Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Mhm. >> Make a list. So I'll make you feel better. I'm going to ask ChatGPT. So audio is live. Um and uh I know that our community has been waiting for um us to to start the live stream. So welcome. Thank you all for tuning in. Um we just concluded our round of interviews with our finalists and we are really grateful not only to the candidates who came um for that but for everybody who participated in this process in um and a special thank you to those who hosted our candidates all day um across the district. Um you all invested a lot of time and effort into this process and we are eternally grateful. We have gotten um to our feedback. It is here before us. That's part of what, um, the board members have been doing since we wrapped up the interviews is, um, pouring through your feedback, um, on the three candidates. We and, um, so at this time we're waiting for our feedback on the interviews to be tabulated. And while we're waiting for that to happen, I'm going to invite the board to, um, begin the deliberative process. We will start with our first candidate who had, um, an interview with us today that is, uh, Rebecca Forde-Doerr, Forde-Doerr. And, um, just to invite each board member to go around and say one to two positive things about the interview and the candidate. And then, um, we will have board members who did additional reference checks share a summary of those. So, um, Clerk Wilhelm Garbers, would you like to begin the positive? Uh, sure, I'm happy to. Uh, well, first of all, I just want to thank her, along with all of our candidates, for the time and intentionality in which they have participated in this process. Regarding her, a couple things I would like to highlight. One is, it was very clear that there is a deep alignment, in her own language, of a heart, we are a heart match, of her own values with our district values, and that was incredibly clear. I would also want to highlight that, um, she is seems very much to be a both and leader, pairing together things that often are seen as being contrasting, particularly, what does it look like to bring equity and excellence, uh, being listening and collaborative, while also ensuring that we have implementation and action, these sorts of both and things. Those were two things I appreciated a lot about her. Thank you. Two things I wrote down first and foremost, I wrote, it you know, it just came across that she is a genuinely kind person. Um, and I appreciated that about her. Uh, the other thing that I wrote down is that she had clearly done homework on the district, um, and um, and then it seemed like she had enjoyed her time on the tours and and closed with, you know, I I wrote a quote, it'd be an honor. Um, so clearly had done her homework and then seeing the fit for herself personally. Um, I also wanted to thank her for her time and her investment. She clearly has a heart for education, for the students, the staff, um, and even the families that she identified as our kids' first educators. And she identified herself as a learner and a collaborator over and over again. And a powerful piece to support her collaboration was finding commonality with people even if you begin a conversation seemingly opposed. And her speaking to the the importance of that and finding how like at our core, what we really want when we're engaging in these difficult or potentially difficult conversations is what is best for children. And that that is that's the center of the work that we do. Thank you. Um, I was struck by um, her question to the board, um, in that it boiled down to her question for us was what what does community need from me? And I feel like that kind of encapsulates her her presentation in a nutshell, her interview experience, very focused on community, relationships, collaboration, listening, getting to the heart of an issue. I also liked her response to one of our questions where um she she called out mental health and specifically the way to address that is social emotional learning and the the value she placed on that it you could tell it was really high. Um and she spoke to in particular the way she saw that um manifesting in different spaces across our district and I thought that was really um really powerful. What what I really like about um Rebecca is she had a lot of um she she emphasized collabor- collaboration a lot in her um in her answers and made it a central point that she is looking to um build with community and not on be like to build with community um and about community. Um she was um a partner. She She emphasized that she's a partner in this work with us and that um she wants to have as many people at the table as possible um to help us um execute the Vision 2031. And so that's what I got from her, especially when she said uniting communities around a shared promise. That's really powerful to me because um identifying a shared promise amongst different communities can be difficult, especially in this day and age. And so, with that being a priority of hers was really key to me. And then also, I did also challenge recent like her question around like what does community need from me? Um it it it what it demonstrated to me was that she's looking for um you know, community to be to to help lead her in the work that she's doing with Hopkins. And then also, the question about keeping the politics out of the classroom. And she talked about the um having those hard conversations and not shying away from them like addressing them head on and having it thoughtfully and intentionally, regardless of what side of the aisles you're on. She um was candid about her um intentionality around difficult conversations. And so, I really like that from her. Uh yeah, one one item on her response from gathering input where she talked about adopting a new math curriculum and she had a very structured way of gathering the feedback. It seemed very intentional and strategic. And I I think I really liked her thought about piloting it as well with educators kind of being at the forefront of that, getting that feedback and making improvements and scaling it up. I thought that was very uh shrewd. And I think it really I uh could have really good outcomes. Um I also like that she had in her answers inner connections between the different questions, right? Where she said, you know, hey, this we talked about this and here was my answer for that previous thing, but this is also, you know, the flip side of that coin and also related and I think she really demonstrates some nuance there that I really appreciated. I thought Becky was incredibly authentic, warm, comes off very approachable. Um and she seems like someone that community teachers, other stakeholders would gravitate towards. Like she's just feels warm and kind and respectful in that way. Um and I also really like how relationship focused she is. She talked about she's a relationship leader. She collaborates over and over and um I think our district really wants to build trust and transparency and you can only do that through building strong relationships. So, I appreciated that about um her answers. Um so, then uh Treasure Heartland and I spent the this week um doing reference additional reference um calls and having conversations with um different people. So, we're each going to give a a summary of those um conversations. Would you like to start with your summary of Rebecca's or would you like me? I'd be happy to start with. Great. Rebecca. Um as Chair Endresen mentioned, we had the pleasure of doing reference checks for all of our candidates over um between last Monday and this Monday. And people fell all over themselves to recommend Rebecca Brogier. A quote that I got from one of her references was "She has a heart of gold and is the best I've ever worked with." Um over and over again people referenced that she was deeply experienced and active. She's proactive. She's visionary. Can respond to needs and then support initiatives so that programs endure and this person gave several examples of initiatives she began during her time in leadership that have continued to this day, sometimes for years. Uh she's a skilled mentor and nurturer of talent. Very accountable and has the unique style of calling people in versus calling people out. Someone referenced her ability to see systems and find the levers to pull to change outcomes. And she openly owns any mistakes and constantly grows. And uh one person mentioned she has experience with both huge and very small budgets. Um I spoke with uh colleagues, uh staff, students, and community members which um includes uh caregivers. She is and this is a summary of what I heard from them. She is consistently described as a highly skilled communicator who leads with grace, especially during challenging periods. Um contributors highlight her tenacious problem-solving abilities and her unwavering commitment to inclusive education and professional development for all staff members. The references emphasize her active community presence and her unique ability to remain calm while navigating complex district dynamics. Ultimately, the collective feedback portrays her as a visionary and empathetic leader who is prepared for a superintendent role. Dr. Bardor's, I'm going to really love knowing how to pronounce her last name. Her leadership style is characterized by a blend of directness, deep empathy, and a strong commitment to equity. According to sources, her defining characteristics include direct and responsive communication, calm and resilient conflict management, a focus on equity and inclusion, supportive and empowering staff leadership, tenacious and practical execution, and high community visibility. Thank you. And And I'm sorry, I forgot to add that I spoke primarily with board members, um teachers, and administrative either peers or supervisors. And a lot of people had dual roles, too. So, you would get a couple of bangs for your buck. Um So, then we can move to our second candidate. Um And I did just briefly want to mention um before we get too far down this road that through this whole process we've been reminded um repeatedly by MSBA to that we will be getting um some unsolicited feedback on these candidates. And um just that it is our job as board members not to dismiss that feedback, but to um use discernment in how it is coloring our our deliberations here. So, just wanted to remind everybody that that's part of our role um in this process is to to make sure that we're um we're giving everyone a fair and reasonable assessment. So, our second candidate is um Andrew Beaton. And Director Hyman, would you like to start the round robin of strengths? One to two, please. I thought Andrew Beaton's presentation was by far the most effective and direct and targeted. Um I think he's he comes off with precision and he's very precise uh and direct. And I see that really as a positive. Um And I really liked his question that he had for us at the end. What are you most proud of that's happened in Hopkins? I feel like we talk a lot about um how what opportunities we have and sometimes don't always think about um what we're really proud of and I I appreciated that he wanted to to turn that narrative at the board table. Uh yeah, it just to piggyback on what you said um uh his I really appreciated that his uh uh presentation fed into a lot of his his answers as well. It seemed like it was a uh you know, a real thing that he's put a lot of thought into and um you know, did he didn't set aside his priorities, but he used them to kind of talk about what he would do in certain situations or or how he is as a lead education leader. So, I thought that was very authentic and I liked that a lot. And it's clear that he understands a lot of our challenges as a district. He spent a lot of time talking about some of the things that certainly we hear from community and we experience as well as the board. So, he talked a lot about that and I thought that it was very apt some of the things he said and some of the challenges that he thinks we have. I would say for for Andy as well that I really like that he touched on safety and security and the different aspects that is underlines within safety and security such as like psychological safety which a lot of folks dismiss as we focus on like the physical security of like staff and students. And so, having a plan for your mental health in the workplace was really a key factor for me when he mentioned that. And then also I really appreciate his analogy around turning over the rocks and then like getting the like looking at the wiggles under it cuz sometimes me even about turning over a rock and you see a bug under it like you run and scream. But like turning over a rock and then just facing your fear of what's under that rock really does stick out to me as the transparency of what needs to change and like you are there to turn over that rock regardless regardless of your fears. And so, I really like that. And then also putting metrics around vision 2031 and having some some data driven having some data driven metrics put around the goals and the priorities under vision 2031 and making it from turning from aspirational to um action. And so, I appreciated what he said about that. And then, his equity work that he had done in different places. Um I also appreciated his question to us. I thought that was a a really nice um way to start off um to get us talking about what what we're proud of. Um and I appreciated his um his response to closing the achievement gaps. Um I think that he um what really struck me was that he experienced classrooms that weren't even um teaching to standards and how that changed. All students deserve to have um education that is standards-based. For me, I was struck by Andrew's sense of humor and joy. And also, he did bring a strong command of data and systems and metrics to um his interview today. And that kind of shined from his presentation um through the end of his interview. Um one thing I would mention is you know, I I thought a number of times he did a great job of providing a concrete example of something that he had done that went toward the answering the question. And And one of the ones that I was struck by was when he talked about his time as a principal in Bloomington creating single-use bathrooms. Um you know, well, it seems well years before this has become a you know, a a topic now. Um so, that was the first thing I I wrote and then um I I agree with a lot of what has been said. I I think to just add one thing is you know, not only putting metrics to things underneath Vision 2031, but then taking that step further and and really naming to be able to operationalize the vision was something I was just struck by how much thought he had put into that. Two things I'd want to note about um just what I appreciated about him. The one is that he began his presentation with his own why. And and I think I found myself um as I was hearing him just this sense he talked about the hopes and dreams our community has and grounded from his own why. Like he he told us his hopes and dreams. And it made me to the question of, you know, and what am I proud of? What are my hopes and dreams as well? What do we hope and dream for this district? And so I thought that was a through line that was profoundly human and also aspirational in in a practical vision. What are your hopes and dreams and here's the why that comes into fruition. I think another thing I want to highlight that I really appreciated was the the courage that it takes as a candidate to be honest, to come into an interview in a district and say, here's the beautiful things that are happening. Here's your aspirations and I love this. And we have some opportunities and some work to do. And I'm going to lean into that and name that cuz it can feel easier to do an eagle stroke of just everything about you is perfect. Great. And so I that felt very uh real and like something tangible that um both can celebrate and bring forth the best of who we are while also continuing to uh improve as well. Um so, I can share uh a summary of my reference checks. Um I spoke with a student and a community member. Um the student valued his supportive listening and being empowered by Beaton uh giving her creative credit and the ability to lead with her ideas. Beyond his professional competence, he is consistently present within the school community noting his attendance at athletic events and his ability to build personal connections with students. He is described as an administrator who prioritizes follow-through and seeks collaborative ways to improve the district. And I spoke with an administrator and a teacher. And they mentioned that he likes to bring people together and can build community. That he not only raises expectations, but helps people reach those expectations. Um that he has learned a lot um in his last couple years and has experience negotiating with unions and handling all kinds of um situations that a superintendent might encounter. He is kind and funny and a quote from one of his references what he is he is not just a manager, but a really good leader. Okay. And now we can move on to our third and final candidate, uh Dr. Michael Thomas. Um Clerk Wilhelm Garbers, if you would like to start the one to two positive strengths. Yeah, thank you. Uh the two things that I would want to highlight, um about as he shared with us today that I appreciated. One is that he decidedly a both and leader. So, uh equity is about each and all. And these sorts of things just kept coming back and forth where he he was able to name that uh frequently about the sense of the both and and holding those tensions in ways that the vision and the action, the embodiment and the theory. You know, these sorts of things he he held a lot of tensions together in a way that I really appreciated. Uh another thing I really uh valued about him is the way that he brought together the sense of vision with alignment and action and how data uh and reliance upon that can help us to really lean in in ways that help us to author new chapters and raise the tide together. And so, vision, alignment, action informed by data to help the the tide rise higher for everybody. The first thing I wrote down was clearly passionate and genuinely cares. Um I thought that just he he exudes a a love of, you know, public education and the promise that it holds that, you know, theory of of the tides bringing everyone up. It just clearly comes across with him. And you you know, something I would build upon that I heard Clerk Wilhelm Garbers mention is you know, there's there's the theory and there's the research and the theory and you need to marry that theory with the boots on the ground, the reality in the classroom every day. And and you know, the fact that he thinks about that um is really important. Thank you. Yes, I perceive him as deeply experienced and thoughtful and committed to education. Um that came through with his every answer. He has very strong leadership and oversight experience and just spoke over and over again about collaboration about raising expectations and kind of about seeing things, students, classrooms, systems holistically. And he provided concrete examples from his work, which I appreciated. Thank you. Um I also appreciated that um that in in in all his responses, there was that concrete example, but not only of his experience, but of what he saw today here in Hopkins. I heard that in I think almost every answer he had an example of something he had an experience he had or an observation he made while he was here in our buildings. And not only that, but he tied it back to when he was here 9 years ago and he could see the growth and the difference and um tied it to himself. I I felt like that just shows a depth of perception and thoughtfulness that not often um can comes from someone in a leadership position like that, that can be very far removed. Um and I I I loved um that he ended it by saying he he hopes he can call Hopkins home. Um and I just I felt that from him, that tangible real energy of of wanting to come here and to continue the work and to be part of the community and um yeah. What I appreciate about um Dr. Thomas was first his his is um his exceptional financial stewardship and expertise around school finances was key to me um because it is one of the things that we have been have been saying as a shared goal is to make our district is more fiscal fiscally responsible and he have named that several times throughout just like the entirety of the interview of his deep knowledge and understanding of school finances. And so that was a key expectation for me and also his extensive experience with equity and designing equity different um different equity um practices, I will say. I didn't really get the initiative part from him. It all was more so like a practice, which I really appreciate when we when we take things from being an initiative to then being an embedded practice and um that's what I was learning from the stories that he was sharing in his um in his responses and um also just that mentorship that he plans to bring to like staff and then he talked about staff capacity, which is another thing that I think was a very strong point because a lot of the times staff are overworked and there's a lot on their plate, which impacts the operations of a district. And to relieve to relieve them of some of that um some of that uh to I'm sorry, to help them um alleviate some of that capacity through operations um inefficiencies uh he was strong in that area. So, I appreciate him bringing that into the perspective in as well. Yeah, I uh Dr. Thomas has uh a lot of experience and it definitely shined through in his interview questions um especially around uh uh the academic achievement gaps. Uh his question I thought there was very very strong where he talked about how you go from that theory uh of the case and uh pushing it through uh via standards and policy with monitoring and everything like that and uh told a very uh compelling story about how uh we he closed some of those gaps uh with some really really uh great results over in Colorado. And um just overall uh you could tell that his answers um had a lot of nuance to them that uh I think you have to discover in many ways after becoming a superintendent, right? Like there's there's a lot of expectations and a lot of differing priorities that you have to kind of coordinate. And uh you know, there's not unfortunately um for some uh you know, an alternative to having those. It's just you know, you have it or you don't, so. One thing I appreciated about Dr. Thomas was his response um when we asked him to share his perspective on the importance of gathering input from the community and other stakeholders. And he said, "Better decisions are made when we make them together." And he also mentioned, "The higher the stakes, the higher the engagement." And I really liked the fact that he doesn't seem like the the type of leader that would make a decision and you know, in his office by himself or in the back room. You know, he's he's going to talk with um with teams and experts and the community and stakeholders before making a decision. So, I think that demonstrates to me that he has um sound judgment before making a recommendation. He really makes sure he understands um all perspectives when making decisions. And um I also really um liked the I'll just mention what what Director Thompson also said that while he leans into research and theory, he talked about boots on the ground. And I think that's really important that we can um you can read as many books as you want, you can get get get as many degrees as you want, you can write dissertations and do all the things, but if you can't implement, um then what's the value? And so, I really appreciated his emphasis on his um ability to operationalize, implement, um take theory and put it into actual practice and outcomes. Thank you. Uh Do you want to start with your reference summary reference checks? Yeah, that would be great. I spoke with a couple of administrators and a couple of teachers about Dr. Thomas. And again, I think um Chair Andresen and I had the experience of having so many people like be recommended to be his reference that we couldn't actually get to them all. Um one person said as a quotation, "Education and its betterment is his personal mission." And quote, "Hopkins will be a great match with Dr. Thomas." He was described as down-to-earth despite his impressive depth of knowledge, um that he knows how to onboard and get up to speed quickly, that he knows how to support people in all of their roles and gave some really examples of um various administrators that he has mentored and led and even uh school board candidates and how he helped and supported them in their run. Um they Several people mentioned his financial expertise and his um ability to align resources to desired outcomes. Um multiple references talked about you know how he he mentioned that people will like kind of tease me about my truth, trust, and transparency. Several people referenced that yeah, he says that and and does that. Um he is Multiple people mentioned how active he is at all levels of legislature from Minnetonka backyard and Prior Lake up to the federal level trying to change the education landscape. And then one thing that struck me was every person said that it will be a real loss for Prior Lake if we hire him and that we would be lucky to have him. Thank you. I spoke with community leaders, parents, and former school board members. Um and often they're dual role people. The contributors characterized him as an exceptional superintendent who balances a visible presence at school events with high-level legislative advocacy for education funding. He is specifically praised for his diplomatic leadership style, his dedication to equity inclusion, and his ability to remain calm while navigating challenges. The accounts highlight his authentic personality and his talent for fostering personal growth in others through meaningful connections. Each expressed a desire to keep him because he is a visionary administrator who consistently prioritizes the welfare of his students. Dr. Thomas's leadership style is defined by authenticity, empowerment, and a solutions-oriented approach. He is described as a remarkable leader who works hard to do what is right for the community and public education. The leadership style is defined by diplomacy and calm, problem-solving, advocacy, equity-driven, and adaptability. Sources note that he lights up when he is around students and is deeply engaged in building relationships with them. His focus is always on what is best for students. And that concludes our strengths. Thank you very much. Uh I really appreciated hearing what you all noticed and it is clear that you paid very, very close attention to the answers that all three finalists gave you. So, thank you for that. I'm going to very briefly review two things, uh the tours today and the EMD forms. So, I'm going to pass this out first. I think I'll just start over here and ask you to pass it around the board table. I'll start with a a very high-level overview of the tours, and I want to thank the staff at Hopkins Public Schools that put these together. I think it was a very valuable exercise to include them in some feedback. So, today uh there were tours held at four locations. Uh the first was Eisenhower, XingXing and HmongTawb. Another was the central office, also North Middle School, and Hopkins High School. At each of those sites, uh there was a mix of staff and students, except for at Central Office where there was about 12 staff uh with multiple reps from each department. And uh for example, at both the middle school and uh Eisenhower, XingXing, and HmongTawb, there were about six staff, about two students, and another four students that joined them for lunch. And then at the high school, there were four students participating and about eight staff. So, at each site, in total, approximately 10 to 12 students and staff participated in the tours. Uh cabinet members were also included with each of the three finalists and got to meet all three of them. Um and in terms of who from staff were at each of these locations, it included a combination of administrators, teachers, and support staff combinations at each of those sites. So, um almost 50 people. Uh the information that they submitted was on the strengths that they noticed, up to three strengths of each of the finalists, as well as any areas of growth that they might suggest, again, up to three. All of those comments were submitted anonymously. Uh, so they're not tied specifically to the students or specifically to, um, a staff member. And I think that allows people to be more, uh, candid in their input because they know that their anonymity is protected in terms of providing that feedback. So, thank you, board members, for reading through all of that. It was well over 20 pages of feedback, and I think those two are participants are participants did an excellent job for you. So, consider that input in addition to what you have heard from references and the strengths. And then the EMD form, I'm not going to spend very long on it. I'll just remind you that the exceeds, meets, disappoints scale, the more exceeds someone has, and you had that rubric that very clearly laid out what you would look for to have an answer exceed expectations, that's good. The more E's that there are, uh, the more D's or disappoints, that's not as good. So, it is an indication of how this board feels in general about the quality that the candidates of the answers the candidates gave you. Uh, it is, however, just one tool. You have a lot of items at your disposal to consider, uh, quantitatively and qualitatively when you make your decision about who you might enter into negotiations with for the next position of superintendent here. So, that's all I planned to share. At this point, I'd like to turn it back over to Chair Andresen, and the board can begin your deliberations about what you feel you might want to do next. Thank you, Barb. I want to express deep gratitude to you and your team for all the tools and guidance and, um, just the process, I think, went so well that, um, and a lot of that goes to you and your team. So deeply grateful. I also want to express my deep gratitude to Natalia who and I believe Nick and all the admin team that helped set up those tours. Helped us have great things to eat while we're having these long days and just everything you did. I don't think we even have an idea of the the little details that you took care of which we didn't notice because you took care of them. So thank you. And the the people who are on the tours, I know you spent your day investing in these candidates and in this process. So thank you so much for that and I agree this feedback was invaluable and we all take it very seriously because at the end of the day um you are the ones that are going to be most impacted by this decision. So your input is is vital to this process. So that being said, I would like to get an idea as the board has had a chance to look through all of our data that goes into making this decision. If we want to go around and maybe just name who you feel individually you're leaning toward for offering this position and there is also the option of not. Some boards do come to that decision at the end of this process that no one was the the right fit. So that is an option that I'm putting before you. So you have I guess four responses before you. Possible responses. Does Does want to go first and we'll go around or I can I can start. Um I would say that after looking at all the data, um I am leaning toward um Dr. Thomas. This is a very hard decision and I want to just say all the candidates did such an incredible job that you have us here at 10:25 p.m. making deliberations on how your greatness. Um so kudos to everyone who went through this process and then also going by the data and looking at all of the feedback from the tours, looking at the EDMs, looking at all of the answers. Um Dr. Thomas. Thank you. Director Jalal. Yeah, uh this is a tough decision. Uh I tallied my own sheet up and some uh they're they're neck and neck. Um so can I pass and you can you come back to me? Sure. Okay. I'm not leaning one way or the other yet. I'd like to pass as well. I mean I I see the pros of both. So I'd like to hear more discussion. So uh I would like to echo my colleague Vice Chair Roper in the just deep affirmation like a beautiful thing and again gratitude to everyone because I honestly feel like if we did go with any of these three candidates we would have a wonderful leader for our district. Which is a really amazing and humbling and a little bit mystifying and stressful moment to be board member. Um Uh that being said as as I consider uh the feedback from the board, from what we heard from uh the tours, and then regrounding my own self in the community feedback around what's important. Um for me there are two candidates that I would uh support equally uh being the next superintendent, and for me that would be Andrew Beaton and Dr. Michael Thomas. Um and I will eventually come to one, but I just would like to name that that I um all three are great. Given everything, those would be my my top two. Um echo everything that's been said. So appreciative of these three individuals' time, talent, what they shared with us. It's got to be a tough experience to make yourself as vulnerable as you are. Um I I agree with what's been echoed by a lot of people that I feel to me um you know, while all three could do the job, there's two that I'm excited about. Um and you know, I'm I never have a problem speaking my mind, so I I'll say I'm you know, slightly more excited at the moment by the prospect of Andrew Beaton. Um I think some of what he talked about regarding um or organizational operational excellence um just seems to tip it a bit to me at the moment. Um I'm happy to get into whys and wherefores later, but for the sake of conciseness, um this definitely is a matter of choosing the best among great candidates and and not a lack on anyone's part. Um, I am currently leaning towards Dr. Thomas. Thank you. Um, so for those who are not wanting to say, um, and those who are equally divided, do we want to have another round of talking about um, what we feel are the strengths of candidates? Would that be helpful or you just needing a little more time to look over the data? I mean, I can start. I it's is is really, um, is really tough because Andrew Beaton and the way that he articulates his work, um, and the work that he have done is incredibly, um, would be an incredible asset to our district, especially the way that he handles, um, conflict. That was one of the the major things to me. And also, if if I'm being fair and going off the data and based on one of the goals, the financial piece was a really big priority of the districts and that was like the tipping point for me was like the financial aspect. But it's I agree, um, well, all of them were incredible. Dr. Thomas and Andrew Beaton are neck and neck to me and it the deciding factor to me was the financials. So, that was that was the reason. Cuz both were great. Like, all three were great. So, just to clarify for you, um, Dr. Thomas displayed stronger around financials. >> Financials, yes. He displayed stronger around financials, but Andrew was around conflict this. Thank you. >> Yeah. Um, I will just share um the the reason um for my leaning toward um Dr. Thomas is one, his his depth of experience um distinguishes him for me. I feel like there will be no learning curve, um, not even learning about Hopkins. Um, he showed a deep understanding of conversations we've had recently at this board table and not so recently. Um, he clearly has been invested in the district and showed that through the comments that he made. Um, I don't think he'd be need to be brought up to speed on our audit situation. He wouldn't need to be brought up to speed on a lot of the conversations we're having at the board table. Um, and that felt really reassuring to me. Um, knowing that um there are some some stuff that we're that we're grappling with as a district and I feel like he's he's already has an understanding of that. Yes. I think one thing why I'm stuck what where where I'm pondering is to me um Andrew Beaton has the classroom experience. He has experience being a teacher and working all the way up through administration to the highest levels of administration, which I think demonstrates incredible leadership and courage and perseverance. Um for someone to go from a classroom teacher um all the way up to administration, I think he can relate in a different way to curriculum and classroom instruction than um someone that may not have that direct classroom experience. The other thing about um Andrew Beaton was he seems to be he he he's he's he he seems tough, right? He seems tough and he seems like maybe the parent that's going to give tough love. And that's I think what Vice Chair Roper was referring to earlier about picking up the rock and looking at the worms underneath the rock and figuring out what to do with them. Um I think where I'm that's where I'm struggling. It's like, do you want the the parent with tough love um who's going to be tough and I think get you know, make change and dive in headfirst and be forthright and honest and transparent. Um not that Dr. Thomas wouldn't be, because I think he would be all those things. I think his style is very different. And so that's where I'm struggling from a leadership perspective and current district needs who the better fit is at this point um given all the data we've collected um thinking back about the the survey stakeholder survey especially coming from the teachers um and thinking about what they valued and wanted to see they really wanted to see someone with classroom and curriculum ex perience and so that tips me towards Andrew Beaton while I think Dr. Thomas has broader deeper experience and I agree Chair Andresen that I think he could come in day one and I would trust him to be the captain of the ship um so that's where I'm that's where I'm stuck I'm just ruminating out loud hopefully it will help someone else come to some clarity Yep. As a as a fence sitter oh Go for it. As a fence sitter right I will say for for Andrew Beaton I appreciated that a lot his answers in the second round especially were much more succinct than you know I think he got to the point and was pretty laser focused on delivering the message and you know I I appreciate that as somebody you know potentially if he's the if he's the superintendent that there will be times where that's very necessary and probably by default that's necessary to be succinct and you know get to the point and like okay let's let's move on with that unless it you know unless the circumstance dictates some verbosity um but I I did appreciate that about his second round interview. Um while I appreciate kind of the uh Andrew Beaton's classroom experience, one thing that I was personally struck by was that despite not the traditional classroom experience, he does have class uh Dr. Thomas does have classroom support experience. And that he demonstrated over and over again kind of empathy for the plight of teachers and uh demonstrated kind of understanding and respect for the demands of that job. And for the kind of mental health and burnout aspect and just for the great load that they carry, not just, you know, for themselves and is their 9:00 to 5:00, but you know, upon which we're kind of building a society. And talked about the courage to say no to some things and the courage to potentially remove some burden from them in order to stay really focused on our goals. And that speaks to me very clearly. It's something that I worry about all the time. I worry about that. That's my gray hair inducing. That's my ADMs. Um, but is to think about what is it that we're asking of people who serve in public education? And how How is it sustainable? I mean, I don't I don't know the answer to that. I am in awe of people who show up every day. And so him speaking about that repeatedly in addition, of course, to showing um empathy for students of all backgrounds and goals and even administrators. I mean, he demonstrated that, you know, that you know, it's that they have a hard job and spoke to a very like a I kind of lobbied for this question 11 to be included. It is so important to me. But, I was really struck by the understanding and empathy he showed for our teaching and support staff. I'll just name where I'm at and what's impacting why I'm in the moment I am. Um I think part of it is I think they both when I look at what are areas of expertise, personal, you know, specialized, all the things I'm like check, check, check. Like, thank you. You all showed up and understood the assignment and just really nailed it out of the park with that and um I think too just uh Director Hyman, what you had named particular about um Andrew Beaton's presentation, uh the ways in which he came in with such clairvoyance uh around the beauty of our district and a real clear passion for education and our district and an ability to say, "And here's some opportunities we have." I just I thought his interview today was so profoundly strong. So, that's where like that's why I'm like, "That Thank you. That was, you know, so so great." And when I look at the feedback that we received from ourselves and from the tours, I that's where I go to Dr. Thomas because I think that he um he emerged more consistently as a little bit stronger candidate across the board in those spaces. So, I'm just acknowledging like I'm holding there like both great. Thank you for understanding the assignment. Oh, this is hard. Wow, the way you showed up tonight. That was so helpful. Um I mean, they both showed up really well and I particularly um was grateful for the way Andrew showed up uh in that particular way and then I end up being like, well, and as I look though at what the feedback in view of our what our community has told us they want and what people are saying and what we ourselves said, then I then I end up at we have to go with Dr. Thomas. You know, and so that's that's where I'm at of why um I think I'm feeling and it just feels weighty. And I'm feeling that too. I'm like, this is a big decision and we all love this district, we care, and so I'm feeling that too. Just to acknowledge that that's impacting my choice phobia. It It's a lot and um I I I think I named that when we were talking about how this would go. Like, the deliberations are the hardest part. Um, and you're carrying It It's heavy. It's a It's a big decision and it's it's a lot to consider. Um, and so thank you for naming that and putting that out there because I think we're all feeling it um right now. Because again, as Treasure Heartland said, we're choosing the best from great, which is a lovely position to be in at the same time. It would have been nice if, you know, who brought us bad candidates. >> they had made it easier for us, right? Like, that that would have been nice. So, yes. Um, I think that us having um increased conversation around um why we're we're thinking about each candidate is is a good conversation to have. So, thanks for that. Uh, Chair Anderson. Yes. Yes. Uh, well, I I think to um, Vice Chairwoman Roper's point about uh, the financial I'm looking at my old notes here uh, for Dr. Thomas and uh, I wrote down that in his district um, that they spend 3% of their budget on admin um, which is very very low. Uh, I think Hopkins is like 4.6 or something like that. And which is actually lower than uh, kind of state average. And so, um, I think you know, in that aspect the the kind of management under pressure uh, in some ways that uh, that does tip me to a little bit more towards Dr. Thomas. Um, just being like, you know, it's I think identifying future revenue or cost savings is is is demonstrated with Dr. Thomas more. Chairwoman Dreesen. Yes. And I I just want to be clear as I said from the beginning like I am excited about either of those candidates. And you know, I just appreciate the discussion on this board because to Vice Chairwoman Roper's point about the finances tip- tipping for her Dr. Thomas I completely get it. Appreciate Director Zhao chipping in regarding the admin fee. Uh, what you said Chairwoman Dreesen about, you know, just day one readiness. For sure. Um, appreciated Treasurer Heartland's comments about and I had written it down too about teacher capacity need to understand what they can handle. Um, I thought that was a great point and then uh, to Clerk WG's point about, you know, our own data uh, tour data. Like I I mean, I'm totally good with Dr. Thomas too. So, I feel like we're moving somewhere. Somewhere. Moving somewhere is good. Um and I did chair Anderson. Yes. Would it be helpful um to look at the leadership profile just to affirm reroute ourselves in um our mission? Sure. Yeah, sure. >> agree with that. I think that would be great. Um and I did want to just call out one other thing that that struck me um with Dr. Thomas was under Treasure Heartland, question 11. He said something that um really struck me. He said schools are administrations primary customer. And I'd never heard that before. Um and just It just really And that just kind of colored everything he said after that. Um which really Yeah. It It just really struck me. Um and throughout the interview, I felt like he put responsibility where it belongs. Um often times and I've said this at the board table before, I feel like in education we place responsibility on students for their success when it belongs with the adults in the system. Uh-huh. And he did that consistently through his interview. He put the responsibility where it belongs and showed ways in which he would hold us as a system accountable to that. Um and that felt really good to me. And the sign of a really good leader. Yeah. I would also like add that I love the fact that Dr. Thomas um advocates at the um that he's an advocate in the legislature as well. And I think that the LAC would appreciate his advocacy for sure and just like the relationships that he have um you know like in that realm and then also like his equity work really stuck out to me and that was a common theme throughout the surveys um from the tours. But then also with Andrew, this is like I can't believe this. Um Uh-oh. Then like with Andrew, his Are we still moving? Are we still moving though? Just kidding. I know. I'm just saying because Andrew is awesome as well. Like his his demeanor and then I love like the the way that he put like the way that he was able to um provide like context around specific examples and the way that he really um the way that he really just presented his answers so clear and assuring that like if a situation was to come up like he would handle it through a really strategic process and um that stuck out to me too um But then again like I said, going just with the financial piece of it would be Dr. Thomas and then if we're going off of principal value of like data that we have in front of us from the EDM and from the feedback, it looks like Dr. Thomas was a bit stronger. So Yes. I just want to recognize something that Vice Chair Roper said. I think um Andrew Beaton does a very good job of using layman's terms, plain English, and so his answers um come off as really understandable. And I think that's perhaps um Clerk WG >> why he shined so much tonight. I think that he seems like a real guy, right? Um as opposed to uh like an academic or like a su- an untouchable, you know? Um and I also think Dr. Thomas is rooted in reality and has the skills and breadth of experience to take our district in the direction I think we all want to see it go in. And so I'm um with Director Thompson. Like I'm fine with either and um or I'd be happy with either. I shouldn't say I'd be fine with either. I'd be thrilled with either. Like this is Can we pick two? Um um but I I'll I'll defer back to the data. And based on the data, I would say that that tips it to Dr. Thomas. Um And there's got to be a a tipping point, so I think looking at the data and following the data, that's that's um the candidate that's indicated best suited for the job. I don't think so. Chairperson Yes. >> Yeah. Well, um as a PhD, uh I um have to acknowledge that I I did, you know, also very much appreciate Andrew Beaton and I I um I just think it's what's important to me too with um that we heard from Dr. Thomas is the both and um which I keep coming back to, but I think absolutely like, you know, even you you first referenced for us uh how he had named, here's the theory, like when we're talking about educational gaps and equity outcomes and things like this. Here's, let me reference for you like seven names of folks who are the, you know, um the leaders in this field and then went to and here's how we see that in practice and and the thing I would say that one of the things we heard from our community consistently is also um wanting to have experience and wanting to have that and I think that's one of the things I appreciate is that he does have the experience. Um you know, so there's no one in this pool who's just a theory person and I say this is a nerd. Um Right? They they all are people who have evidence from their work and I and I do really appreciate that. And um Oh, the the thing within that that last thing I wanted to name was one of the things that really struck me in our recent hire for our high school superintendent was the sorry principal. Sorry, conflating things at 10:51 at night. Um in hiring our new high school principal is that anyone that I have heard from or heard people heard from who are connected at Washburn univocally named what a loss for us and what a win for you. And that really struck me then not to to overly weight this or you this Teresa Heartland that you did I'm sorry Teresa. >> I think all of us every person we talked to said that said that is our loss. And if we're going to hire someone I I mean I think people would say that about both of them um and for a proven leader to have people say about them it's a loss. That's a big deal especially if you're a superintendent and people are sad you're leaving um or the idea of you leaving that's no small thing in today's educational landscape and so that to me also says this is a person who doesn't just have theory but has shown demonstrated results in that I think does matter in our community needs to see that in a leader. Yeah. Um Director Reasoner can we go around and and do another temperature check? Sure. Um I just wanted to check Director Hyman did you want us to reference this out loud the leadership profile or you just want us as a board to look at it while we were thinking? I just wanted it to refer to okay to kind of ground myself back in what you know from a high level what are what is the leadership profile and think about really who um excels in all of those in all of those categories. They both excel in all of those categories but um who I guess would be the better fit um and so I just wanted everyone to have it to look at to kind of remind themselves. >> I appreciate that because I think I as I was looking over it I was like okay yes this is clear like yeah. I mean I I think it was a good grounding exercise and also to see like you know you referenced a couple things but there were also you know other stuff that community had wanted that I think both candidates were displaying. So, didn't want that to be glossed over. And yes, I think we should I do people feel propelled prepared not propelled to go around and just kind of say who who now they're thinking? Does that feel like appropriate timing? Are we Are we moving to that someplace? We're moving. >> All right. Treasure Hartland, do you want to start? Then we'll go around. Certainly. I am leaning towards Dr. Thomas. Leaning towards Dr. Thomas. I'm leaning towards Dr. Thomas. I'm also leaning towards Dr. Thomas. I'm leaning towards Dr. Thomas. I'm leaning but Um okay. Okay. Sorry. It's okay. I'm leaning towards Dr. Thomas. And I am as well. So, at this point, I would look for a Oh, I got to find my language. Um I would look for a motion. Um I move to um uh I look for a motion to extend the offer of an employment contract for the position of Hopkins Public Schools Superintendent to Dr. Michael Thomas contingent upon the following that a mutually agreeable employment contract is negotiated and a criminal background check has already been completed with results that have been acceptable to the school board. So moved. I have a motion. Is there a second? Second. I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? Chair Anderson. Yes. Um all of us said that we are leaning towards this candidate. And so I am ready to go ahead and vote. Um we all of us acknowledge kind of the weight of this decision and I just wanted to know if there was anything else that any board member like really wants to say to either our community or like anything else that really impacted just cuz this is like so big that it just felt like a little bit I'm not sure. Like there's a part of me that's like it's 11. Let's go. Um and then there is another part of me before we all just say Um >> Yay. I would just say that this was Andrew and Rebecca, you both were so strong as candidates. This may This was a very difficult decision. Like this is going to be a decision where they asked me to interview what was a tough decision. I'm going to like bring up this um situation because it was it was really hard to decipher who like we had a good problem tonight and that felt good. Like it wasn't a bad problem. We had a good problem tonight and it was really difficult to make a decision. I wish all three of you could work within our district some way somehow. Um based on data though, right? We talked about data-driven decisions. Based on data I had to make a data-driven decision tonight. Um and so but just want to acknowledge that both of all three of you did an incredible job. And I want to leave it at that. You did a a marvelous job tonight, all three of you. Director Grayson. Yes. Yes. Thank you, Director Hartland. I think that's probably wise that we maybe memorialize it or say a little bit something, but I think for community to understand that this was a very rigorous well, we put a lot of thought into this decision. I think it started weeks ago or months ago and we kind of collectively put in hundreds and hundreds of hours going over resumes, talking to people, organizing the feedback sessions. Part of what the SBA has worked a lot. And so, we definitely approach this with due thought and I think, you know, it I think somewhat facetiously, I think, you know, it's probably top five in my life decisions, right? Probably marrying my wife, having children, and then this, right? Like in my mind that's that's that's probably where I'm at. And so, you know, it's the it's the it's the futures of 7,000 kids and, you know, 1,000 plus educators. And, you know, we all have kids in the district and, you know, we we think that this Dr. Thomas will give us the best shot for having a better outcome. And so, um I think that's why, you know, I just I just wanted to say that and yeah, it's a tough decision, too. Thank you. Director Grayson. Yes. I want to echo my fellow board colleagues and everything they've expressed tonight and um Director Zhao, I I want to second what you said that this was a very in-depth, rigorous process that we went through and I want our community to understand that that we spent hours pouring over resumes, references, work history, doing our own research on the internet, fielding emails from people that have a stake in our school district and some that don't even have a stake in our school district and really trying to navigate and make the absolute best decision for the future of Hopkins Public Schools and I just want to say say that my initial reaction before meeting any of these candidates and reviewing their applications um my initial instinct and gut reaction was Dr. Thomas and uh my note on um his application I said would trust immediately right the ship academic and data focus has done excellent budget work in Prior Lake is a quote bridge builder which is something the district desperately needs right now. And I feel reading that back tonight that my initial impression and got impression is the truth um based on everything we've seen. Thanks for that. Uh Chair Anderson I'll just make one quick comment um that you know even though it's 11:00 p.m. I I feel like people are talking in very hushed somber tones like I'm very excited about things like this is fun. >> too. Thank you thank you. I can barely get through saying this without getting excited so thank you for for releasing that. Director Thompson I want to get to share Chair Andresen. Um probably should have gone before you because I'm I'm very I'm very excited as well, but I think I'm in this pent-up emotional state. And I kind of want to cry. But in a way, let me let me clarify why. I just want to say uh a word of sincere gratitude. We've thanked the candidates. We've thanked MSBA. The leaders in our district. All of the community members. Like this is truly I think a representation of who we are at our best as a district and want to be. Which is a place where we're welcoming and creating space for this is our district together. And I'm just so grateful for that. And that's all I wanted to say. But it just it does feel weighty. Oh, and like there's been background checks. I mean there's this is not just a like hey, let's pull names out of a hat. So just know that we are our hearts and beings are all say my heart and being and I want to be forever, but I think our hearts and beings are just in alignment of caring so deeply about this decision and about our district. And so just thank you to everyone. And I do also share the hope and excitement for the goodness of what our district has been and the even more wonderful possibilities who will will continue to be together. Chair Andresen. Yes. Thank you guys all. It is like it's a big deal. I'm very excited. I understand the emotional pull. And I I did kind of want to recap like we had over 20 candidates. We had six finalists. We had five preliminary interviews. We had three finalists. Three background checks. 20 reference checks. We collectively had hundreds of hours of reading and research. There were over a thousand public survey respondents. There were almost 50 tour guides. We each here did over 30 hours of active time sitting at this table. So, over 210 hours of sitting here. And so, like this was not easy. And it was not supposed to be. And I am proud of us. I'm really proud of our community. Proud of the work we've done so far. Um I'm really grateful to the candidates. And reading resumes and applications, my gut reaction as well was Dr. Thomas. Just after reading 18 people or whomever whoever we ended up with something like that who were interested in invested in Hopkins. He is the candidate that felt like he might be at home here. And so >> Mhm. I am excited. Yeah. I'm a great many things, but excited and proud is our chief among them. I love that. And how great is it that like we had two finalists who still works in our district. She'll say hello to Dr. Nolan. And like Dr. Lemon like being a um an alumni of Hopkins like making a finalist was even an incredible achievement. So, just to all the candidates regardless like kudos. I'm happy that we had a such a great selection of people. So. Those are my final thoughts for tonight. Well, thank you. I second all of all of the comments. Um but in particular the excitement um and I am thrilled not only that we came to a decision because that wasn't guaranteed. Um and that uh we the decision we came to. Um I am really excited and and he said this in his interview. Um but to see the ways in which um, Dr. Thomas is going to build on what has already happened here in the district. I am so excited to see that happen and I am really really excited um, to have a unanimous decision. I think that speaks volumes and it tells um, our new superintendent that we have a lot of faith in him going forward. So, thank you all for that. And so, with that um, I would um, all those in favor, please say I. I. Any opposed? The chair votes I and um, we have a new superintendent. Hopefully, if he accepts. This is where we go and take a a 5-minute recess. Chair Anderson and I will go out in the hallway and make a quick phone call and then when we come back, you can't quite leave yet. We have about 10 minutes of wrap-up. Okay. So, we'll be right back, okay? Thank you. Look at this paper. >> Mhm. >> What do you need to collect from us so I can file it? I would like to share with the board and our community that Dr. Michael Thomas is honored to um accept the um offer to be Hopkins next superintendent. Wait, is there a negotiation? He's honored. >> Honored, YAY! YES. YES. HE is honored to accept um the position of being Hopkins next superintendent. So, thank you everyone. He's thrilled. >> There's no contract yet though. There's no contract yet and so um we are inviting assistant superintendent Nick Lightfoot to come to the table because now we enter into negotiations. We are all thrilled. Nate, just out of curiosity, how many of these have you been through since you've been here? Three. Oh, okay. Uh so, as identified, we do and just for the board's awareness, we did meet as an HR committee, reviewed the draft superintendent contract. So, we have been through the terms of that contract. Uh we did throughout course of the weekend take a look at that draft one more time. And then collectively what I will follow up with is that committee as we put together the final terms and then of course the presentation and discussion that will occur with Dr. Thomas in collaboration with the HR committee. Uh just as a reminder, the HR committee clerk Wilhelm Garbers, chair Andreason. Um so, both members will be involved with me. Then what you can look for is the we'll update the board, but the placement of an agreement that we have come to mutually would be placed on the May 5th board meeting, which would be your next board meeting. Questions? >> Regarding the contract negotiations. Okay? Thank you. Thank you. >> Thank you. To you and the committee for the work on that. So, I just have some very brief closing comments if you can bear with me for 3 or 4 more minutes. So, >> Yes. um First and foremost, just want to let you know that I will contact uh the other two finalists regarding your decision tonight, and I will let them know how much you appreciated their time and interest in this process. It >> a lot of work, and superintendent candidates go through a lot to be considered by the board. So, I will do that. I'll also have a press release to Toya and her team shortly. Uh she will distribute it through your district's communications channels. I also want to note something that is unique to Hopkins. Um Toya and the communications team have been sharing some of the results on social media from the uh report you did with your community from the listening sessions and the survey. So, for example, the thing about what are some of the great things happening in Hopkins Public Schools, they released that in a graphic on social media. So, they're using real data from that survey to serve as the voice of the folks here, and it's it's a really great way to use it. I haven't seen a district do that before. So, kudos to the team for doing that. I do recommend that you turn in your individual board notes to Nick. He will keep them in accordance with your data retention policies. Some of what you turn in, he won't need to keep. He'll shred it. Uh but the things that you should turn in are your notes on all of the candidates from both the applications, round one interviews, and round two interviews. Okay? So, he will be the receptacle for all of that information. So, please please turn that in before you leave tonight. I really truly want to give a shout-out to a few people, though, because this has been almost 4 months of work on behalf of a lot of folks. So, I want to thank Natalia. A lot of coordination, a lot of assistance behind the scenes. Thank you. She did a a fabulous job. I also want to thank Nick. Uh he was a phenomenal resource for me internally internally as your HR and general counsel. Just his expertise and listening ear was very helpful. Toya and the entire communications team from setting up the online focus groups and everything. Just stellar stellar work from them as well. And also Taylor from uh the sound booth here. Um not a single glitch the entire search with any of the online anything. The audio, the virtual interview, nothing. So thank you back in there. Uh truly she did a great great job. The presentations ran smooth as silk. Very unusual. I also want to thank uh Chair Andresen. It's a lot of work to be a school board chair during a superintendent search and you did an excellent job. You were responsive when I had questions. You were collaborative um and I think this is just an exemplary search. So thank you to all of you and for your leadership very much Chair Andresen during this. I am going to be sending a survey to all board members if that's all right. It's very short, maybe 2 minutes, but we would love to hear from you about what went well, what could have gone better. If you remember way back in January, we spoke about continuous improvement and how important that is to us. So the feedback from all of you as well as the district points of contact would be helpful. So I'll have that survey out to you probably tonight or tomorrow. So if you have time in the next week or so before you forget everything that was uh a part of the search, please do fill that out if you could. Our role in your search is actually now complete. So I am going to exit stage left. Uh you'll be in the very capable hands of Nick and the committee to negotiate the terms and contract with your next superintendent, Dr. Michael Thomas. But I will be back for the transition workshop. That is included in the search at no fee. So once the new superintendent is here, about a month into it, we'll reach out and we'll talk about scheduling that transition workshop where we'll talk about expectations for that first year, performance review process you will be utilizing. So, it's going to be a really healthy conversation to get the board team off on the right foot as you learn to work together this coming year. So, I will be back, but in the meantime, you have my phone number, you have my email address. Please stay in touch, and if MSBA can assist you with anything board related in addition to the search process, we would be more than happy to do that. So, thank you for allowing us to work with you on this. It was truly an honor. And I am now done. Thank you, Barb. So, again, expressing deep gratitude to you and your whole team. Seriously. Thank you. You were wonderful. >> with that, I would look for a motion to adjourn. So moved. And is there a second? >> Second. I have a motion and a second, any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> I. The chair votes I. Oh, any opposed? The chair votes I, and we are this meet special meeting of the Hopkins School Board is adjourned at 11:18 p.m. Well done, everyone. Congratulations.