Columbia Heights School District — Transcript
Tuesday, June 24, 2025
Community Support and Elected Official Safety
Financial Audit and Internal Controls
Summer Programs and School Year Highlights
Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2026
Worker's Compensation Insurance Renewal
Elementary School Capacity and Open Enrollment
Teacher Union Negotiations and Development Programs
Votes (8)
Acknowledgement of Contributions
Dissent: None
Moved by Julie [00:05:43] · Seconded by Michelle [00:05:46]
The board acknowledged significant monetary and in-kind contributions, including $81,059 detailed in the background, contributing to a total of $189,396.13 for FY2024-2025. Donations included support for Valley View Fund Run, North Park yearbooks, Columbia Heights Early Childhood Program, and 18 bikes from the Columbia Heights Police Department and City of Columbia Heights. There was discussion regarding whether in-kind contributions were included in the total monetary figures (they are not) and the process of assigning monetary value to previously 'priceless' donations like the bikes.
Federal Title Grants Preliminary Funding for 2025-2026 School Year
Dissent: None
Moved by Julie [00:56:49] · Seconded by Michelle [00:56:52]
Approval was sought for the preliminary funding application for federal Title grants (Title One, Title 2, Title Three, Title Three Part A, Title 4) for the 2025-2026 school year. The preliminary entitlement for Title One and Title Four is budgeted, primarily for staffing. Allocations for Title Two and Title Three are still pending from the federal government via the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE). The application is due June 30th, using temporary budget placeholders (half of last year's amount) until actual allocations are received, with amendments planned for the fall and spring.
READ Act Training MOU
Dissent: None
Moved by Laura [01:00:22] · Seconded by Julie [01:00:26]
The board approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the READ Act training for the 2025-2026 school year. This MOU is an agreement between the district and the teachers union to address the time commitment, compensation, scheduling, training, and deadlines for state-mandated READ Act training, which is required in phases and is challenging to complete during the regular school day. This MOU updates a previous one that expires on June 30th, ensuring continued compliance with state legislation.
Teacher Development and Evaluation Model MOU
Dissent: None
Moved by Michelle [01:04:22] · Seconded by Julie [01:04:26]
The board approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the teachers union for a new teacher development and evaluation model, known as the '5D plus' model. This model was developed through a collaborative effort of administrators and teacher representatives. The MOU covers the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years, aligning with the duration of the contract. A committee will meet bi-annually to review the model's implementation and make adjustments as needed.
Teacher Apprenticeship Program MOU
Dissent: None
Moved by Laura [01:08:44] · Seconded by Michelle [01:08:47]
The board approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the teacher apprenticeship program. This program, supported by both the education assistance union and the teachers union, aims to provide a pathway for education assistants with an AA degree to obtain a Bachelor of Arts degree and a teaching license in areas like Academic and Behavioral Strategist (ABS) or Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE). The immediate goal is to support one individual starting in July, with plans to expand participation in the future.
Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2026
Dissent: None
Moved by Julie [01:19:40] · Seconded by Laura [01:19:43]
The Director of Finance presented the preliminary budget for FY2026 (2025-2026 school year), projecting a general fund balance of just under $13 million, with $7.8 million unassigned and $2.5 million assigned for construction, deferred maintenance, capital items, and cross-subsidy for special education and English as a Second Language. The budget includes an increase to the fund balance of approximately $821,000, driven by nearly $4 million in compensatory aid from the state legislature. While there are assumptions regarding federal Title grant revenues, the district feels confident due to existing staffing decisions and the general fund's ability to absorb potential shortfalls. Other funds, including food service, community education, building construction, debt service, internal service (dental), and the OPED Trust, were also reviewed, indicating overall stability and strategic planning for future projects. A caution was raised about the compensatory aid being a one-year 'hold harmless' provision, with future funding dependent on a legislative working group. Enrollment is predicted to see a slight decrease of about 38 students, reflecting broader state trends, though recent influxes have helped the district better manage this.
Worker's Compensation Insurance Renewal
Dissent: None
Moved by Laura [01:28:16] · Seconded by Julie [01:28:20]
The Director of Finance sought approval for the worker's compensation insurance renewal for the 2025-2026 school year. The premium increased by 32% primarily due to an increase in payroll, not a higher rate, which remains favorable. The district's modification rate, based on a three-year claims history, is below one, indicating effective safety measures. The discussion highlighted the district's proactive efforts in promoting staff safety through initiatives like mock OSHA inspections and addressing incidents promptly, which minimizes claims and subsequently reduces insurance costs. Further reduction in the modification rate is anticipated for the next year.
Close Highland Elementary Grades 3 & 4 to Open Enrollment
Dissent: None
Moved by Laura [01:36:26] · Seconded by Michelle [01:36:29]
The Superintendent requested approval to close Highland Elementary grades three and four to open enrollment for the upcoming school year. This decision is driven by the need to ensure sufficient classroom space for resident students, as enrollment numbers are stable and mobility is low. The district must accommodate families moving into the Highland Elementary boundaries. Other elementary schools (North Park and Valley View) have capacity to accept open-enrolled students for these grades. The policy prioritizes resident students and allows for boundary exceptions for families who move into the district but wish for their child to remain at their current open-enrolled school. This is a measure to prevent overcrowding and maintain appropriate class sizes.
Notable Quotes (22)
Um when we actually say that total fiscal year monetary contributions to date, does that include our value in kind?
When the original donation form was submitted to Stephanie Alvarez, um, the person who submitted the form, um, stated that the donation was priceless, which we all, I believe, agreed to. Um, but we did actually need a a monetary value. So, Stephanie worked with them to obtain an actual monetary value.
every year I am I continue to be pleasantly surprised and incredibly humble and grateful for the um the amount of support that our school district receives from our community.
The preliminary federal entitlement for title one and title four have been budgeted so far in the application and the majority of the funding is focused on staffing to support teachers and staff and support in front of our students.
When you submit for the ones that we don't have numbers for yet, are we submitting like a budget to them or is it just a description of what we'll do with the funding?
They temporarily put in half the amount that we received last year as a temporary budget holder, okay? So that we're able to budget it out and have our coding on there ready to go so that when they load it in, we're able to amend it.
The Reedactou is an agreement between the district and the union to address the time commitment, the compensation, the scheduleuler plan, the training, and the deadlines for teachers required to complete the state of Minnesota mandated redact training.
And this is basically to ensure that we have a schedule that everybody has to take all this training within a certain deadline. Is that correct?
The state of Minnesota requires a redact training and they have it in phases. So throughout last year, this previous year as well as moving forward, we'll have phases of teachers completing or cohorts of teachers completing the required training.
it was a collaborative effort of administrators and teacher representatives and we have reached anou with the teachers union to move forward with the 5D plus um model.
I do like some of the red reduction and maybe some of the busywork that was with the previous the previous uh evaluation process. So, I'm I'm really hoping that the the staff will will enjoy this and uh find good benefit from all the all the hard work that the committee put together to put this put this out.
both the education assistance union and the teachers union have signed off on the memorandum of understanding, um, so we can hopefully get the one person we have going in July with their schooling and then get more people into this program um, to allow for education assistance with an AA degree to receive their BA and teaching license in either ABS or ECS.
this this really opens things up and I I think that this definitely without a doubt hits all of our core values and I'd love to see a program like that.
the state of Minnesota and the legislature came through for us really um which was the compensatory aid. Um so coming into this year we had a lot of conversation about the budget and what that meant to us um and the amount of money potentially that we were losing and it almost $4 million. Um so this budget has that in there because we know we receiving that. So it's it's uh no longer a hope um assumption. It's it's a reality.
it is a one-year um hold harmless that they've given us. Um they are putting a a group together to um decide this. So, we could be talking about this throughout um next school year as a problem depending on how that working group proceeds...
Currently we just have had kids coming in or students come families coming in that have helped us fend that off more than other school districts and that's why school districts across the state are cutting. So I am predicting a slight decrease in enrollment okay overall for next year.
our payroll has gone up. So, um, you know, our premium went up a little bit because of that. If our rate stayed exactly this or if our payroll stayed exactly where it was, we would actually be paying less of a premium for this year. that. So, it's about a 32% increase for for this next year. And in the insurance world, that's really good.
Can you explain I guess um just uh for clarification on how we are um uh how how um uh the compensation is kind of um decided like what our rates are going to be because it's based on so many incidents or dollar amounts over so many year period and how that how um all the work we do to uh make the environments safer um can affect that.
we try to do those things to minimize that that risk and minimize that injury, which minimizes our claims because it minimizes the amount of time staff are out.
We do need to ensure that we have space in our classrooms for resident students moving in over the summer. Um so we will be looking very closely at enrollment um the enrollment packets that come in through the summer.
this is only to open enrollment... that just means that we really prioritize our um our families and community within our school district boundaries.
Correct. students who reside within the boundaries of their home school um get to attend their home school and the district by statute has the right to assign open enrolled students to whichever um placement we see fit.
Ordinances & Resolutions (18)
Permits school boards to receive bequests, donations, or gifts for proper purposes.
District policy on mandated reporting of child neglect.
District policy on mandated reporting of maltreatment of vulnerable adults.
District policy on student surveys.
District policy on health-related services.
District policy on health and safety.
District policy on the use of school facilities.
Federal act providing funding for various educational programs.
Federal grant under ESEA, preliminary entitlement budgeted.
Federal grant under ESEA, allocation pending from MDE.
Federal grant under ESEA, allocation pending from MDE.
Federal grant under ESEA, allocation pending from MDE.
Federal grant under ESEA, preliminary entitlement budgeted.
Agreement between the district and union for state-mandated READ Act teacher training.
Agreement with the teachers union to implement the '5D plus' evaluation model for teacher development.
Agreement with unions for a program allowing education assistants to earn BA degrees and teaching licenses.
Financial plan for the 2025-2026 school year.
Renewal of the district's worker's compensation insurance for 2025-2026.