The Edina School Board held a work session Monday to preview major decisions coming later this month, including the district's fiscal year 2023-24 budget and a new security system for school buildings.

Director Woodard presented the preliminary budget, explaining how the district addressed a $4 million shortfall through cost-cutting measures before receiving historic increases in state funding. The budget includes a 4% boost to the basic education funding formula and a significant expansion of state aid for special education costs. Special education revenue will jump from covering 6.43% to 44% of the district's special education expenses over the next four years. Woodard emphasized the importance of maintaining financial reserves, comparing the district's fund balance to a savings account needed for "unforeseen circumstances be it global pandemics or unexpected enrollment declines." Enrollment is now rebounding after pandemic-era losses.

The board also discussed implementing the Raptor visitor management system, which would replace paper sign-in sheets at school entrances. The system scans visitor IDs against the national sex offender registry and flags individuals restricted by custody agreements or court orders. "The two things that Raptor really gives us is one, who gets access to the building, but also who is in the building and accounting for those individuals in the event of a crisis," said Natasha Monsos-Daly, a district administrator. Board members Shaw and Green raised concerns about added workload for front office staff and how the system would handle large events like concerts or open houses. The board discussed providing de-escalation training for staff who may need to turn away flagged visitors.

In other business, the board heard updates on the district's literacy initiative, which showed reading proficiency gains across grade levels, and learned about a reforestation project at Highlands Elementary that replaced 106 ash trees lost to the emerald ash borer beetle with 85 new trees and shrubs. A parent also addressed the board during public comment regarding a discipline matter at Concord Elementary, citing district policies on student discipline and bullying.