Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District — Transcript
Thursday, August 28, 2025
Board Committee Reports
District Planning and Operational Approvals
Community Donations and Support
Policy Revisions and Updates
Educational Partnership Contracts
Closed Session for Confidential Matters
Votes (12)
Approve District Assessment Plan
Dissent: None
Moved by Director Alt [Approx. 00:15] · Seconded by Director Anderson [Approx. 00:16]
The plan is comprehensive, guiding district-wide assessment work. It aligns with MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports) planning and provides data for system accountability as well as instructional use by teachers.
Approve 2026-2027 Board Priorities and Staffing Retention Protections
Dissent: None
Moved by Director Saxi [Approx. 00:21] · Seconded by Director Mickelson [Approx. 00:21]
This annual approval is part of the negotiated agreement with the Burnsville Education Association. It clarifies staffing retention protections (e.g., for unique training, certifications, language proficiency, and diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds) in August to provide advance notice for potential reductions in the spring. It affirms these protections align with the district's strategic plan without limiting the board's overall operational authority.
Approve Superintendent's Goals for 2025-2026 School Year
Dissent: None
Moved by Chair Worb [Approx. 00:22] · Seconded by Director Alt [Approx. 00:23]
The Superintendent, Dr. Daniels, presented her proposed goals at a previous board work session. The final version presented reflects feedback and adjustments made by the board. The motion was to approve the goals as outlined in the board packet materials.
Approve Casual Wage Scale
Dissent: None
Moved by Director Hume [Approx. 00:25] · Seconded by Director Chester [Approx. 00:26]
The annual approval of the casual wage scale covers positions not represented by bargaining units, seasonal, or ad hoc in nature (e.g., substitutes, coaching stipends). This process is crucial for audit purposes to ensure that all paid rates are approved and tied to a legitimate scale, preventing arbitrary payments.
Adopt a Resolution to Accept Donations
Dissent: None
Moved by Director Chester [Approx. 00:28] · Seconded by Director Mickelson [Approx. 00:28]
Superintendent Dr. Daniels expressed deep gratitude to numerous community partners, individuals, and organizations for their contributions to District 191, specifically mentioning support for the 'brain power and backpack program' and student school supply needs. Specific donors included Pamela Hansen, Suzanne Carlbum, Gerald and Jane Kaplan, Gary and Lavana King, Paula Nordom and James Caukins, the Target employee giving program, Ron Elementary PTO, Mighty Cause Foundation, Costco wholesale store, Hidden Valley Elementary, and Northstar Roses (Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated).
Approve Policy 621: Literacy and Read Act (First Reading)
Dissent: None
Moved by Director Mickelson [Approx. 00:34] · Seconded by Director Anderson [Approx. 00:35]
The proposed changes to Policy 621 align with the implementation of the state's READ Act. Significant revisions include legislative language regarding dual immersion programs, ensuring English assessments for students in such programs (even if the district doesn't currently offer them), and clarifications on the 'science of reading' to provide specific definitions for student interventions and curriculum materials moving forward.
Approve Changes to Policies 418, 501, 503, 515 (First Reading)
Dissent: None
Moved by Director Hume [Approx. 00:39] · Seconded by Director Saxi [Approx. 00:40]
The policy review committee worked through several updates. Policy 418 (Drug-Free Workplace) includes minor MSBA-recommended changes to protect those in tribal medical programs. Policy 501 (School Weapons) adds language on active shooter incidents and reporting. Policy 503 (Student Attendance) clarifies the appeals process for absences and, notably, introduces a provision for up to 5 excused vacation days per school year, a measure recommended by the attendance handbook design team to manage extended absences more tightly. Policy 515 (Pupil Records) has minor changes to student directory information, an ongoing legislative topic.
Approve Changes to Policy 206: Public Participation in Schoolboard Meetings (First Reading)
Dissent: None
Moved by Director Alt [Approx. 00:42] · Seconded by Director Hume [Approx. 00:42]
Superintendent Dr. Daniels presented edits to Policy 206 regarding public participation. Key changes include specifying a November implementation date, providing participants in listening sessions the option to submit their notes, and requiring attendees to indicate on a listening session card if their topic relates to the agenda (yes, no, or unsure).
Approve Listening Session Guidelines for Policy 206 (First and Final Reading)
Dissent: None
Moved by Director Chester [Approx. 00:44] · Seconded by Director Mickelson [Approx. 00:44]
Superintendent Dr. Daniels presented the regulations and guidelines for the listening sessions, emphasizing the need to update them to effectively communicate information to the public and community. The goal is to begin implementing these updated guidelines in November.
Approve Inver Hills Community College Incoming Contract
Dissent: None
Moved by Director Anderson [Approx. 00:47] · Seconded by Director Chester [Approx. 00:47]
This is an annual contract approval for concurrent enrollment agreements. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Belmont highlighted the significant financial benefits, noting that District 191 students saved almost $1 million in tuition last year through such opportunities. Director Alt requested future reports to track year-over-year participation in college in the schools versus PSEO programs, especially with the introduction of the Associate of Arts degree.
Approve Dakota County Technical College Incoming Contract
Dissent: None
Moved by Director Saxi [Approx. 00:49] · Seconded by Director Chester [Approx. 00:50]
Similar to the Inver Hills contract, this item concerned the approval of another concurrent enrollment agreement, this time with Dakota County Technical College. The benefits and strategic importance mirror those discussed for the previous contract.
Motion to Close Meeting for Graduation Ceremony Security Review
Dissent: None
Moved by Director Alt [Approx. 00:54] · Seconded by Director Hume [Approx. 00:54]
The board moved to close the meeting to the public as permitted by Minnesota Statute 13D.05 subdivision 3, specifically to review graduation ceremony security. It was also noted that there would be two back-to-back closed sessions, with an open meeting vote required between them for the second closed session concerning negotiations.
Notable Quotes (13)
it does guide us in our uh assessment work for the entire district, aligns with our MTSS planning and uh provides not only system accountability data but also instruction um instructional data for teachers to use as well.
Each year as a part of our negotiated agreement with the Burnsville Education Association, we bring to you staffing retention priorities for the upcoming year. We do it in August so that it is very clear to all staff members if we were to make reductions in the spring that these positions specifically the criteria the qualifying criteria would be protected from potential ULAS.
staffing retention protections aligns with the district 191 strategic plan and are for traits such as unique specialized training, external certifications or licenses, language proficiency, and recruitment and retention of teachers and administrators with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
The casual wage scale identifies different positions that are not represented by a bargaining unit and also are not full-time or part-time position but are very much seasonal or casual by their nature. Substitutes, some types of coaching, stipens, um any number of type of ad hoc type of positions that may occur.
And the reason that we do this is to make sure that during our audits that it is clearly identified that the rate that the individual was paid is something that has been approved and it ties out. So we're not just paying people any wage that we want to pay.
thank you to all of our community partners and the organizations that have contributed to District 191. We are so grateful for your support. And we have had an outpouring of I would say love and support for our students through the brain power and backpack program from many individual community members as well as local businesses and organizations.
Some of the significant changes in the policy include specific legislative language around dual immersion programs and uh using uh English uh assessments for students who are enrolled in the dual immersion programs. While we don't have that program in our district, the policy would guide us if we were to begin uh working in that particular programming area.
Other uh significant changes were clarifications to specific language uh around the science of reading in order to provide specific definitions as we move forward around determining um student interventions and curriculum materials.
policy 418, safe uh drug drug-free workplace, drug-free school, um some minor MSBA recommended changes that include protections for um those registered in tribal medical programs.
And then the second one uh was a conversation around adding um policy language that families could have um up to 5 days of vacation days excused within a within a school year within that school calendar year. Um which is a little bit unusual to add that to the list. It's not necessarily in the model policy. It came out of um a recommendation from our attendance handbook design team that worked all summer and really felt like we needed language that um we needed some policy language around vacations.
Um we did work through um some edits to this policy and we added specific um language around when the date of change would take place which would be in November. We also changed language around um the number two thing which was you know giving um those participants in listening sessions the option to submit their notes if they choose to submit their notes. And lastly, um completing the listening um session card to share if their um topic has anything to do with the agenda, yes, no, or unsure.
Yes, I'm just presenting the regulations or guidelines around our listening sessions. Um, again, we want to um update these so we can communicate this information to the general public and our community um so we can begin implementation in November.
As the board's aware, our concurrent enrollment agreements and our partnerships are backbones for a lot of our pathways. Um just in the in the last year, our 191 students saved almost a million dollars in tuition because of these opportunities.
Ordinances & Resolutions (18)
Board policy regarding public participation, complaints, and data privacy, reviewed for revisions.
Plan guiding assessment work across the district, aligning with MTSS planning.
Proposed programming priorities and staffing retention protections for the upcoming school year.
Strategic document with which staffing retention protections align.
Proposed goals for Dr. Daniels, approved by the board after feedback.
Materials presented to the board related to the Superintendent's goals.
Proposed rate of pay for 2025-2026 for positions not covered by bargaining units or full-time/part-time status.
Formal resolution to approve and accept donations to District 191 from community partners.
Governing documents for the acceptance of donations.
Policy reflecting legislation and implementation of the READ Act, including language on dual immersion programs and science of reading.
Policy with minor MSBA-recommended changes, including protections for tribal medical programs.
Policy with changes including terminology for active shooter incidents and reporting obligations.
Policy outlining student attendance, appeals process, and adding provisions for excused vacation days.
Policy with minor changes to student directory information.
Regulations and guidelines for public listening sessions, to be updated for November implementation.
Annual concurrent enrollment agreement between Burnsville High School and Inver Hills Community College.
Concurrent enrollment agreement between Burnsville High School and Dakota County Technical College.
State statute permitting closed meetings for certain purposes, such as security review.