Good evening, uh Dr. Stalo. Um good evening, uh Chair Evans Becker, uh members of the board, and Dr. Stalo, Superintendent Stalo. Um this evening in the uh in the spirit of theme C collaboration and partnerships we'll be highlighting a number of partnerships tonight but we're going to start here at Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for youth and the executive director uh Becca Gilgan will be uh presenting some of the work that they've done with us this year.

BBE, I'll call us that has been was established in 2013 um for newer members of the board. Uh we are not a nonprofit. I always like to say that very clearly. We are a joint powers organization. Uh that means we are a publicly formed entity of nine public partners. Uh the four school districts that serve the two cities of Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Henipin County, and the two community colleges. These nine entities come together to advance positive youth development. That's their sole purpose for being in partnership together.

And the answer was clear. Safety, safety from violence online, safety, excuse me, from um, bullying online, digital and harm online, safety from gun violence in community, and safety from racism in schools. None of those things are about a young person per se. those are all about the ecosystem around those young people and the conditions around them. So our work is cut out for us right around those three issues.

Redesign exists to bring public and private partners together around a shared goal, creating coordinated systems of support for our children and families. Our work is rooted in collaboration, family centered decision-making, and a strengthbased approach. We focus on improving mental health supports, strengthening early intervention efforts, and increasing pro uh protective factors that help families remain stable and resilient.

Through our partnership with the Diaper Bank of Minnesota, over 2,000 families receive diaper assistance. While diapers may seem simple, they are crit they are a critical basic need and can significantly reduce stress for families with young children.

I do want to highlight and recognize that you know um Na really stepped into take over redesign at a really um tough time. We had a directory that you all are familiar with for over 30 years and you know uh redesign was in a position to really probably dissolve. I think that was one of the recommendations at some point in time and this being Nisha's uh first year um as the coordinator of redesign I would be remiss not to to acknowledge her and the work that she's done um this year.

Tonight's conversation is no surprise. We've had this data on the timelines that we've communicated to our community for several months. Ultimately, tonight we'll be asking the board to make the first of some important decisions related to a building bond and the scope of that potential bond required for the review and comment should the board as a whole decide to put a building bond request on the November ballot.

All of this work has been in service to our students and community. Our compelling why is to transform our school district into one that reflects what our students want, need, and deserve to be successful now and into their futures.

However, whether it's a voter approved bond referendum or not, doing nothing is not an option. We have we're going to have to do something. It's just a matter of what is going to be the constraints put upon us in making those decisions.

So that that's that's actually a good estimate. It's about what we use. Um about a quarter of a percent is the difference between what you pay in interest rate versus a school district that is in a more solid financial position. Okay. And the primary reason for that you alluded to is what's called the state credit enhancement program.

We're using the data that we got from Peter Leman uh that you were given a report from the survey that the uh recommendation based on his experience and the survey was that your tax tolerance for the Robbinsdale area schools was sitting at a at a peak of 15 approximately $15 a month. And so that was his recommendation as a starting spot.

Yeah. So in thinking about these questions, you know, I mean it's obvious that if we don't pass some sort of referendum, you know, I just think of the oraoris, the snake that's swallowing its tail, and that's what we're going to turn into. We're just going to keep devouring ourselves until there's nothing left. And so the referendum gives us the opportunity to build towards a positive future.