Minnetonka Public Schools — Transcript
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
School Board Recognition Program - Athletic and Academic Achievements
School Board Officer Elections
Clear Springs Elementary School Report - Fifth Grade Student Leadership Program
School Board Organizational Matters
2026-2027 School Board Goals - Draft Presentation
Sale of 2026A General Obligation Building Bonds
Votes (22)
Swearing In of Newly Elected and Re-elected School Board Members
Board members took oath of office to support the U.S. and Minnesota constitutions and faithfully discharge duties as school board members of ISD 276. Family members were invited to take photographs with newly sworn-in members.
Election of School Board Chair
Moved by Dan Olsen [Timestamp] · Seconded by Karen [Timestamp]
Dan Olsen nominated Kimarie Foss for Board Chair, citing her long dedication to the district, optimism, and welcoming presence. Foss was elected unanimously.
Election of School Board Vice Chair
Moved by Tanya [Timestamp] · Seconded by Megan [Timestamp]
Tanya nominated Dan Olsen for Vice Chair, highlighting his leadership as board treasurer and ongoing law school training applicable to public policy. Olsen was elected unanimously.
Election of School Board Treasurer
Moved by Megan [Timestamp] · Seconded by Karen [Timestamp]
Megan nominated Sally Brown for Treasurer, praising her responsibility, institutional knowledge, and long-term family presence in the district. Brown was not present but was aware of and accepted the nomination.
Election of School Board Clerk
Moved by Karen [Timestamp] · Seconded by Megan [Timestamp]
Karen nominated Mike Remacol for Clerk, noting he is the second-longest tenured board member and provides service through committee assignments and District 287 board representation. Remacol was not present but was aware of the nomination.
Election of School Board Deputy Clerk/Treasurer
Moved by Paul Bourgeois [Timestamp] · Seconded by Unknown [Timestamp]
Paul Bourgeois was nominated for Deputy Clerk/Treasurer position and elected unanimously.
Clear Springs Elementary School Report - Fifth Grade Student Leadership Program
Assistant Principal Elizabeth Johnson and School Counselor Courtney Davis presented the fifth-grade student leadership program aligned with board goal of excellence in well-being, connection, and belonging. Four subcommittees (Safety Patrol, CS Shines, CS Cares, CS Connects) were described with student leaders demonstrating their roles. 115 of 148 students serve in leadership positions. Board members and student board representative Sierra Lindamman provided positive feedback emphasizing positive reinforcement, bravery, and future leadership potential.
Fixing Time, Date, and Place of Regular Board Meetings
Moved by Megan [Timestamp] · Seconded by Dan [Timestamp]
Board approved regular meeting schedule for 2026 as presented in attachment. Dates and times had been available for review for approximately one month.
Fixing Time, Date, and Place of Board Study Sessions
Moved by Karen [Timestamp] · Seconded by Tanya [Timestamp]
Board approved study session schedule for 2026, held on the third Thursday of each month throughout the school year as listed in attachment.
Setting Salaries for Board Members and Officers
Moved by Megan [Timestamp] · Seconded by Dan [Timestamp]
Board approved salaries for Chair, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Clerk, and Board Directors. Salaries have remained unchanged for recent history.
Resolution Designating Financial Depositories
Moved by Tanya [Timestamp] · Seconded by Karen [Timestamp]
Board approved resolution designating nine financial institutions as depositories for district funds. Superintendent Law recommended approval based on existing relationships.
Designation of Official Newspaper for Legal Publications
Moved by Karen [Timestamp] · Seconded by Megan [Timestamp]
Board approved Sun Sailor as official newspaper for legal publications and alternative dissemination of bids and quotes, a statutory requirement.
Designation of Official Radio Station for Emergency Announcements
Moved by Karen [Timestamp] · Seconded by Tanya [Timestamp]
Board approved WCCCO as official radio station for emergency announcements regarding school closures and other emergencies. Superintendent Law acknowledged that radio usage for emergency information has declined but remains a statutory requirement.
Appointment of District Auditor
Moved by Dan [Timestamp] · Seconded by Karen [Timestamp]
Board approved Clifton Larson Allen as district auditor for 2026. Clifton Larson Allen has served as auditor for over 25 years. Annual auditor appointment is required by Minnesota statute.
Setting Superintendent Evaluation Dates
Moved by Megan [Timestamp] · Seconded by Unknown [Timestamp]
Board approved superintendent evaluation schedule: February 19 (midyear), June 1 (self-evaluation), June 11 (board development of evaluation), and June 16 (board review of evaluation). Dates align with school board policy expectations.
Setting Mileage Allowance for Business Purposes
Moved by Dan [Timestamp] · Seconded by Unknown [Timestamp]
Board approved mileage allowance of 72.5 cents per mile for business purposes not covered by negotiated agreements. Rate is adjusted annually based on IRS mileage rates.
Approval of Board Member to Intermediate District 287 Board
Moved by Tanya [Timestamp] · Seconded by Unknown [Timestamp]
Board approved Mike Remacol as Minnetonka School Board representative to District 287 board for two-year term beginning January 2026. Remacol has served in this capacity for an extended period.
Determination of Board Committee Assignments
Moved by Karen [Timestamp] · Seconded by Dan [Timestamp]
Board approved committee assignments for 2026 as discussed at December work session. Megan reminded board members that substitutes can be arranged if scheduling conflicts prevent attendance at public committee meetings. Karen Jordan expressed interest in attending Finance Advisory Committee meetings with Sally Brown.
Presentation of 2026-2027 School Board Goals - Draft
Dr. Jackie Getty presented draft school board goals for 2026-27 organized under three pillars: (1) Excellence in Well-Being, Connection, and Belonging; (2) Excellence and Innovation in Student Learning and Support; and (3) Excellence in Leadership and Organizational Support. Goals include action items on welcoming environments, social-emotional well-being, bullying prevention, outstanding instruction, literacy improvement, middle school programming, experiential learning, financial stability, facilities, staff recruitment/retention, stakeholder relationships, and nutrition services. Board emphasized incorporating community feedback and addressing emerging concerns around technology and mental health. Goals will be shared publicly via school board news and community postcards with feedback opportunities. Final approval expected in spring after additional refinement.
Approval of Sale of 2026A General Obligation Building Bonds
Moved by Karen [Timestamp] · Seconded by Unknown [Timestamp]
Board approved sale of approximately $55 million in general obligation capital appreciation bonds at 4.69% interest rate to fund facility improvements. Paul Bourgeois provided comprehensive presentation on district's AAA bond rating from Moody's (only 97 of 13,598 U.S. school districts hold this rating), explaining rating methodology and historical context. District's AAA rating reflects strong educational reputation, voter support, and financial governance. Bond sale was highly successful, completed by noon with multiple subscribers for each coupon. Funds will support: (1) middle school improvements including science labs, gymnasiums, and performance venues; (2) high school Epic security system installation ($1.2-1.5 million); and (3) internal modifications. Board members praised the thorough task force process and emphasized importance of maintaining unassigned fund balance for both bond rating and financial flexibility.
Approval of Consent Agenda
Moved by Megan [Timestamp] · Seconded by Unknown [Timestamp]
Board approved consent agenda items without discussion.
Board Reports and Announcements
Board members provided reports on upcoming events and initiatives. Kimarie Foss announced Dream Makers Foundation fundraiser on February 21, 2026, which supports all students in the district and has funded Vantage Momentum building and technology. Megan noted that discounted pre-order tickets are nearly sold out. Karen announced that CASE (Community Action for Student Education) committee is seeking new members for legislative advocacy at Minnesota State Capitol, with meetings planned for January/February and a capitol visit. Superintendent Law acknowledged student board members for attending the meeting on a busy school night.
Notable Quotes (25)
I swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the state of Minnesota and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of school board member of Independent School District number 276.
I nominate Kim Key Foss for board chair. She's been dedicated to this school district for longer than I've been a resident of Minnotonka. She's got the optimism and hope that matches the optimism and hope that our teachers and paraprofessionals and administrators bring to this job every day.
I would like to nominate Dan Olsen for the position of vice chair. Dan has already shown his leadership as board treasurer and with his ongoing training in law school, I think he is well suited to use that training as it pertains to public policy.
She has been very responsible. She has really embraced the role of a school board director. She has institutional knowledge. She has been in the district with her family for many, many years and I'm excited for her to take on a more leadership role on the board.
Mike is now the second longest tenure member on our board and provides prestigious service through his committee assignments and as well as a member of the district 287 board on our behalf.
We wanted it to elevate student voice and really bring their voice into our decision-making and school operations. And we also wanted to foster a really strong investment in our school community, not just from the leaders, but having the leaders model that for all of our students at Clear Springs.
We serve as a CS core value role model on your bus being responsible, respectful, safe, and ready to ride. We love helping younger students walk to and from bus as needed.
I love, um, seeing the theme of positive reinforcement popping up. Um, I heard it with the keeping the classrooms clean, but especially on the buses. I think that's such a great idea because it's one of the places that we as a school district aren't necessarily always able to monitor as well as we can in our buildings.
I just wanted to say I'm so proud of you guys. I'm in student government as well at the high school. This has been my third year on student government. I did three years in middle school. I just like looking back at my fifth grade memories. That was the time that co started for me. So seeing this opportunity for you guys to like really connect with your grade and like take this initiative so early in your life. I'm just so proud of you guys.
I'm not sure how many people still listen to a radio station for emergency announcements, but just in case, uh we have been using WCCCO as the uh station that we go to with emergency announcements for school closings, etc.
I just wanted to remind everybody that uh we do appoint these representatives, but if you can't make it to a meeting for some reason or um there's a scheduling conflict that you can reach out to the rest of the board and look for a substitute so that we are able to have somebody there if possible.
The school board reviews the district's past goals and the progress in achieving those goals. considers input and feedback that we received throughout the school year from board presentations as well as from staff, students, families, and the broader community.
These goals are ongoing, right? So, we're not setting brand new goals every year. We're revising. We're taking feedback and we're um making tweaks based on what we're seeing in our schools and in our community. And I thought that there were kind of two that we did make slight changes to that I wanted to point out. Um we get these reports from the school principles and the cabinet and the administrators. And one of the things that we added was that we want to hear not only about the successes because it's great to celebrate our successes, but we also did mention in there that we do want to hear about the challenges or what feedback they're receiving as concerns.
And then also we did kind of beef up the section on digital literacy and technology in response to um ongoing just kind of community input around um concerns about mental health and technology use and students.
These just being draft goals that we're looking at. This the these aren't just the goals of seven people who are sitting up here. We want these to be the goals that reflect the community. So, if you have any other feedback, if there's anything you want to add or you think that we should be monitoring, please let us know.
I would like to draw attention to one of the newer things that the board has been talking about, which is the experiential learning. And I think for the public to know that's the real skills, the real life that we're trying to make sure every one of our Minnotonka students has the opportunity to experience through Vantage Momentum programs like that.
AAA obligations are rated AAA they're judged to be of the highest quality with minimal risk... our bond rating very attractive to the to the uh people who buy these types of bonds.
There are 13,598 school districts in the US right now. Now Moody's rates 97 as AAA which is 7 of all school districts. There's another 99 um um uh 99.3% of all districts then are in essence rated lower than than us.
The thing is they gave us an assigned rating and um the the reason for that is um quite frankly it's it's the interview that we do with them. That's where we sell the district's going in the right direction. Uh, you know, always 100% truthful. We tell them about the ups and downs, but um, we talk about, you know, the management philosophy of the district and of the board.
It's like the Kansas City Chiefs going to the Super Bowl. They get there, but you have to win it. You have to earn it every time. It it's just not given to you... every bond issue, uh, they look at everything and and, uh, and they start from scratch.
We are going to try to make this money stretch as much as possible and and work as hard as possible... we're going to work hard to try to get that N1 at the end.
I was on the task force and we visited every building and I think it was an incredibly thorough process and there was a lot of lot on the wish list um was paired down to where it this is really great work and a lot of people in the community participated and a lot of people at the district level and very excited to be supporting this.
I think that you really highlighted something that we added to our goals this year, which was the importance of maintaining the unassigned fund balance. Um, because not only does it really impact our bond rating, which gets us a lower interest rate, but also using that res unreserved money, we would be gaining less interest on that money in that account. So, it's like a it's like a two-pronged thing that shows the importance of maintaining that balance.
Dream Makers coming up on February the 21st for the public. Mark your calendars because it's going to be epic. It is the It's the party that you don't want to miss. It raises money for every single student in our district.
The case committee that we'll be that Sally and I be working on on together. Um, which is a community action for student education is looking for new members... Um, we would love to have more people from the community join us. Um, we'll be advocating at the state legislature for uh, Minnetonka.
Ordinances & Resolutions (9)
Approximately $55 million in capital appreciation bonds issued at 4.69% interest rate to fund facility improvements including middle school science labs, gymnasiums, performance venues, and high school security system installation
Historical $33 million bond for school building construction; final payment due February 2, 2026
Community-approved referendum that authorized the bonding projects now being implemented
District maintains highest-tier bond rating; only 97 of 13,598 U.S. school districts hold AAA rating; rating reflects strong financial management and educational reputation
Multi-year initiative to improve student literacy through teacher training, research-based materials, early screening, and progress monitoring
Framework for implementing social-emotional well-being and mental health support across the district
Mental health and suicide prevention initiative; board committed to implementing recommendations
Security system to be installed at Minnetonka High School; estimated cost $1.2-1.5 million from bond funds
Second-year implementation of revised middle school model; board committed to monitoring effectiveness and financial sustainability