and going. The other thing that factored in from last year is we have a new vendor named Vistar. So they were able to provide us with more options um
for our alle cart rooms as well. But we do want to note that we prefer and we hope kids take that reimburseable meal because nutrition is number one. We want kids to have the full you know your fruits, veggies, your lean protein, um
your low-fat dairy. So that's what we are encouraging. But the snacks are useful too especially for kids who are staying after school. So it's not all about the treats and stuff at lunch. A lot of kids do take that for their afterchool activities too if they
too. All right. And then our detail revenue summary here. We are anticipating an increase in breakfast, lunch, and allocart like I said. So it'll be about a 1% increase is what we are figuring. Um so breakfast we're
thinking uh this budget was based off of 1 cent per meal increase. Uh we do not know the reimbursement rate for next year uh as that comes out in July. So we are uncertain to what that will look like. Um the other interest or revenue
is kids club catering that we do. So we provide them with all of their snacks during the school year. We do the summer program with them. Um also our interest uh income which is usually around that 18,000 mark. Um and then our catering.
So we do other caterings too, coffee, cookies, things like that every now and then. Expenditures. So we will see a bump in salaries. So we had our contracts settle two years ago. Um so first year they received a pretty large
dollar amount and then this coming July it'll be 5% for every employee. So that's the salary piece. Fringe benefits will go up as so we are estimating about 15% but again that's
unknown purchase services. This is one that we had to increase our purchase or the adjusted amount because this year we went from maybe about $140,000 in repairs and maintenance to
almost 400 some 400,000. So, we've had a huge increase, but there's a part partly we have to make sure we're investing in our equipment to make sure that things don't break or we, you know, disrupt service. So, that's where you see a little bump there. Also, our towels. We
get freshly towels, so they drop off a bag and pick up our old ones and have some laundry there um as another expense to that. And then also credit card fees. So, anyone who uses school cafe or the automatic payment system, we cover the
cost of the credit card fee. So, it's not on to the families. Food and supplies, just like uh our personal grocery shopping trips, groceries are going up. Uh so, it's based on some research I've done, it's between two to 3% is what I was seeing
uh for food and supplies and increases that way. Equipment, you're probably thinking, what is going on here? Um, so we went from a proposed originally 430,000 to 1.5 million. The
reason for this is we have a lot of P3 ovens, so very old ovens that we are on a replacement cycle with. So we've done, I believe, 10 last year. We're looking at 15 and maybe even some more. Um, so the reason why we're doing this is when
a P3 oven breaks, there's no support for it. It's done. it's broken. Uh, so we can't get it repaired. So that's why we're putting the money in and investing to make sure that we don't disrupt service. Like I said, so one oven at
this moment in time is about $25,000. I'm getting quotes next week and I I can tell you what it'll be next week. I bet more than 25. Uh then you add on to something that I I'm kind of starting to learn about is our water in
our district. We're finding that the water quality is not um meeting the manufacturer's recommendations for our ovens, which makes sense because we're seeing more repairs. We're seeing the lime scale buildup. We're seeing um
cleaning cycles shut down. Uh we we're not able to steam, things like that. So now in our new learning process, before we even purchase ovens, we have to go through water sampling. So then we figure out the water sampling and then
they will determine if we need a reverse osmosis system or water softeners. So we've had a few buildings where we've had to do both and that's at least another $6,000 in just the equipment, not including installation on top of
that oven. So, it can be a great expense, but we have to do it because we want our ovens to last the 8 to 10 years like they should. And we're finding they haven't. So, Cottage Grove Elementary is a good example. Um, we had to do some new
plumbing and get a water softener and RO system in there and now they look like they're brand new. But before we had it operating, it was as white as a sheet of paper because of the lime scale. So, we just have to be very mindful um of what we're doing there and, you know,
replacing things and doing things as we should um so we're good stewards of our finances and money and our equipment will last like it should. So, it's been a very fun fun road with water. I learned a lot. Um so,
there's that. And then we I just want to highlight too um oh the other is about 18,500 and other charges which is kitchen licenses. Um we anticipate chargebacks being about 1.3 million and
that is a number that usually it's an indirect cost rate. Um it includes like Paris salaries. This is estimated at 9.3%. Um, for next year we're going to 10% as our estimate, but we never know where it's going to be at. It could be
at 5% all the way up to 20%. We don't know. So, the state of Minnesota determines it. We are not sure what that indirect cost rate will be for next year. So, we went middle of the road just to play safe. Um, okay. And then so
our detail financial summary here. So what between our revenue minus our expenses, we are looking at a fund balance decrease of $400,000. So that brings us to 3.33,348,189. And this is about 21% fund balance and the district goal or school
board goal is 16.6. So we are at about that 21%. So the other thing we want to mention is that right now uh we are maybe looking at a spend down because our finances are
too good here at the fund balance. So right now there was a kind of an exception um to this rule allowing six months of average expenditures um and then but typically it's three.
So, if we were at that threemonth mark, we'd have to probably spend down around $900,000. So, um, but at this point, it's at six months. So, we're okay at this point. So, what that means is that we could be forced to spend it in
different ways, um, if it goes to that three month mark. So, we just want to make sure overall that again, we're being mindful. We're investing in our kitchens. We're keeping them running like they should. We're giving our kitchens equipment to
make things happen and just being good stewards of our money, but also using caution, just taking one day at a time. All right, any questions? Thank you. Does anybody have any questions?
You have a question. Go ahead. Um, couple questions. Just curious, the funding source you mentioned for meal reimbursement, is that primarily federal or is that primarily state or mixture? I know it's a mixture, but mainly federal and then the state has kicked in the
additional funds. Is that USDA or is that through the Department of USDA? Okay. Any is there any uh talk or I guess rumblings of that changing at all or I I really haven't heard it's hard to
know what they're going to do. We we haven't heard about any change to our revenue source as um in looking at the revenue stream. What the state of Minnesota has done with the free meals is they're covering the cost of anyone that was a paid family where the federal
government covers that free and reduce. So the state is kicking in that extra percent or the the coverage for the families that would have paid for those meals themselves. And as of right now, we haven't heard of any change to that. Okay. Okay. And then the requirements for for students to uh to to select
certain items. Um are you able to detail a little bit? I'm just curious what what are they required to take? Valid question. So for breakfast we um
it's more based on items. So we offer our fruit, a protein, a grain item, and a milk. So for breakfast, kids have to take three items, but one has to be a fruit to make it free. Now for lunch, it's five
components. So it's kind of the my plate. So it's your whole grains, your protein, your fruit, vegetable, and milk. So out of those five things, kids have to take three of them, and one has to be a fruit or a vegetable.
So, for example, if like we had a um hamburger and a milk, that would not be reimburseable. When when did that start? This started back in 2012. Yep. Okay. Um with the ovens, you mentioned
the P3 ovens are being replaced. Are the new ovens repairable? Yes, absolutely. Yes. Yes, they definitely are. But how how old I'm sorry. Go ahead. Oh, yeah. Go ahead. Well, how old are the how old are the ones that are being replaced? Some of the P3s date
back to I mean even early 2000s. So, is that a that's a a matter of I guess just outliving their maintenance. I would say a lot of our equipment service or whatever. Yeah. Type of thing. Okay. They have a mo what's called a motherboard inside of them. It's a
computer. And so just like with when we have to update our computers and at a certain point they're no longer supported, it's the exact same process with inside of our oven. And so those computer parts and that motherboard is no longer being made. And so then when
it goes out, it's out. And in a building such as say like you have to think about maybe Valley Crossing where you have hundreds and hundreds 800 students, they have two ovens. If one goes down, our ability to service those students is is
very very challenging to get them through the lines and fed on time. Yeah, Newport has one P3 and if it goes down, it's it's done. And to be honest, I have made it clear to um Abby and Julie that I kind of I need to shoulder some of
this blame. Um I maybe kept too tight a hold on our fund balance and should have been spending more along the way. And so we are really looking at a um a commitment to those replacement cycles and sticking to it a little bit better.
Um coming from private sector, it it was very difficult for me to somewhat make that transition where you know and so now I think it it might be kind of biting us a little bit and that's why our fund balance has been so strong is because we we maybe should have been spending a little bit more along the
way. So, we're trying to get back and get those kitchens upgraded the way that they should be, and that was my fault. With with the new ovens, then I suspect um you you may run into the same issue, though, if if they're if they're used
for 20 years or whatever. Um or is there things that can be done during the course of their life to prolong their life? They're basically saying 8 to 10 years is a a good run for these ovens, the new ones. So, we'll be on a replacement cycle forever, that 8 to 10
mark, and not stretching it like we have been. Well, they don't build appliances like they used to. They do. I was No, I was actually going to comment on that. Yeah, we're finding that very much so. And we we've also ran into that where we get say they have one old oven and one
brand new oven and complete cost to put that in is around $30,000 and they're saying, "Don't take my old one out. It functions much better than my new one." because of that ch that fact. Y very true. And I forgot to mention too that
you know if we end up being um where we're not doing free meals for everyone anymore and it goes back to eligibility, we're really going to have to re-evaluate too because we will not be making the funds that we have been and have because then parents may have their
kids bringing in cold lunch. We might not have the participation. So there's a lot of things we have to think about too. Um, thank you so much and I can't believe I have more questions after you came to CPAC. Um, and and I made you
talk for two hours. Um, so when will you know if the state is going to change their guidance around free lunches for all students? Is that something that like they'll either decide by the end of this legislative session or is that they could decide that later in the year? I think that's our assumption is that
we'll need to be made during session. And so with that being so close, um that's why we're we're anticipating and we're not hearing a whole lot about that going away. And so we are making the assumption that meals will be free for next year. That can change as we all
know, but for now that's that's what we based our budget on and what our thoughts are. Um and so for the um just a couple other questions you had mentioned u Bobby Joe, you had mentioned that we have a six month spendown. Who determines if that goes from six months
to three months is well it's the state and USDA so it's regulations that will determine it but they have changed it for this school year only what we know so far just to for the six months for six months yeah but that
could change as well and so if we do have to go to so I assume then you have contingency plans for if they do go to three months how you'll aend maintenance forward or something like that so how the guidelines work is that we are put on notice that we go into spendown and
then we have to come up with a plan. Okay? So, it's not like they say, "Oh, in the next month go spend a million dollars." Right? It's that we have to submit a plan to the state of Minnesota telling them our plan to spend that money down. And we want to make sure that we're handling that the most fiscally responsible way that's going to
have long-term um positive effect on our kitchens, on our staff, and on the students. Okay. Um, one question I had was with the alle cart rooms, are they required to have the same nutritional requirements as the
stuff we provide at lunch? Um, so there are special requirements for anything sold in those alle cart rooms. It's called smart snack guidelines. So everything coming out of there needs to meet a certain caloric level, uh, sugar, fat, sodium, all of those things. So,
every product we have has to be run through a calculator and to make sure it's compliant and then we have to save that documentation. Um, a lot of people don't know that the products we serve are different than what you would find in a convenience store or grocery store
or things like that. So, it is specially formulated. So, most manufacturers have a K through2 division that specially makes things for our schools. And so if I buy Doritos in the I don't even actually I don't know if Doritos are sold in the alle cart room. They are. They are. Okay. So if I buy Doritos in
the cart room, they are less fatty, less salty than what I would buy at Target. Exactly. Yep. One thing I wanted to mention, um it's and the alle cart dollars are not just snack shacks. Um it
is also coming from anything outside of the reimburseable meal. A student brings a cold lunch and buys a milk, that's an alloc cart sale. A student buys a second cheeseburger, that's an all- cart sale. The only thing that is reimbursible or
that lands under that column for sales are the reimburseable meals. And so everything is captured in that bucket um if you will of all cart sales. Even though it could be a an extra banana, something like that, we have to classify that as all cart. Okay. And then for the
new vendor that you have, can you talk a little bit about um why you chose why you went out for uh proposal and why you picked this vendor and then what the implications are for our costs and
budget and then also just for what we can offer students. I think we have run into a big challenge with our current vendor because um it started off shortages and then uh it ended up being where we couldn't get new
products in like we wanted. Uh customer service was a big issue as well cost a little bit. So we did go out for a new vendor and so IFD is came in uh they were the lowest cost but also they were able to support us and give us
the customer service we wanted. Um they can bring in products like we wanted and to expand our menus and our offerings. Uh they also could serve as a alle cart or smart snack compliant vendor. So maybe we could um eventually maybe get
rid of Vistar and not just have one distributor which would help with cost as well. So uh and options. So I think it just was a win-win and we've been very very impressed with how organized and how um respond they just respond so
quickly. Great customer service, great prices, great selection. So it was kind of a win-win. And how long are they holding the prices? like what what is the price? Um how long before they can take a price
increase? Six months. They've they've locked our pricing for six months, which is really actually kind of unheard of. They wanted our business and we're very excited to have them on board. And so I remember back during the pandemic like you were talking about getting napkins
or something and or forks and they had like gone up like 600% or whatever. Yeah. So, how does that um like you how does that or do you are you just assuming that sort of those inflationary days are kind of that was
like four years ago and now we're back to sort of more normal pricing? Yeah. Yes, it has come down to normal inflation, not what we were seeing before. Okay. That's all I had. Thank you.
I don't have a a question for you, but I have a comment and an offer. Um, so I am the R&D lab manager for a company and one of the business segments that we serve is food service for water filtration. So it's a conflict of interest for me obviously to tell you to
purchase products for my company. However, I can offer some expertise in that. So if you want to know whether or not the solution you get is actually good for your ovens or your steamers, um, I will keep my me out of it. But I can certainly help you with that cuz that's something that I do. Where have
you been all our lives? No kidding. So, uh I'm very much aware of Bobby Joe is a dietician and her expertise is in that arena. It's not really water softeners and our systems. So, I manage the laboratory that does all of the analytical testing for that to make sure
that it works the way it's supposed to. Wonderful. We would appreciate that. So, um, I'm simply offering if you want me to look over what you guys are being proposed to for a solution, I can tell you if it's a legit solution and if it's within a reasonable budget for the use
case. We will absolutely keep that in mind. Thank you so much. For sure. Thank you. Thank you, Ryan. Anybody else have any other No. Okay. Well, thank you very much. Thank you. I feel like we should clap because I
will just tell you that um they weathered uh a pandemic unlike any other when you think about u what the nutrition services staff went through individually packaging everything that was out and you go into our cafeterias and um I just told them right
before the meeting that um I was in another cafeteria this week and one of the employees I was walking out and she came hustling back to me and she said this is the best team that I've ever worked on and that is really the comment across the board. So, our leaders out in the school, our cook managers, um the
people who are leading our cafeterias, your leadership, it really matters. Um you know, food is important to kids and I know when we watch the video, the food rescue program, it may look like kids are throwing a lot of food away or, you know, disposing of a lot of food, but they're also eating a lot of food
because I've seen a lot on their faces and a lot on their fingers. And so to our nutrition services team, our entire staff here at district office as well as in our schools. Thank you. Bobby Joe, Bobby Joe and Wendy, you are fabulous. I would have said something, but I don't
do dishes and I don't cook. So, okay, moving on to 5.0 and that is our information items. And we do have one this evening and that is 5.1 first reading of proposed policy changes and that will be presented by uh Julie Nielson, superintendent. I'm right next
to you. Good evening. Uh thank you. I am here this evening presenting seven policies in a routine fashion fashion. Uh the policies being brought forward have been revised to reflect updates in Minnesota statute definition changes, legal references, and cross references. Um, as people are aware, our board
policy committee does take time to review um, all of the policies prior to coming forth um, to this level along with our district directors around the table taking time to work with building leaders and district leaders on those revisions. This evening coming forth is policy 102.1, racial equity and
inclusion. Uh, this policy has been so significantly written that someone asked for the red line and they said, "Could you just give us the clean copy?" uh because they couldn't read through the red lines. Um re rewritten to remove duplications and to clarify definitions
and overall language. 405 veterans preference. No proposed changes with that policy. 406 public and personnel data. Section 5 was revised and one legal reference was added. 408 subpoena of a school district employee legal reference. Um one legal reference was
updated. 412 is our travel and expense reimbursement. Uh that policy was updated to match MSBA's model policy and updates were made in purpose authorization and district credit card program. 416 drug and alcohol testing. There were some significant revisions to
that policy and added was cannabis testing to the policy. And 908 our indigenous land acknowledgement was actually a new policy that was created as a result of the re revisions to policy 102.1. So policy 908.1 indigenous
land acknowledgement is a new policy being created uh because the language was removed from 102.1. Um with that I would ask the board uh if there are any questions or comments? Katie, anyone have any questions or comments regarding the
proposed policy changes? Uh yeah, I have some actually. Um okay. So, I know that some of this can be contentious and I know that some of this can be emotional and I know that people get offended about this kind of stuff. Um, so I just want to start by saying I'm not here to
offend anybody and I actually do mean well. Even if folks take issue with what I'm about to say or have disagreements, all I would ask is that folks are open-minded um and meet us in the middle of inclusivity if that's what we're after here, right? So, I guess I want to
know what MSBA policy does 102.1 model. I guess I'm asking you, Julie. Uh, currently there is no model MSBA policy. Okay. So, there's no MSBA policy that we're modeling this after. Uh, when was this policy first introduced? Uh,
this policy was first introduced 2020. It's right at the bottom. Um, so kind of during like the George Floyd incident and some of that stuff. Okay. Um so then why was the policy instituted or what's like what's the purpose of the policy?
Uh well I think you know the purpose as we have it stated here um at that point in time and looking forward the purpose of this policy as we have it is to promote equity and inclusion for each student staff and family member. Okay. Okay. Um All right. Eliminating
predictable student achievement patterns. Um, so I guess I I'd like to know specifically how does this policy eliminate these patterns and what evidence do we have that supports that this is going to work or is working as intended since we have four years of having this policy in place.
James, I'm happy to answer if you want to come up. I know you've worked through the policy much longer. Uh, so uh, can you hear me? Yeah. So when we are looking at um support of closing
achievement gaps or opportunity gaps as we're looking at uh seeking to close opportunity or achievement gaps, it's right in line with state legislation and achievement and integration looking at how uh predictable disparities have come on social economic lines, racial ethnic
lines, um language status, immigration statuses, all kinds of things that may contribute to uh no fault of the student or family uh what systemically may have existed or has been put in place or not undone that would lead to predictable uh
disparities. And so do we see that now? Are we seeing so I I've seen the results from the math, the science and the reading scores. I've seen them broken down in detail and it would appear to me that we still have those achievement gaps even after this this time period.
Gaps continue to exist. Yes. Uh and I would also say that there have been improvements uh in outcomes for students across service categories, across uh um demographic categories as well. When we look at our uh student discipline, our student referral, racial harm, um
racial and cultural harm response, uh the way that we've brought families in uh to be part of the process for restoration, uh something that has taken place in the last three or four years as well. So we have not solved racism. We've not solved any of those issues
full scale, but uh we have absolutely taken steps to reduce those predictable uh outcomes. Okay. Is it the maybe the perspective of our district then that that's what this equity policy is intended to do is to solve racism for
however it exists. Uh it refers us back to the purpose. Uh the purpose is Okay. So the purpose is equity and inclusion for each student, staff and family. Yeah, but what does that mean though? Like what does equity mean,
right? So I I know that there's a definition and I can read it. So it says, okay, you know, we're here to ensure that every individual receives what they need to reach their full potential. But I guess I'm curious to know is that when all students have the same score or have the same outcome or
meet have the same ACT score? I guess I'm I'm I'm unsure how we're going to achieve this with the policy as written. Well, I I I don't mean to sound combative or debate. The policy stand alone is not the only thing that our
school district is doing to try to improve outcomes not just for our students, but our families that we serve as well. We also don't just look at standardized test scores to determine whether or not students are finding success. So, we look at their social outcomes. we look at how we're serving not just our K12 students, how do we
serve early childhood, how do we serve our community, how are we serving students uh that either don't graduate or have come to us in GED programs. So, when we're looking at what racial equity actually means in our district, a this policy has a very specific focus on
racial equity. It is not all of our equity. It is not all that we do. uh but it was written to address specifically uh concerns, needs, desires that have been expressed to us by our community. Okay. Um follow-up question then.
Um so the term anti-racism here is identifying, challenging, and changing systems. So I guess my my question is what challenges, barriers, or systems exist in our district today that requires the term anti-racist? And what does that actually mean? And who does that apply to?
So we we would have to go back decades to look at where some of these systems uh originally took root. Um we know that as recently as uh you know in our lifetime we've had redlinining in in Minnesota. We've had redlinining that
would make it so that certain families were able to access some public schools while others not. And so when we look at the impact of the housing market, financial status, uh, segregation, I mean the first school in Minneapolis wasn't desegregated until the seven I
mean it's recent. This is in our lifetime. So there are some things that not all of us actually that was before my lifetime collective lifetime. Uh, what I mean to say is I know I look young. What I'm meaning to say
is one policy standalone is not meant to undo every oppressive law system that has ever been put in place. However, this is one additional step that we want to take to acknowledge the needs that our community has expressed. Um, and it
gives us the, you know, it takes it beyond it's a nice thing to do. It's now our mandate to find systems that have created any inequity uh any unearned advantage or disadvantage for any student or family member because of the
race, ethnicity uh or region of origin. So your assertion is that that still is happening that there are people or systems in place in our district and specifically that where that's the outcome. I I would refer us to, you know, any number of data points in the
state that we can point to that show, you know, if we believe that race is a social social construct, not a genetic construct, why do we see then different um success rates uh social academic incarceration for people based on race
or ethnicity. And so while I can't point to all right it is that law or that system that did all of this uh we recognize that there are disparities and that those are things that we want to address. Well this is good this is a good dialogue because I also want to address these things and so that's why
I'm asking the questions. So perhaps then this is related to culture. Um so we have a definition of culture here. Uh social behavior and norms found in societies. Um, so I guess in your view or perhaps your view as well, um, if a student disagrees with a particular
culture or a part of a culture, does that constitute prejudice and racism? So, we're going to have to take these things piece by piece because culture is very broad. uh culture I mean sorry the way that we define culture in our district and is broadly accepted in
academia is that culture is very broad and not specific to race not specific to ethnicity though there may be some similar cultural markers based on some of those uh factors um a student h having a different point of view is not
necessarily grounds for prejudice we have to take all of those case by case um and one of the things that this policy aims to do is give us some guidance on uh what types of speech, what types of um you know, we're we're not seeking to control mindsets or
control student culture or student views. Uh we want to create as inclusive environments as possible within the law. Okay. Um I have more so bear with me. Um okay, so equity. So we kind of touched on this already, but I guess I'm
curious. Uh the district resources that we have are finite. So, how does the district decide where to put those resources? Like who who receives what to what they need to get to their full potential? Um, and you know, I guess I asked this question already, but is
equity then the opposite of or solution racism? I would not offer an answer to racism right now. I can't answer that. Um, what I will say is consistently whether we're talking about race, uh, ability, disability, reading level, whatever it
is, we are consistently trying to make sure that our students are not lumped into our everybody gets the same thing. We try to be specific about, you know, when we when I consider MTSS, our monthly tiered system of support. Not every student learns accesses at the same way at the same time. So equity our
like culture having a broad definition of culture broad definition of equity would be that we are taking every data point that we have on each student and trying to personalize learning as much as we can. We can't do that um full stop. Um resources are finite, right?
Correct. And in question, students, communities are not static either. And so we're constantly learning, growing, trying to determine what are the best needs uh or the best moves for our community's needs. Uh because there is not just one way that a
community succeeds. Um I have many more, but I guess I won't go through all of them here. Um, so maybe a question on prejudice. Is it only confined to dislike based on social identities? How did we define it? Then dislike or
hostility based on social identities. If there's a tough question, I'm sorry, but no, no, it's not that it's a tough question. Uh, what the reason why it's in the policy in this way is that we do not want to conflate racism and prejudice. Anybody can be prejudiced toward anybody. Um, however, when the
way we define racism is when that prejudice is paired with the ability to create or remove opportunities because of race, ethnicity or region of origin. So those things are not equal when we look at the impact that it has on
students or communities. So prejudice also something that we want to address. We do not want students walking into spaces where they're discriminated against because of any number of parts of their personalities, identities, and calling out specifically what racism is in our context is when that prejudice is
then paired with the ability to take or give opportunity. We want to make sure that there's a check there to make sure that students are not being discriminated against because of their race, ethnicity, region of origin. Okay. So, I guess that's a good segue
into the next series of questions I have here. So, you know, the definition of race I actually agree with to be honest with you guys. Um, I I think race is a social construct because I honestly truly believe that there is no such thing as races because there's really only one race and that's the human race.
Um, that's my perspective. Um, I think that if we want inclusion, we should recognize that that there is just one race, the human race. Um, I also think if we really want true diversity, equity, and inclusion, if that's what we're really after, then we ought to
recognize that all of us are unique individuals. We're all created in the image of God. So, everyone's life is important and everyone's viewpoint is important. And so, I think that that's something that we should try to emulate as as leaders of a school district. I think that's a very important thing. So,
maybe more of a comment than a question. Uh, but then I guess the question is, um, you kind of answered this already, but I guess I'll ask you, Julie, is this, is it the position as the superintendent, as the director of the DI group, that racism is simply a racial prejudice by people in positions of
power? And if that's true and we take that to his logical end, does that mean only Americans of European an racist then? Is that the position that this policy is taking? I I would say it's even more nuanced and complicated than that. I think we really have to look at
the origins of uh laws oppression systems. Um we are not in the business of identifying individual racists that never from the inception of this policy to now our goal has not been to identify individuals. We want to undo oppressive
systems. We want to correct systems that have created unearned opportunity or disadvantage for people. So the policy I don't believe comments on individuals uh and who can and can't be a racist. We are mostly no we are exclusively looking
at how systems empower racist ideologies or racist systems but not interested in identifying who is and is not a racist. Well that's not necessarily what I asked. I'm not asking individual but it's that way of thinking is a human problem.
everybody, all groups of people can be can think that way, which is a bad way of thinking. We should learn from that and we shouldn't try to have it go the opposite way in a policy if that's what we're trying to do was the spirit of the question. All right. I'm sorry. Can you clarify
that, Ryan? I I actually didn't understand what you Can you just clarify what you just said because I didn't understand it. which part when you when you were talking about it should be the opposite like I I just I just needed to explain one more time. Okay. Uh we're
all human beings and every group of people that has come together may not every but probably the majority of human groups that have come together to form whatever tribe that they form develop some type of prejudice and power structure over another group of people.
And so my question simply is is it because the United States is a majority white population and our community or district is a majority white population. Does that mean then from the district's point of view that only white people can be racist? That's the spirit of the
question because that's demonstrabably not true. Everybody can be that way. And what I'm pointing out is that that's wrong and we shouldn't be that way. We should try to get past that is what I'm trying that's what my my comment is. That's what the question was after. Does
that answer your questions to me? Are you are you seeing that in the policy though that there's some sort of It could be inferred by the way that it's written perhaps. Yes. Okay. And so then I would love to clarify. We were very specific about not talking about racists
singular. We we exist in this space like and what we said to the many community committees that we brought this to was we are not looking for the perfect policy for the United States or for Minnesota. We are looking for what works best consensus wise for our community.
So we are not I'm not going to sit in this room and say uh only white European descent uh Americans can be racist. That is not my position to say. That's not what this policy is aiming to clarify either. Also, Ryan, I think if you talk to any of our students who have
um been treated in a racist manner, they will tell you that it's not confined to just white kids who are being racist, right? I mean, it's a pretty it's a it's a broad, you know, unfortunately, it is
um it is a reflection of our school district, right? I mean, whoever who our students are or who you know that we're just a microcosm of society. So, when I read this, I didn't read anything about specific groups being racist just
because I mean, I have certainly heard from parents where they have commented that, for example, Indian-American students have been racist toward their children, right? And they contacted me because they know I'm Indian and they wanted to see if I was where I where I fell. That's the spirit of what I'm trying to say is that
ultimately that's a it's a human being problem and we should look at it that way is something that everybody should be working on regardless of whatever immutable characteristic is we use to define people. I think what I would offer is this policy is intended to
address things that are already here. We have inequitable outcomes because of inequitable or some would say oppressive systems, laws, structures that have been in our space for decades. And so that is
Well, okay. But then that's you're welcome to your opinion. It's not an opinion. That is exactly. No, no, no. But I'm I'm being there. There there were literally laws that segregated schools that made it so that some students could attend schools that had means, resources, and some that couldn't. That is something that there
are people that were allowed to go to college. There were people that were allowed to have financial opportunity that were not. And so versus those who are not. And so when we say this, this is not a matter of opinion and it's also not a matter of I'm looking for who's the racist. We are looking at these structures that even if the law or or
system has been addressed, we're still feeling the impact of many of those structures that have been put in place at some point. And so if we believe truly that race is a social construct, there's not a genetic gene that would cause somebody to be less intelligent or
to be more susceptible to crime or more uh or less able to make money, then we also have to accept then that those disproportionate outcomes are in our control to address. Okay. So then by that logic, what are the things what are the root causes of those things?
Right? Look, I I don't know that we can do the entire history of these structures, but hold on. Let's make sure we're staying with what's in the policy. So, if you seeing that in the policy, Ryan, please share where he that's in the policy so that it's a followup to the comment. So,
which which I'm allowed to do. Okay. So, fair enough. All right, then we'll move on. Okay. Okay. Um, can I just interrupt for a moment just because there's a break? Um, Eric needed to leave for a work obligation.
So, just to understand why he needed to. Okay. Um, so I I saw the definition of curriculum here. I actually have to say I think that's good. Um, I think that our schools should teach the historical contributions from all the people who helped develop the United States. So, I
thought that was good. Um certainly we should make we should be aware of how many different folks it took to get us to where we're at, right? Um and we still are the beacon of freedom of liberty and prosperity irrespective of what
someone's immutable characteristics are. So I think that's an important thing. So I want to acknowledge that. Um the student achievement thing had a little question on that. also um eliminate practices procedures that result in predict predictably lower ac academic
achievement. So I guess I'm curious what practices or procedures result in predictably lower academic achievement. I I'm not sure what that means in the policy. What are we doing in the district that is going to result in lower academic achievement?
So we know that um student discipline can um be misinterpreted based on culture based on what is acceptable practice to me may not be acceptable practice for my colleague. And if there is a dominant culture that
uh finds that there is one normal and I mean that in quotes way of doing things uh that could be disproportionately enforced uh uh oppositely towards students that belong to a different group. And so one of the things that we
seek to do and this is not based on our best guess. This is not based on our opinion or our sensibility about this. Our students are telling us, I feel that there are moments when the thing that I'm doing in good faith is being treated differently than a peer who is doing
something that I see as similar uh and they're being treated differently. Now, on the the that scale right there, we've got just a a difference in how students are being treated. But we know then that if we're looking at Masle's hierarchy, if students don't feel safe, then we can't move to the next place. We can't
move to that actual goal of self-actualization where students get to then drive their own destiny here. If students are suspended at a disproportionate rate, those are instructional minutes. If students are not being able to access uh extracurricular or access tutoring or access uh intervention at an equitable
uh pace uh that drives uh further could drive uh educational gaps. So there are absolutely practices where students families have been treated differently based on race, ethnicity, skin color, uh language, region of origin. We know that this happens because our families have
told us this. But that's not true. You just said it was based on culture. In that one example, it could be based on culture. Yes. This policy is specifically about when race, ethnicity, or region of origin um are perceived or
in actuality the reason for that disproportional treatment, we're seeking to disrupt that. I just can't think of a scenario where that would be the case. I can think of a cultural or behavioral scenarios where that would be the case. Like using Sharon's example, I'm going
to pick on you Sharon because I can. Um, so is it perhaps like culturally okay to not show up to class on time? Like truency or those those types of things? Is that is that an example?
Right. I mean, we we have to we that was your example. We must take things on a student by student basis. Essentially what this policy is saying is our family, our community, our families and our communities, our students have said, "I have had moments where I have been treated differently or have had
opportunities that are either unearned, disav uh or an unearned advantage or disadvantage and I believe it or feel it or recognize it because of my race, ethnicity, region of origin." Ryan, if it helps you understand, like
my kids have commented that they have been treated differently because of their race since I've been on the school board, right? And so you would expect that like now my children and I don't have the same last name, so maybe their teachers don't know who my kids are, but you would expect that if you've got a
kid in your class, you're going to treat them, especially if their parent is a schoolboard member, right? You're going to treat them as by the book as possible, right? and my own children have mentioned that they have had and it's not necessarily negative treatment like I don't I don't want to say it's
negative treatment but they have definitely had different treatment and so I mean I don't think that there's a single year since my daughter was in kindergarten and she's now in college but where she has not come home and mentioned something racist that has happened in school right and um and
so it may not be something that is not visible if you don't see it or don't hear about it regularly. Could it also be that it if you keep looking for it and want to find it, you will find it all the time? You don't have to look for it. Yeah, you don't
have to look for it, Ryan. have to. What if it's because I mean, Ryan, I'm not like I I this is not really my story to tell, but if there are two brown kids in a class and they don't get called by the right name for an entire school year, like you don't have to be you don't have
to be looking for racism to find out to to feel like, gosh, why am I being called the name of the other brown girl in this class for nine months? All right, fair. I mean, I was called Clarky for a long time. So, I mean, is Clarky part of your name? Clark is my
name. Yeah. Okay. So, at least that I mean, like what you were given was a nickname. No. Or or or a dimminitive that was And and here's the deal. It is not the same as you being called McGee. It's also not the same as being called
racial slurs, which our students do experience. Yeah. And so, when those things shouldn't do that, no one's arguing. But what I'm but what I'm saying is a policy like this ensures that we have a mandate to not sweep that under the rug and not treat it like run-of-the-mill um oh
that's inappropriate language honey no no no that is something that is steeped in decades of supremacist ideology that says no I'm able to call you this because of and then fill in the blank with how many historical examples we have in our country of how words were
used to dehumanize people so that we could then justif ify different treatment. And so when we feel the hangover of that, when students are called those things, even today, we have a mandate then to address it in a way that is responsive to their needs. Okay, that's all the questions I
have on that policy. I do have questions on land acknowledgement though. Um, so not Yeah, can we see if anybody else has questions on this? Sure, sure. Sure, sure. But I have more questions. Oh, there you go
again. I got to get pulled up. I want to first of all um McGee focus. Sorry. You did doing the cross or what? Did you become the new pope or what? No.
Yes. Um I this is really a difficult uh topic and and I think the district is doing a good job to I'm talking about ghee over there is doing a good job of trying to repudiate some of these um po things that are happening to our kids in
school. It's real. you you may not exper experienced these, but we have. And I think that, you know, a as a district, we have to come together if we're going to um try to eliminate if if you want to eliminate some of these um ideological
things that are happen, we have to work together. And you and as you said, you said yourself, we must have an open mind. Keep an open mind. Just don't put on the blinders and and it's and it's this way or that way. It's not black and it's not white. we have to work together
in order to to make changes. And our kids are our kids are not sitting down taking this stuff anymore. And so I mean, and we have a responsibility and a duty to our community to try to um
overcome some of these things. And um James is right. Um I mean there are schools down south right now that are segregated whether you like it or not. So, I mean, everywhere. Huh? Everywhere. Yeah. Right. I mean, look, look at the
thing. We took kids out of the inner city and bust them to the to the to to the suburbs. So, what is that if it's not segregation? So, you have to look at the whole picture. And, you know, I I have a my childhood
school district is a school district that exists because of busing. So there was this uh in northern Delaware they instituted busing. I grew up on the Pennsylvania Delaware border for anyone who did not know um but northern Delaware instituted busing and
immediately you can see people moving to southeastern Pennsylvania so that their children would not get bus to schools in Wilmington. And so Sammy I am going to ask it that we relate this. Yeah. And no it is right. And so what I am saying like I so I I know what it is like to go
through a district that that is like I I know what this is like from a student perspective. I as a parent now I see it. One thing um you had asked about when the the policy was formed. Um this was formed in response to student
request, right? This is not a policy that the adults just came up with out of nowhere. students had been asking for this and there was a a number of Instagram pages where students were posting their experiences with racism, sexism, a bunch of other stuff in South
Washington County schools and I'm sure they're still out there. And so when you talk to students about what they what their experiences are, they have been really clear and really um really focused on needing to have
different different outcomes or different experiences in the schools. And so, you know, I appreciate the rewrite of this. The other thing I will say is that um I was on the the I was on a couple committees where parents talked about this in depth and so this is
really reflective of a lot of people's feedback. Um I think parent advisory group has like 20 some odd people on it. The DEI group has a lot of people on it. You took it to student advisory. So, I mean, I think there's a lot of there are a lot of voices that went into revising
what this policy looks like and what we think it should look like for students in our schools. And Jame I was calling you McGee because I couldn't think of James. So, you did don't take offense. But we have we've been working on these
policies uh every I mean really really um hard in order to come to some kind of of understanding that we are taking action on on the things that uh individuals are individuals are reporting on and um James has been in
this work for a long time. So have I. And and and um I I mean even when my kids and I'm not going to tell you how old I am, but I'm going to tell you even when my kids were little and in school, we we had these issues and and I I am proud to say that we have put something
together that's taking root and and and we are um we're await we're we're not even we're not silent anymore. That's the thing I want to say. Okay. Next policy Ryan that you had questions on. So, uh, land acknowledgement. So, okay.
Uh, I don't feel like I have to say this, but I guess I should just because just so people are we're all to ground the discussion here, right? Uh, I actually have a lot of affinity for Native Americans. A lot of the I I fish, I hunt, I spend time outdoors. So, there's a lot of parts of that culture
actually relate well to me. So, I don't want this to come across as that I'm anti Native American or any of those things. But there's a couple issues I have with this one. That there's a a grammatical and factual error in the statement. This is not Dakota land. This
is the state of Minnesota, the city of Cottage Grove in the United States of America. At one point in time, it was Dakota land. And before that, it was another tribe here as well. And I forget the name. I kind of know it, but I don't want to say it wrong, so I'm not going
to. Um, so it's just not actually true. So then it begs the question, why are we putting this out there? Is it is it because our district is taking a position that Americans of European descent are colonizers and oppressors? So we see this language a lot. You see
it online, you see it in Twitter, you see it all over the place. And so I guess it begs the question is that is that what we're trying to say through the district that by having this policy in place that you know Americans of European descent. I don't like using the
hyphenated stuff because I just think Americans are Americans. Native Americans are also Americans. So I just want to know is that the position of the district that work that you know European Americans are colonizers and oppressors? There's no subplot in the
inference. What I Why would it be? Part of being inclusive incorrectly though. Then part of being inclusive is being willing to hear what inference somebody might draw. Then I would direct you to our legal references in the policy and to the many legal references in the
United States. If this is a grammatical error, then I think we should uh look at the many treaties and state statutes that also inform this policy. But uh our best shot at this by doing this by both
the federal and state book say that this language is acceptable and an inference of oppression, colonizer, any of those things that you just referred to. That might be your take. That might be your how it strikes you. There is no subplot with this. What we said in the policy is
what we meant to say. Are you able to see how folks would infer that from the statement? One of the beauties of this job is that I get to see how many people see many different things. That is why we are very specific on every word that we put
into both of these policies. There is not a word that was not poured over and that was unintentional. Um and so inferences I understand that people have very different sensibilities about lots of different things. our duty is to do something that is as responsive as
possible to the needs of our community, to the voice of our community, and within the bounds of the law. And so I'd refer you to the legal references on that one. I looked at them. I didn't see the word is in there. Um, James, can you answer with
the was it the Native American parent group or students or who who was it that originally suggested the land acknowledgement and then how did it how did it get written as it is? I'm going to defer because I don't know about the
origin or origination of the when it was in 102.1 it was the Native American parent advisory. Okay. Yeah. when this policy was first incepted, that was the conversation to start. Is this where we talk about a land acknowledgement and that was brought to the Native American
um parent advisory at that time? And they're the ones that wrote the wording for the land acknowledgement. And James, as part of this review, this went and this was actually the recommendation of our Native American parent advisory to pull that out. Yeah. that it exists separate from the racial
equity uh uh racial and equity and inclusion policy that it'd be a standalone because I think it fits better when we're talking about community school district relations. Any other questions or comments on any policies? Uh I'd like uh to have the permission to read an essay regarding
DEI. Is this related to what policy and what 102.1? So, what part of the policy does it? Purpose, general statement of policy, probably some definitions, um, school district action, maybe not so much because it's not about school
district per se, but it is from the perspective of academia. So, this is something you would like added to the policy or No, I'd just like to read it to you guys. Can I read it? Um, you can send it to the board. Well, and you all read it. you could send it to the if it because what we're doing here today is
what part of the policy you don't like or you do like and what you would like to see added or changed from the policy. So if this does not relate to the actual policy or something you want to put in, you are welcome to email anybody in the district that you would like to email it
to. So the answer is no. Correct. All right. Fair enough. Okay. If there are no other questions at this time, we do have to allow comment or public comment on policies. So, at
this time, individuals may comment on the policies on the agenda tonight only. The board will not respond to or discuss your comments. Character abuse or specific complaints identifying staff, students, or task force members will not be permitted. Each speaker is permitted
to speak up to three minutes in total. The school board will allow up to 30 minutes of comments and three speakers per policy. At the three minute mark, the microphone will be turned off and we will move on to the next speaker or next agenda item. It does say up to three speakers per
policy as well. And we've already had three. Yeah. the it is for three up to three per topic or policy. Okay, so 6.0 is reports and comments and uh Julie Nielson. Thank you. Um let me
start out by I'm trying to think about which one I'm going to go first with. I'm I did some school visits this week and the great thing is that time of the year. Not only are the kids excited about the end of the school year, but we have diggers and dozers outside and our little prek friends at Woodbury Elementary School. I didn't realize that
all the cheering for the brand new road was going to be that great because I thought it's just a little road. Little did I know they're moving like a ton of dirt back and forth. And so the students are very entertained. Um so this week I got to see Woodbury Middle School and Woodbury Elementary School. And then
today, Principal Smokovich from Eastridge High School. We had the diggers right outside there and everything's fenced off and they're ready to go. Um so we are well into construction phase. Um and so far so good. things are going well and the weather is holding out. Um, next week, Wednesday, May 14th, we will have our
employee recognition. Um, during our employee recognition banquet, we recognize our allstars. We recognize our years of service as well as our retirees. This year, we have a retiree um who has invested um and been committed and dedicated for 40 years to
South Washington County Schools. I don't believe the same classroom the entire 40 years, but many of those years were in the same classroom. Um, on May 12th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. here at District Service Center, there is a cultural opportunity called of Distance and Time.
There will be portraits on display honoring the resilience and stories of Mung Elder Women. Um, this exhibit that will be here at District Service Center commemorates the 50th 50th anniversary of the Mung immigration um, to Minnesota
and it will capture the journey of 38 remarkable women and they've actually had small pieces of the exhibit up at a couple of different events and um, I saw some of our own students saying my grandma's going to be featured and so
really to hear the stories of these M elder women um, is really really going to be remarkable. It is the season of awards nights and concerts. I think as we uh assistant soups as we look at our calendar almost every single night there's an awards night um or a concert
going on. Um and then I also want to close by just acknowledging that we celebrate everyone in South Washington County schools. This week was teacher appreciation week. It was nurses week. We've celebrated nutrition services. We've gone transportations. We've celebrated our principles, our assistant principles. And so if I missed any
names, this is why we would prefer to have one week as a district. Uh but we know that every person regardless of their role, you know, as we had nutrition services here tonight, just every person on our team is important to the work that we do collectively. So just to honor and recognize those
individuals as I close. Thank you. Do any board members have any um upcoming events for any of the committees they are on? Okay, then we will move on to 7.0 0. And that is our future meeting dates. May 22nd, 2025 is a schoolboard business
meeting here at the district service center at 6 p.m. Then June 12th is a schoolboard workshop meeting also here at the district service center at 6 p.m. With that 8.0 and we are adjourned.