Okay. Good evening. The regular meeting of the Independent School District 279 School Board is called to order at 6 PM on October 21st, 2025. This regular business meeting of the OIO School Board is being conducted in the boardroom of the Educational Service Center. The meeting can be monitored electronically by streaming online from the district website. An archived recording of tonight's meeting will also be available on the district website. Seated in front of you this evening from my left and your right are director Kelsey Dawson, director Erica Foster, director Thomas Brooks, myself, board chair Tanya Prince, director Keith Tate, and director Sarah Mitchell. Also present in the boardroom is Superintendent Dr. Kim Hy and members of the superintendent's cabinet as well as our student school board representatives Naomi Cooper Greer for Park Center Senior High School. Uh Aliyah um Jiwa for Maple Grove Senior High School, Christian Vargas for OALC and Hikma Adam for AIO Senior High School. Those of you who can please stand for the pledge of allegiance. Director Dawson, will you please lead the pledge? I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Board members, are there any additions to the amended agenda? Is there a motion to accept the amended agenda as presented? >> So moved. >> Moved by Director Tate. Is there a second? Second >> seconded by uh director Brooks. >> Is there any discussion? >> All in favor say I. >> I. Motion all post say n. Motion passes six to zero. Our next standing agenda item is recognitions. Uh we have no recognitions this evening. We're still early in the school year. They'll start rolling in. For our presentation this evening, we're pleased to welcome students and staff from Edin Brook Elementary and Maple Grove Middle who will be showcasing AVID. Dr. Brian Bass, assistant superintendent of equity and achievement. Will you please lead off the presentation? >> Thank you, Chair Prince, Vice Chair Brooks, members of the board, Superintendent Hy, cabinet members, committee members. We are excited to share and showcase the work happening with AVID uh advancement via individual determination. We'll learn more about that. Let me not steal the thunder. Um but we have folks from Edinburgh Elementary uh principal Krueger and members of their AVID site team. We also have uh Maple Grove Middle School's uh AVID site team representatives and some scholars uh from from the AVID site team. So Julia from is here. Uh we did have a conflict with our our principal Xavier Reed, but there is a video that's included. Um he still wanted to send his uh regards and and greet you all, share a little bit about AVID. So without further ado, I will turn it over to our Edin Brook team. They will be the first half of our uh presentation and then Maple Grove Middle School will be our second feature, the second half of the presentation. So I'll hand it over to Principal Krueger from Edinburgh. [Applause] Uh thank you Dr. Bass, uh Chair Prince, uh Superintendent Hy and members of uh cabinet. We appreciate the opportunity to be here. Um AVID has been something that uh we've done for some time at Edinburgh Elementary School. In fact, a better part of a dozen years. Uh the first avid site in AI area schools was was Edinburgh. Uh we're we're grateful and proud that we are nationally recognized. Four years running. Uh we'll be the showcase Midwest showcase site again this next spring. Um we're working towards um demonstration status. It doesn't exist in the world of AVID yet. uh but the leaders in the the AVID national organization are are working toward that and and we believe that we'll be in a great position to be uh one of the leaders uh in that space as well. So we're excited about the work we have done and we'll continue to do. I brought some folks with me. I don't want to spend a lot of time talking, but um context matters. Uh and first and foremost, AVID, which comes up later in the slide deck, stands for advancement via individual determination. And it really is about uh wrapping our arms around the whole scholar and the scholar experience uh at the elementary level. One nuance difference that I think or hope you'll pick up on between um AVID elementary and AVID uh secondary, middle school, high school is AVID elementary is all scholars. Um it's not an elective course. So every single uh student uh is exposed to and AVID is integrated into the work that we do. So uh with no further ado, I know we're on a time crunch, too. So let me turn it over to Michelle Thyron who's next on our team. Michelle, >> thank you. Thank you for having us tonight. Um I'm going to share with you a little bit about um Avid Elementary and how it connects to our district work and then how it looks at at Edinbrook. So um when you think of hiphop, I'm sure you have some ideas in your mind, but here in AIO, when we think of hiphop, we're talking about high intellectual performance through high operational practices. So hopefully you've heard of that before. um what we're talking about when we think of POPS um are work that's been um done by Ivette Jackson. And so these are um pedigogy that um she did to look in classrooms where students were being successful and what were those higher operational practices that she found. Um they are identifying and activating student strengths, building relationships with students, eliciting high intellectual performance, providing enrichment, integrating prerequisites for academic learning, situating learning in the lives of students, and amplifying student voice. And so this is the work that is being done here in AIO. We've been doing it for the last couple years. Um and so at Edinbrook, this is a little bit newer for them. And so we have staff coming from sites that have been embedded in this work. and we have been doing a lot of our AVID work. So, we're connecting these this year. And so, um we wanted teachers to really know that the overarching pedigodities we want to focus on right now are building relationships and identifying activating student strengths. Um we also became a title one school this year with kind of our blending of Edinburgh and Cresview as well as some other um students and staff that have come to our school. So when we're thinking of these higher operational practices, um that's that pedigogy, those belief systems, and we need programs that help us get to those. So we have AVID, and Kelly is going to share with you a little bit more about what that looks like in a moment. We have Catalyst and PBIS, which are our behavior management systems so that students can do the rigorous learning. And then we have our equity work, and that's done through our equity transformational cycle. Um, so that is kind of how the overarching pieces of um, AVID connect to our hops, some of that work. So now getting into AVID, what does AVID look like when we're thinking of it at an elementary site? And so AVID, we've heard now a couple times tonight, it stands for advancement via individual determination. And it's a program that helps um, set up students for success academically. And so some of those things that it focuses on are goal setting, um communication skills, critical thinking skills, um hopefully to set up students for success in um academics and future learning. And so those are the goals of um AVID, especially elementary. And now Kelly Vley, who's also on our team, is going to share with you a little bit about what does that specifically look like at Edinbrook. >> All right. As we have worked to launch AVID this fall at Edinburgh, we have focused on these three different components and they are um really focusing on and maintaining high behavioral and academic expectations for all of our students. Wicker, which stands for writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading, and pulling out the C and the O of Wicker, really focusing on the collaboration and organization pieces, and also researchbased strategies that provide rigorous and accessible instruction by supporting district adopted our district adopted curriculums. So, thinking about that organization piece to support academic achievement and independence, um, AVID really defines organization in three different ways. First, through materials. Every student at Edinburgh is provided with color-coded notebooks and folders at the beginning of the year. And this helps maintain consist consistency through the grade levels and gives students easy access to what they need, stay prepared for class, and take greater responsibility for their learning through time. So students in our kindergarten through 2 grade classrooms are provided with a peak of the week. And then students in our third through fifth grade classrooms are provided with or and taught how to use planners. Each of these tools is used to help students organize their assignments, build strong habits, and build strong habits moving into middle and high school. AVID also emphasizes the organization of thoughts um to help students think clearly, communicate effectively, and deepen their understanding of content. Strategies like graphic organizers, focused notetaking, and structured writing help students process information, make connections, and express their ideas with confidence. Many of these ideas are found within our tier one curricular resources. A key component to AVID's instructional method methodology is collaboration or that C in wicker and that supports teamwork, shared responsibility, idea sharing, and diverse perspectives. The quote on the screen, I'll just read it to you. Um, when efforts are structured cooperatively, there is consider considerable evidence that students will exert more effort to achieve, build more positive and supportive relationships, and develop in more healthy ways. And again, that that advancement via individual determination is where really we're hoping to empower students to identify and activate their strengths through activities like the ones shown here. These are examples from a second grade classroom where the class worked together to identify um traits of a successful student, then worked to apply those traits individually to their own version of a successful student. activities where we can empower students to will help um boost their self-belief and help them tackle new or challenging tasks with more confidence. We also encourage goal setting through our work with AVID as a way to build self-awareness, motivation, and responsibility for student learning. By setting clear, achievable goals, students begin to understand the value of the value of effort and track their own progress and develop that growth mindset. These skills lay the foundation for future academic and personal success. One way our teachers have supported students with goal setting is by helping them create their own personal hopes and dreams. This process encouraged students to reflect on on their current state to find meaningful goals and identify actionable steps to move to move toward their desired outcomes. And lastly, as we think about those three components of at the three components we're focusing on this fall, those maintaining high behavioral and academic expectations, focusing on the C and O of Wicker and supporting our tier one instruction. We know that family engagement is essential to student success. It emphasizes building those strong um school family partnerships that support learning and empower families to act actively participate in their child's education. Um, as part of AVID, we collaborate with our PTO to host three different family engagement events throughout the school year. Our first was in September that was set up for success. We have a literacy night happening in January. And then we have um a wisdom begins with wonder in at the end of April. And now Michelle is going to introduce our guest speaker. >> Clark closer. Yes. >> So we have a wonderful fifth grader, Isabella Wing. come on up. She's going to share how AVID has impacted um her work at Edinburgh. >> My name is Isabella and Avid has had a very positive impact on my life at Edinburgh. It has helped me become more organized, feel more connected to school, and build my confidence. One way AVID has helped me is by improving my organization. I've learned to color code my materials by subject, which makes it easier to find what I need. Avid also gives me opportunities to organize my thoughts using graphic organizers, which helps me clearly express what I want to say. Avid stands for advancement via individual determination, and it really helps me focus on working hard and setting goals. It has taught me the importance of doing my best every time and pushing myself to succeed. I've also enjoyed the after school activities like family breakfast, bingo, family fun night, and the jersey night. These events are fun and they help me feel more connected to my school community. Overall, I like AVID because of the fun activities we get to do and how much it helps me be successful in school. [Applause] the clicker. I am the least interesting part of my part of the presentation. Um, I got my hype people back here ready to ready to to take off here when we get to the student part. So, um, I'm Julia from Mullen Camp. I'm the AVID coordinator at Maple Grove Middle School. I also teach the seventh and eighth grade elective class. My new principal is Xavier Reed. He couldn't be here tonight. Um but he I think has a video. Yes, he has a video that's up next. And we'll make sure the audio is good to go here. Oh, wait. Hold on. >> Hello. >> Oh, we're good. >> Okay, here we go. AIO area school board. My name is Xavier Reid and I am the new principal at Maple Grove Middle School that started in July. I am very excited to to be able to um to work in the district and to be um a part of Maple Grove Middle School. Since starting at Maple Grove Middle School, I have learned a lot about AVID. I've never worked in the AVID school personally, so there's been a lot of learning for me. I've had the opportunity to go to several AVID trainings since this summer and this fall and continue to, you know, have those skills sharpened and and learn more about the program. It's been being able to go to the training and and hear from schools all across the country and then being able to actually see what's been put in place here in our own school at Maple Grove Middle School has been really cool because we're doing some really great things in our building and the leadership from Mrs. the leadership from the the principles prior to myself have really helped to shape this building as an AVID school. I I look forward every time that I get a chance to to step into the AVID elective classroom or I get a chance to walk into any classroom and see some of the wicker strategies popping up um as I am doing an observation and it's just really cool to see and we're continuing this. It's not a we don't we don't get to a point where we've uh accomplished everything that we can. we continue to want to evolve and continue to do more with AVID and those wicker strategies. So, I'm really looking forward for tonight for you to be able to hear from our outstanding AVID students that um we have here at Maple Grove Middle School and being able to hear from Mrs. from as well. I'm also excited um and it was really happy to see that Edinburgh middle or Edinburgh Elementary School uh would be sharing this evening with us as I am a former Edin Brook Scotty and um very happy to see that the the program has been established at the elementary level and know the connection can be very strong from the elementary to middle school and eventually high school. And so I'm looking forward to it. Thank you once again for giving us this opportunity to share our story and I hope to see you soon. >> All right. So when we started AVID in 2019 um we were thinking what are the I don't want to say problems but issues that we hope AVID impacts in our building and we started building our uh school improvement plan and all of that around our AVID goals. So things that we are working on currently but were started seven years ago was creating a culture uh a schoolwide c culture of literacy not just reading but kids being able to write speak um listen all of those things providing opport opportunity knowledge and rigorous academic experiences. Students in my elective class get that um kind of on steroids but we are doing that buildingwide. Uh we also are um a showcase school. You'll see that banner when you come into our our entryway. And this is, I think, one of the most important things for those of us in this room who have been through middle school. A lot of people look at it as a time in a kid's life. It's just three years they have to get through. It's emotionally turbulent. It can be academically turbulent, but we want to make sure at Maple Grove Middle School that middle school matters. It's not just three years that you block out later. It's three years that are extremely meaningful in your academic experience, in your social emotional growth, and in just making sure that you are starting to develop your identity and who you really are and being comfortable and happy in that. Some points of pride for our site is that nearly all sixth grade students take AVID launch, a trimester course that onboards them to middle school. It's kind of like Avid or it's kind of like middle school 101, getting students transitioned. um our school is very large and it's several elementary schools coming together so that adjustment period can be very rough. Avid Launch helps to establish expectations for our school um and really teach students what it means to be in secondary school. So with that being said, any at any given time there are over 275 students in AVID at Maple Grove Middle School. 120 of them are in my elective courses in seventh and eighth grade. students can choose to continue in AVID after sixth grade um and be in my course and then there's about 150 in AVID launch per trimester and then that number changes at the trimester or the kids that are in there change a trimester. Another uh point of pride is that over 85% of AVID eighth graders choose at least one advanced placement course in 9th grade. that is kind of the low end of uh of the the statistic like some years that it's more than that but every single student leaves I think the eighth grade AVID elective course um after they've been in seventh eighth grade feeling very prepared for the rigors of high school. I've shared this this data has been shared with the board uh in 2023 um when I spoke at a work session, but um the very first group of Maple Grove Middle School AVID students were seniors in 2024. And so when we are breaking down their academic data based on um their control group, I'm going to try not to butcher statistics. It is I'm trying to grow as a professional in my ability to analyze data. But on the screen you can see the students that came through MGM and then uh compared to their uh counterparts weighted GPA and unweighted GPA they're they're significantly higher and then you see uh a difference as well in ACT scores for the class of 24 students who identify um as bipok. So we have qualitative or quantitative data that shows what we are doing is working. Um but the fun part is the is the quantitative data. So I asked parents and adults who are supporting students at home uh a few questions about how AVID has impacted their student. So three questions. How has AVID positively impacted your students middle school experience? What academic or social changes have you noticed through their time in the program? And is there anything else outside the box that you would like to share? And I'm going to warn you, there's lots of text on these slides. Um, so I'll just kind of read a couple. Uh, AVID transformed our students middle school experience from miserable to very positive. AVID gave him a place to belong and a place that he felt special. He was able to connect with other kids and made a lot more friends. If you are in a middle school as big as ours, that is an extremely valuable experience to have. Um, I'll do the other bottom blue one. AVID is my student's favorite class. She's developed friendships and the environment has fostered a deep sense of community and belonging. My student has improved her organizational skills, note-taking skills, and executive functioning in addition to encouraging her to start exploring college in an age appropriate way. I asked, "What academic or social changes have you noticed?" Um, students are more organized in their work and have a longer term view on both academics, career, world affairs. She thinks bigger yet is capable of breaking down big things into steps and structure. One thing you'll see uh threaded throughout people's responses, parents responses, is a sense of belonging, a sense of community for their students. Um obviously raising grades and kids feeling more confident academically for sure. Anything else you'd like to share? Uh the parents in the the kind of the longer paragraph at the top, we love the AVID program. Our son was an avid as an eighth grader where he had previously been somewhat unfocused and unmotivated. He became self-directed and a curious and dedicated learner. He will be graduating this year with honors. He's getting an academic scholarship at a university and that he will be attending. Um we believe that the foundation was set for him in AVID. This is a set of parents who have a student in the class of 2024 who would have been in that first cohort you saw data for a little while ago. They also have a student in the class of 27, 2027 and 2029. And these are students all Maple Grove senior. Um, and whenever I'm having conversations with parents, they often tell me at conferences or in the community, I wish I had this class as an option when I was in middle or high school. And that's one of the reasons myself as a first generation college student why I am so passionate about the opportunity knowledge um and the things that I can I can impart on my students and Maple Grove Middle School to make sure nobody feels out of place or left behind in a college classroom. So now is the fun part, student voice. I have six rock stars behind me. um they are fantastic and wonderful and we will be uh reading about them in the news or in academic journals or in whatever they want to do. Um but the essential question I pose to them to make their slides is how has AVID impacted your middle school experience? And first up we have Jaden. >> Hi, my name is Jada MREN and I'm an AVID student at Ble Grove Middle. Me and my classmates are here to tell you how AVID has impacted our middle school experiences. For me personally, it changed how I think for the better. I say this because I think more critically and I ask better questions. Before, I'd ask very broad questions that didn't give me the proper answer. Another thing is because of Avid, I've learned to take proper notes to get all the information I need to succeed. I used to only write what the teacher did until I got into AVID. I saw in AVID, I need to add as much as possible to truly understand the topic. One last thing, Avid has pushed me to be my best. Before AVID, I was okay with getting an A minus to a B. When I joined, I started to work my hardest and truly work towards straight A's and perfect scores. [Applause] >> My name is Angel Pelzky. I'm an eighth grade AVID student at Maple Grove Middle School. AVID has helped my middle school experience by ma being able to speak up and share about my opinions. When I was in elementary school, I wouldn't speak in front of the class or in a little group. AVID has helped me find my voice. Through AVID, I became more a selfdetermined student because it has taught me to take ownership of my own education by setting my own goals, making informed choices, and working on and working to achieve my academic potential. AVID has also helped my middle school experience by helping me make amazing friendships. Before AVID, I was scared to talk to people. And Avid has helped me find people that I enjoy being friends with. [Applause] My name is My name is Tommy Jacobs and I'm an AVID student Maple Grove Middle School. AVID has helped me as a middle school student in many ways. AVID has helped me become confident around my peers. When I was young, I was confident, but as I got older, my confidence dwindled. And Avid has helped me rebuild that confidence that I had when I was younger. Avid has helped me stay organized. I've never been organized before I joined Avid. Everything I had was extremely disorganized. But Avid has helped me use my planner to organize what I do with my time and many binder checks to keep my space organized. Avid has helped me think about my future. When every teacher asks you that one question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" I never knew how to respond because I didn't know what I wanted to do. Avid has helped me with that response and it helped me realize what I want to do and the steps to get there. [Applause] My name is Amaya Nagusi and I am an eighth grade AVID student at Maple Grove Middle School. AVID has helped me regain my voice. I was really chatty when I was younger, then I eventually became more introverted. Being an AVID has helped me be able to speak for myself again. AVID has helped me make many new friends. I went into AVID with about one friend in the class. I ended the year with a lot more. Being able to have the right amount of time to socialize and work as a group made it easier to make a ton of new friends and become even closer to my old friends. AVID has helped me become a better student. I was always a good student throughout elementary and sixth grade. When I started AVID in seventh grade, I became even more focused, more willing to speak about my thoughts in class, and take better notes. All of which are important to be a good student from now until college. [Applause] Hello, my name is Brian Bangandu. I am an eighth grade AVID student at Maple Grove Middle School. And AVID has done a lot for me, like being able to meet people who are like me, people who have the same interest, and people who I can relate to. But in my perspective, the best thing AVID has done for me is that AVID has helped me get a better grasp of my future. Before I joined AVID, I was really I was just focused on getting the best grades possible, all A's, perfect scores, etc. I wasn't really focused on where I wanted to go after high school, what program, what programs I wanted to major in, or what I wanted to do with my future. But after I joined AVID, I realized that I had to do I had to set an even higher a higher goal for myself than just getting really good grades. And by doing things like sending college emails, doing future college bingo, creating college posters, and more, I started actually thinking about what I wanted to do with my future um what colleges I wanted to be in or what university does. Oh my goodness. what universities I wanted to go to and what kind of career I might want someday. AVID taught me that goal setting and planning aren't just about getting good grades. They're also about making decisions that will help me achieve my dreams. Because of AVID, I feel so much more prepared for what life and school has in store for me. [Applause] I'm Marretz. I enjoy reading, math, and spending time with my friends. Avid has help AVID has helped me learn to interact with all kinds of different people and showed me that diversity is crucial to success. You don't get to pick who's in your AVID class, so you might not be with your best friend. Because of that, you're forced to talk to some people you wouldn't normally talk to. When you speak to different people with different experiences and ideas, you open your mind to different things, and this can be super helpful, especially in problem solving. People will always be different and if there isn't a space where you can all connect through learning then things could turn out very differently. AVID is bringing people together and I've made many different friends from it. Avid has been an important step for me learning how to listen to others and try different things that I could not have come up with on my own. [Applause] Thanks guys. You killed it. Um on the screen is just a smattering of pictures from AVID day which was celebrated on September 12th. It was kind of a nationwide uh hype AVID up to the beginning at the beginning of the school year. So my uh colleagues who are AVID trained or AVID um enthusiasts made signs about because of AVID I and how it's made a difference in their instruction. Um, AVID has made a huge difference in the morale of our school and in the school community and um, just the way that um, when we walk into the building over the last seven years, it's just changed a lot about how we think at our school. Um, so I just wanted to share that as some uh, qualitative data. And then I invite you guys to come see Avid in action if you have any questions. Um, I don't do this work alone. I need to give a shout out to my colleagues at other sites. AVID is in every secondary school. My contact info is the top at Maple Grove Middle. My counterpart at OIO Middle and Mac is also here. And can you raise your hand? Um this work isn't done independently at each site. We work together. We are each other's support systems. We um are helping to build everything from you know the PL we often use the phrase building the plane as you fly in education and we couldn't build the plane without each other. So, everybody on that list and everybody in these buildings is doing very important work that really benefits the kids in our elective classes and schoolwide. Thank you guys for inviting us. >> Okay. Thank you. Are we able to ask questions? >> Yes. >> All right. Board members, do you have any questions? >> I do have a question. And first of all, I want to say I'm blown away by you middle school students coming and speaking. Most adults would rather die than public speak. So, I'm just blown away and I love the organizational skills that you guys are learning and the meaningful goal setting. I'm just blown away. Um, the question I have for you, Julia, is is there room for every student who applies for the AVID program at the middle school? >> There is not. There's a waiting list currently about of about 40 kids. >> Okay. So, um, based on how FTE funding happens, there there's only room right now for me to teach four elective sections to seventh grade and two eighth grade. We would really like to expand that obviously. Um, but that's the reality right now. And we try to um we are kind of at the point where we sort of lottery kids in to make sure that those spots get filled, but that it's equitable in what we're doing. >> Okay, that was my next question. Thank you. Other questions or comments? >> Does that is that for all the middle schools or that specific to Maple Grove Middle? Like >> I know that the um demand for all the all of the secondary schools, but especially the middle schools has grown quite significantly and yours is >> we have >> Yeah. So at least our two have waiting list at Maple Grove and AIA Middle. >> Um so not a question, just a comment. Um, I'll just say I share in all the testimonials that the parents um or that you display from parents. >> Um, I have two AVID scholars in my home, one from Maple Grove Middle and um, it has completely transformed the educational experience for her and is still going strong um, years later. So, uh, thank you to all the work that you do at Maple Grove Middle. Um, yeah, I'm excited about this program. I'm a huge fan. Anything we can do to invest in it and grow it, um, within all of our schools, I think every student should benefit from it from it in some way. >> Yeah, I'll just echo that. Um, when we saw that it was being expanded to all of the middle schools, that was super exciting. So, this is, as you've shown, uh, incredibly successful. Personally, as I've um been able to do mock interviews um for the high schools, the students who go through AVID, um it's very evident in their communication that they're able to uh communicate their goals and aspirations very clearly, specifically, and with a lot of self-confidence. They're able to articulate their strengths and their communication skills are just amazing. So, I've I've seen that as well. Um so, we definitely want to continue to invest and it's great to see it in the elementary school now and hopefully we can continue to do more of that. So, um, well done students. Well done parents for supporting your students as well, the scholars. Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. [Applause] >> Um, our next agenda is audience opportunity to address the board. But if there's if at this time um the the presentation guests if you want if you did want to not have to stay for the whole board meeting, don't you feel free to excuse yourself. Don't worry about getting up and and going. Thank you for being here. So, the next agenda item is audience opportunity justice school board. As a board, we welcome all voices and strive for public engagement and transparency in our board work. Oh, sorry. I'm sorry. Yes, I skipped that. I'm gonna step back a moment. Apologize. Uh the next agenda item is the student schoolboard representative reports. Um this year we are doing them differently and we mentioned that last uh month. Uh so this year the student reps are attending our work sessions throughout the year to participate in discussions on identified topics. Uh at our October 7th work session, they participated in the student stakeholder survey agenda item and they'll be reporting out on that this evening. >> Okay. Are you ready? >> Yes, we're ready. Okay, I'm going to make this a brief one, but at the work session, um I'm going to kind of relate this to the AVID students. It was a lot of like um what are you going to do? You know, how are we going to get like these kind of conversations and these topics out of kids? How are we going to understand the experience that's going to happen in AIO area schools? What does a student go through? Stuff like that. And I think it it was it was telling to me. It really spoke to me when the AVID students spoke because the main thing that I think we should focus on for Park Center in specific is future ready because you kind of just get whipped around the corner from junior year to senior year. And they're like, "So, what college you going to?" And I'm like, "Oh my god." Um, the main focus that I think we should hone in on is not too much pressure. You know, your parents are asking you, your friends are asking you, your teachers are asking you. So maybe some way to prepare, but not to hone in on. There's more options than college out there, and sometimes they just don't advertise it. But I like to give a shout out to the AVID students because they know what they do. They more than me when I was in middle school. But thank you for having me and I'll speak more about it next time. Thank you. [Applause] Um, hi, I'm Alia and I go to Maple Grove Senior High. So, at the work session, we kind of we talked about having a world cafe um with students to talk about like three main things which were safety, belonging, and inclusion. And so, it would be like 4th through 12th grade, but we would split it up from like for the elementary, middle, and high schools. And like different questions about those three things again, safety, belonging, and inclusion. Um and so the goal of those was to have like facilitate a conversation to understand what we can do to better improve those like the three goals that we have. Um so something that we discussed was about which perspectives we're looking for. Um and like how are we going to get the perspectives that we need to improve the safety, belonging, inclusion. Um like because using like a voluntary sample or random sample might not get the desired result. um we might have to look at the students who are more on the margins or the students who are in the minority to figure out what we can really do to improve the schools like inclusivity. Um and then hopefully based on those world c like the world cafes that we hold, we will be able to take action steps to improve the schools. Um because we're not just going to sit there and have a discussion then do nothing with it. Like we want to actually um improve the schools in different ways. and we all talked a lot about it and I appreciate the ideas and responses we got from all the board members. Um, so I think we'll just continue on improving the format of the World Cafe to make it as effective as possible for this year and next year. Thank you. [Applause] >> Uh, hello, my name is Sigma Adam and I'm the representative for OSI Senior High. During our last meeting, we talked about the changes we wanted to do with the student stakeholder survey and me and my fellow student representatives and I presented questions to the board and we helped design them to making sure they fit to students at different grade levels throughout the district. When we shared them with the board members, they asked thoughtful questions like about the prompts and how we plan out to carry this process which is through the world cafe which Aliyia talked about. And the world cafe is basically a way we can kind of bring out the different voices and ideas in creative ways through writing, drawing, and open discussion. It reminded me of how important we need more of these world cafes to give to students to share their thoughts and ideas. One part of the meeting that really stood out to me was the board members as they shared their curiosity and involvement. As you know, one of our main concerns is making sure student voices are being heard. During our last meeting, they showed a lot of care and respect to us as students and making sure our feedback is turned into real improvements. Overall, I left that meeting feeling really good and it made me realize how meaningful it us meaningful it is for us students to be in these conversations and to see how our input can help shape the positive changes in our schools. Thank you. [Applause] >> Hi everyone, I'm Christian and I'm representing the OALC. As my first year being a part of the student representative board, I've seen a lot of things that I'm happy about. I first want to add that I will be trailing a little bit on what Hikma said because I agree with the world cafe and how important it is to have everyone's voices be heard. So the process with the board members so with the board so far has been very pleasant. In our last meeting, I noticed how each board member asked insightful questions and how the quality of our discussions were with them. One of the more interesting points I'd like to touch base on was how we can avoid sampling bias and give everyone the voice that they need. We really started tackling those issues and finding efficient solutions. The World Cafe addresses this. A simple but effective way of collecting data that allows people to speak their mind and share ideas that some may not be comfortable with sharing. With that being said, the board did a fantastic job at working through these ideas, asking insightful questions that opened even more discussion throughout us. I'm confident and looking forward to working with my peers in the board. Thank you. >> Thank you so much for sharing that. We're really excited to have you participate in this way at the work sessions and um on these particular projects. Um I think it's going to be a great collaboration. Okay, thank you so much school board reps. >> Okay, now the next opportunity is the audience opportunity to address the school board. I apologize for that. Um so we'll quickly go through the guidelines. Um as I was um starting out um we do uh welcome all voices and this is an opport one of many opportunities um to engage with the board. Uh speakers will be called to the podium in this order. student, staff, parent, uh community. We only have one speaker tonight. Um and we have allotted three minutes per speakers. Um just a few rules that I will read just for um for so that when we have more speakers next time um it's clear comments to be directed to the entire board, not to any individual board member. If you have a handout for the board, please place it at the information table or hand it to the board secretary. The board secretary will provide copies to board members. The board and audience will listen and not respond back at this time. If you'd like to someone to follow up with you on your question or comments, please let the board secretary know. Personnel concern concern should be directed to individuals in the following order. Building principal, executive director for human resources, assistant superintendent, superintendent, and finally in writing to the school board. The complete guidelines for public participation are provided on the meeting materials table and on the schoolboard section of the district website. Okay. So, we do have uh one speaker, Alyssa Danahe. Would you please come up to the podium? All right. Good evening. My name is Alyssa Danahe. I am a parent to two elementary age students in the district as well as the spouse of a uh elementary school educator. Um thank you for the opportunity to address you tonight. I come before you not only as a concerned parent, but as someone who believes deeply in the mission of our schools, which is to pro provide a safe, nurturing, and effective learning environment for every child. Recently, my daughter's classroom at Rush Creek Elementary has been facing significant challenges due to the behavior of one student who is consistently violent, disruptive, and unpredictable. While every child deserves compassion and support, the current situation is affecting not only this student, but the entire classroom, including my daughter and her peers, her teacher, and the greater school support staff. In just the last few weeks, my daughter's nightly update about her day at school has shifted from conversations about curriculum and recess to describing her fearful moments and discussing safety in her classroom. She discusses concern for the well-being of her classmates and her teacher every day. It is clear that the learning environment in her classroom has become tense and unsafe. Children are frightened. Teachers are overwhelmed. Support staff in the building do not have the tools or time that is needed to address the this issue and the classroom community is suffering as a result. Despite repeated concerns expressed by parents, teachers, and school support staff, the actions taken by administration within the school have not adequately address this issue. The principal's abilities are clearly limited by time and resources, but continuing to return a violent student to the classroom setting is not a reasonable approach. We're not doing enough, not for the student in crisis and not for the classmates whose education and well-being are being compromised. Children exhibiting violent or disruptive behaviors often need specialized support. These actions are frequently a cry for help signaling underlying emotional, social, or psychological struggles. Without timely intervention from trained mental health professionals, we risk failing the children most in need while putting their peers and teachers at risk. Robust mental health resources in elementary schools can accomplish a number of important things. providing early education and intervention for students struggling emotionally or behaviorally. >> Offering support strategies and creating individualized plans. In addition to mental health resources, we need clearly articulated safety plans for classrooms. Teachers and staff must be empowered to respond effectively to violence or unpredictability, ensuring both immediate safety and long-term support for everyone involved. These plans should be transparent, consistently applied, and communicated to parents so we can trust our children are learning in a secure environment. I urge you to take immediate action. Let's work together to ensure that our schools are equipped to meet the needs of every child, especially those who need our help the most. Thank you for attention and commitment to our children's future. >> Thank you. Okay, our next agenda item is our superintendent report. >> Thank you. Good evening, Chair Prince, Vice Chair Brooks, board members, and stakeholders. Um, as we continue our journey to work toward our area of schools becoming the best place to learn and the best place to work, there's been a lot of reflection about what that actually really means. It's easy to focus just on our student learning and that is of course our purpose. But what makes our system strong is that learning doesn't stop start with just or stop with just our students. It happens at every level in every classroom, every department and every leadership team. So throughout the year our staff and leaders will continue to be engaged in their own profession professional growth. One example of this is our future training for our administrators and district leaders. will be participating around system strategy and return on investment or ROI. This work will help our leaders better understand how to measure the impact of the initiatives happening in our schools and departments. It's about asking what's working well, what isn't, and how do we know? That kind of reflection is powerful. It shows that our leaders are not only focused on academic growth, but also on being wise and responsible steward of our resources. By learning how to analyze what's working and what isn't, they're strengthening their ability to make decisions that truly benefit our students. And that's exactly the kind of leadership that builds trust and excellence. So, as we continue this work this year, as always, let's remember that our commitment to becoming the best place to work and the best place to learn is always centered around humanity, listening, honoring, and uplifting one another. So when we approach learning and leadership through that lens along with having a highly focused impactful learning along with aligned resources we not only strengthen our schools and our student academics but we will continue in turn to strengthen our community. So thank you. This evening as usual we will have a regular part of our superintendence report is the points of pride. When we share our points of pride, we're taking time to recognize and celebrate our scholars, staff, and our community members who are contributing to the accomplishment of our mission. So, I have members this evening of our district cabinet here to assist in sharing some examples from last month. >> Our first area is in the area of achieving dreams. AIO Senior High School is one of just five schools in the state recognized as a 2025 National Banner Unified Champion Schools by Special Olympics Minnesota. The group said the Unified Champion Schools go above and beyond in creating environments where students with and without intellectual disabilities learn, play, and lead together. Check out AIO Unified Club on Instagram to follow along with the fun activities the AIO Senior Unified Club offers. Congratulations to the 10 seniors from Maple Grove Senior High School who earned National Merit Commended Honors. Congratulations to Aash Baga, Ann Choco, Andy Wyn, Ellis Landry, Isaac Lundine, Scarlett Moresy, Kate Nelson, Jason Palmer, Gabrielle Samberg, and Julian Cell. Students at Basswood Elementary School celebrated their fun fun run fundraising success on October 9th with their rendition of the mask singer. Staff members dressed up in inflatable costumes. Hi um they hide their identities, danced along to songs such as Dance the Night Away, Thunder, Shake It Off, and Golden. Students then guessed which staff member they thought was the one in the inflatable with the microphone. The event featured a special guest, our very own Superintendent Dr. Kim Hy. In the area of contributing to community, Garden City Elementary School students got their hands dirty while they learned about trees this month thanks to a partnership with the nonprofit organization Tree Trust. The organization came to school in midepptember for classroom education day where students learned about the importance of trees for cooling, clean water, and air as homes for animals and more. The group returned to Garden City on September 24th to help each grade level to plant a tree of their own on school grounds. Each student helped to shovel dirt, spread compost and mulch, and water the new trees. In the area of lifelong learning, Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th through October 15th each year. And AIA schools celebrated the recognition month in several fun ways. One celebration took place October 10th at Park Center Senior High where the entire community was invited to take part in a festive, colorful event that included live music, food, various activities, and a program that featured multiple performances and a flag parade. This celebration was put on by OIO area schools family and community engagement or faith group in coordination with a group of student leaders. Additionally, some elementary schools created events in their schools, such as the Hispanic Heritage Museum in Palmer Lakes Elementary School's library media center and classroom celebrations at Garden City Elementary School, where classrooms invited parents to join in to help students create uh piñatas and take part in a readaloud activity celebrating Hispanic culture. At Brooklyn Middle Steam School, seventh grade students in Gateway Technology elective class learned the basics of coding in a unit called Secrets and Safes. Using critical reading processes as a way to build background information, students explored the importance of cyber security through reading the fictional story hacked. They then applied their knowledge to build and code their own security devices using various classroom materials and a micro:bit. Each fall, Birch Grove School for the Arts hosts a live uh lively evening event where families can come to the school and explore a wide variety of engaging art activities and projects with their students. Some of this year's family art night activities include button making, suncatchers, karaoke, uh puppet party, design making, don't know what that is, a or zen making. I think I do know what that is. a dance party and beed jewelry. The popular Drums Alive group lets visitors through an energetic drumming lesson with a large playground ball serving as drums. In the area of missiondriven employees, October is National Principal Month and we have been celebrating AIO area schools building leaders all all month long on our Facebook page. Check out our Facebook page to see the features and the great comments that have been left about our district principles. Thank you principles for all you do for our students. >> A a few final reminders and notes for this evening. This school year, we will be holding three community conversations are going to be held to understand from family and community members what is going well and what needs improvement as well as ensuring all feel valued and heard in our district. District leadership and school board members will host the event. The this first event is planned for November 5th. So to learn more about this visit, go to aioschools.org at community conversations. We welcome all of our community stakeholders and staff to join us at this event. Also, please join us for the OIO area schools information fair on Saturday, November 15th. That'll be held from 9:00 a.m. to noon at AIO Senior High School. You will be able to explore the full range of opportunities available for every learning in our area schools from early childhood to preschool to elementary, middle, and high school. Families can connect directly with school leaders and staff to learn what makes each school unique. The fair also highlights specialized program options that expand learning beyond traditional classrooms, including magnet programs 279 online, and community education. You can learn more about this at aioschools.orgfinfair. Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next agenda item is schoolboard reports. Director Dawson, do you have a reporter update? >> I do not. >> Director Foster, do you have a reporter update? >> Um, just a minor one. DAC started on the 6th and I was excited to see all the people that showed up for that. Um, I believe there were like 19 people that signed up for it. Uh I was only able to stay for a portion but excited to see where that group leads. >> Great. Director Brooks, do you have a report? >> Uh just very brief. Uh so we had the first rise committee meeting on 9:25 September 25th. Um which was essentially like an orientation and just getting back into the new school year uh with a pretty heavy focus on belonging. Um and the next meeting is actually coming up this Thursday. Um, and then I'll also have an update on the 279 Foundation um, at our November meeting. >> Director Tate, do you have a reporter update? >> Um, yeah. I think echoing what uh, director director Foster said about the DPAC. There was a lot of energy. Uh, they're asking a lot of tough questions. So, it's going to be it's going to be a fun group. I'm sure of it. So, um, and then also ECMAC. Um, you know, uh, that was last week, I believe. Um, again, you know, a lot of a lot of great parent feedback from that. Um, so looking forward to the conversations and the decisions that come out there, too. >> Director Mitchell, do you have a reporter update? >> Yeah, just um, seconding. I was on the call for ECMAC with um, Director Tate and that was on October 13th, kind of the kickoff and just kind of the overview of the agenda. We went over the capacity calculation review and feedback. also looking at enrollment projections um looking at some of the November 1 um data and like he said some of the breakout rooms it's just really helpful talking to other community members and having some staff that also have students in the district it's really helpful for some of the Q&A and clarifying and I also just wanted to take a moment to um just touch on a resource um that they're actually in Maple Grove having their kickoff tonight called Treehouse. It's a nonprofit organization and it's kind of a timely message thinking of the AVID directors tonight talking about the turbulent middle school years and I love what they talked about having middle school matter and not just be surviving. We want our kids thriving. So Treehouse has been around since 1984 and the Brooklyn Park location is actually really thriving. Um, Maple Grove's location is kind of starting out newer and smaller, but it's an excellent resource um, helping kids, teenagers to thrive, providing a warm meal and um, just in a safe non-discriminary discriminatory environment where they can build healthy relationships, learn coping skills, a lot like with AVID tonight, um, to navigate the obstacles of middle school and high school. So, please check out treehousehop.org or um if you want to help serve in that way or know a teen in need. One just kind of fun note is one of the um retired teachers, she had worked in our district for 37 years and she now is pouring into kids with um this organization. So I just think that's really neat to have that legacy go on from the district. So thank you. >> Thank you. Um I do not have a committee report but would just um echo that timely as uh for my Rotary Club this week Treehouse in Brooklyn Park was there and it's really interesting to see the um how they're refreshing uh uh their content and how they're serving students really focusing on that mental health aspect. Um so it's just incredible. So we're very lucky to have um them as a resource and glad to see it starting up in Maple Grove. just echoing that we know that our staff and teachers and coaches do so much more than their day job um and are often out in these organizations um leading and volunteering. So just um thank you to our staff um for all that you do uh above and beyond the classroom as well. Okay, moving on. Uh the next agenda item is the consent agenda. Board members, our consent agenda items this evening include meeting minutes, financial reports, fiscal year 2026 budget adjustments, extended educational trips and fundraisers, 20 grants, personnel items, a bid award for AIO senior high school signage, a resolution with the city of Maple Grove relating to approval of tax increment financing, and the 2026 2027 academic school year calendar. Are there any items that you would like to remove for separate consideration? Okay, seeing none, is there a motion to approve the consent agenda as printed? So move. >> Motion by uh Director Mitchell. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Second by Director Brooks. Is there any discussion? All in favor say I. >> I. >> All oppose? Nay. The motion carries six to zero. Okay. Our next item uh is our action items uh which is the second reading of policies. General counsel Amy Moore will share information on our action item which is the second reading of the 200 series policies. After the information is shared, we'll take action on all of the policies in one motion. >> Thank you. So these policies uh or the 200 policies, they've been posted for two months. Um have not received any feedback. Um, so there are no changes or updates to those policies at this time. If there's any questions, happy to take those. But, uh, that is the update. Nothing. Okay. All right. Is there a motion to approve the second reading of policy 203, operation of the schoolboard bylaws, policy 208, development, adoption, implementation of policies, policy 209, schoolboard standards, and policy 214, out of state travel by schoolboard members. So moved >> moved by director Foster. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Second by director Tate. Is there any discussion? >> Uh so the interesting thing about school boards is that we are self-governing. So these are the policies that govern the work that we do. So um we haven't had changes in the in the last few years. And we also do approve um in our organization meeting some of our ways of working. And so I just um thank the board for all of your work to effectively work together and um no need for changes at this time. Uh okay. All in favor say I. >> I. All oppose. Nay. Motion passes six to zero. Our last action item is gifts to the district. Is there a motion to approve gifts to the district totaling $37,46359? >> So moved. Uh motion by director Tate. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Seconded by Director Foster. Is there any discussion? Again, we just express appreciation to everybody who um helps support our district with these incremental gifts. Um it's very appreciated. All in favor say I. >> I'll post oppose. Nay. >> Motion passes six to zero. Okay. At this time, the board will be taking a brief recess and then reconvene in the forum room for a closed session. The session is closed pursuant to Minnesota statute 13D.03 for labor negotiations with teachers. Is there a motion to recess the regular meeting for 10 minutes and reconvene in the forum room for a close session? >> So move. >> Motion. So moved by Director Brooks. Is there a second? Seconded by Director Mitchell. Is there any discussion? All in favor say I. I. >> Oppos? Nay. Motion passes six to zero. The meeting is recessed at 7:03 p.m. The schoolboard meeting will adjourn at the conclusion of the closed session. Thank you.