Safety and Security Prevention Presentation

Dissent: Director Cameron and Director Anderson both expressed concern that the district's investment in physical security and threat assessment protocols has not been matched by investment in behavioral health support, which the data indicates is the primary student need.

The presentation covered three main detection and response tools: (1) P3 anonymous reporting platform with 20,529 reports received in 2024-2025, primarily for peer conflict, mental health concerns, substance use, and violence; (2) Bark G Suite monitoring with AI-powered keyword detection; and (3) Colombia suicide risk screening and BTAM threat assessment protocols. Key discussion points included: the rarity of false reporting despite high volume, the distinction between reported concerns and substantiated threats, the challenge of comparing data across districts using different platforms, the higher prevalence of suicidal ideation concerns versus active shooter threats in the data, and the need for additional behavioral health support resources. Board members expressed concern that the district is substantially underresourced in mental health support relative to the data showing high student need, noting that only this year were counselors added to high schools and middle schools still lack adequate support. The presentation emphasized that 90% of targeted school violence perpetrators disclosed their plans beforehand ('leakage'), making anonymous reporting critical for prevention.

Activities and Athletics Organizational Realignment

Dissent: Director Cameron expressed concern about adding assistant AD positions given that Lakeville already has more administrators per high school than peer districts and questioned whether resources should be directed to counseling and special education instead. Director Anderson raised concerns about funding administrative positions through student fees and the impact on families with limited means. Director Baker expressed strong opposition to funding administrative positions through student activity fee increases, particularly noting the impact on adaptive sports families who lack booster club support.

Superintendent Bowman and Athletic Director Mike Zabber presented a proposal to restructure the district's activities and athletics operations. Current structure (since 2005): separate Athletic Directors at Lakeville North, Lakeville South, and middle schools, creating silos and redundancy. Proposed structure: establish a district-level Athletic and Activities Director reporting to the Executive Director of Operations, maintain two high school ADs, add Assistant ADs at each high school (converting half-time office assistant positions to full-time assistant AD roles), and consolidate middle school programming under high school ADs. Rationale: address high turnover (South hired fourth AD during superintendent's tenure; North had five ADs in nine years before current AD), reduce workload on individual ADs, establish consistent standards across district, improve compliance with MDE reporting and Title IX, and enhance coach training and program evaluation. The proposal maintains program autonomy and coach relationships while centralizing budgeting, facilities planning, hiring standards, booster club coordination, and technology management. Board discussion focused on: (1) whether the restructuring actually addresses turnover (Carbone); (2) comparison to peer districts (Cameron noted that 196, Anoka-Hennepin, and South Washington do not have dedicated district AD positions and questioned whether adding assistant ADs is fiscally prudent given other district needs); (3) staffing model efficiency (Thompson questioned whether bifurcating sports and activities roles might be more efficient); (4) whether the district AD should control coach hiring (Thompson); and (5) overall budget priorities relative to other needs like counselors and special education support (Anderson, Baker). Cameron noted that Lakeville has six administrators per high school compared to four in 196 for similar student populations, raising concerns about administrative bloat. Baker expressed concern that the proposal funds administrative positions through student activity fee increases, which disproportionately impacts families with limited means and students in underserved programs like adaptive sports.

Ticket Price Increase Proposal

Dissent: Director Anderson and Director Cameron both expressed concerns about student ticket price increases and their impact on lower-income families. Cameron proposed alternative pricing structure ($10 adult/$6 student) to maintain affordability for students.

Administration proposed increasing ticket prices from $8 adult/$6 student to $9 adult/$7 student, generating approximately $65,200 in additional revenue. Rationale: alignment with South Suburban Conference peers (all but one school moving to $9/$7); modest increase relative to other entertainment costs. Board discussion centered on: (1) impact on families with limited means (Anderson noted that a family of five attending events faces significant cumulative costs); (2) whether student ticket prices should increase at all (Cameron proposed alternative of $10 adult/$6 student to encourage student attendance and build community); (3) comparison to peer districts (Zabber noted that Farmington and Prior Lake have moved to $9 flat rate with no student discount); (4) inflation context (Carbone noted that ticket prices have only increased twice in ten years despite inflation). Anderson raised concern that increasing student ticket prices creates barriers to attendance for lower-income families and removes incentive for students to attend school events. Cameron proposed alternative pricing structure to keep student prices lower and increase adult prices more substantially. Board ultimately did not vote on specific ticket pricing during this portion of the meeting.

Participation Fee Rebalancing Proposal

Dissent: No significant dissent on the rebalancing concept itself; discussion focused on broader concerns about fee increases generally and their impact on lower-income families.

Administration proposed rebalancing participation fees across all activities to create consistency, with most programs moving to $298 annually. Current situation: fees have not been adjusted since 2015 and vary significantly by program ($275-$300 range), creating inequity where families pay different amounts for similar programs in the same season. Proposed change: 21 programs would decrease slightly (by a few dollars), 8 programs would increase to meet the $298 standard, generating approximately $14,736 in additional revenue while improving equity. Rationale: Lakeville's participation fees had been among the highest in the metro area but are now aligned with peer districts after other districts adjusted their fees over the past decade. Board discussion focused on: (1) inflation context (Carbone noted that participation fees have not been adjusted since 2015 despite inflation and asked how other districts have kept up); (2) comparison to peer districts (Zabber confirmed that Lakeville is now within $20 of all South Suburban Conference schools); (3) impact on families with multiple children (addressed through family cap reduction). Zabber noted that participation fees are now at parity with peer districts and that the rebalancing improves equity by eliminating arbitrary variation between similar programs.

Annual Family Cap Reduction Proposal

Dissent: No dissent expressed on the family cap reduction concept; this proposal received general support from board members.

Administration proposed reducing the annual family cap for activities and athletics participation fees from $3,000 to $1,000. Current situation: $3,000 cap has been in place since 2015 and is effectively not a cap for most families (only families with multiple children in multiple activities would approach it). Proposed change: $1,000 cap would provide meaningful relief for families with multiple children in activities, encouraging broader participation and inclusion. Mitigation: Stray Cats booster organization has committed to covering the gap for families that exceed the $1,000 cap, ensuring that no family is denied participation due to cost. Board discussion: Director Anderson thanked the parent who brought this proposal to a stakeholder session, crediting community input for prompting the board to consider this change. The $1,000 cap is intended to promote inclusion and ensure that families with multiple children can afford to have all children participate in activities.

Additional Revenue Streams for Activities and Athletics

Dissent: No dissent expressed on the additional revenue streams; these were presented as supplementary funding sources.

Administration identified three additional revenue sources to help offset the cost of the new organizational structure: (1) Live streaming revenue: $12,000 annual donation per school from ad sales on Ellen Panthers Live and Cougars Live platforms; (2) Concessions revenue: annual donation from concessions profits to the school; (3) Title sponsorship: $5,000 annual sponsorship for district-level activities department at each high school, generating $10,000 total. These donations would be made at the beginning of each fiscal year based on prior-year profits, providing predictable revenue. Combined with ticket price increases and participation fee adjustments, these revenue streams are intended to bring the district close to covering the cost of the new organizational structure, with any remaining delta to be covered through reductions in logistics operations expenditures (not classroom operations).

Consolidated Vote on Activities and Athletics Proposal

Dissent: Multiple board members (Cameron, Anderson, Baker) expressed reservations about specific elements of the proposal, particularly the addition of assistant AD positions and the funding mechanism through student fees, but the final vote count is not provided in the transcript.

Moved by Director Paul Carbone [Timestamp ~03:35:00] · Seconded by Unknown [Timestamp not specified]

At the conclusion of the detailed discussion on organizational realignment and revenue adjustments, Chair Swanson asked whether the board wished to vote on each item separately or collectively. Director Carbone indicated preference for voting on the entire package as a unified proposal. The motion was made to approve the complete package including: (1) ticket pricing increase to $9 adult/$7 student; (2) participation fee rebalancing to $298 across programs; (3) athletic operations realignment establishing district-level AD position with assistant ADs at each high school; and (4) annual family cap reduction from $3,000 to $1,000. The transcript ends before the vote is recorded, indicating the meeting continued beyond the provided text.