Good evening. It is 6 o'clock on Tuesday, November the 18th, and this is the legislative committee of the 191 Board of Education. Um, so welcome. Thank you for attending tonight. Um we are working on um beginning to brainstorm and think and make recommend and start figuring out how we want to draft our new legislative platform. >> Mhm. >> Uh with the new legislative season coming um at the next year and realizing it's also a bonding year. Uh so there might be a might be a little less than what we have to negot talk about but um so uh one of the things we want to do is just briefly review our legislative platform from this current year uh in which um we kept some of the similar things from the year previous but um are what we would believe are the priorities that would benefit our students the most and our families. And so of course we asked for a 3% increase uh additional increase above the inflationary increase for general ed funding formula reduce the cross subsidy increase local operational revenue per pupil um and create permanent state funding stream for unemployment insurance for non-licensed employees. provide additional funding reimbursement um to reimburse districts for implementation and train training respenses related to the read act. Um and then removing um barriers for students and families to succeed. So like that 15-day residency requirement for students enrolled in online schools. um continue Medicaid eligibility as a means of direct certification for students to qualify for educational benefits and then also most importantly because of the cross subsidy implications on our district. U making funding permanent to hold districts harmless and for loss of comp compensatory aid. Um and then increase school safety with expanded mental health supports. um enhance and support programs that address staff shortages to increase the diversity amongst our um teachers, including our grow your own grants, uh short call substitute teaching, increase per pupil allocation of the long-term facilities maintenance uh levy and operating capital. So that's what we had uh for this year. Um and we know that AMSD has come out with a draft um for this. I'm trying to follow it. Here we go. For for this year right now, which is great. Um, so for those uh watching online, AMSD is an acronym for the Association of Metropolitan School Districts. Um, and each year they come out with their draft for their legislative platform along with the Minnesota School Boards Association too, which is something we also look at. But um for this meeting, MSBA has not unveiled >> right >> their draft yet. Um but there but what AMSD is um proposing uh or drafting to adopt is uh stabilize funding, extend the hold harmless, um repeal the contingent 250 million cut to special ed. That's a good one. uh increase local operational revenue per pupil. Um enhance school safety. So increase school safe uh safe schools levy $100 per pupil. Strengthen secure gun storage requirements in homes and in vehicles on school property. allow limited removal time from class for nonexclusionary discipline to enable schools to plan effective re-entry supports and interventions to ensure safe classrooms. Um and then reduce mandates, enhance local control, and restore managerial rights. So, repeal the requirement that school boards negotiate e-learning days, student testing, and staff studentto staff ratios. Allow local elected board school boards to renew an existing capital project levy at the same rate after a public hearing. Fully fund or repeal summerterm unemployment insurance for non-licensed staff. provide funding to cover the employer premium and substitute staffing costs or exempt school districts from the paid leave program which becomes live January 1st. uh modernize the hours of instruction requirements to allow students to earn credit for learning whenever it occurs and replace the high school MCA exams with a nationally recognized college entrance exam or create a blue ribbon commission to evaluate and make recommendations to improve the assessment system to support student centered balanced assessments. So hearing these things, are there any things that um call out um or think are things that we could um consider for putting into or proposing to put into a legislative platform or what seems like it's it wasn't our last one and that we should just continue it because I think that's the one thing I saw in here was a few we've had before. >> We could do pay it forward again, you know, with that. >> Um I think one question I might have for for you, Dr. Daniels, is um the safe schools levy. Um $100 per pupil. I would be interested to know what that potential benefit would be for our district. I think would be interesting, >> right? Like how we would use those funds >> or or what would be the impact. So, like what would a $100 per pupil be for increasing safe schools levy? Like what would that look like for our district? >> I can check into that for you all. >> Yeah, that because that might be something that would come up when we have a workshop work session, not shop. But along those lines, I think about um when I think about what should we prioritize and what should be a part of our legislative platform, I think this question is a very relevant one because it's very much so tied to enhancing school enhancing school safety. And I also see that that was also a a theme or I would say a a theme or a ca I want to not a not a catchall but a theme I will say in your um 2025 legislative platform creating safe school environments that support all students. So again, school safety when I think about contextually what happened right here in our community at Annunciation >> and knowing that safety is foundational for students being able and faculty and staff being able to show up um to do their best, show up as their best selves. I definitely think that it is um wise and prudent for us to move safety forward um in our next legislative platform and that could be around safe schools funding. Um I can find out definitely more about the $100 per student for safety. What would that what would the implications be if we levy for that amount? And also this piece around um >> gun storage um requirements. >> Mhm. >> I think we definitely need support around that. um at the legislative level. >> Yeah. I also and maybe I'm not reading this correctly, but um coming from a workplace that is centered about um community and restorative practices, the I like the third bullet in terms of like how to enable effective re-entry and supporting the interventions of the student. And I might be like reading like is this on a on a restorative practice idea, you know, about making sure the student feels >> welcome back into the community, that the community is accepting of that student, you know, based off of, you know, a behavior. I think um I think just sets the the student and the school up for success. But I could be reading into it. [laughter] >> No, no, no. You're you're right. You're absolutely right. >> Mhm. >> It it does set the student and the school up for success. Yeah. >> Um, >> so I kind of like that one too. And I know I know that we have a pro uh we we me um has a problem of narrowing things down like oh, you know, like can we all fit it all on one page? [laughter] >> Let's do them all. >> Yeah, let's do them all. Um, what are your thoughts, Rachel? What are your thoughts, Director Mickelson? >> Yep. Um, I mean, I think that probably, you know, I don't know in terms of the enhancing school safety with the second one as far as gun storage, you know, how much of an issue we direct issue we have with that if the other two would be a little bit more immediately impactful. Um, you know, I mean, absolutely we need to, you know, have policies and safety around >> weapons and and things, but, you know, I'm I'm thinking, you know, that when we're having to narrow things down, >> um, one and three in that section would be the most. >> What is clear is we want to focus on school. >> Yeah. We want to focus on school safety and and you know however our policies work in terms of you know like we don't we ban bun weapons on you know whatever storage and school vehicles and stuff. I I don't know how we can secure or have requirements of weapon storage in your homes because that's like out of our >> right out of our purview. >> Out of our out of our abilities except for to provide maybe to provide education on the best, you know, like what are safe ways to do, you know, have that in your home if you choose to do so. But to go you're required to is like I don't I don't know if that's a the a power of a district or a board. >> Right. [laughter] Yeah. >> I was just think I was thinking more so about the vehicles on school property thinking about the students. But I'm totally open. I think that the consensus is that we need to have um you all would like to see us continue to focus on school safety and we'll just get tight around those aspects. vote I'm hearing indefinitely um check into increase safe schools levy um for $100 per pupil >> and also um allow limited removal time from class with non-exclusionary discipline to enable schools to plan effective re-entry supports and interventions to ensure safe classrooms. >> Yeah. Uh, and I think the other one, like I said, like I don't know if that becomes more of a a policy practice in terms of >> of um, you know, storage in vehicles or not even permitted in vehicles, you know, like I think that's I don't know, maybe that's more of a policy thing that we could have control over versus taking it to a legislator, but >> Okay, could be wrong. Um, and then of course we love the stabilized funding. like I I still think we need to, you know, that extending the hold harmless for compensatory is a still a big one for us. >> Um [snorts] >> and then that cut to special ed I think is also a big one. >> Huge huge >> um too. So, you know, again, I I think if we're if we wanted to stay with themes, stabilize funding, school safety, which I have to keep, >> yeah, fully fund the mandate, you know, I think it's still kind of fitting some of our themes that we had before. >> [clears throat] >> Um I don't you know maybe it's a a discussion with an Ann Marie here too before we bring it to a board workshop would be you know do we want to more succinctly say state our >> headers >> with the bullets underneath you know. >> Yeah. And and see what MSBA has once they come out with >> theirs. Yeah. Which I think is supposed to come out in January. >> Yeah. >> Wow. That's late. They usually come out in like now or December. So maybe maybe they will come in come out in December. >> Hopefully it'll come out in December. >> Uh because we would like to propose a draft and then have a work session I think the first week of the first meeting in January and then have the approval of it at the second one. >> Okay. >> If not, it goes to February, but you know, however the timeline works best. [snorts] >> Yep. And then so are we kind of in agree agreement with that stabilized funding and then like I don't know if we propose to adopt like pending MSBA's release maybe they have different language on the same themes but those three bullets I think are still impactful for our district and >> um I agree >> our funding and and then also it it does benefit our students you know and families I agree. And then we have uh reduce mandates, enhance local control, and restore managerial rights. Um so there's how many bullets? Six bullets here. Um are there any that um call out to to um you um in terms of impacts on um that maybe impact our district more than others? I know in discussing this with my team, fully funding or repealing summer summerterm unemployment insurance for non-licensed >> staff that has huge financial implications for our district. >> Um, also providing provide funding to cover the employer premium and substitute staffing costs or exempt school districts from the paid leave program. huge. And then the MCA exams is all, you know, that's always going to resonate when we have students, you know, opting out because they don't feel like the test is relevant or meaningful. Um, how do we shift, uh, or as they recommend, um, evaluate what's in place to ensure it's more culturally relevant and it's just more relevant to students, >> their present lives as well as their future goals and aspirations as well. Those are three that really resonate with with me the most. >> Any for you, Rachel? >> Yeah, I agree. And that with and just things like with the testing that you know for this to um that when students do opt out that they don't count as a zero. Mhm. >> That opt out means they are out of the stats, right? They're not a part of they're not accounted for, right? Not in the denominator, you know. Yeah. >> Um that that not only just, you know, having a a >> uh a better test. Um >> but I like that. >> Yeah. But but also just changing how >> the results are determined. Mhm. >> Mhm. I like the idea that they're proposing with a college entrance exam approach. I think that's kind of cool, right? >> You know, cuz I mean that's totally much more applicable. >> Yes. >> You know, >> especially if you can get a student to go, "Hey, I didn't necessarily visualize I could get into college and look, I did." You know, [laughter] based off of my entrance exams. Kind of nice. Um there's some things that are kind of like local board control in terms of um capital project levy, you know, giving, you know, allowing school boards that and then the repeal the requirement that school boards negotiate e-learning day student. I'm not sure. Do you feel that's a a high priority? I don't I I haven't you know you know obviously as a school board we're not necessarily actively involved in planning the calendar. It becomes as a presentation um to us. Um I'm I'm not I personally don't know if that's a a large issue for us. I don't know if we've had significant conflict about that at all or and I I haven't lived it yet so I don't I don't know. >> Yeah. I I >> Yeah. I don't know. >> I don't know if it says I mean and and and we can show this we'll show this to the rest of the board during the workshop when this is like here's what we're prioritizing. Is there something else that you see that we might need to call out instead? Right. But I think as is for MSBA, what I'm hearing is we want the we want the titles still, the stabilizing funding, enhancing school safety, the three bullets under the funding, the at least the first and third bullet under safety, and then maybe thinking of approaching policy committee to maybe address bullet. >> And then under their third priority, bullets three, four, and six. If you all agree. >> Yeah. >> For now, until MSBA comes out until we collect more data. >> I mean, and from from my experience with between MSBA and AMSD, they are fairly similar. Just one tends to like word things a little more eloquently than the other one. And then we might go, hey, we like that language better than [clears throat] this one, but they say the same thing. >> Okay. Um, and then we have platform development. So they for MSBA. So they haven't this is a questionnaire for us to fill out. >> I think I think that this would guide the conversation, but you've already guided the conversation. >> Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Yeah. Yeah. I think, you know, I looking at our last legislative platform, >> um, I would say what AMSD has been um, proposing aligns with um, several of the points that we currently have in this platform. um it you know and then um have identified a couple new ones and so you know I'm you know I still really like um from our current one and I'm not sure in terms of if it'll get called out or not in terms of a priority is enhancing support for programs that address staff shortages. >> Yes. >> Um is one that still is a high priority that I think for our district, especially having had our uh report in terms of >> uh staff, you know, like retention and um how how staff and and our mirroring our student population. >> Yeah. Yeah. on the MSBA kind of platform development. It's got a question number eight as far as the um what changes could help your district improve hiring and retention and yep had I put down yep continue to expand the grow your own and also just funding for like new teacher support and mentoring. >> Thank you. >> But absolutely I I think that grow your own kind of program is has been successful for us. >> It really has. >> It really has. Yes. Um, and so would would love to see that continue to really be promoted and funded and expanded. >> Yeah, >> I agree. Thank you, Director Mickelson. Mhm. >> Are there anything anything that wasn't called out from AMSD that's part of our current plan in addition to that one that we would want to flag as something we would maybe consider to either keep or see if MSBA comes out with something that aligns. Just trying to um double check as far as the things that um yeah that I had increase the per pupil allocation for long-term facilities maintenance lease levy and operating capital programs to account for inflation. Is that something that you all would want to carry over? >> I'm trying to flip between [laughter] I'm trying to remember what page is. ASMC. That's Yeah, that's from our >> Yes. >> Yeah. The last one. I mean, definitely. I think keeping >> I mean anything that's having to do with funds and we want to keep it all and because you ask for the moon >> and hopefully you'll get >> something out of there >> out of it. So um >> yeah and I would say if that because that kind of resonates with like bonding language to me so maybe maybe it would be applicable in a bonding session. >> Yeah. Okay. So, the last two. Yeah. And I don't know if the if they if it the 15-day residency requirement was removed at all as part of this last go around or not. um to know if that's something cuz I do know it impacts our um virtual academy students. >> Mhm. For sure. >> Yeah. Let's see. Cuz I didn't see it. And I was kind of doing a search before, but let's see. It doesn't look like it. Yeah, it doesn't look like it was repealed. So in the MSBA platform development, I think it's helping them. Um, which areas of your district's budget are under the most strain due to state underfunding? Well, one would be special ed. >> Mhm. >> Um compensatory revenue. >> Um what would we say in terms of uh early learner aid, student transportation, mental health supports, student support services? Are are any of them more impacted? >> English learner aid can be impacted. It's been I think there have been threats to impact it for it to be impacted at a federal level. >> I mean talking about question number four. >> Mhm. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. I was like all of them. [laughter] >> Yeah. >> Absolutely. Just all of them. >> Um you know we have so many students that fall into each of those categories that it's significant. We've got I mean our facilities and the number of schools we have I mean and their age I mean absolutely >> and we have more >> falls into you know a significant need for us. >> Yeah. Well it's interesting because like our district we don't like own our transportation. We lease it. Mhm. >> And you know, hearing a um discussions about transportation too is that with so many more of our families not actually using our busing, >> like there's more families driving their students to school. So I I I'm not sure if that I if if I had to like >> take rate it, I wouldn't necessarily wouldn't necessarily take it out, but I'd put at the bottom out of the rest of them. But yeah. Yeah, that's a good point. >> Um, and then I had uh wish mental mental health services is always >> Yeah. >> needed mental health supports. I I would I think that of the incidents that have occurred this year in which students um needed to be transported by an ambulance, I would say about 50% of those have been due to mental health. um issues or occurrences and so that remains [music] a an issue an issue of concern [bell] as well. >> Yeah. And that was one of our priorities too is increasing safe schools funding to expand mental health and so maybe it >> be to continue to >> address mental health. Um, which resources are most critical for financial stability? Well, all of them. [laughter] >> Um, what state policies are lenture compensation issues, state decisions? Um, are there any open meeting law right now? um advocacy engagement. What are lessons or takeaways? I know we're we're willing to always, you know, educate people about emailing legislators and for us to be at the Hill and and stuff like that. >> Um anything else on this MSDA one that might be something that comes out that we didn't think of? you know, nothing that is necessarily new. Yeah. >> Over and above um some of the other things, I guess. Yeah. The only one thing there was one thing that um I was kind of reading about as far as a potential change as far as the tier one and two >> um and having to in terms of licensing and job just position security and things and and having a little bit more stability there as far as the uh reapplication annually. That whole process and um some of the um licensing and uh requirements around um those you take, you know, re-evaluating that just um for some of the teachers and some of the staff that would fit into that tier one and two um you know kind of going it kind of feeds into that I think grow your own in that retention and and really growing within >> uh our um >> our uh teachers you know and their longevity and things that >> that was about that was the only other thing that I had on here that really hasn't been uh covered already or you know wasn't part of the um you know both platform kinds of lists. >> Okay. Okay. >> Great. Well, I think um the next step is to hopefully have MSBA come out with with theirs. Um, I think we have a the beginnings of a a draft for our platform, you know, pending more information to come out and then um either, you know, to be then um at our next legislative committee maybe coming out with an actual draft and then having it go to a work session. >> Yeah. Have be ready for January. Mhm. >> So, Director Chester, do you want me to have um Sarah draft an initial draft of this for us to react to in December? >> I Yeah, I mean or >> or January. >> Yeah. Well, I mean, I think what it is is we're going to wait for MSBA to come out, but then like maybe kind of um taking what you know, and especially if AMSDs comes out with the no draft on it and they have their final language, just knowing that we want to >> prioritize what they're prioritizing with the bullets we outlined. >> Okay. >> I think I think our you know, we could review the titles we gave of our three priorities. um to maybe better align or maybe use less words, I don't know. But um but I think it gives so I think at the next meeting, especially if MSBA has an initial draft >> in December to have then the AMSD one maybe highlighted with the things we were going to pull. >> Okay. And then from there at cuz pre last year at this time we had those and then like Aaron sat down and then took the those words to then drafted and and what I call make it look pretty. [laughter] >> So Aaron made it look pretty. >> We we'll make it look pretty after December. [laughter] Kind of make it look pretty. >> [laughter] >> Sounds good. So if if that was our agenda tonight, [laughter] uh so uh with no other items, our meeting is adjourned. Thank you. Thank