Good evening. The regular meeting of the Independent School District 279 279 school board is called to order at 6:02 p.m. on August 26th, 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. Dr. Kim Hy and members of the superintendent's cabinet al uh those who can please stand for the pledge of allegiance. Director Tate, will you please lead us in the pledge? I >> aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Board members, are there any additions to the agenda? Is there a motion to accept the agenda as presented? >> So moved. >> So moved by Director Tate. Is there a second? >> Second. Seconded by Director Dawson. Uh is there any discussion? All in favor say I. I. >> All oppose. Nay. The motion passes six to zero. Our next agenda, standing agenda item is recognitions. We have no recognitions this evening, but uh I expect we will have many during the course of the school year. >> Uh okay, we are going to start with a presentation. Uh for our presentation this evening, executive director of community relations K Vala and executive director of finance and operations uh will share information on the dire district logo and signage. >> Dr. Chair Hy, Chair Prince, and members of the board, thank you for this opportunity to share this exciting new chapter with you on our new district logo and signage. Joining me tonight is John Morstead, executive director of finance and operations. So, first we're going to kick things off with a new district logo. So, why exactly did we need to change our district logo, right? Um, you see it's everywhere. I just as I was sitting down, I noticed the strategic plan posters need to change, right? Like you see it everywhere. So, that sounds like a really massive task. Well, it is, but it's one that we're going to be patient with ourselves as we um implement. Um, as I say to my kids at home, it's one step at a time, right? So, looking at our pre previous district logo, um, we know it's about 17 years old. I actually had to reach out to my predecessor, the um, fabulous Barb Olsen to find this out. She said, "It's definitely time to change." So, um, here we are. Um, it has some out outdated design elements, specifically like our fonts. Um if you notice um they have like the little sheer like little ticks on the end of them. That's kind of an an older version I would say. We have our triangles we've been using a lot. Our wave um previously etc. Um we also in our previous logo had that um ISD279 and AIO area schools kind of mixed together. Um, so if you shared all that, it was kind of a mouthful, right, with independent school district 279 AIO area schools all in one one bunch. Um, so there was also and we even had confusion amongst our community relations team, I have to admit, on whether it our previous logo was blue or purple. We all saw different colors there. Um, there's also just confusion on the meaning of the symbol. um it wasn't as versatile like you couldn't use it um like horizontally and vertically um very often. It was a little challenging um in the different things that we were sharing out and then we have new opportunities with all the things that we're doing with building a better future um projects and then we have a definitely an increase in our marketing efforts as well. So just saw some opportunities there. So what did the process look like? Um we had some background discussions. Um we have right a very large uh district and and just complicated structure with AIO schools district 279. So we really thought it was best to work um with an external organization. Um we chose a company called CEL and you might be familiar with their work already. They helped us with a lot of the design elements for our previous two referendums as well as our um first website redesign um in these recent years. Um so we started with a background discussion in March uh much of what we just talked about on that previous slide. We also had a discovery phase um with cabinet members, community relations and publication teams to really determine that kind of initial direction. So we did some some research things and I'm going to show you some examples of that here in a minute. Then we had two rounds of in-person feedback from those same teams in May and June and then we debuted our new logo to all staff in July. and then we've continued to share it as we meet with different groups during this m back to school season. So this is a first example of uh that discovery phase that I was mentioning. So it was just a really creative way to get some different ideas um at the forefront. So we took like some different uh styles of logos out there and the um kind of orange red dots that you see in the middle like every team member um kind of played around with that and interestingly enough we fairly landed in the same spot. So that was really helpful um for the um the team giving us some ideas on kind of where to head. Um and then this other um exercise too was was fun. It kind of brought on a lot of giggles. Um but really again um it was fun listening to everybody's explanation, but it was if the district was an animal, what would it would be and why? And that understanding that why was really um interesting. And we did the same thing with the beverage. Um so that was really helpful um for the team to get launched into really understanding the essence of our school district and and what we want to um bring forward. So this is a look at our new logo and you've probably seen this around and just even in our presentations that we've shared with you recently. It honors our history and looks ahead to the future and reflects our belief in one community for all bringing together our diverse schools and cities. The circular O suggests movement and connection. It represents growth, momentum, and lifelong learning. The journey that starts here and continues beyond graduation. And then at the center, a subtle eye, symbolizes our promise to truly see and support every scholar and staff member and voice in our community. The new colors, rich purple and warm marold, represent our leadership, optimism, and dedication to providing an excellent education for all. I also want to add that we're focusing on AIO area schools moving forward, kind of straying away from that district 279. And this is kind of a look at the different variations that you'll see. Um, and we've also have um you can see kind of in the middle left there um a lighter purple too. So that lighter purple we can add as that's a third color that we'll utilize uh the lavender. So you'll see that on some things as well, but primarily that purple and maragold will be used. So as I've shared, right, it's going to take some time. So just um be patient as as we work to the fully implementing this, but you'll start seeing it up here on digital and print communications. You probably saw it on our connect um or insider newsletter, potentially connect to newsletter today, even our website's been updated. A lot of our digital things are a little bit quicker. Um, and we're also our print shop um is utilizing it as things are going out. But I've told everyone that I've talked to, don't worry about like throwing everything out instantly. Like this isn't something that we need to add extra dollars to, right? Like as it's on schedule um to happen that you need an update, just go ahead and use those files moving forward. So um staff have been directed to the staff order for those logo files. They have also the Google Slides template that you've been seeing, letter head, and there's much more to come as well. Um, and then we'll be including this in new building a better future signage projects as well. And John's going to go through some examples of that here shortly. And then on the horizon, right, what's next? School logos. Um, this is uh what we're sharing. Um, all schools know about this. It's a refinement. Um, it's going to take some time to do this for sure. Um, there are some schools that are interested in more than a refinement, but we're we're just sharing um that we are looking for a refinement. Um really the timing continues to be right with building a better future pro projects and that increased marketing that we're doing. Um we're creating more cohesion with that one community for all and a strong presence just overall right not having clip art or varying iterations of different loss. We have some even in um just the the few that we work with so far there was one school that had like 30 different styles of of the one logo. Right. So, if as long as it's the same type of logo being used, that's one story, but it was all different styles of different ways of it happening. So, and then we had did have a couple concerns with like infringements like copyright, our trademark issues with a couple of our school logos as well. So, we just want to avoid that um any of those issues. Um and then right now we have our high school refinements that have concluded and we're working with middle schools. Um and then we'll move to elementary schools kind of following the the construction phase of things. And now I'm going to kick it to John to explain the signage that's that we've been talking about with building a better future. >> All right. Thank you, K. Good evening, everyone. Um, as part of building a better future changes, we'll be updating and standardizing both interior and exterior signage throughout the district. The goal is to continue to develop our brand and create a sense of community for all of our school buildings. Um, in starting with this process, we chose to start in the most visible place um that the district has, which is our three stadiums. We wanted to work and create a stadium experience to enhance both the experience for the student athlete and the um visitors coming into our stadiums. So, to give you the first look, this is Park C Center's main stadium bleachers. And if you are coming to our staff event on Thursday, you'll be able to see all this in person. Um, the pictures are great, but seeing it in person, there's a whole lot more detail that you'd be able to uncover, especially at Park Center. Um, if you're able to attend that event, here's a a view of AIO Senior High. Um, we worked with each building's leadership to make sure that we captured any themes that they are using with students and incorporate those within the stadium experience so it ties back to the buildings. Maple Grove Senior High, the stadium experience improvements um also include fence wraps in the areas leading up to the stadiums and uh one of the similar themes is showing a variety of athletes or activities in action um at each location. So, so you'll have an area where we're showing that for park center uniforms of sports and activities. Same thing at OIO, same thing at Maple Grove. So, there's there's similar ties as you're at each of the three buildings. Um, looking at the stadium entrances, these were all given an upgrade. So, in addition to the fence wraps, we also added stadium signage pictures that highlight the sports that typically use the stadium, such as track, football, soccer, lacrosse. I'm sure I'm missing something. Um, and also if a if there's a state championship or anything, there's signage that was added to to represent those near the entries rather than in other places within the stadiums. We're going to move to exterior signage. Um, we worked with our signage designer, Blue Label, to develop toolkits for both for the elementary, the middle, and the high school levels. Our signage design creates a seamless identity from elementary to high school, prioritizing clarity, durability, and school spirit with consistent elements, bold topography, modern aesthetics, and long-lasting materials. A unified branding strategy strengthens school pride while strategic placement enhances visibility, accessibility, and wayfinding for students, staff, and visitors. Um, so I'm going to go through each of the three here. So, for elementary, the rounded elements is the perfect um for elementary schools, offering a welcoming, playful aesthetic that aligns with child-friendly branding. Middle school signage represents the evolution from ele the elementary monument sign. It incorporates the circular fe uh features, but also adds forward moving angles to signify progression of the students academic career. It is a stepping stone between the playful nature of the elementary school and the seriousness of high school, signaling growth, responsibility, and a deeper focus in learning. Excuse me. Senior high symbolizes the final evolution. Strong angles represent progress and the journey into adulthood. This monument represents the transition from the school to the next stage in life, inspiring students to look ahead with confidence and purpose. It's a lot for signage. Um, wanted to give you an example of what does that actually look like in in reality. So, here's an example of the current signage on your left that is at Brooklyn Middle School and the new signage and how that will look in their entryway. An additional element is all school sites will have both vehicle wayfinding and pedestrian wayfinding signage. And here's an example of those. It would be for Maple Grove Senior in their colors. These should help students and visitors be able to navigate around our campuses, especially with the number of changes that we're making. >> We also can include some building identity signage such as the um like the letters for Maple Grove. Uh right now we're planning that the the letters for each of the three high schools will be displayed prominently on high parts of the building so you can see it from a distance. They'll light up just again to kind of add to that community pride as you're approaching. makes life easy for teams coming in to be able to see where the building is or what is that building from a distance. Just kind of helps with it. And we'll also add some uh pole signage the for the light poles in all the parking lots. So we have the ability to add signage there that can be multi-use. So it can be either directional or a pride element depending on the need of the site. Now we're going to shift to interior signage. Um, we've developed again tailored toolkits for elementary, middle, and high school for here as well, ensuring cohesive and involving evolving signage experience for students throughout their journey. Each of our students has its own unique signage needs. However, these toolkits will provide consistency and a foundation for any future signage changes. This is an example of the graphic that will greet you when you enter any one of our school district buildings. So, this is Brooklyn Middle. It's a map of the district boundary. is the big white map uh in the background that has the specific school um logo and also location says you are here. The one community for all branding with the district's new logo that K just unveiled for you. And then the word welcome is in I think 24 different languages around the sign. And so with each building, this will be customized to the school's colors and and in their front uh office area. As we continue with interior signage, um here's just an example of what a small classroom sign would look like. And again, we're following the same theme here as the exterior signage. So you have more rounded for elementary, kind of transitioning at middle school, and a little more angular to the high schools. We've also developed some options for each classroom. Oops, there it is. Um, so here's an example of a larger sign that has an area for flexible messaging that the buildings can control. Uh, a traditional classroom sign and then also a blade sign. What a blade sign is used for is it actually sits perpendicular above the door. So if you're looking down a long hallway, you can see each one of the room numbers that are down that hallway. a lot easier visibility especially for new students or visitors trying to find a location. Um just makes things a little bit easier and and again trying to tie that together. We we have a lot of schools that have done their own version of this today. So we're trying to again standardize that um and make it something that will last long term. Major areas throughout the building will also have area identification signage. And this is a a view of a couple um options at AIO Senior that they're just working on right now. We will also have interior standardized way find uh wayfinding signage throughout each building to be more consistent and again make it easier for students and especially visitors who don't frequent our buildings to be able to navigate around. If you haven't been in a school like AIO Senior, we've put 19 different additions on that building. It's kind of hard to find your way around. I've been in the district four years and I still don't know my way around that building. Um, stuff like this is meant to make that easier because today as you walk through it, there's five or six different versions of signage telling you which way to go, but they all look different. So, it's hard to catch your eye to go, "Oh, I'm looking for that orange sign that's going to tell me where I need to go." So, the consistency just just helps things out for people and makes it nice and easy and clean. And then finally, we wanted to be able to provide some experiential signage. you know, again, make work with the pride that each of our schools has. So, they can customize some things here individually a little bit if they'd like. Example here is uh the picture on the left is the O at AIO Senior what they wanted to put into their cafeteria. The middle as you walk into Brooklyn Middle, there's a large beam right in the middle of it, and that was their where they decided they wanted their BMS logo. And then also the one on the right is a graphic banner that was put into the BMS's new cardio area. So again, kind of going for their the theme they wanted in their cardio. They wanted to be able to call out. So we were able to do all those three options and add all those pieces. So lots of stuff with signage. Um we are going to, as Kay said, we will slowly work our way through all the projects and and be working on this. The ones you're going to see first is Brooklyn Middle will be the first school that's complete this fall. All their interior stuff is up now. We're we're finishing that and then the exterior um package is in production right now. AIO Senior's exterior package is going out for bid. Um, and we're doing all the interior stuff to match with um, construction so far, but we'll keep rolling that out. And again, as we keep going with the buildings, we'll keep adding them um, and working our way across. You will see things such as example I'd give you, if you walk into any of our um, high schools, the logo that's on the floor in the gym is still the old logo or whatever. as we come around and want to be smart with our finances as well as make that change. When the time comes every few years that we sand off the floor, we'll put the new logo back down then, but aren't going to make the change now because it's just not worth the money to do that when we know it's within a couple years here. So, so just be aware of that. You'll see it change slowly over time. And with that, I will say thank you and turn it back to you, Chair Prince, for any questions. >> Thank you so much, uh, Kay and John. Really great presentation. Uh board members, any comments or questions? >> Um well, this is like right up my alley as a marketing person. So I hearing all this, I love the consistency and seeing that that'll happen across all the schools. And so I appreciate what you guys did, the work that your team put into this. Um and the pride and unity that it's bringing to our district, I think is really important. because you go to the different schools, it's pretty interesting to see how they all have different personalities, but bringing that one community together will be neat. So, thank you for your work. >> Yeah, I um really appreciate the thoughtfulness in um flowing in the changes as that makes sense since changing everything can be really expensive. So, doing that wisely is um great. I love the consistency. I think it's really important that when people look across our district, they see that we all of our schools are to a high standard and that there's elements of consistency while allowing for um the uniqueness that's each school. So, it looks really good, really clean. Love the internal signage. Um really, really nice. So, great work. >> Um I could have used it tonight at our open house, by the way. I got lost. I'll get you. It's >> awesome. Okay, thank you. >> The next agenda item is audience opportunity to address the school board. Uh we do have one speaker tonight and I'll review the guidelines just uh for the sake of consistency and um future reference for those watching and listening. Um I know our our speaker has been here before and and knows our rules. So it's just for consistency. Uh the next agenda uh so I just said that. Uh so as a board we welcome all voices and strive for public engagement and transparency in our board. Audience opportunity is to address the board. Uh to address the board is one of many avenues to achieve this. To ensure all voices are heard, welcomed and respected in the boardroom, we ask that our audience members withhold applause and verbal response to all speakers. In the rare instance of a disruptive audience member, we will pause and ask that individual to remove themselves from the boardroom. Speakers will be called to the podium in this order. student, parent, staff, community member, and others. Please keep your comments to three minutes. Comment should be directed to the entire board, not to any individual board member. If you have a handout for the board, please place it on the information table or hand it to the board secretary. Sherry, the board secretary will provide copies to board members. The board and audience will listen and not respond back at this time. If you would like someone to follow up with you on your questions and or comments, please let the board secretary know. Personnel concerns 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 schoolboard. The complete guidelines for public particip public participation are provided on the meeting materials table and on the schoolboard section of the district website. When I call your name, please come to the microphone, state your name and your topic and whether or not you are a district resident. Okay, our speaker is uh Max Mayor. Come on up. >> Hello. I'm hoping my husband won't be disruptive. So, um, hi everyone. I'm District President Max Maher. Uh, at a previous meeting, it was said that the renewal of our membership with the Minnesota State High School League was not without concerns, but those concerns were not defined and not substantiated. More troubling still were the suggestions that the MSHSL, which had proposed no change to its transgender athlete eligibility policy, should amend it in ways that conflict with Minnesota state law and its protections for transgender students. The idea that inclusion can be achieved by excluding a protected class of students is not just contradictory, it erases students from the field entirely. That isn't just a legal misstep, it's a moral one. Because proposals like that don't solve problems, they create them. They inflame national culture war talking points that have no place in a local schoolboard meeting. And they single out a small, already vulnerable group of students for suspicion. While there is ongoing federal litigation in our community around athletic eligibility, no public evidence has been presented to show that the current policy has harmed student athletes. Not one specific example has been offered. Only abstract discomfort dressed up as concern. If we're going to be advocating for changes that could uh harm real people, we'd better have more than a feeling. We'd better have evidence. And if we don't, that's not accountability. That's scapegoating. If a complex individual case were to arise, one that required careful, fair evaluation, there should absolutely be room for that conversation. But sweeping statements excluding all transgender girls from sports aren't about fairness. They're about fear. And that fear stands in direct opposition to the Minnesota Human Rights Act and to the values this district upholds. Youth team sports are about more than competition. They're about belonging. In the cases we do have here where transgender girls have participated in our community, there's been no evidence of unfair dominance, no proof of imbalance. The only thing clear is the harm that would result if we strip them of the chance to play at all. Transgender students don't experience policy nuance. They experience rejection. The real threat to this district isn't inclusion, it's exclusion. And exclusion fosters a hostile environment that harms students. Students notice how we talk about these issues. They see whether they're being treated as controversies or as people. In the past, board members have cited our mission statement when defending their words. And I would just say if you truly aim to inspire courage in our scholars, I hope you model it from the deis. Define those concerns, defend those positions with facts and not coded language. So I ask, will you lead with courage and compassion, or will you let this district get dragged into a culture war that just doesn't have anything to do with what's best for its scholars? Thank you. >> Thank you. Our next agenda item is the superintendent report. Dr. Hy. >> Good evening, Chair Prince, Vice Chair Brooks, and schoolboard members. It is my privilege this evening to recognize a remarkable leader Tanisha Burroughs who recently served in the role of president of education Minnesota AIO. Tanisha unexpectedly passed away on August 13th of 2025. She was an advocate and a true champion for both students and teachers whose life's work has been dedicated to the heart of education. She has been a tireless advocate, lifting voices, standing firm in her convictions, and ensuring that every teacher felt valued and every student felt seen. She has been a bridgebuilder, bringing people together, fostering understanding, and reminding us that progress is only possible when we walk forward as one. Her work has been rooted in compassion. Her mission is always clear to stand for the well-being of those who teach and of those who learn. Her legacy is not measured only in years of service, but in the countless lives that she has inspired, the classrooms she has touched, and a trust that she has built. She leaves us with the reminder that true leadership is service. And true service leaves a mark that lasts us long beyond our time. We thank you for everything that Tanisha gave our school district and the state of Minnesota and beyond. Points of pride. A regular part of our superintendence district report is to share points of pride for the district. By sharing our points of pride, we're taking time to recognize and celebrate our scholars, staff, and our community members who are contributing to the accomplishments of our mission. This evening, we have members of our district cabinet here to assist in sharing some examples from last month. In the area of achieving dreams, the week of August 11th, practices kicked off for fall sports and activities at Maple Grove, AIO, and Park Center senior high schools, including cross country, boys and girls soccer, girls tennis, girls swim and dive, cheerleading, marching band, girls volleyball, and football. High school students from around AIO area schools have had opportunities to travel around the country and even the world this summer thanks to clubs and activities at district senior high schools. Park center senior high school students in the school's outdoor adventures club recently took a trip out west to the Badlands and Yellowstone National Parks. Art students from Maple Grove Senior High School uh traveled to Japan and Maple Grove Senior High band and orchestra students were able to explore Italy. Sorry. in the area of contributing to community. On July 29th, do students who have spent their summer at Northwoods Park with Brooklyn Park Recreation and Parks got a special lunch surprise when the new OIO area schools nutrition services food truck rolled up. The food truck run in collaboration with Second Harvest Heartland provides a hot and delicious meal free to anyone 18 and under. Jeff M. Sorish, director of food and nutrition services, said, "Our new food truck allows us to expand our reach to ensure more children in our community have access to wholesome meals, particularly during summer break. During the school year, we look forward to featuring the school truck at events like all school barbecues. It's a great opportunity to expand access and create excitement around healthy food for kids in our community." And in the area of lifelong learning, this summer over 5,500 students were engaged in the community education summer programming across the district in multiple school locations. Early childhood family education program offered classes such as learning and nature outdoors at the nature play area at Harborview early childhood center and baby yoga. Youth enrichment and targeted services part targeted services programs offered fun and engaging summer enrichment activities and camps for school age students to explore many interests through camp rocks academic adventures and mini camps. Summer Kidstop offered daily programming at Rice Lake, Woodland, Oak View Elementary, and the Oakview elementary schools. Kidstop offered a variety of field trips this summer for students entering kindergarten through fifth grade, including the Minnesota Zoo, Valley Fair, the Works Museum and Nickelodeon Universe, and more. Building a better future construction projects have been taking place at schools throughout the district this summer. Many of the schools are receiving updated library, media centers, and maker spaces, as well as outdoor classrooms. Construction will be ongoing at OIO and Maple Grove Senior High schools and at the new elementary school throughout the school year. Middle school age can be a challenging time for parents and caregivers with respect to summer break since many students have outgrown traditional child care options yet still need supervision during the workday. Enter two programs run by Ociary School's Community Education that work to fill the gap. Game on at Northview Middle School and OMG at AIO Middle School. At these programs, students spend time on a wide variety of enrichment activities such as cooking, games, crafts, sports, academics, socializing, and even opportunities to explore new skills such as recent orienting lessons at that led OMG students to their local ice cream shop. In the area of missiondriven employees, Robert Johnson, Fair Oaks Elementary School's building engineer, grew up attending Acior Schools from grades K through 12. The 1992 AIO Senior High School grad now lives a fair distance away from his hometown, but that doesn't stop him from continuing his career within the district. Learn more about Robert in our latest grad spotlight on our district website. With openhouse nights and the new school year looming ever closer, Posio Area School's dedicated custodial staff are working hard to ensure buildings are in excellent condition for students and staff. We are beyond grateful for their care and dedication. >> And we have a few final notes and reminders for tonight. Our newest elementary school needs a name, so please consider sharing your ideas and rating other submissions. And this can be done via aoschools.org/newele. We're also so excited to welcome students back for the 202526 school year. Um it's our turn on September 2nd. That's the day after Labor Day. So for important back to school information, please visit aioschools.org uhbacktoschool. Here's to a fabulous new school year. >> Thank you. Our next agenda item is schoolboard reports. Director Dawson, do you have a report or update? >> No. Director Foster, do you have a reporter update? >> I do not. >> Director Britz, do you report? >> All right. Director Tate. >> Uh, none for me. >> Director Mitchell? >> No, just dates in my calendar for the upcoming committee meetings this year. >> All right. I do have a report. Um, the BBA uh the Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth Joint Powers Board met um just last week and um we covered the executive director's performance review um which was very positive. Um there was a review of the strategic plan uh priority reports and budget and a few things I just wanted to mention in that review of the strategic plan. Um a couple findings. So um of note over the past 20 this was for the 2023 2024 year uh BBA engaged over 800 youth in different ways. Um, and they have a number of different uh programs, internships, and leadership opportunities, including Brooklyn's Youth Council, Youth on Board, Reimagine Youth Interns, Reimagine Youth Space, Reimagine Summits, Youth Data Squad, Youth Participatory Evaluation, Free College um, Free College Campaign, Youth as Facilitative Leaders Training, Culturally Responsive Tutoring, and um, affinity groups. So they're doing a ton of work uh with youth from the Brooklyn and uh when they looked at their SWAT analysis just a few highlights from that um really the strengths include the relationship building with partners across the different sectors mission and communitydriven amplifying youth voice um managing their funding streams um strong support from their partners uh and engaged network and then uh a few weaknesses um as As I mentioned, there was a lot of activity. So, um managing uh ensuring communication channels are getting out because there's so much going on, challenges with the funding cycles as we know. Um there's a lot of pressure on budgets and a lot of changes at the uh federal and state level. Um and then limited capacity from partners to support all of the different ef efforts. Um so those are just a couple of the highlights from the strengths and weaknesses. And um if you're not uh receiving uh some of the information, I can always pass that on along because this is a significant partner for us. So those are just a few highlights from the more board meeting there. Okay. Our next agenda item is the consent agenda. Board members, our consent agenda items this evening include meeting minutes, financial reports, personnel items, grants, investments report, uh the Crest View demolition bid award, and a contract uh for secondary curriculum. Are there any items that you would like to remove for separate consideration? >> Seeing none, is there a motion to approve the consent agenda as printed? >> So moved. So moved by Director Brooks. Is there a second? Second. >> Seconded by Director Mitchell. Any discussion? All in favor say I. I. >> I'll post. Name. >> Motion passes six to zero. We have one action item this evening and that is gifts to the district. Uh tonight um we have gifts totaling 7,400. Um which is a little light but it's summer. Um, and we know that uh every month we see some really big numbers and we're very grateful for that. Um, so is there a motion to approve gifts to the district totaling $7,400? >> Moved by Director Brooks. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Seconded by Director Tate. Any discussion? All in favor say I. >> All name. Motion passes six to zero. Okay. Um, our next item, ourformational as anformational item, uh, and it includes the first reading of a number of policies tonight. So, it's going to be the Amy show next. >> So exciting. Thank you. Um, so this will be the first reading of policies. Uh, they will be posted on the website for a month for feedback from our community, from you as well. Um and then up for a vote next uh uh month, not next year, next month. Uh the 200 series are part of what we will be going through uh which are board policies. Um so that those are the ones I want you to really study this next month and communicate with me if you think that there are changes that you'd like to see in that. Uh and then come September, we can discuss if it's ready to be voted on or perhaps we need another month on those. But so we'll start with policy 810 school facilities. Uh not much in the way of substantive updates more um you know just numbering properly um and some small changes adding um that we look at educational adequacy and equity there in 2 A5. Um and yeah, not really much of any substantive updates there. Just uh more about some uh clarifications. Any questions on that? All right. Uh next policy, policy 811, naming school district educational facilities. You'll see more strikeouts on this. Really the big change in uh this policy was to remove the ability to name uh the facilities or even areas within facilities um uh name them in uh honor of people. Um we removed that as a possibility. Focusing more on um naming areas for programs, communities, geographic areas uh was where we preferred to have that focus. Any questions on that? Uh procedure 811 uh on naming district educational facilities then follows uh that uh change that we did in the policy and then also did a change of as we know policies are the board policies the procedures are really about the administration's um implementation. So you'll see there in A1 that the instead of the school board managing the process, that's the superintendent managing the process of naming school district facilities. And then you'll see in 2E it's the school board will vote then on that name that comes forward. Um and also kind of focuses on our awesome community relations team that manages the process. We took out some of the details because uh we wanted there to be flexibility. The communication community relations team is really great at uh really overinforming on what a process will be and it might need to be tailored to whatever is being named at that time. Uh was the idea behind um providing a little more flexibility in that. Then in policy then now we're getting to the 200. So we first have policy 20 uh 03 operation of the school board. These are essentially your bylaws. Um as I reviewed these policies quite honestly they're in good shape. Um from a legal perspective in the 200s I didn't see much in what really would be helped by any updates legally. Um, so it really is more how you operate as a board. You will see these policies are fairly dense. I'm not going to sit here and read them. Um, I will uh send you uh MSBA um bylaws. Uh they are the kind of model policies just so you have something to look at. Um if you're interested in other policies, I can certainly pull things from other districts for you. Uh but yes, policy 203 pretty standard about how you operate uh as a school board and that goes on for a few pages. Uh quite dense. So over the next month, you know, you're on a you know, rainy night, cuddle up with these. And feel free to reach out with any questions. Um what wasn't published uh but we'll make sure it's published is the uh procedure to um oh wait a minute. Yeah procedure to 203 which is about appointments to temporarily fill board vacancies. That's shorter. It's just a one and a quarter page u procedure. And again in reviewing it at policy as well like it's it's done really well. It's pretty clear and to the point without uh any confusion, but we'll make sure that gets published and and out to you. Um policy 208 uh development, adoption, and implementation of the policies. This one fairly short and to the point and um you know, like I said, really no legal update changes that would be needed and kind of the heart of what the board does. uh one of the more important things that you do uh procedure 208 development adoption and implementation of policies you'll see as well uh fairly short as well in regards to policy adoption how it gets disseminated and um it's being reviewed potentially in that you know is considering whether we include in there the fact that we're doing a three-year um rotation of of the policies and we still are on track for that policy uh 209 is uh called your school board standards. Um you know if you look at it to assist the schoolboard member in understanding your role you know kind of what your duties are as a school board member. um fairly straightforward policy. One of the thing that we also considered and I will send to you is whether you would like to also include a policy on uh ethics that would apply to board members. We have a policy of ethics that apply to um staff. uh and a lot of districts will have like a code of ethics policy for specifically for school board members. Um so I will uh include that as an option potentially to discuss if that's something of interest. We can discuss it um next month and then vote on it the following month. But right now it's kind of uh what you have there are these standards. Policy 214 is one of your shorter ones. Out of state travel by school board members. Um pretty succinct on um how you can travel and um have it approved and reimbursed if that's something you want to do. Um I don't think it's something that happens terribly often uh with this board. And then the procedure is just that guidelines on what's permissible and what the uh reimbursement procedure would be. So that's the extent of the 200 series that you'll want to dig in. Are there any kind of comments or questions just on that right now? >> I just had a clarification on the 203 >> the operations. So it it when it talks about members um it says six members. Is that something that you know there had been I mean over the years there's always been talk about seven or like what what does MSBA what is the model kind of like practice around that? I'm just curious is this where that would be a discussion or is that just is this not >> like not necessarily in the policy. Okay. I think that would be a bigger discussion like the one of the last districts that Minneapolis school district did it but that was done through a vote um and when or it was done through legislation um and um I think it was put to the voters as well >> and then solidified in legislation. So it's something more than policy. >> Okay. Thanks. Um we also do have our board ways of working. So um we approved that in January. So some of the ways that we work or the ways that we hold ourselves accountable are not in policy but they're um we approve them in January too. And we also have um professional development where we talk about board effectiveness. So um policy is not the only means that um that that we uh discuss or hold ourselves to standards. We all know that, but just for the public. >> Thank you. >> Good point. >> Okay. Um I guess I I I would be curious though um if there are board members that would like to see a specific code of ethics policy um for board members that would be a separate standalone policy in the 200s. Is that something of interest? We so we have discussed this multiple times in the past. Um this was sent to policy committee um and sort of state with policy committee. Um so policy committee wants to revisit it again. Uh we certainly can but um there hasn't been an appetite to move it forward yet. >> Okay. And to Director Prince's point, there are other ways that the board holds itself accountable. >> Yeah. Um but yeah, certainly I'll see or Amy know if there's interest in um some of the things that she mentioned earlier. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So the 900 series then policy 901 community education policy uh there were no updates needed to this policy. So we recommend um keeping it as it is. Policy 902, use of school district facilities and equipment. The uh policy itself is pretty straightforward as you see. Um and also we uh advise no changes or updates needed for it at this time. What you will see is the procedure for 902 has uh received a lot of update and the focus of this update was rather than having all these links to different fee structures um similar to what we saw with um other areas uh there's a community there's a um the community relations or sorry the community educations department has basically basically a handbook and guideline about how you are able to utilize facilities, get a permit and it's on their website. Um it's easily accessible and all of the information needed is on that website. So what they've done in the procedure is to highlight some of the more important provisions and then keeping that uh website really available to be updated um as it's needed. um it's also much more accessible to folks um and have it kind of all in one place. So that was the idea behind a lot of these updates that you see where you see all of the crossouts is trying to not make the procedure so long that it becomes really not readable and it's quite a long procedure. So then policy uh 920 employee giving campaigns another fairly short um policy that uh we don't advise that any changes are needed at this time. Policy 923 distribution of materials for students. Um, another policy that we advise is uh still good and we don't see any uh changes that are required for this either uh for the procedure for 923. Um I missed providing the correct uh procedure. There are some updates that I will make sure will be published uh for this next month. Uh the updates are really uh to the procedure are instead of uh for like having an 8 and a half by 11 page um flyer uh we want it to be less than 50 megabytes in size. More people are not necessarily doing paper but you know sending stuff to us uh electronic. So kind of acknowledging that those types of updates and then policy 924 school volunteers um it's been working for us the way this policy has been written and uh similarly no changes or updates um would be needed for that >> um for procedure 924 >> Amy could I pause you real quick before we move to volunteers no sorry I know you're on a roll um for the volunteer section for pol polic policy um and it may fall under procedure, but I thought we had talked about um asking schools to do background checks and like solidifying that that would be our procedure instead of um leaving it up to the schools for anybody that would be student facing. >> Sorry, I will make sure that that gets put in there. >> Okay. >> Into the policy itself >> and it may have been in another spot, but I remember we discussed it, right? Yeah. Okay. I'm sorry. I didn't >> Oh, nothing. I was just confirming I had had it right that we talked about it. >> No, you're correct. We, you know, there's also the procedure where we reference the update we referenced was um linking to um where you can find our application page and kind of the requirements to become a volunteer. And some of that is in there, but you're we were going to include that in the policy as well. Background checks. Um, do we explicitly state anywhere like what would preclude somebody from volunteering? Like what in their background? >> Does it like lay it out >> anywhere? There's there's a statute in particular, but you know, generally, of course, any crimes that have happened against minors um become fairly automatic. >> Um we look at, you know, crime, >> you know, the big ones like murder, um assault, you know, when it comes to crimes like theft, you know, that's something that's not necessarily going to disqualify you. It will also depend on what type of volunteering you're doing, like are you taking concessions? you know, and handling money >> or are you, you know, helping students read? So, we also look at >> when it happened, like was it 20, 30 years ago? Has there been anything intervening? Um, so there's a lot that kind of uh goes into when you look at a background check and comparing that with what exactly are they going to be doing and will there be supervision at that time. >> Thank you. Yeah, I'm just kind of I was curious just because I you know there's a lot of work that's also being done around you know restoring people's rights and just like you know ensuring people are coming back into our community and you know um and I know like you know I look at like the vast we have like in you know Minnesota there's a lot of people in probation like a lot you know um compared to any other states and you know I just am curious because we want you know families to be involved obviously responsibly but um but in just ensuring it's reflective so that you that we are also thinking through like just wanting people to kind of stay involved and part of their community. So >> absolutely >> and um that is the last of them. >> Okay. Thank you general counsel more. Are there any other questions or discussion? >> Right. And uh there is a link on our policy page for the public to provide any uh input um on policies we're reviewing or any other policy at any time. All right. Thank you. Our final agenda item is adjournment. Um well before we adjourn, you know, like Dr. Hal said, it's the start of the school year. There's a ton of activity going on. um exciting things u new ideas like at Park Center um with uh their uh their um I'm going to say pirate palooa event. So it's fun to see the experimentation and innovation and um hopefully we can do um each year we just get better and better at welcoming families and being creative. So um um of course the whole board extends a kind of welcome back to school that'll happen before our next board meeting. And any other comments about back to school before we adjourn? >> All right. It's going to be a great year. >> Yeah, it will. It will. >> I mean, I'm I'm excited to send my kids back. So, >> save. >> Okay. Uh, is there a motion? Uh, oh, there's not. Okay. Of note, there's not going to be a negotiation or closed meeting this evening. Is there a motion to adjourn the meeting at 6:57 p.m.? >> So, moved. >> Moved by Director Brooks. Is there a second? Second. Second. >> Seconded by director Mitchell. All in any discussion? All in favor say I. I. >> All oppose. Nay. The motion passes. Passes 16 and our meeting is adjourned.