Good evening. The Visetta Public Schools Board of Education regular meeting for Monday, May 11th, 2026 will please come to order. Will the clerk please call the role? >> Good evening colleagues. Heidi Kedar >> here.
>> Sheila Prior >> here. >> Alicia Little >> here. >> Paris Bendy >> here. >> Valentina Ays >> here. >> Dan Janestra. Dan Janestra is present. Milan Sahony >> present. >> Chase Anderson >> here.
>> Thank you. We have a quorum. Please rise if you are able to to recite the pledge of allegiance. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under
God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you everyone for coming. We are glad you could join us this evening. If you wish to speak during the audience opportunity to address the board, please fill out a form placed at
the back of the room and hand it over to our district admin assistant Amy sitting to my right. The first item on our agenda is the approval of the agenda and the consent agenda items. Consent agenda items are considered routine in nature and will be enacted by one motion. There
will be no separate discussion of these items unless a board member so requests in which event the item will be removed as a consent agenda item and addressed. This is true also of meeting agenda as well. The consent agenda and the meeting
agenda items are listed in the materials. The recommended action is to approve the agenda and the consent agenda items. Is there a motion? >> I so move second. >> Moved and seconded. Will the clerk please call a role? Colleagues, Valentina Ays,
>> yes. >> Dan Janestra, Dan Janestra votes yes. Alicia Little, >> yes. >> Paris Bendy, >> yes. >> Sheila Prior, >> yes. >> Heidi Kedar, >> yes. >> Milan Sahony, >> yes. We have an agenda. Thank you, Dan.
>> First, we have reports from organizations. And this section of the agenda provides an opportunity for Visetta High School student council representative to report on information and events at Visetta High School. I would like to invite Rachel Lynn, student council vice president from
Visetta High School. Please come forward and welcome Rachel. >> Good evening, Superintendent Anderson, members of the board, and everybody else gathered here tonight. My name is Rachel. I'm the Risetta High School student body vice president, but not for much longer. As summer break invitingly
awaits us, I feel bittersweet in giving my final school board report for May. Remember all of those state competitions? Well, nationals happened. BPA traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, joy riding around in life-sized Hot
Wheels trucks while also achieving multiple first place finishes nationally. Deca visited Atlanta, Georgia, strolling around the Coca-Cola Museum and also finally am placing in the top three internationally. Around 320 students gathered in our
tennis court parking lot, lounging on the grass or the trunks of their car to watch How to Lose a Guy in 10 days during our student council's annual drive-in. Around 3,200 uh dollars was raised to support NAMI, a mental health organizer.
Wisetta boys volleyball finished second at their estimate tournament and girls lacrosse is up 6-2 this season. Just as exciting as our past events are our upcoming ones. On Wednesday, senior awards night, outstanding seniors will be recognized for departmental awards,
top grades, local scholarships, and dual academic athletic achievements. [snorts] This Saturday evening, roughly 900 upperassmen will be walting away at the Minnesota Event Center in one of the most, or dare I say, the most anticipated event of the school year.
Enjoying a moonlight jazz lounge, students will dine, dance, dress up, maybe date, but overall drive away with a myriad of memories. Perhaps most importantly, in less than 3 weeks, if past graduation rates are of
any indication, around 96% of us, the class of 2026 will be leaving this high school. Excitingly, tearfully, mostly impossible to fathom. All right, I know what you guys are thinking about. Don't miss me too much.
There is so much in store to celebrate seniors. On the last day of school, May 28th, seniors will walk across the bridge to our high school in the morning, say farewell to the teachers that supported them to the finish line, visit the elementary schools they attended 10 years ago, and joyously
watch the sunset into the horizon on our turfs. A very, very Trojan goodbye. On May 29th, the day after, I'm proud to announce that the commencement speeches will be delivered by two of my closest friends, Ranjiu Park and Raid.
Commencement. What an ironic, deeply hopeful word. Around 85% of us graduates will be attending a two or four-year university, but 100% of us are both closing and writing new chapters of our
lives. The US Bank Stadium will commence not only over 900 students, but the families, teachers, biggest supporters that got us to where we are today before enjoying one final summer of childhood. But hey, we aren't quite there yet. As
the school year wraps up, last minute cramming for finals and AP exams underway, which I'm guilty of, we're so so ready for what awaits our district. The referendum, our new superintendent. Hi, Dr. Virgin, wherever you are. The
freshman class of 2030, which is scary, and most importantly, the governance, educators, staff, and students that have made Weisetta so special. [snorts] Thank you for your time over this past year. And I am now open to any questions you might have.
>> Thank you, Rachel. And uh thank you for coming and sharing your last report. Um any comments, >> colleagues? Yeah, go ahead. >> What are your post-graduation plans if I might ask? >> Yeah, I'm going to college for your
university. >> Yeah, >> Rachel, thank you for coming every month. Your updates have been so fun. Your writing is excellent. Your presentation skills have they're just a joy. I'm really excited for you to go on to your next steps. You got me tearyeyed
with your with all of the things that are coming. Um but thank you and continue leading. We're so proud of you. >> Yeah. Thank you all of course for um listening to me ramble for like the past few months. So [laughter] yeah, I was going to also say thank you. I've not
get to spend quite as much time with you, but I really appreciate your reports and I'm also emotional and I don't even have a senior graduating. Um, but I just yeah wanted to highlight I mean I'm sure a lot of us in this room have been busy of there's so many events in our district going on right now and I just wanted to highlight seeing our future educator signing this week was
really inspirational. The Midsummer Nights Dream presentation or the play up at the school was amazing again. All the band concerts and then as you said the class of 2030 I just had to highlight you've got a few of them over here. So, it's kind of wild to know the next generation of high schoolers are coming through. So, thank you so much. You
don't want you don't know what to sore. So, [laughter] >> okay. Thank you so much. >> Hold on one second. Can I can I say can I say thank you one more time? And congratulations. Good luck with college and we will miss your monthly summaries and >> so stay in touch. Okay. Thank you so
much. >> Yes. Thank you. >> All right. Um, next item on the agenda is recognitions and in the spirit of inclusion, board member take turns standing at the podium with Dr. Anderson. This evening,
Director Little will join Superintendent Anderson at the podium. Good evening everybody. Thank you for being at our board meeting tonight. My name is Chase Anderson and I'm the superintendent for the school district and it's always my pleasure to convene the recognitions portions of our school
board meeting. So, I really appreciate that you're here tonight. We have some fun recognitions and uh looking forward to hearing all about uh Central Middle School and all the exciting things that are happening there. We're going to start off tonight by recognizing a Weisetta speech state champion. And I
would like to invite Cassidy Neighbor to please come forward along with Rachel Brewster who is uh here tonight as well as one of the coaches. So before I turn it over to Cassidy andor Rachel, I am
going to share uh a script here uh prepared in recognition of her honor. Weisetta Public Schools is proud to celebrate Weisetta High School senior Cassidy Nebadrich for an incredible achievement. Cassidy was recently named
the state champion in storytelling. She is only the second state champion in the history of our speech program and the first ever to win in the storytelling category. Cassid's win is a perfect end to her four-year career. Her dedication to the program is clear through her many
accomplishments, including she advanced to the state tournament four times and reached the finals twice. She is a three-time section champion, one of only four Weisetta public school students to ever reach that milestone. She placed in the top 60 at the national tournament
for two years in a row. She has completed competed in the fifth most speech rounds in our school's history. Please join us in congratulating Cassidy on this historic state championship. Congratulations. [applause] And at this time, I'll turn it over to
one or both of you and maybe we'll get a story tonight. Who knows? Do you have one ready for us? Anyway, go ahead. Congrats. >> Hi, my name is Rachel Brewster. I'm the storytelling coach for speech. Speech
has 13 different categories. I only coach one category, storytelling. I'm an assistant coach and I've coached Cassidy since she was a freshman, so for four years. For a little bit of context, what it looks like to be in speech, which is
competitive public speaking. You have to go to a tournament. You speak three times that day. Three times. You get three different judges. If your scores are good enough, then you will advance to finals where you will compete against the best of the best that day.
Obviously, at state, it is enormously competitive. For some context, Cassidy has another storyteller in our group called Owen. He is a junior and she's of course a senior and I've coached them both since they were freshman. So, three and four years respectively. Now, from
my perspective as a coach, uh they they've gone to state every year that I have coached them. And last year, in my completely unbiased opinion, we got snubbed at state. [laughter] We did not advance to the final round or it's the top eight, the best of the best in the
state of Minnesota. And I was so mad. I was so mad. I was like, "No, my kids deserve to be there." And we have a competitive nature, as you can imagine. And so, I like dove into the data. thought it was like, "Let's figure out like what are we missing? There's something we're missing here." And we figured it out. And a couple days later,
we had the banquet. And I I grabbed them both and I was like, "We're going to be the Phoenix team. We're going to rise from these ashes and the judges won't know what hit them." And they're like, "That's terrifying. Let's do it." So this year we decided we were going to be the Phoenix team. And both Cassidy and
Owen scores were incredible all throughout the regular tournament. But of course, you never know what's going to happen at state, right? The fact that they actually went to state is an incredible honor. It's the top 24 best storytellers in the state of Minnesota.
Just being there is a high honor. So, they competed three times at state. We're all shaking in our boots, unsure what's going to happen. They they bring out a big presentation board. I have my back to it because, of course, I'm recording them because I want their
reactions. And I see it go up because Owen congratulates Cassidy. and I just want to record them and I I'm like, "Oh, yay. Cassidy got in." And then I turn and I see Cassidy and Owen. They both got in and we grab each other. We're the
Phoenix team. [laughter] So then I had the pleasure of watching them both compete at finals, best of the best, top eight. And I'm telling you, they crushed it. I know my category, I know my storytellers, and they were phenomenal. But of course, top eight in
the state of Minnesota. What are the judges going to do? You never know, right? So, we have to wait on Pins and Needles until they bring us into the theater. They call it the storytelling category. The top eight kids in eighth place, in seventh, in sixth, in fifth.
I'm shaking. Oh my god, they haven't said our names yet. In fourth, in third, it goes to Owen. The crowd goes wild. Yay. Which leaves Cassidy and one other person. She's either first or second. What's it going to be? Second place goes
to different girl. Oh my god, it's Cassidy. As a senior, as a returning senior who didn't even make it into finals last year, she came back like a phoenix and won it all. And as our superintendent so
graciously said, she is the second state champion in the entirety of the Weisetta speech team. And I'm just so honored to have been her coach. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Rachel. The Wisetta speech team has meant so, so much to me over
the past four years. It's given me so much confidence. It's given me so much happiness. And this year, the thing that made me succeed the most was actually not caring about the results at all. I started focusing on just like having fun
and doing what I love because storytelling is kind of a weird category in speech where you don't just have one speech. You actually have 15 speeches and you click a button and it gives you three options out of those 15 and you pick one, you have 30 minutes to prep
and then you go give a speech. And I used to get so worried and go through my stories and try to memorize every single one. But this year, I focused a lot more on just having fun, being more spontaneous and being in the moment. And it brought me a lot more success and happiness, too, because I was succeeding
more, and I was also having fun while doing it. So, I just want to encourage everyone, it's not always about the result. It's also about having fun and doing what you love, cuz that's what in the end matters. And also, I want to thank my coach because me and the other
person in storytelling this year, we were both in theater. So, we can't do anything after school. So, [gasps] Rachel met with us at 7 am three times a week for basically four years. [laughter] So, I just could not be more grateful to
have a more dedicated like I couldn't ask for more dedicated coach, one who cares so much about our success. She has like 1 million spreadsheets on all of us, all of our stats and everything uh in our feedback so that she can help us succeed the most. And I'm just so
grateful for her eternal support. So, thank you very much. [snorts] [applause] Thank you, Cassidy. And again, congratulations. And Coach Rachel, you're not a bad storyteller yourself. You uh I can see where uh you helped develop your your participants. Good
job. Our next uh recipient recognition this evening is for our 2026 Scholastic Art winners. And I don't know if it's Dane Hodgeges here. There's Dane and Joanna Proer. I haven't spotted Joanna.
Dane, come on down. Um do you have uh any of your artists with you here tonight by chance? >> Lots of them. >> All right. Well, come on down. assemble uh right up here wherever it might work for anybody that's here. Awesome. Congratulations. I'm gonna share a
little bit and then I'm going to turn it over to uh Dne and have him uh introduce our crew here tonight and uh let anyone else share if you would like to do so. So, I know every night you get a chance at the podium. So, you have to think about who's going to be up here. [snorts] Weisetta Public Schools is
proud to recognize our talented artists from Weisetta High School for their success in the 2026 Scholastic Art Awards. This year, judges reviewed roughly 3,500 entries from across Minnesota. They looked for originality, skill, and personal vision. Only about
onethird of these entries receive an award. We are thrilled to celebrate two exceptional national level achievements amongst the winners. the American Vision Award, which was granted to only five students nationwide, and the National Gold Key Award. We congratulate each of
these students and their instructors on these prestigious honors. Dame, if you would. Thank you. Congrats. Thank you. Appreciate it. >> Rough acts to follow, man. Two speech winners and then Rachel, who's just
charismatic as all get out. Um, so like he said, we had tons of awards this year. Uh, Galina actually won two regional gold keys. Um, one for a demon teapot and then one for a pair of knights helmets that she made. Um, those
also went on to win the national one of the national gold keys. um which every state brings forth their gold key winners and then they're presented at national awards and very few get that
honor. So that's great. Uh Nicole, as you just saw, the wolf and sheep's clothing was actually recognized as one of the five pieces out of I think 3,200 in the state to move on to get the national American Vision Award. Sadly, we didn't get that national, but I mean
to be top five in the state is pretty solid. She was the only ceramic piece recognized as well. Um, McKenna, who I've been with for a while now in my ceramics classes, got a gold key for the teapot that you see here. Um, talented
kiddo. Last year, won a couple awards as well, and it's been fun to watch her progress. Um, she's now in my AP class. We just finished up submissions for four of them. Um it was a great time. Galina too in my AP class put together a
stellar portfolio. Um Gavin also won a gold key. Um if you go maybe one. Yep. One more. Here's Gavin's piece that won a gold key. Um this really cool box. He sculpted this whole thing out of a solid piece of clay and then we cut it in half
and scooped it all out and then he painstakingly sat there and shaved down all these little planes and outlined them. It was really a a good faith effort, man, to trust the process and keep going. He also won an honorable
mention for another piece that you'll see later on. Um, also with us today is Maressa Jacobs who is racking up some awards. Uh, oh yeah, Nicole also won a silver key. I forgot about that for this beautiful vase that she made. Uh, I
would also like to mention that Nicole is a 10th grader and both of the artworks that she created were created in a ceramics one level class. So, her first class making anything out of ceramics. Um, and she's just crushing.
So, that's that's great. Uh, Maressa won an honorable mention for a piece that you'll see a little bit later as well, but she's racking up a bunch of different awards. She just recently won the Mir Cana Kanor award at the Prima Vera Art Showcase that's held at
Plymouth um community center. Uh, she also won two >> two second place state fair awards for her ceramic pieces. So, she's just cruising. And I think, if I'm not mistaken, she's planning on potentially
moving on to become a ceramics teacher um in college next year. So, that's uh gets me a little mistied when I think about it. Um Tanner Stolenberg um he won an honorable mention for this great bowl. Um this honorable mention doesn't
uh showcase the amount of time and dedication he's put in ceramics. I mean, in ceramics one for our cylinder assignment, he must have thrown 30 of those things, trying to get the best one, and that dedication still has followed through in his AP portfolio. Um, I happened to see some artists and
colleagues of mine when we were on the St. Croy pottery tour who asked to see some pictures and when it came to Tanners, they're like, "Holy smokes, that's high school level work. That's super impressive." Um, so all these people I'm so proud of. Um, they're
going to move on to do great things. I'm excited to see what they do. Also not here was Kira Vulk, who won a silver award for this really beautiful uh mountain set that she made. Gabrielle Union or Luna for a beautiful teapot
that you saw. Um, Maverick Mullberg also won a silver key for a bowl. Binda Camp for Yeah, here's the honorable mention from Gavin. Um, Binda Camp for this really cute um, tree cup that she made with little frogs in there. Uh, Rue
Person for a beautiful set that he made. And then we also had some from different categories besides my ceramics classes. Uh, painting. Uh, Cara Bologanino won a silver key for a portfolio. It was kind of a lastm minute um, work of passion
that she decided to submit. So, she won a silver key for this art portfolio. Uh we also had two digital art winners um Jessa Jessica Hang uh for this piece and then also Ava Havlin um
for this piece and then one photo winner as well. Uh so this one honorable mention is to J Ori uh Rabbit Chandrin won this award. So, thank you so much for allowing us
the time to honor these kiddos, for the amount of time and effort they put in. Uh, it really means a lot to us. Thank you. [applause] [laughter] >> Oh. Oh, >> sorry.
You might need to double up. >> [laughter] >> So, I can't resist mentioning on on my desk in my home office. I have two uh clay products that I made in seventh grade art class and they were not award
winners. I can assure you. Um and one of them I even knocked over one time and it broke into about four or five different pieces and it wasn't all that long ago and believe it or not I still could not part with that and throw [snorts] it away. So, I glued it together and there's a couple pieces missing on it,
but uh I just share that with you to make the point that uh creation stay with us for a long time. So, uh congrats to our students um on the incredible artwork that you did and keep up the great work. It was really impressive.
Thank you for being here tonight with us. All right, [sighs] our next recognition is for our employee of the month. And I would like to invite Sarah Paul to please come forward. Sarah is our May 2026 employee of the
month. and I'm going to share a little bit about Sarah and the work that she does at Central and then give her an opportunity to uh share a few thoughts here with the group tonight. Central Middle School is very proud to honor and recognize Sarah Paul as the May employee of the month. Sarah Paul is a dedicated
building substitute who has become an indispensable member of the Central Middle School team. She is known for being up for any classroom assignment, approaching every challenge with positive energy that resonates throughout the building. Sarah connects deeply with both students and staff,
demonstrating an amazing work ethic and a reputation for reliability. If Sarah is given a task, the staff knows it. It will be completed with excellence. Her recent contributions highlight her willingness to go above and beyond for the CMS community. Instructional
leadership. Sarah stepped up to serve as an eighth grade science teacher for the final weeks before winter break, providing students with a sense of calm, comfort, and consistent support. creative collaboration. During her time in the classroom, she has collaborated with different teaching teams to develop
creative ideas and solutions to ensure her students remain engaged and successful. Teacher workroom enhancement. Sarah went above and beyond to prepare the teacher workroom at CMS, creating a welcoming and functional workspace for her colleagues. Trojan
care closet development. Sarah was instrumental in clearing out and decluttering the PTA storage area, preparing the space to house food, hygiene, and clothing resources for students. The following quot reflect the dedication, creativity, and support
Sarah brings to students and colleagues. Her can do attitude is contagious. We appreciate your hard work and positive energy. The science team appreciate you. It was awesome to collaborate and see Sarah be creative with ideas on how to make things work for her and her
students. I knew [snorts] that I could depend on her to get the space ready. We are now ready to better support all of our students at CMS. I'm going to throw in an extra one here. The superintendent appreciates you because for sure no less than three or four times when I was just
sauntering through the building, Sarah flagged me down to uh update me on something happening in the building. and I just want to commend you and compliment you for always having the welcome mat out. So, thank you. Congratulations to you for being named the May Employee of the Month. We're
grateful for your dedication and the positive impact that you make each day. And now the mic is yours, Sarah. Congratulations. [applause] >> Okay. I'm not really good at speeches, but I'm good at talking to middle school
students. So, I'll just look your way, guys, because I have some very familiar faces in here. Um, I am truly honored to receive this award. We moved to Minnesota four years ago, and my daughter, who was entering middle school at the time, said, "Mom, can you please
sub at my school?" And my look to her was, "You want me to sub middle school? I don't know how I feel about that, but I said I would give it a try." And so began my journey through the Wise Out of School system and subbing. And I have
not looked back. Um through applying to be a building sub this year, um I hadn't worked in 15 years. I used to teach fifth grade and then I took on subbing while my kids were growing up. And coming here into a full-time position
was a brand new thing for me in 15 years. Things have changed, but I learned that I absolutely love it. I love the colleagues that I work with and I found that CMS is a family and I am so grateful to be in the position that I'm
in because I can work with parents, I work with staff, I work with students and they all are super welcoming. So I am honored to be here and I'm grateful for receiving this award. So thank you
[applause] All right. Congratulations again, Sarah, and thanks for having your fan club here tonight. It's awesome. Um, our final recognition for the evening, I believe, is to announce the names of those who have indicated their intent to retire since uh, our last uh, school board
meeting. And we have, it looks like about six individuals on the list tonight. And the first is Crest Fasendon, a paraprofessional and Weisetta kids staff member at Birview who served for 20 years. Alicia
Kabinshu, teacher at West Middle School for 27 years. Angela Marquette, paraprofessional, Meadow Ridge, Plymouth Creek for 13 years. David Miller, teacher at the high school for 20 years.
Terry No, uh, custodian Central Services for 29 years. And Katherine Wolf, paraprofessional at Sunset Hill. I didn't spot any of these people in the crowd, but are any of you here? Sorry if I overlooked anyone. [snorts] They're probably tuned in on YouTube or enjoying
the nice evening walking the dog or outside tonight. But if you could join me in a round of applause for these individuals, I would appreciate that. [applause] That concludes our recognition uh portion of the uh meeting this evening. And thanks again so much for being here with us. We appreciate it.
Okay, congratulations to the honores and thank you Alicia and Dr. Anderson. All right, moving on to the next item on the agenda is the school spotlight presentation tonight. Uh the spotlight is on Central Middle School and I'll turn it over to
executive director of teaching and learning Dana Miller to make the introductions. Dana, >> good evening members of the board, Superintendent Anderson. Thank you. It is my pleasure tonight to welcome Central Middle School to our school spotlight and they are here tonight to discuss um and review some of their
exciting accomplishments this year with a strong focus on the student experience. So with that, I'm going to turn it over to Marian Boyd, our new principal at Central Middle School, and her team from there. Thank you. do from here. Right.
>> So, I need a little guidance. So, we put down >> whatever we want. >> Okay. >> Sorry, I should have Heidi. The rules. I know. It's okay. No, it's okay. We are um
flexible. My name is Marian Boyd. I'm the principal at Middle School, Central Middle School. And I want to thank Cassidy. She left because she what she reminded me is I spent the last nine months doing exactly what I love and have fun doing and that is experiencing
Central Middle School for the first time in such a new way. And I have a great team with me. I have Sarah Clutter, one of our associate principles. I have Rob Remington, associate principal. I have Courtney Krisho who is our professional leadership leading learning lead and I
also have Audrey Ryberg who is our equity uh lead and we're going to talk to you really about what's important to us this year at Central Middle School and that is building community and making sure every single one of our students and staff members has a sense of belonging and we're going to start
with our new wall. Good evening. Sarah Clutter, first year associate principal at Central. Um, prior to that at the high school as a dean counselor role. So, um, was excited to come with Marian over to Central and, um, work with middle school students. Uh
we started the year in a staff meeting talking about Kermit the Frog and um the rainbow connection and how as educators um we have a unique opportunity working with middle school students who are learning who they are and who they want
to be and um we are the connectors and the dreamers and kind of those spark starters to hopefully help them see what's on the other side. So, um, with that in mind, as Marian said, our our big focus has been on the student experience and student belonging and
building community, and you'll get to see a lot of that this evening. So, thank you. >> Very poetic. My name is Rob Remington, and this is actually going to be my 30th year in Weisetta, but my fifth year as uh ending my fifth year as associate
principal here at Central. And I think after co we've really at our school really started to push community again. We had that long period without kids and then this year I think we really kind of got as high as we could with all this cool stuff we did this year. So and
you'll see there we go. All right. So we are going to speak a little bit to the vision that is at Central Middle School. Um we have developed a vision for student experience and a vision for student learning. And um this was really a team
effort from our staff. We got together and uh thought about specifically, you know, what do we want students to experience while they're in our classrooms? What do we want students what do we want that learning really to look like? And so with our staff, we were able to get all the those ideas
down on paper and kind of narrow it down and funnel it into a couple. And um we ended up voting on these two statements that are before you. So our vision for student experience is that at CMS we strive to create a student experience that inspires belonging, curiosity, and
purpose where every learner is challenged and supported and excited to grow into their best self. And then our vision for student learning. We envision learning that sparks curiosity, builds confidence, and challenges every student to think deeply and grow through active engagement, collaboration, and
purposeful struggle. Students connect their learning to the real world and move confidently toward engaging in lifelong learning. So, we're really striving to have every opportunity for students reflected in these visions.
Um on our first day as a built team at the Built Institute last August, we talked about what our vision was um as a new team coming together with new leadership. And we had a long discussion where we all shared those kinds of um ideas that we have and our hopes for our
students and how they experience Central Middle School every day. And at the end of that conversation, we came up with um this statement or this kind of slogan, if you will. and it says every student, every opportunity, every day. Um, and tonight we're going to try to share with you all the ways that we try to create
that experience for our students. We want every student who walks through our halls to feel like they belong, that this community is for them. Um, every opportunity allows them to learn and grow. Um, and every day they have someone who uh makes them feel welcome.
So that is what our presentation is sort of focused on tonight. Um, and these are our goals for our building. Um we do have our academic achievement goal where we are looking to see that every student in our um in our building who was at a
high risk level for reading last year um grows in some way. So growing either modest, typical or aggressive growth and we've been really working hard on that as well. Um but our experience goal is really what we're going to look at tonight. And our uh student experience
goal uh states that we are hoping that students will report favorably either often or always almost always around the statement at school I can be my true self. Uh this focus is really around health and well-being at Central Middle School. Um as we looked at the survey
results after the first time we took it this year, we realized that this was our highest area of need. And so we've really made a commitment to this And so this is where we really want students to be feeling. They want them we want them to be able to show up to
Central Middle School so they can feel their true selves and be themselves. Um so to build this sense of belonging, yes, we've strategically planned events uh that really leverage opportunities for students to have that studentto student connection, but also that studentto staff connection and even that
staff to family connection. So we will kick things off. We're going back to September. [laughter] So, one of our first ways that we kicked off community and and opportunities for students, staff, um families to have that sense of community and belonging,
uh we offered a movie night, our first ever CMS movie night. And thankfully, it was a beautiful evening. Um so, that was helpful. And it wasn't buggy yet, so that was also good. Um lots of students there, families. We had uh free popcorn. I think it was What did we watch? Do you
guys remember? Minecraft. Yes, Minecraft. Um, my son enjoyed watching that for the hundth time as well. Um, but very well attended food trucks again, popcorn. So, that was a really nice way for us to kick off that fall with that sense of community.
>> So, in October, we did the Polar Plunge. Uh, this is our second year doing it. We raised money for our unified program, which again, building that community. Um, I did it. It's my second year. It's not nearly as bad as you think it would be. So, if you all want to do it next year, it's you're more nervous getting
up there. When you jump in, it's like I can do this. So, it was a lot of fun, believe it or not. >> And then as we went into November, um this really kind of encompassed many of our winter months. Uh we had a kindness campaign and there was a whole spirit
week. It was cool to be kind that ended with our winter dance. And throughout that week, we had spirit dress up days. Um, we had a collection drive for our Trojan Cares closet, which just really fueled a sense of purpose for our students. Um, because all of the items
that were donated went directly back to students and families in our community. Uh, all of this was organized by our incredible student council. In addition to that kindness campaign or that cool tobe kind week, uh, we then did an activity and you can kind of see in some
of the photos there, those snowflakes on the windows. um we have a student or we have a snowflake representing every single student in our building and that was hung up and on each snowflake was a kind statement about that particular um student. And so we had advisories kind
of like swap and um each advisory got a list of students at a different class and students that they have in class. And so they got to write down, you know, kind messages, words of encouragement. And it was really fun for students to go on like a scavenger hunt and see, oh, there's my name. Oh, look what someone
wrote about me. Um just a really fun activity from our student council. And then we also had our um kind of an act of kindness campaign that came from our uh counselors and social workers. Um you can also see in the picture there's uh
paper chains hanging from the ceiling as well. And the purpose of the act of kindness campaign was to catch students in kind moments and staff members could hand out these slips of paper, but students could also recognize each other as well. Um, and let a staff member know. Um, which really, you know,
challenged them to step up and acknowledge those great kind moments because sometimes as students we might not always know which path to take. And um so that kindness all got connected together then and we had these chains lining uh the cafeteria.
On this slide you can see just kind of um how we tracked it. Uh we made this very public with the students and shared where we were at. Uh you can see our sixth graders had over 2,000 kindness links um that were contributed and we have our top three placesers or our top
number one placers for each grade level. So Mr. Kakowsky's advisory had the most kindness slips in sixth grade, uh Mr. Dit in seventh grade, and then uh Mr. Lachman Singh's advisory in eighth grade. So, just a really good way to
brighten our cold winter months. Um and like Courtney mentioned, that week ended with a school dance. Um this dance was um attended by over 400 students. Um and there were lots of different it wasn't just a dance. it was um you know gym and concessions and all
sorts of activities for them to do. Um again creating that belonging and just excitement about being at school with people um that maybe you don't get to see during your classes every day. So literacy night was um happened in conjunction with February I love to read
month and we had a dirt decorating contest. Um, actually the admin team put together a whole Harry Potter suite. I don't know if we saw it or not, but it was the kids wanted to vote for us, but we weren't part of the contest because we clearly were engaged in it. Um, I was
Slytherin, so that was fun. Um, and so that was really amazing. And then the book door, the door that won was a literacy, >> the bookshop, >> the bookshop. And that was actually a vending machine that worked. You could actually select a book and the book would come out of the vending machine,
out of the door. So that was a lot of fun. Um and there was a scavenger hunt. There was um a three uh school competition where East and West also participated. And at the end of the night, we had about 20 kids um
provide us with an amazing uh repertoire of stories and speeches and poetry. It was amazing. Um and we also had a uh book bowl which was really fun and the kids had so much fun. And we had we did have a um an Arthur who was slated to come but he had a family emergency and
so he he couldn't make it. And we we're going to do all this again next year for literacy night during February. Um and then in April we had our night in community which really celebrated all of the different um talents and cultures
and um specific unique qualities that everybody in our community brings to our building. Um this event was attended by almost 300 people which was really exciting. Um there were tables where families could present um information
about their um either the culture, religion or country of origin. Um and there were also um there's also several foods from around the globe that represent all the different facets of our community. Um and at kind of the center of the evening was a showcase
performance where um we had I think 25 kids perform um dances, songs, we even had a drummer um in the mix and they did a really really wonderful job of showing all of their talents and all of the
things that them um special and uh valued parts of our community. And I think we have a video of one of the presentation or one of the performances. >> Um, >> yeah, absolutely. >> Interrupt you. One of the most amazing pieces was an installation, a video we
had of families and students and staff members who answered questions and really went deeply into why they love Central Middle School and what it means to be a part of that community. Um I know we're going to try to put it on our web page too and share it with the rest of the district. We we want to make sure
it's okay with um communications and Amy Parnell. Um but it really was just inspirational to hear the connection and the deep connection that some of our staff members have with the building and that was really an important part of the night for me. >> Y absolutely.
And then our annual student staff basketball game. >> All right. This is my favorite time of the year. I think it's been our 20 probably 28th 27th time we've done this. We started pretty much in 1997 and it's one of the few times where we get every single most kid and adult in our
building in the same place. We have three quarters. The sixth graders play against sixth grade teachers, the seventh grade against seventh, and then the eighth graders play against the guys who really want to win. And we've won as teachers pretty much all the time. Um, but those sixth graders really gave us a
run for our money. Um, but this was one of the moments when we talk about community, I think we saw it at this one in particular. So, you might have seen it on K 11, but we have a young gentleman named Wyatt Noise. He's a sixth grader in our specially designed classroom and he got up on the court and
he, you'll see it here in a moment, but he made the shot of his life and the whole place just went crazy. So, if we can watch that video, it is truly a wonderful moment. >> [screaming] >> Heat up here. Yeah, he was be I it was just truly a
wonderful moment. The whole crowd just went crazy and uh I think Wyatt, he's a big Steph Curry fan and he was doing some Steph Curry moves after that. >> So connected Chio is not my favorite thing yet, but I think it will be after May 14th. Um, initially we were going to
book in the school year with a a movie in the fall and then movie night in the spring, but then we realized that it doesn't get dark until 9:30. So I [laughter] changed it into a connect and chill instead and now it will be another community building event. We're gonna invite invite families and then with
along with our amazing amazing amazing PTA, my belief around PTA has changed this year greatly and I appreciate the work and just the partnership that we've had this year with our PTA. Um, and we are going to work together. We're going
to have food trucks including egg roll. Uh, we're going to have a DJ. PTA is buying lawn games and helping us with inflatables. is from 5:30 to 7:30. Um there will be a half an hour uh early start for some of our students who have
um sensory issues to invite them and their families to come at around 5 to engage in some of the fun um without some of the overstimulant. Um and so everyone's invited, the community is invited. We've invited the families of the fifth grade from our feeder schools.
Um and hopefully they'll join us. They can meet their SST teams. um staff members will be there and you're all welcome to come as well um just to try if you haven't the amazing uh amazing food from the egg roll queen and that's
May 14th from 5:30 to 7:30 okay [laughter] >> yes yes excitement >> uh that is building with this of course not everything can be a big event and so we have some little things that are
going on at Central as well. Um Timmy is a Lego person. Uh please do not be alarmed by the picture that you are looking at. Timmy was not harmed at all in the making of this scavenger hunt. Um [laughter] but Timmy is a Lego person who became friends with one of our
teachers, Mr. Bobc. And back in September, Timmy unexpectedly went missing one day and it was all hands on deck to find Timmy. And so with the help of our students, we were able to locate Timmy. Um, but since then it has become
a little game that we Timmy likes to play. So Timmy will disappear every now and then and Mr. Bobcs create clues to help our students find Timmy. So this is our Timmy bulletin board are posted on a regular schedule and students are always
found to be studying very diligently where Timmy might be as they look through the clues. Uh, we do have a student here who is willing to share his experience with Timmy. If I could invite up Carson. >> Uh, hi. My name is Carson Paul and I'm a
seventh grader at Central Middle School. Uh, this year, Mr. Bob, a seventh grade science teacher at CMS, uh, created an activity that the whole school could participate in. The activity was called Where is Timmy? Uh Timmy is a Lego figure that's been hidden around the
school by Mr. Bobc. Uh we all look for clues that are put up each week and we try to put the clues together to figure out where Timmy is hidden. It's been fun to look for him, but it's been really challenging. I found Timmy after looking at the clues and searching
the uh media center. I ended up finding him inside of a book. Since finding Timmy is a big contest to see who finds him next, you kind of want to keep your thoughts about the clues to yourself, but it's also fun to work with other classmates. I was even able to do a
podcast with the other kids who found Timmy. And a fun bonus is that all of those kids that find Timmy get a Timmy shirt, which [laughter] [laughter] Um, and it's a fun school activity that brings all grades together for one goal
to find Timmy. Um and of course we have all sorts of different afterchool activities, extracurriculars that our students can get involved in. This is just some of the different things that um are offered both athletics, arts, um and other really fun after school inter murals
like chess club and cashology and floor ball club. Um, and I have a very special place in my heart for the fall play and the spring musical because I helped direct those two productions. And, um, I brought along some students who have been in multiple of these productions who, um, would like to share a little
bit about what makes Central a community to them. So, if you guys want to come up, Ael, Aaya, Evie, and Kis, come on up. [applause] take it off. [laughter]
>> Uh, good evening. My name is Avan Malce. I'm a eighth grader at Wisetta Central Middle School. Uh, we just finished our production of High School Musical and I wanted to share what being in the cast meant to me. Theater really helped me with my confidence, especially with speaking in front of people. It also
pushed me out of my comfort zone. It also taught me a lot about working with other people and being responsible. Since everyone had a specific role to play in the production, we all had to rely on each other to make the show work. I made new friends in the process. The things I learned, like having more confidence and knowing how to
communicate with and work together, will stay with me after I leave middle school. I'm glad our school has these programs because they help us grow in ways that aren't just about grades. Thank you for your time and supporting the arts in our schools. >> [applause] >> Hi, my name is Kayla Fields and I'm a
seventh grader here at CMS. Uh, yeah, at CMS. Uh, one way theater has brought me together is how many people I have met, not just in my grade. It's just pretty hard cuz some of the eighth graders here are kind of scary, but um, uh, yeah. So,
yeah. Um, I'm Eevee. I'm a seventh grader at CMS and I've been in all of the shows that were available for me to be in. So, I've been in two plays and two musicals. And I always have um really liked
theater. So, I was in fifth grade when they did Matilda at the at the middle school and I was so angry that I couldn't be in it. I wanted to be in it so badly. like. But yeah, I've had a really uh fun experience with theater at Central and I can't wait to be in the
next two show. Well, audition for the next two shows at Central. Hi, my name is Kise and I'm a eighth grader at Weisetta Central Middle School and my first ever play was Alice in the Wonderland. And
I just remember me being like this. I had this huge suit on and I was just in the back with my giant pencil writing down stuff. And it was my first time working with other people and getting to know like just different people and what
they were into. And I was scared. I was really scared. But acting has always been like a passion of mine. and like I go to summer camp. But after that play, um I was just like this is something that I want to do really like really
bad. So I ended up doing Matilda and then I did High School Musical and I did Shrek. And for Shrek, I had got my first lead role and that was like a big thing for me. And then yeah, it just it's just
really a joy for me to be in front of people and act and do the things that I like to do with other people. And it just helped me um understand how to connect and work with other people because usually I'm it's like solo for
me cuz I do dance. So, you know, it's more of like a competition, but I got to learn how to work with other people. So yeah, that's >> Yeah. >> So now some of our cast is going to perform for you. They're going to sing a
song called Auditions, which is like it sounds. It's Auditions um for the school musical at East High. Um and so we have a group of students who are auditioning for that and are putting their all into it. Um, and then at the end you'll get
to see a couple of our leads in the show um, kind of try to steal the show and uh, have their own moment. So, get on up there, kids. >> Let's face out. Yeah. >> Yeah.
Okay, I believe number It's hard to believe. >> Such an improvement from last year, James. Now, don't be shy. Who's next?
believe that I couldn't see you AS >> such emotion Susan such what they mean. [crying] An innovative choice of tempo. I want you to know away
again. >> [laughter] >> Yeah, you can go sit down. [laughter] Yeah, you want to go. >> Thank you for your time tonight. We really enjoyed it. And you know, I'm going to just go back to this idea of building a community and how important
this has been for us this year. And I also just really want to express that I I'm going to go back to what Cassidy said. I've been having a a wonderful year. Thank you. Um and I've been doing so much that I love and I really appreciate the support that you give to not only to CMS, but to me as a leader.
Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Principal Boyd, and everyone else that presented and especially the the fabulous dancers. Very nice job. Thank you. Any comments? Uh >> yeah, Alicia,
>> clearly I have to say something. So I this is my home school for my kiddos. This is our fifth year being at Central and I knew this year was going to be a change, especially having an eighth grader. It's always nerve-wracking to have a new principal and have some new things happening, but I just want to say it's been really fun to be a part of
this school. I also, she was in the musical and has done some of that stuff. And I would just reiterate what a lot of you guys said. She has really enjoyed getting to know everyone in theater. It's such a great group of kids and you guys are saints that are leading it. Thank you, Miss Ryberg, for being a part of that. Um, but yes, I just wanted to
highlight um all of the different outreach events. I mean, I know movie night sold out like ahead of time. I know um kids are really excited about the dances which we had sort of started but I think this year especially have really finally taken off. So I really think it's great to see I know we live in an area where kids are busy doing all
their other activities but any opportunity we can have to get them in the building and spending time with their classmates is really important and I think builds that connection and the ability to teach and educate in a better way when they are it you know there during the school day. So thank you guys. I don't really have any questions, but I just wanted to highlight how proud
I am and I'm seeing it every day through my own students there at Central. So, thank you all for coming here and doing everything. You got applause, Alicia. That's amazing. Um, I think this was a first. I don't think we've ever had singers and dancers here. So, Marian, um, even
though it was your first time, I'm going to say you need to come back. [laughter] Thank you guys so much for coming. My kiddos also attended CMS. They're now at the high school. Um, and I'm just I'm so proud to see CMS continuing to do amazing things and um it's wonderful to
see how excited you all are to be in your building. It's really important and thank you for coming tonight and spending your evening with us and we hope to see you back again. >> You got it. Thank you for the outstanding performance. It's um you know special to hear from all of you and um I will
always call myself a proud alum of Weisetta Central Middle School and to um see some um familiar faces um from the staff and hear their names um read aloud tonight just really goes a long way. I'm proud of all of you and um good luck in what you do next.
[applause] >> All right. I I think I I I need an applause, so I'm going to say something. Okay. [laughter] No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Just just kidding. No. Thank you really for for the wonderful dance performance. Um
I'm a parent of a of two former CMS students way back when, but I think the school has gotten better every year. I think uh uh I think I'm very proud of first of all being a part of this community as well as uh being a former
parent of a parent of former students at CMS. Um the the night out on May 14th, is that at the at the school out outdoors? Right. Okay. And so will there be enough place to park and all that? That's been
taken care of. Okay. Okay. Just wanted to make sure. Uh but I I I think you know the the the best part of this is to see how kids can learn, study, get educated and have fun at the same time. That is so so important. I think uh when
I was growing up there was not so much fun. I wish I could go back and uh attend elementary school, middle school and high school just for the fun part of it. So thank you all for coming and good luck with everything that you do. Now you can clap.
Okay. Um, next item on the agenda is audience opportunity to address the board. And I see Amy shaking her head, which means we do not have any speakers tonight. Okay, we will move on to the administration reports and recommendations. There are no reports
from Dr. Anderson, none from uh Dana Miller on teaching and learning and then we will move on to the finance and operations report presented by Trevor Peterson, dire executive director of finance and operations. Trevor will first present the combined financial
reports for the month ended March 31st, 2026. Trevor. >> Yeah. Thank you, Chair Sahony, members of the board. Dr. Anderson, I'm wondering if I said I was going to sing and dance, [laughter] everybody else would have stayed, but I guess not. Um, uh, this month, um, we
are bringing to you the combined financial reports through the month of March. Um, and before I dig into that, I I do want to bring your attention. I know it was approved in the consent agenda, but um that this month's checklisting looked a little bit goofy. Um the first six pages, you might have
noticed were um some checks were written and then they were all voided and then they were written again. Um we did switch um software providers the beginning of April and when we did our first large check run, we noticed that there was no signatures on the checks. So we had to clear them all out and do
it again. So, I just wanted to bring your attention to that because the first six pages looked a little wonky because of that. So, um but now getting into the combined financial reports. Um [clears throat] another uh reminder about these is that the budget amounts you see on here are still from the
preliminary budget that was approved back in June. Um we we know the board did approve the revised budget, but that was in April. Uh so that won't be uh reflected in the in the combined financial reports until next month when the um activity is through April.
Um, [clears throat] all in all, there's um, we we talked about this at the the finance committee of the board meeting. There there's not a lot to report this month, and there really hasn't been all year. Um, which isn't neither good nor bad. I guess it is just what it is. So, um, just a kind of a run-of-the-mill
year uh, so far. Not a lot of surprises, not a lot, not a lot of large expenditures. Um, pretty much everything is running um, right in line with um, both revenue and expenditures where we would expect it to be. um as well as when you compare it to previous years. So um we do um we have received about
72% of our budget for the general fund um for of our revenue budget um through March. Um and we've also expended about 62.7 61.7% of our uh expenditures, our budget expenditures. Um and and those two look
a little bit odd in itself because you think, well, how can we have 72% of our revenue but only 61% of our expenditures at this time of year? Um and just keep in mind that um the majority of our salaries um for our school staff um run
through September through July or September through June. So we see a lot of those lagged um salaries and benefits payments that will come in the next few months. So, the expenditures will keep up uh creep up percentage-wise to budget uh with the revenue these last few months. So, um the last page of that
looks at where we are at cashwise. Um we're sitting at about $55 million in cash, which is um very very comparable to where we have been the previous years. We do have a small amount left in our uh alternative facilities bond amount for that is for our abatement
bonds. Um and then we are still hanging on to some for the uh West Middle School project from our bond 25 2025A series. So um there is no action required on this but certainly would open it up for any uh questions or comments should the
board have any. >> Thank you to [snorts] questions. No no questions I guess. Thank you so much. Um then the next item on the agenda uh Trevor will seek approval of the transportation
contracts for 2026 2028. >> Yeah, the uh the agenda sheet uh looks a little bit busy. Uh we decided to combine we have three different um categories I guess so to speak of transportation. We have our um our regular education, we have our special education, then we have our type three
transportation. Uh and type three is more of the uh um the smaller vehicles, the vans. Uh we use those pro um mostly for uh homeless students or those that are um eligible for the Mckin Vento grant. Um [clears throat] but certainly our regular transportation and
specialized um our special education transportation make up the bulk of this. Um as um this summer we will be coming up on four years since we did this and um the our current contracts um we're a two plus two um so two years and then um
the district reserve the right to negotiate two more years on top of that which we did do. Um so those four years are now up. So we did um send out a request for quotations um for our transportation services. Um, we did open
those proposals um, on March 19th of 2026. Um, and with our I think that's when they were initiated. I can't remember the exact date that they were open, but um, anyways, we did receive um, three quotes um, for our regular transportation. We received quotes from
first student who is our current provider. Uh, we also received quotes from F uh, Lake Country Transportation and from Monarch or Minnesota Coaches. Um, [clears throat] looking at those um, quotes, we are recommending that the district switches providers, our current
provider, our first student um, and and move on to uh, Lake Country Transportation. Uh, they [snorts] did come in with the the lowest um, bid uh, for us for our regular education. Um, moving on to special education. um our
current provider MTI did um provide a um a quote of a 3% increase for 2627 and a 3% increase for 2728. Um so we are recommending to continue on with our special education services being uh through MTI. And then finally
our type three that I talked about. Um this is where we had the most um quotes received. We received from eight different companies. Uh we currently use um uh first student as well as CST for that. Um we are going to continue on with CST um as well as Lake Country
transportation with that. So um these services are um a little bit more per route um as as needed kind of thing. So um we do uh we are recommending to go forward with two different providers should we have the need. Uh you can see the rates are very similar between those
two providers in the agenda sheet. So um with that I will uh open it up for any questions otherwise the recommended action is before you for those uh contract approvals. >> Thank you Trevor. Uh the board colleagues, the recommended action is to approve the contract award to Lake
Country Transportation for Regular Transportation Services, mainline transportation, MTI, for specialized transportation services, and Lake Country Transportation and collaborative student transportation for
type 3 services for the 2026 2028 term. Is there is there a motion? I so move. >> Second. >> Moved and seconded. Is there a discussion? Question. Yes. >> Uh Trevor, I have a question. So um with
LCT, it says uh they are ensuring service reliability and staffing stability. Can you talk about it? How they how they are planning to do it? Because obviously last year we knew we had some challenges with staffing but
the the transportation service they were able to figure it out right. So how do we make sure that yes the quote is lower but there is not going to be any service interruption or quality of service. >> Yeah I I think I'd be lying if I stood here and said we um we guarantee that
everything will be perfect because transportation is very challenging these days. We all know that um whether it be staffing and um and everything else. Um we we are confident based on the references that we checked with Lake Country Transportation that um they are um [clears throat] amply staffed um and
they have process in place as far as background checks, all of that kind of thing um to continue to work with us. And and we know they're going to be hiccups um not only just on your everyday routes, but also um anytime you leave a a current provider to go to a new one, there's going to be things to work through that. We know that it's a
very heavy lift. Um so we um are prepared for that and and um in conversations with Lake Country Transportation, they are they certainly understand that as well. Um and again, we'll just have to trust the process. Um there is a lot of trust that has to be
um put forward for that. But um I I think everything all the questions that we have asked about that we are we are very confident that Lake Country has the ability to to provide the services that we require of them. >> Okay. and the routes will stay the same or will they come up with the better efficient model or how would that work?
>> Yeah, I mean that's something we look at every year. Um certainly as student bodies and the demographics and the residents of those students change um routes are always changing um every day probably. Um so we'll look at those closely. Uh we actually work work with
our consultant CISO um our transportation consultant to dictate what those routes could or should look like. Um and certainly we'll entertain some discussion with uh Lake Country too as to if there's some efficiencies to be had within those routings and um again
nothing out of the ordinary that we don't already do but um again we we we mostly as a district establish what those routes need to be. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Y >> I'm curious what kind of if I mean hopefully service will be the same uh
but what kind of money are we saving? Um so the um original quotes that we received um the Lake Country um quote came in at a 1.48% increase from what our current contract is. Um and I think it's really really
important to note that um when we sent out the RFP um we have to identify certain specs, you know, number of routes, the number of hours per route, all of those things. So everybody is providing um apples to apples quotes. um those are certainly not locked in. Um
everybody is providing a per rate or a per route rate. Um so there might be more routes, there might be less routes. Um but if everything were to end up as what was specked in the RFP, um we the Lake Country's um proposal was a 1.48%
increase from the current year, which was um by far the the lowest of the bids that we received. um that dollar amount um I know I have it here equates to about um oh I sorry I have it right here. So our
current we're at about $7.4 million. Um the quote that came in from Lake Country is about 7.5 so about $100,000 increase or 1.48%. [snorts] >> Mhm. [clears throat] >> Have a question. Um, can you talk about
the process you used when like calling references and how you decided that you know these were comparable in quality? >> Yeah, I I think as a district um there is some [snorts] um I guess some anxiety
whenever we make a change of this magnitude. So, uh, we wanted to ensure that not only, um, does the incoming provider understand our expectations. Um, but we also were very interested in what, um, they would be paying their
drivers. Um, I mean, when you look at that much of a gap in what the price is, um, that's kind of the first thing that comes to mind. But, um, when they provided their salary rate or their their wages to us, um, they seemed like they were, um, higher than the others. So, that that's good news. But again,
just trying to identify um some of those concerns as to, you know, if this, then what. Um again, we're not going to capitalize all of them, but um we also talked a lot about the training that they have for bus drivers and and how all that works. And um there are some things that are unique to our district
that we do as as far as those things. And um bus safety days, those kind of things. and um we have been assured that they will be a good um support system for us and um help us in all of those things that we will continue to do as a district too. [snorts]
>> One more question. >> What what board committee was was this discussed in finance? Okay. I mean I assume since you were presenting that's >> correct. Yep. >> Make sure. Thank you. >> Yep. [snorts] >> If I can other Okay. Um, I know I pushed
pretty hard on you with some questions. Um, but this is like you said, it's a a change of big magnitude and we've had a very good relationship with First Student. Um, and it it's also tough because the the savings are just um it's
it's too big for us to ignore. Um, so that's that makes it tough um when you have a good relationship and and that's the thing back. Um, but I would just like to ask just one more time, um, kind of to to Sheila's point is you did your
reference checks, you you know, you do you feel like you've done your due diligence thoroughly to make sure because when we put kids on the bus, it's their first experience of the day and we want to make sure that they're starting their day in the right way. >> Yeah. And [snorts] thank you for mentioning the current contract because
I want to publicly thank for student 2 for the um their great partnership over the years too. And um they have they're they're making the heart the decision harder just because it has been a good partnership. But at the same time um we know it's okay to um take this leap and
um we sit here too knowing that we won't have every answer right now on May 11th there. there. We won't have all of the answers and until the bus really starts rolling in August and September of the fall in the fall. So, um we just we're sitting here with a lot of trust in our
in our new provider that um they will work with us and um know what we what our expectations are. So, um with that, you know, I I I think yes, we feel comfortable that we've done our due diligence. Um yes, we understand that
it's not going to be perfect. Um, yes, we understand it's going to be hard and it's it's never awesome when we change providers, too, but like you said, it was uh too big of a gap to ignore. Um, and we're we're willing to uh work with our new provider. >> Thank you. It's part of our fiscal
responsibility and our, you know, taking our our community's money as a trust to us. Um, talk to me a little bit about the fleet. So, the fleet is owned by Lake Country. Is that correct? And they're are they still going to be housed within the district? >> Correct. Yep. So, um, they are out of
Golden Valley. Um, I I believe I saw a note that their current average age of their fleet is of their yellow buses are 6.7 years. Um, they have dedicated to upgrading their fleet with some new vehicles to bring that down to about 5.1.
Um, [snorts] I I think that's um [clears throat] I I don't know how easy that will be, how timely that might be. It's it's very difficult to get buses in a timely fashion these days. So, I don't I don't know if there's a a plan to ensure that we have those before school, but either way, we we do know that they
have a fleet of about 122 buses, I think, what they had said. So, um we will continue to utilize our transportation hub um known [snorts] as the Hannis building. Um so, that is what we lease from the Hanis family. So, um first student will move out of there and
eventually Lake Country would move into that location. So, yeah. Yes. Thank you for the excellent um conversation in uh the finance committee about uh this topic. Um for clarification, if you could just share
kind of the um specifics of when this contract goes into effect as well as then if summer programming for students will be impacted. >> Sure. Um our current contractor states August. Um so we'll be working um after tonight we'll be working with Lake Country to lay out the terms and
conditions of the new contract. So, um, with that, our our current, um, our current contract runs through the end of July. Um, we do not all most of our summer programming or all of it. I'm not real sure. I'll look over at Dana about that, but I I believe all of our summer
programming is done by the end of July. [snorts] Um, there there probably will be a few things here and there that um, we have to work that might be before August um, with our due provider. It might be after August with our current provider. Um so there might be those kind of things to work through but um as
per the contract right now August 1st um is what the contract says. >> Thank you. [snorts] >> Yes. >> Uh one more question. Typically my understanding is uh transportation company is um responsible for background
check. Correct. >> Correct. Y >> um how would you um hold them accountable? uh why I'm saying uh seeing some uh news that there were some
drivers who didn't know what they're doing. I would like to make sure that um uh and uh one more thing to be honest being in charter school we also went with a low bid company and our
experience was not good >> but I'm obviously trusting your professionalism but at the same time would like to know about background check. >> Yeah, that was one of the questions that we asked um what the process is. So they they definitely vet all of their incoming drivers. Um I I don't honestly
do not know what our current practice if we obtain copies of those background checks or not. Um but that's something we can work with the the team and the and lake country about to to make sure that we um are satisfied with their um background checks that they do.
[clears throat] >> Trevor, I have two questions. Um MTI was the one that got the contract for the special spread transportation services. Was there a competitive bid or were they the only biders? >> Uh they were the only biders. Uh there
were there were others [snorts] that bid um or provided um rates um but the rates weren't necessarily reflective of our needs. Um so according to um what we were comparing for um for example um you
know some there there's type A there's type C vehicles. So um what we currently have the need for with what we use MTI for they were really the only ones that um allowed us to feel comfortable that those services would continue as they are. >> I I have three questions actually just
one one more question came to my mind. So couple of years ago two three years ago we were looking at increases of 10% for for student I I could be wrong about the numbers and then substantial increase for MTI 25% or something like that. So
has has those that rate increase stabilized and what is the effect of the war and you know increase in fuel prices is that something that they considered we are considering or >> Yeah. So the um our current contract and
again I I only talk about our current contract because we don't have our new contract yet. Um, but there is some um escalating factors as far as fuel. Um, there's there's ranges for propane, there's ranges for diesel, and there's range ranges for gasoline. Um, and
they're very they're very wide. I think I looked at diesel that it said um it's between $2.50 and $6. So, if if the diesel prices fall within that range, um, the contract is as it is. Um if it goes above $6 per gallon, the the
district is responsible for paying the difference to um in the current case first student. um if it drops below $2.5 um per gallon um then the district is or then first student is responsible for I don't it's I don't know if they use the term reimburse or paying back the
district for um the [snorts] gallons less than 250 but again and then there's another range for propane another range for gasoline but um we would think that the range is is big enough where it doesn't deviate too much from the contract but um anytime you drive by a
holiday you start to So, um, but yeah, that is that is part of the contract. >> Thank you. And then the last question I have is >> how many buses is the is does first student have in their fleet that services right now? >> That first student does um I'm not sure
exactly on how um what >> let's say let's say it's 150. I'm not yet. Let's say it's 150. So So Lake Country will probably need that at least that many buses, right? So for them to provide that new service to Visetta,
are they losing any other contract somewhere else so that they can provide those buses for Visetta or are they adding to their fleet new buses? >> Yeah, so looking at what are um the specifications that were included in our um request for quotations, uh we did ask
them to quote a rate route or a route rate um based on 80 routes. So, um, that's kind of give or take, um, where we see our daily routes. Um, [snorts] I I would guess, um, I again, I'm not 100% sure about that. And, um, we do know
that Lake Country has a current contract with Hopkins, um, that they have had since 2020 that, um, and they also, um, work with Brooklyn Center Community School since 2022 um, as well as Beacon Academy since
2016. And so um that's kind of the first thing you ask is do you have the capacity both equipment as well as staff to um to provide to our district and uh they have assured us that the answer to both of those is yes. >> Okay. So it's it's it's their their
their problem if they have to buy new buses because they they still have those other contracts or if they don't have the other contracts then they can use those for visetta. Right. Okay. >> Yeah. And these contracts are pretty extensive as to if services are not being met then, you know, obviously the
district has some recourse options to Y. Okay. Thank you. >> Can I add just one more thing? Um because we talked about this during committee and um I appreciate your question, Valentina, about just not going with the lowest bid. The district,
I think, does a really good job and maybe you can speak to this. It's not just about the lowest bid, but it's about the service and what the bid offers us. And so, if you could speak to that just so that we have some reassurance around that. >> Yeah, I I I think anytime you have a
sealed bid process, which this was not with transportation, um, districts have flexibility to do different procurement options. Um, so with a pure sealed bid, um, the district is obligated to take the lowest responsible bidder. Um, so you really only can base it on low
price, but um, with this one, there is some flexibility with that. So, um, while Lake Country was the lowest bid, um, should there have been some red flags when we were doing our due diligence, then we certainly would have had those conversations. But again, without those arising, um, it just so
happens that the low bid does appear to be um, the lowest responsible bidder in this case. But, um, we certainly did not we're not required to take the low bid in this case. Thank you. There are no other questions. I'm going to read the recommended action again is to approve the [clears throat]
contract award to Lake Country Transportation for regular transportation services, mainline transportation, MTI for specialized transportation services and Lake Country Transportation LCT and collaborative student transportation CST for type 3
services for the 2026 2028 term. This is a roll call vote. colleagues. Alicia Little, >> yes. >> Paris Bendy, >> yes. >> Sheila Prior, >> yes. >> Heidi Kedar,
>> yes. >> Valentina Ays, >> yes. >> Dan Janestra, Dan Janestra votes yes. Milan Sahony, >> yes. The motion carries. Thank you, Dan. So, there are no human res and thank you again, Trevor. Appreciate that. Uh there
are no human resource services reports, no board action this evening and no board reports this evening. So this concludes the Visetta public schools regular board meeting. The next board work session would have been on the 4th May of the month but the 4th May of the
month this this year is Memorial Day. Therefore we will have the work session next Monday May 18th at 4 p.m. Is there a motion to adjurnn? >> I so move. >> Second. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Oppose. Nay. The motion carries. The
Wisetta Public Schools Board of Education regular meeting for Monday, May 11th, 2026 is adjourned.