Edina Public Schools — Transcript
Monday, December 8, 2025
Community Safety and Inclusion - Somali Community Concerns
Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Implementation at Cornelia Elementary
Truth and Taxation Public Hearing - 2026 Tax Levy
Legislative Action Committee 2026 Platform
Audited Financial Statements - Fiscal Year 2025
International Travel Approval Process Change
2026-2027 Course Additions and Changes
Concord Flood Risk Reduction Infrastructure Project
Policy 305 - Administrator Code of Ethics Review
Votes (11)
Approval of Board Meeting Agenda (with Holiday Letter Removal)
Dissent: None
Moved by Unknown [Early in meeting] · Seconded by Unknown [Early in meeting]
Board chair requested removal of board holiday letter from consent agenda to allow for minor edits. Board members proposed small revisions including word choice changes ('dedication' vs. other options), removal of 'always' from one sentence, and removal of an em-dash. All changes were characterized as minor and non-substantive.
Approval of Board Holiday Letter (with Edits)
Dissent: None
Moved by Unknown [Early in meeting] · Seconded by Unknown [Early in meeting]
Board members discussed and approved minor editorial changes to the holiday letter, including word choice refinements and punctuation adjustments. The letter was approved following incorporation of the proposed edits.
Excellence in Action - Cornelia Elementary Professional Learning Communities
Dissent: None
Principal Msika and Administrative Dean Santel Nilly presented the school's PLC implementation model, which includes weekly structured meetings where teachers analyze student data, discuss tier-one instruction, and receive administrative coaching. The presentation emphasized collective teacher efficacy as a driver of student achievement. A special November PLC focused on writing samples and vertical alignment, branded as 'Nacho Average Writing Rubric' to celebrate teacher efforts with the new Benchmark curriculum. Board members asked about plans to modify the model and how it addresses teacher workload and capacity challenges.
Truth and Taxation Public Hearing - 2026 Tax Levy
Dissent: None - hearing was informational; no vote taken
Director Woodard presented the state-mandated truth and taxation hearing covering Minnesota's education funding structure, the district's fiscal year 2026 budget, and the proposed 4.49% tax levy increase. Key points included: the basic education formula has lagged inflation by approximately $1,454 per pupil ($13.9 million district-wide); the district receives 61.5% of general fund revenue from state aid and 33% from property taxes (higher than state average); and resident tax impact varies based on property value changes and assessment ratios. Three public comment speakers (Shukri Ahmed, Sana Hersy, and Assad Deir) addressed the board regarding district messaging to the Somali community in response to national anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Approval of Consent Agenda
Dissent: None
Moved by Unknown [After recess] · Seconded by Unknown [After recess]
Board approved the consent agenda following the truth and taxation hearing and resumption of regular board meeting.
Legislative Action Committee 2026 Legislative Platform - Discussion
Dissent: None
Three student members of the Legislative Action Committee (Laya Skull, Hannah Hine, and Alvie Budro Borwa) presented seven legislative priorities developed through collaboration with MSBA, AMSD, and AASA platforms. Priority areas include: (1) stabilizing education financing through basic education formula inflation indexing and increased local optional revenue; (2) mental health support for students and staff; (3) safe school facilities with increased safe schools levy; (4) special education and multilingual learner support; (5) educator workforce shortage solutions; (6) career and technical education expansion; and (7) sustainable and modern school facilities. Board members praised student engagement and asked clarifying questions about mental health provider shortages, CTE healthcare pathways, and the possibility of adding mental health workforce development language similar to the 'grow your own' teacher programs.
Audited Financial Statements for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2025 - Discussion
Dissent: None
CPA Bill Lauer presented the district's audited financial statements, providing an unmodified opinion (highest audit opinion available). Key findings: general fund balance of $36.5 million (9% of budgeted expenditures, within policy range of 6-10%); implementation of new GASB 101 accounting standard for compensated absences resulting in $15 million restatement of beginning net position; two compliance findings regarding timely claims payment (2 of 25 sampled claims not paid within 35-day requirement) and unclaimed property reporting (7 payroll checks totaling $7,000 outstanding over one year not reported); no internal control findings. District spent $155 million in general fund, $5 million in food service, and $14 million in community service fund. Capital projects fund balance increased $5 million; debt service fund issued $100 million in refunding bonds saving approximately $8 million in future debt service.
International Travel Approval Process Change - Discussion
Dissent: None - board expressed support for process change pending implementation of reporting recommendations
Director Hubert proposed moving international travel proposals from discussion/action items to consent agenda items, citing a strengthened multi-level approval process involving building administrators, teaching and learning staff, and superintendent review. Board members expressed general support but requested continued oversight through annual summary reports addressing equity, accessibility, cost, and balance between international and regional/domestic opportunities. Concerns raised included: (1) ensuring cost and accessibility remain priorities; (2) documenting the breadth of regional and international opportunities offered; (3) acknowledging that expensive trips can never be truly equitable; (4) exploring low-cost or no-cost global learning alternatives (e.g., virtual exchanges); and (5) ensuring the consent process does not create perception that proposals are not being carefully reviewed. Seven international travel proposals for 2026-2027 were presented for discussion, including five from high school, one from Valley View, and one from Normandale.
2026-2027 Course Additions and Changes - Discussion
Dissent: None
Director Hubert presented course catalog updates including: (1) new AP Pre-Calculus course with prerequisite of Algebra 2 with 90% or better grade; (2) ELA course description changes allowing two classes to satisfy both fiction and non-fiction graduation requirements, broadening student pathways; (3) significant engineering course restructuring from year-long to semester-based classes to improve accessibility and schedule flexibility; and (4) enriched Spanish 4 course description updates. Board members requested: (1) consistency in prerequisite language across math courses (noting that AP Calculus AB/BC use letter grades rather than percentage thresholds); (2) enhanced communication with middle school families about pathway opportunities; and (3) clarification on whether enriched Spanish 4 is a new course or a description change (confirmed as description change).
Concord Flood Risk Reduction Infrastructure Project - Discussion
Dissent: None - board expressed support for moving forward pending receipt of detailed information
Director Woodard provided detailed analysis of the city's proposed underground stormwater retention facility at the Concord Elementary/Southview Middle School campus. The project addresses chronic flooding in the Concord neighborhood, which cannot handle more than 3.5 inches of rain in 24 hours (approximately a 1-in-5-year storm event). Board's three primary concerns were addressed: (1) Future construction feasibility - not possible post-installation due to underground structures, complexity, cost, and regulatory restrictions; (2) Current construction feasibility - would trigger $3 million stormwater upgrade costs if district disturbs more than 40% of impervious surfaces (currently 3,000 square feet short of threshold); (3) Traffic disruption - city assured minimal disruption with no road closures. Additional benefits include stormwater credits for future district projects and opportunity to reimagine McCarthy Field at city expense, potentially including turf softball field.
Policy 305 - Administrator Code of Ethics Review
Dissent: None - board member raised concern but indicated willingness to proceed pending further clarification if needed
Policy committee reviewed Policy 305, which was updated with current MSBA model language and Minnesota state statute. The only substantive change made by the policy committee was clarification that variance authority rests with the state board (Minnesota Board of School Administrators), not the school board, to address vague language in the previous version. Board member raised concern about the vagueness of 'reasonable action' language in section B regarding protection of students and staff from harmful conditions, particularly in the context of active shooter situations. Superintendent indicated that the language comes directly from state statute and that the district is willing to seek further clarification from NSBA or legal counsel if needed, though the policy's intent is to address planfulness around safety rather than crisis response protocols.
Notable Quotes (26)
I'd like to remove one item from the consent agenda, and that is the board holiday letter.
Our goal is that every adult in the building is bringing collective data to the table to look at to see what is it telling us about our student groups that we're working with.
We really took time to talk about how does how do the standards progress from one grade level to the next? How did the skills progress? What circles back? And really got a time to come together um as colleagues and really lean into that collective teacher efficacy which we know is one of the greatest indicators of achievement for students.
It would be fair to say that this type of approach really helps to try to shorten even though it's an implementation process and we got to go through that but the main goal of it also is to try to give them some support as they're trying to manage all the different workload capacity challenges that they have.
Nearly all major funding sources in the state of Minnesota are regulated by state law. The state sets revenue formulas that determine revenue on a per pupil basis for the most part. And they structure and highly regulate how much a district can raise through local property taxes.
A message of hope and unity should be shared with everyone not kept isolated as if only one group of people is affected. Hate and discrimination hurts us all.
Many school districts sent out district-wide messages offering hope, solidarity, and support that sets the tone that Adina was not one of them. We wanted a message that offers hope, solidarity, and support that sets the tone that Adina celebrates all members of the community.
To protect the basic basic education formula inflationary index and extend it to other components of the general education revenue to ensure consistent and predictable funding that keeps pace with actual district costs.
There's a lot of very common sense gun safety bills that just have not been passed yet. And I think putting attention and focus on those will increase student safety. And also besides materially increasing student safety, it's helping us feel safe in the school we're in.
I'm fully supportive of everything that's in here. A question slash comment that I had is under priority two for the mental health support for students and staff and I was wondering um one thing that I've heard um over the years is that there's a similar acute shortage of mental health care providers in our state um along with some of the special education supports.
All the data and disclosures that go into that document is the responsibility of district management. We come out and audit it to provide an opinion that goes at the front of that document as to whether it fairly presents the district's financial position and results for the year under audit.
You don't really have any control over those plans other than the number of employees that you hire. All of the benefit levels, funding decisions, investment decisions are made at a statewide level.
This is uh a comprehensive financial report, and it truly is comprehensive, and it's quite a beautiful report. So, if anybody is having trouble sleeping, um I would recommend that you check that out.
Everything that we're bringing to you again has been brought to several layers of people in the system before it is brought to you.
Thousands of dollars of trips can never be equitable. We're offering something that only certain segments of our population can ever pay for. And some people can fund raise, but there's a lot of people that this will never be accessible for. So, I just want us to be honest about what we're offering.
I sat in when we um some high school students had um conversations with um other high school students in Ukraine and it was live and they it was learned about each other. It was a virtual pen pal situation. Yeah, that was an amazing experience that cost no money.
If and when these come through consent, I really want to be able to see not just the international trips, but what we're doing from travel in general.
AP pre-calculus, um, it says as a prerequisite, algebra 2 with a grade of 90% or better. That is not consistent with our other math classes and how they're listed in our course catalog. Right now they either say um like must have um like must have performed well in the class or even for um AP calculus BC and AP calculus AB it says a prerequisite of an A or B.
I appreciate you bringing up what our course catalog has in relation to that and I'll follow up so that I can make sure that whatever we do, it's consistent.
If we can start to get them thinking about what are you interested in? we've got really cool things down the road to get to these classes. You might want to think about taking these classes now to make that easier.
Studies that the city and their construction or um engineering team have done um indicate that that um this neighborhood can't really handle more than three and a half inches of rain in a 24-hour period. Um that sort of storm is kind of seen as a once in every 5 years possibility.
All those parties indicate that a future construction post a regional storm water facility would not be possible for a myriad of reasons. Um mainly due to obviously the presence of those structures underground and placing something on top.
We would have the opportunity to reimagine what McCarthy Field looks like at the um city's expense. And so we would be engaged by the city and of course we would involve our stakeholders on seeing what that would look like.
The language in the policy previously led to board and there was confusion by some around was that the school board was that the board of school administrators etc. And in actuality the school board has no jurisdiction to provide licensing. And so the information really was specific to the state board which is why that language was enhanced.
Unfortunately I think my head and a lot of other people's heads might go to if there is ever, god forbid, an active shooter situation, what are we asking of our administrators? Because I think there's a wide variety of ideas about what reasonable action might be.
State statute and federal statute really give the benefit without mal intent. School district administrators and staff are protected.
Ordinances & Resolutions (6)
Administrator Code of Ethics - updated with MSBA model language and Minnesota state statute; clarifies state board authority for variance issuance
Developed annually in June based on data analysis; guides building leadership team action steps and goals
Comprehensive financial report prepared for ASBO Certificate of Excellence consideration; includes general fund, food service, community service, capital projects, and debt service fund analysis
Seven-priority advocacy platform developed by Legislative Action Committee including education financing, mental health, school safety, special education, workforce, CTE, and facilities
Community Comment Guidelines - establishes three-minute speaker limit, priority order for speakers, and content restrictions for public comment period
State-mandated annual report detailing education funding structure, district budget, and tax levy calculations; includes 39-page levy calculation report with 5,000+ calculations