[clears throat] [laughter] Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. You had a long day. So, thank you very much for hanging in there. >> Okay. Thank you. So uh good afternoon uh and welcome to Visetta public schools. Thank you for meeting with us about be becoming our next superintendent. Uh today our school board members will rotate asking you questions and we will be talk uh taking notes. [clears throat] Please know we are listening carefully and do not intend to be disrespectful. We have provided a copy of the questions for you. There are 14 questions and our last question will be whether you have any questions for us. The interview is scheduled for 1 hour 45 minutes and Barb Dawn sitting to my right will notify us when there is 1 hour remaining then 30 minutes remaining and the final 15 minutes remaining in our alloted time. Please be aware of the time constraints and plan the length of your answers accordingly. I'd like to uh open the interview by asking each board member to introduce themselves. We'll start with Alicia this time. >> Hi, I'm Alicia Little and I am entering my second month on this board. >> Hi, Alicia. >> Good afternoon, Mr. McIntyre. I'm Dan Janester. I've served on the school board for two years. >> Nice to meet you, Dan. >> Hello. I'm Sheila Prior. This is my fourth year on the board. >> Hi, my I'm Dr. Milan Sahonyi, my fifth year on the board and I'm the chair of the board this year. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Nice to see you again, Heidi Kater. I am going into my fifth year on the board and I am treasure. >> Thank you. >> This is my third year and my name is Valentina. >> Thank you, Valentina. >> Hello. My name is Paris Bindi. This is my third year on the board. >> Okay. Thank you, Paris. >> Thank you colleagues. And now we'll begin with our first question. Are you ready, Mr. McInty? >> I am ready if you are. Okay. So, you have been asked to prepare a presentation with a 15minute time limit to share your proposed transition plan with our board. The floor is now yours. Please go ahead. >> Well, thank you very much. And let me just start with I'm deeply honored uh for this. It's really a tremendous and unique opportunity here in Weisetta public schools and um to serve at the next as the next superintendent here. I feel like my whole career has kind of prepared me for this moment. um this is a very um this is a premier district. You're in my mind you're the number one school district in in the state and you're nationally known as well. So um to be considered for this is again a real honor and and I'm deeply um grateful for the opportunity to spend time with you today. Some of you have already done that with a little bit and uh I just feel like as I start here I set the tone a little bit for the presentation. You know superintendents have to do this well in either 30 seconds or three hours. And so we're going to kind of do this in 15 minutes, right? Um because you're doing that all the time as you talk about how to transition a variety of things or or the district story. And having led the first and fifth biggest district the last seven years, you get really um tested on those things, right? And I understand that um for Weisetta, not just maintaining but elevating the worldass standard in Weisetta public schools is going to require whoever that your candidate is. It's going to require more than just the title. It's going to really require strong stakeholder partnerships and a real relentless commitment to the excellence for each and every student that you you have so um so broadly and um explicitly demonstrated as a as a district as I've been a neighbor superintendent for a number of years and seen it firsthand and even as I've consulted and worked with Chase over the years um on a variety of things, it's clear your commitment to that standard standard of excellence. So, my vision is going, as you're going to see through this transition plan, is is really built on um how to take a really strong district roadmap and just take it to the next level. How do we elevate that? How do we accelerate that success even further and provide rigor rigorous learning and rich experiences for each and every student and at the same time boldly pursuing innovation and how do we continue to improve and redefine ourselves in a fast very fastmoving world we're in right now. So it's a pivotal moment for you and for the district and and hopefully for me as well. Uh it's an opportunity that just just makes me hungry for the opportunity because of the possibilities that exist with Weisetta public schools and I feel like I can really leverage my deep Minnesota roots, my proven track record as a superintendent um to provide not only the stability that you're looking for uh and that the community honestly really expects, but also to build that bold innovation um expectation and uh it's really what the students deserve. curve from us, right? So, together we're in, you know, also um because the referendum is so prevalent for you right now and for the district, I think together we can do that with showing how to be good stewards of the resources, how to have integrity and transparency through that process, which I've already seen really great evidence of. And how do you ensure that Weisetta continues to set that standard? There's a Weisetta standard that we all see in other districts and continue to set the bar higher as the premier district in Minnesota but also nationally as a model for excellence. So the framework today is just that uh I see this as a partnership. This transition plan will be done with you. Okay? So it's a framework in how to move through the first steps and sequence of of the of an onboarding and entry plan or entry approach for the new superintendent. But it's not just mine, it's ours. And it's one that would uh not only take the board's input and feedback, but also the leadership team and others along the way to make sure we're meeting expectations. And I really feel like with my experience, we can accelerate that and we can make sure we're staying on time, honestly, on budget on expectations for the district and the roadmap that you've set and the expectations you have as a board. So, I'm going to jump right in here. [gasps] Um the mission of Weisetta public schools and I said this in my first interview is it's personal for me and I told my story there um and maybe at the risk of telling a little bit of that again. I'm sorry Heidi and Melind and and Valentina you heard this before but for me it is personal and why I'm here and why I do this. What's my purpose? I think we all have a shared purpose and why we choose to commit ourselves to service and education. And for me it started at an early age. I'll I'll maybe give you the condensed version. I I grew up in a very small town in southern Minnesota in a home environment that was um not not uh super conducive to to growth. You know, I was in a situation of abuse and neglect and um my family members were not the ones that were the role models for me at that time. It was the school people in my life. It was my teachers, my coaches, those other meaningful adults that I was fortunate to have in a very small town. I had a class of 23 kids in my whole grade, right? And so when I go back to visit there and my dad still lives there and um to think I'm, you know, superintendent of a district of 37,000 students, it just it doesn't seem right when you go back and there's 500 people in town. But that's an experience that has defined me, right? And um I'm grateful for that experience. And I I moved to Mano as an eighth grader. And I I I was one I was a student who was um in poverty. Uh free and reduced lunch. We we've had every government government assistance program um available to us when I was younger in in my school years. and uh the two defining moments that first day of eighth grade at Mano East High School that I like to share and people are going to get tired of me telling the story, but it's powerful to me and it really defined why I'm here. I remember getting on the bus that morning and that bus driver just a simple hello, how are you? And it got me through that first hour of the day. I was so scared, so upset about having to leave my previous friends and being in a new place at a place that's 10 times the size of where I was coming from. That bus driver set the tone and by the time I got through the morning and got to lunch and I knew I had that different colored ticket to go through the lunch line back then. Uh that was embarrassing thing, right? But the child nutrition workers who were there that day just made me feel at home and welcome. I got to the line and they helped me through that. It was looked it just looked super complex and they were there for me and didn't make me feel different. made me feel welcome and valued. And I tell that story um when I stand in front of our hundreds of bus drivers and child nutrition workers that they can make an impact. And it really does take every one of us to do that. And there's a power in that. There's a power in that shared purpose and I've carried that with me throughout. Um I wouldn't have planned on being a superintendent back then and here I am. And I think those lived experiences and what they mean to you and the adults in my life, the teachers, the staff, the coaches that saw something in me that you, you know, I didn't see myself. And I I think we all have mentors like that that see something in you that you don't see or even believe in sometimes. Um I've been very fortunate to have those um throughout my life and in my career. So it's very personal to me as far as uh this mission. When I go back and I see each and every student, I was one of those students that might have been in the margins or missed, but there was adults that took the time to make a connection. So that's what it takes. That's what it takes to excel in this world of crazy busy times. And the power of connection, the power of relationship, the power of belonging opens the door to learning and rigorous learning. And we set the bar high for that. So, that's a little bit of a a setup for you with why this means a lot to me. And I hope you hear that because we, you know, as a I'm sure as a school district, you you recite this hopefully at every schoolboard meeting, but at every meeting that you hear, this is what drives us. This should be our guiding light and it matters um because everyone has a story. So, this is a little bit of a a piece around the shared core values. I have lived my life personally and professionally by many of these same core values. And this was another reason that drew me to Weisetta be interested in this position. Uh integrity, respect. Um most of my career has been the area of special education. So equity is a very powerful driver in my own um what I stand for and the power of community collaboration and ultimately success. Uh I came from a a situation that was not conducive to achievement, but through the power of the adults in my life, I feel like I've been successful in many ways. Uh although I'm still learning with three high school uh teenage daughters at home, they remind me that I have a lot more learning to do. So um so um throughout my career, these three things rise to the top as it sets the stage for my transition plan. My belief in the power of that shared purpose and the focus on there's something for everyone. So that's how you get exceptional student achievement. You get uh student learning experiences and relationships are at the core. Community trust is is critical. You've worked really hard to build community trust and this is a transition. It's kind of a test of that. Um as you transition to a new superintendent and as you're taking on an ask for community support, leveraging my background and experience and I know the region well. Uh I know um how how uh bonds work. I know what communities want to have in in process and how they want to feel connected to their schools and really honestly in the end a focus on the whole child and the focus on the overall well-being physically psychologically of each and every one of our students and because you're living in the middle of this and I've gone through it we'll get to some examples later the operational excellence that you expect right now um um through my seven years as superintendent I've been through many bond referend operating and bond referendums technology referendums as well. But that goes back my whole career back to my days in um early my career in Seattle where uh believe six of my districts I've been a part of we've had a referendum experience. So I'll draw on those experiences and what worked and what didn't. And while you're doing that still having the budget discipline, the fiscal discipline to have a long game to have a longterm focus and sustainability of of your commitments and resources. So let's dive in. Um, I'm going to move through this one quickly. Um, as I saw the profile for this position, it just there was there was huge alignment in your expectations for high academic excellence and student connection. I really felt it on the tour yesterday as I went to two elementaryaries, a middle school, and high school. There was a couple consistent themes from the second grader I had to the senior. They all had a different way of telling me they love their school. They love their teacher or teachers. They love the experiences that they've been offered. The middle school students were fantastic at telling me about all the choices they have and how they tested out some things that they didn't know they'd like and now they love. And uh when I just simply asked, "What's your favorite thing about your school?" Those two middle school ambassadors were like, "I love that I get to try a lot of different things and find where my passion or you know, that's my word, but that's kind of what they like to do." And I believe we want every one of our students to leave our system knowing what are they really good at, what do they love to do, and let that guide your way. And as I toured the high school to see all the offerings in the vast choice um you know, offerings and and as I asked the two high school students what they've explored, they just couldn't stop talking about the opportunities they've had, which then build connections. And that's how you make the largest high school in the state feel small. When you feel connected, you feel a sense of belonging and you have adults in your corner and you have friends that are along with you. So when there's something for everyone, that's what makes it work. You can have the smallest school high school in the state and feel isolated if you don't have those things. And so I commend you for that vision even as you're looking to expand. You have built a model that every student feels connected and they have there is something for everyone. So that hits your uh fiscal stewardship and strategic planning and advocacy and I have um those experiences as well. And uh because we're in the legislative session, I've been spending lots of time there. Um I have lots of actual strong connections with the legislators that serve the Weisetta school district. That also gives me a running start with honestly the the uh the the stories we need to help our legislators understand around the realities of the school district and and how we move things forward. either like this year in a policy year or when it's a full funding session. And I know I've seen Melind at at the MSBA. I think we have one on Monday actually coming up. Uh another day at the capital coming up here. So I have those connections locally, regionally, and at the state level. I am um yesterday was supposed to be at the um at the Blue Ribbon Commission for Special Education. I was appointed by the governor to be on that, but I was with you yesterday. So uh I hopefully got a pass from them on that one. Um, but that's another area that uh I continue to have that strong advocacy uh position and those relationships to really help leverage Weisetta's school district priorities uh to make sure we can realize them. So transition goals for me there's four main areas building trust and collaborative relationships as the new superintendent. It starts with all of you as the scoreboard, our district leadership team, but all of our stakeholders, the community, our staff when they return to work, and our students when they show up first day of school. Building those deep connections with all those stakeholders is critically important and you need to hit it strong in the front end, especially following uh Chase and filling those huge shoes that that he has uh left for the next person. So, uh, along the way as you're as I'm doing that, getting up to speed quickly through a thorough review and learning of the district programs, services, and I put operations in Boulder because of the spot wise that is in with the referendum. You really getting up to speed quickly. [gasps] And then lastly, um, but not maybe most importantly, how do you just right out of the gate lead the collaboration and stakeholder partnership on the actions that drive the strategic priorities and the district goals? So I've transitioned in twice before and I've learned what works and doesn't work. Uh when I was I was an assistant superintendent in Anoka Henipin and got recruited to the AIO superintendent job. It was a wonderful opportunity and I loved it there and David Law decided to go to Minnetonka and so no henipin called back said hey we'd love to have you come back and serve as superintendent um based on my experience there prior. So I took advantage of that uh opportunity as well and I really thought that's kind of you know um maybe be the landing spot for me till the end. Um, but as this opportunity has come forward, this is those one you this is this one you can't pass on. You're you're the premier district in this state and why wouldn't you want to be a part of that, right? So, I'm drawn to this position. I'm drawn to Wisetta, what you stand for and what you've the foundation you've laid that can in my mind be accelerated and elevated to even higher levels. And so, that's the last statement there. How do we do that together? Meet and exceed the goals we've set. So, starting out right away, thank you. I'm going to go through this quickly. The listening and learning work, uh, starting day one from March to June, building connections with the board and leadership, collecting key information, and you can see the activities there, attending events when possible, uh, meeting with board members, meeting with Superintendent Anderson and district leaders, engaging with staff, and being a participant at the board work whenever possible. So, a lot of work that can be done yet this spring. coming in July. Deeping deep dive into that uh real deep understanding of learning our schools, the culture of the communities that we serve and then also beginning right out of the gate the board and leadership team planning together. So, community site visits, uh, school visits, leading the strategic priorities and referendum actions based on the outcome of the the referendum this spring, igniting those school improvement plans, department plans, and connecting as well with our community leaders, our our legislators, those kinds of influential people, but most importantly, setting up right away in July an opportunity with the board and myself and our leadership team to get on the same page and make sure we have alignment and commitment to those goals and strategic priorities. August is when staff start coming back and that's where the focus shifts. So stronger building stronger connections with schools. Uh as staff come back to work our new hires then the all the staff and then we launch you know those workshop week activities which all the energy is super high and that's where we can leverage uh clear direction and vision as a new superintendent. So those introductory communications, systemwide leadership advance where I'd want to bring our leadership team together and really set the tone for the start of the year and then the kickoff events that we do once all staff are back attending uh as many meetings and school events as possible and again keeping our eye on the prize with our priorities and our referendum actions based on the outcome and where we're at at that point in time. So hopefully you're seeing some really key activities and how to deliver on those. But as we move through this cycle or this process in these phases, getting feedback from you as a as a board on um uh am I spending the time, the valuable time we have on the right things, right? And being on the same page by the time you get to the start of the school year, September through October, that's the high visibility time. I've learned that from my previous transitions. You need to be visible and available and present with the high energy of the start of the school year, not only in the buildings, but in the community. There's just an excitement about every new school year. And that's an opportunity to really expand my understanding and knowledge of how we are implementing our policies, our practices, our um how do we collect data, how we measuring things and so site visits, listening sessions. I would encourage the board to join me in the idea of or concept of developing a model for community listening sessions. Uh we can talk more about that. There's different ways to do it and I've tried we've done uh when I was in AIO no have been different ways of doing that and every district has a way that works better for them. But that's another transparency opportunity for the community to really uh build a connection with you as board members as well. And I'd also encourage uh a model for us to join in together on a way to visit schools together. I built a schedule in AIO a weekly calendar for board members working around your day, you know, your your professional commitments on how to get in and visit schools together and see the work firsthand and really experience it and that not being a gotcha thing with our buildings, more of a opportunity for them to show you their work. And I think for you to have that experience, I'd love to build that out even further. and then just really building out that strategic priority and referendum uh planning cycle. By November, we're I think we should be talking about 2728 priorities so we get ahead of the budget cycle and um with resources being harder and harder to uh come by, we have to be focused on the priorities and funding those priorities first. So starting in November, laying that that plan out. Um so that takes leadership team planning, that takes board and leadership planning, and that also takes a lot of input from our community. So our stakeholders, parents, students, and our community on what they see as most important for us to be focused on. So that's from November and beyond. And that's kind of a framework for us to work through. And I would want to be in partnership with you on how to roll through those phases from now uh next week till November and beyond as far as that transition window. So just to wrap up, um I think my experience in managing large systems, I can scale that. I can demonstrate to you uh through my experience in referendums. Hopefully that will come up in our conversation here. How I've done that raising achievement and building high performance teams and my my experience and connections and influence I can have from my local experience with local, regional and state leaders. I think I might have made it. [laughter] So I'll just end with ready from day one. Okay. Thank you. Thank you for your presentation and we're going to roll into questions, but if you want to lower the table and have a seat. >> This feels good. I kind of like standing. I did it yesterday, too. Yeah. Is that Is that all right? Do you mind if I stand? >> I'm totally fine with it. >> No, this is I don't know. I just rather It's a lot of sitting always. [laughter] >> You know, this >> sounds good. We'll >> This works for me. So, thank you. >> Good. Well, if you need a break at some point and you want to lower the desk, let us know. >> Appreciate that. Um, thanks for the presentation again. Wisetta Public Schools as a community has not had to experience a change in the superintendent position in decades. This is going to be a big change for our families and staff. >> Yeah. >> How do you lead through change? >> This is a thoughtful question. Um, and I watched how you wrestled with 65 questions the other night. So, congratulations for getting this down and getting agreement. This was a good one. Uh, this is all to me about trust building. So the superintendent comes in, you know, with a title, with authority, um, with some of those things, but I think real leadership is is is how you build trust. And that comes from how you show respect and dignity to other people. And so coming in new uh, and following in Chase's footsteps, you got to do that. I would do that by being visible. I've learned this the hard way, too. uh you know those first few months you just have to be it it's it's an around the clock job more than it typically is because everybody wants time with you and um it's just a window of time where you need to do your best to provide it so you can build connection with others. So being very accessible, being very visible, and um staying focused on that transition plan. So there's a real common set of expectations between myself and you as the board so you know how I'm spending my time and giving you regular updates. I I typically give um at least one weekly update. Sometimes in busy times I do a midweek and an end of the week update on just everything that we're doing. So you you don't hear it from somewhere else. Uh you hear it from me directly. And it's it's a it's a time to just build personal connections and honestly they want to know more about where you're coming from and what you've done before. So um finding ways to connect with families and especially as school starts and students are back in our hallways and families are re-engaging with the district. Those are opportunities to connect with families. Lots of events start, you know, really escalating in August and into September. So being visible at all those events and in the meantime through um July and August we can use other ways to communicate out with um information about the transition and you you're trying to do is reassure people we're staying on point. We're keeping an eye on the prize and let's assume successful passage of the referendum in April. How does the work keep moving? We're not going to pause for six months and let Corey get comfortable. I feel from my experience with the last seven years as a superintendent, I can hit the ground running and we can keep the work moving on time and on schedule and and while we're building out uh and I build connections throughout the communities that we serve and the staff that we serve. Um Wisetta is a special place and there has a lot of unique things about it and so it takes time. You have to spend time with people in their spaces for them to feel like you understand. uh their their lived experience in the district. So, um it's a real um human and um personal connection time when you go through that initial first phase and it hasn't happened here in a long time. So, uh that's not lost on me either, but I think my experience in doing it in the past and I would say there's some things I'd do differently. Um and I would need to lean on you as well. So, uh, help me with what your communities expect and what you think they want to they want to know about, uh, me and about the transition and what things will look like into the future because a transition like this brings uncertainties. And so, we have to counter that with information and bring the temperature down on some of that um, unknown that comes with a a change like this. So, I'm confident we can do that together, but it would be a partnership and that would happen also with our school leaders and uh right out of the gate and I think we can get a running start on that this spring honestly. So, look forward to that opportunity. >> Thank you for that. >> Thank you. What do you feel are the key elements of building a strong and high performing board team? How do the roles of school board members and superintendent integrate with a with and com complement one another? >> I commend you for thinking ahead on this one. This is a great question. I've in the last um seven years as superintendent, I've had 19 board members that I've served and eight board chairs. So it has taught me a lot of lessons on how to uh work with a variety of perspectives of board members and it has also taught me the importance of this question. From my experience you have to at its core you have to have a strong bond and a strong plan for how to move ahead and building strong relationship with one another. And there's some key components from my experience that I would say are critical to this that to that partnership. So clear expectations and um really setting clear goals together at at the core of this. So at the front end having clarity amongst the board not seven different sets of expectations but one common set that you would say these this is your charge. This is your charge and how you're going to lead the district as superintendent. This is how we're going to measure your progress. And in that measurement step having frequent feedback loops, okay? So that you know and I know we're on the right track or maybe not, right? But there's a way there's ways to um together get, you know, stay in alignment. And not just for me, but with our leadership team. So the goals you set for me cascade down through our system. Without it, it's a problem. But the goals you set for me are are the foundational goals I set for my leadership team. And those are the goals that they set for their direct reports by departments and those funnel down to the school improvement plan. So there's a through line an alignment on the work because you get you all as board members get tested by lots of things by different people that they want and everyone's got a personal um item that's important to them and as much as we'd love to fund everything, we can't. we we start with our priorities and so evaluating um those things in my role as superintendent is critical without those that strong process and system in place and I believe you have it um then you that's where problems can occur that breeds strong communication so having a strong feedback loop u both directions my goal and job really is to give you information so you can make the best decisions possible possible in your role as board members and you you know that's a trust building thing. We have to have um that common foundation of trust. The accountability and evaluation process also builds that trust so that there's an understanding of how that's going to move through. Um so though at to me that's at the core of this question and having a strong system for that um along with strong communication and clear expectations and then the you know that communication loop that is continual is um part of that overall continuous improvement process that we want for the whole district. But it really starts with the relationship between the schoolboard members and the superintendent and and even the the relationship amongst the seven of you, [clears throat] right? How how the seven of you work together and in partnership with the superintendent. So, it's how to work with each other and and do things with each other, not to each other, right? >> Thank you. >> Yeah. Thank you. Next question is how do you balance sustaining and growing programs in visera with the uncertainties of state and federal funding mechanism for public education. So, having the experience of growth um in at least six of the districts I've worked for and I can go back in time, but as superintendent the last seven years, maybe the my best example for you right now is the growth that you probably see in AIO area schools and mainly in the Maple Grove area. Um I was a part of creating and getting successful passage of the the operating referendum and the bond referendum. We did that in a package deal uh phase one and phase two. So right from the beginning of that campaign, we just said we're going to do the operating piece first to make sure we can continue with the safety and security and the staffing needs and the individual supports for students, but what's right behind this is the growth and and the capacity needs that were happening in the district. So we didn't want a story of wait, you told us one thing, but now you're coming back again for a second thing and we didn't know, right? And um that was all centered around again with focus fund your priorities. So the community really told the district we're ready for expansion adding another m uh elementary school in Maple Grove and adding onto the high school. Sound familiar? Um you know they we we really tested that to see if that's what the community truly wanted even though we we felt like it was necessary when you do long-range planning. um the uncertainties part about the state and federal programs and we're in a spot right now with that right we there's a lots of uh question marks about different funding sources and so you really have to be precise from my experience we're going through it ourselves right now with with Inoca Henipin is being clear with our community and with each other on these are our priorities and we're these are the these are the things we care about the most and we're going to fund those first and one example for us has been our efforts around lit literacy. The Read Act is a great example. Uh the state has not given districts all the funding they need for that. Uh we push for it and we continue to push for it, but the district has made and many districts like you have made the extra commitment to make sure it's done as you know to our greatest extent possible. Um there's been lots of questions about federal funding and whether federal funding will stop or start. You really have to have a long range plan to sustain that kind of unknown piece. And um you also have to have a process to go back through what you're doing as a district and decide are there things we need to stop doing that are taking resources that need to be channeled in a different way. And when you go through an innovative process and you find new things that you want to do differently, you also have to identify. You can't just keep adding. You do have to shift and you have to re um prioritize things. And that's a process, a continuous improvement process that you have to go through. So you have to have careful measurement, likely piloting some things to see if it truly does work. Get the data behind it. communicate about it, tell your community about it, get support for that before you just take something away. And um right now with districts getting 2 to 3% revenue from the state and everything costing 5 10% more um that's the pinch point we're at. And um you really have to look hard at how to prioritize things and those are some hard decisions along with the federal funding that um feels a little bit in limbo. uh compensatory education dollars have been the most recent example that we're all kind of wrestling with what's going to happen. Uh or with the blue ribbon commission that I'm on with a $250 million cut to special education, how are districts going to handle that, right? What what's going to change? So the strategic plan and budgeting process is critical and um I know you have a strong model for that. So it's transparent so our stakeholders see and hear about those challenges and we just don't want surprises, right? We want to make sure we're really really having those conversations in public and we can really be clear about the realities of things. So you know I'll wrap up on this question about the best way to balance um [clears throat] this and and Weisetta is in a unique and e excellent spot of growth. Uh not every district many many are not in this spot. So, it's a great opportunity. And when I see the word challenge, I think of opportunity. There's always an opportunity and a tough thing. There's a way to maybe do something a little better and a little different um to improve and and reach for that excellent standard. So, you're you you you clearly identify with measurement what's working and you identify what's not and what we need to do into the future and and rep prioritize funds as best you can. And it's an ongoing fluid process. So it requires m multiple touch points and questions and just digging in into it. But I think you got the foundation in your operational planning cycle to withstand those unknowns and refine that process from my experience in in the two large districts that I work in. >> Very. >> Okay. Um, special education needs for students are increasing in both numbers and complexity. What are your experiences providing outstanding services to all students? >> I started in 1997 as a school psychologist and I I mentioned I'm married to one too and that makes makes our our home a little interesting. Um, I've lived in the special ed world for over 20 years before being uh um convinced to do the superintendent job and uh boy have things changed over time. Some things have stayed the same, but the needs of students, the number of students we we identify and serve has has changed. So that creates new challenges constantly. So we've really been challenged over the years create different programming and ways to meet student needs. One example I can give you um well I'll give I'll name three but I'll I'll spend time on one. Um so in in uh North St. Paul Maplewood at Oakdale when I was a student services director there we did a deep analysis and uh um study of the programming there and how to do better with being aligned to best practice and what the research tells us. Okay. And then when I got to AIO, uh, we, um, did the same, but in between there, uh, when I was in Anoka, Henipin, we did a partnership with the University of Minnesota. We spent $600,000 on 21 different audits by disability category, um, staffing, parent engagement, a long list of studies to really look at the same question. Are we aligned with best practice? Are we aligned with research? and are we supporting our our staff and the needs of kids as best we can with what we have. And so that that led to a service delivery model change. When I started in the district, the 25 elementaryaries we had, five of them had center-based programs. We now have center-based programs or setting three programs in every elementary. That is the reality of every school district is how to the expansion and the the needs of students. That challenges us operationally. It challenges us for uh maintaining and attracting and recruiting a highly talented uh staff in these really hard to fill areas. Special ed's maybe the hardest area to fill. [gasps] So, you have to get really creative with recruitment and retention, but that gave us a blueprint that gave the school board an opportunity to commit to a plan and and um justify the resources that go towards that effort. We did the same thing when I got to AIO. Uh we did a a similar study and um having those protocols in place are important because I you know with 250 million potentially being cut statewide that's going to test every district on how to re-imagine what service needs to look like. So you got to have an ongoing um process of evaluation and you got to look at outcomes. Are we getting the outcomes we we expect from from that investment? And I think um there's lots of opportunity for I I love the commitment you have made in your um referendum commitment to upgrade the special education classrooms. The the the uh the environments that we provide students really set the tone for learning. And so your commitment to at least look at that and do upgrades there is huge. But it's continually looking at service delivery models and where is the best way to provide and meet the law around a continuum of service, federal and state law. And we're a state that has over a 100 rules that exceed the federal law. So that makes Minnesota very unique and having a deep understanding of that as a superintendent is critically important. Um I worked in two states that don't have those extra rules and it's less complex there. It's much more complex here. Uh in in our state we we have a the belief behind that is those extra requirements elevate quality. um not sure that's been proven, but that's the intent behind it. And I think over time those will be tested as well. So um hopefully I'm painting a picture for you with my experience that you have to work within those those requirements and ultimately still provide maximum experience and maximum learning opportunities for students when it's an individualized process for every student. Right? And so that's a complex process from the classroom instruction to the spaces we use in our buildings and how to how to do that. I'm a big believer and if we can and you probably learned a lot about multi-tered systems of support, that's how you bring general education and special ed together with um tiers of support meeting needs and more intensity as the needs increase. And that has to be a big part of special education programming. If we aren't doing a great job with our core curriculum and tier 2 intervention, it puts a burden on the special education program. The better we get at serving needs with high quality rigor and instruction in tier one in our general education classrooms and and have success there, then we we can um truly u be meeting the needs of our students with the most significant disabilities. So, this is a topic I go on a long time with with my experience on this one, but I commend you for at least um looking at um what you would see most at the board is just the increasing numbers and that's statewide and um we have about 8,000 students on IEPs in Anoka Henipin and that's up, you know, that's getting close to that 16 to 17%, we're inching towards 20% of uh student enrollment in some buildings and that's not unique to us. So, it brings a lot of challenges into what's the most effective best practice researchbased instruction, whether it's students with um a disability of autism or whether that's a speech um need or whether that's um an emotional and behavioral disorder, you have to work through a best practice. So, a constant review cycle is critical for that one. So, maybe I'll just end there. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. Our next question is, Wisetta Public Schools is headed to a capital projects and technology levy referendum in April. What are your experiences leading schools or school districts through construction or maintenance projects? I haven't asked Chase this question, but I bet he'd tell me this, from my experience as superintendent, becomes a full-time job when you're leading a referendum campaign because it's so important for you as superintendent to be out in the community talking about this, providing factual information because there's stories, there's always stories about um and feelings about this. And I I commend you for your clarity on your referendum asking through this before. of the the the two I'll lean on uh having been a part of the fit for the future uh campaign in an noa henipin that was at the time the largest bond referendum in the state now it's you know wildly different but at the time that 250 million we added two elementary schools we moved boundaries of 26 schools that was a big lift the boundary process is a really delicate personal thing for our students and families but it also tells you how much they care about their schools So when they don't want to move, that means they are locked in and connected and yet so that that's a um that's a process you have to be very transparent and very deliberate and intentional about and and give yourself as much time and space as you can to to really provide information and answer questions. The work I did in AIO superintendent, we started with a $225 million operating referendum and then followed that up with a $365 million bond and paired that up with a hund00 million of long-term facilities maintenance. So that turned into a $500 million operational uh effort. Um we made the wise decision to frontend some LTFM work. So when you're going in and you're remodeling some things, you can augment the bond money with some of the long-term facility maintenance dollars. So some of the mechanical things that need replacement and other things that fit under that category, if you're in there and things are being upgraded, do that at the same time and not have another disruption later for some of those those things. And what um what led to success there was identifying the things that resonate with your community, what they can get behind. They want safe schools. We all expect safe buildings in safe safe and secure spaces. We expect the mechanicals to run and without failure. We expect um learning spaces to be welcoming and conducive to learning and create uh comfort and uh safety. And there's so there's some core things that you've identified in your campaign that really work. Getting it passed is just part of the process though. And from my experience as superintendent, you really have to keep your team on point, um, having been a part of some referendums when I wasn't superintendent, it's just a different experience and, uh, expectation and leadership challenge as the superintendent to keep that project and those uh, those parts of the process on point. So, um, we we map that out like you have been doing, um, from the the campaign that leads up to to the the work that comes after the the passage. We're going to distinct positive, this is going to pass. And then being really clear about the specific steps along the way. And I think it's critical to have a dashboard so people can see the key components of that bond referendum and they can see the progress. So you can have regular updated progress um and be communicating that out so people are reassured that we're on time, on budget, on point with what they said yes to it. It gets harder when there's surprises. So you try to avoid those things and be planning ahead. And you really got to be communicating about that all the time. And just when you think everyone's heard it, you meet someone that hasn't. And so you're just constantly communicating about what it's all about and and um maybe sometimes countering the the misinformation that can be out there with a big commitment like this. [sighs and gasps] So, um, lots of in in, uh, I'll just say, uh, when when AIO passed their bond, I was I was a couple months into the Enoka Henipin, uh, district, but I I joke with Kim Hy, who's the superintendent there, that I get partial credit for that because we we at least did the planning for it and she can take the win on on the passage part, but, um, that experience was was a great one. So, I think there's a lot of similarities and it's on on the superintendent to help set the tone and empower the leadership team, empower our staff. Uh I said this in my first interview, our some of our best ambassadors for this, our our bus drivers, our child nutrition workers, our staff, all of our employees, our number one source of information for many of us is our friends, our family, and our neighbors. And so how we talk about it and the information we have and how we talk about it, they're the most valued sources of information. As hard as we try to have a robust website and materials, it's still the conversations that people have with each other that seals the deal. So, in my experience as superintendent, I spent lots of time on on campaigns making sure all of our employees had the information, could ask questions, being ready for the things they get asked when they're outside their workday or even on on, you know, their workday. And many of our classified staff live right in our communities. They're huge ambassadors for this and they can be a grassroots source of information for a successful roll out and then just what's happening along the way. So, I'm excited about, you know, when this passes, how we move this to reality and because it's a concept and and you you work hard to visualize it, but how do you move this through and stay on time? And I don't I don't think the board and the district can afford to slow down that work because your enrollment's coming. Those increases are on their way. And making sure we're ready for it is really key. So, um I'm ready for that. >> Thank you. Okay, thank you. >> The next question is, academic excellence is a core value here at Weisetta Public Schools. How have you and how will you ensure that student outcomes show growth for each and every student? What does this look like for all our students, including those who are high achieving, maintaining, or struggling academically in our schools? >> Yeah, I love this question. And I I there was a similar question yesterday in the interview we had and I might repeat a few things I said there. Um so a few things that come to mind that make this work. It takes many things. Commitment to rigor, rigorous opportunities, rigorous uh not only academics but rigor in any area that we provide um opportunities for our student students. And and maybe to start with the last part first, what does this look like for high achieving and maintaining high achievement for those that perform well? It's all about personalization. How do you make it real for their experience and set rigorous goals and stretch goals for them? And so we have to create that individualized approach. You know, cookie cutter approach isn't going to work um for those who are high achieving and and we want to continue to push to higher levels. I saw that at our high school yesterday when I was walking through was at a high school and all the different just amazing spaces and opportunities students have to do whatever they want to do, right? And I think again I go back to when our graduates leave, they're ready to be excellent at whatever they choose to be. They're a little more probably willing to change their mind than maybe some of us are. They're going to change pathways and careers and different things maybe more than some of us did. So, how do we prepare them for that? What's the foundational set? Others are very specialized. They're leaving our system ready to go. Whether it's career and technical education offer, I think there's amazing opportunities right even during high school and coming out for those who want those very highly rigorous post-secary options. So it comes with rigor and tenacity and choice giving and providing those those um growth opportunities through the choices we can give because in the end it's about um needing real skills for real life. And I said I think I said that in our first interview. That's how I kind of boil it down. Are we giving students real skills for real life as they move out hopefully with something they're they love to do, they're good at and and they um can turn that into a passion of theirs. So, there's a lot of ways to do that. For struggling students, we have to have that, you know, those levels of support, tiers of support. That MTSS model is one that you I know you've heard a lot about, but you got to have ongoing assessment and measurement to identify when someone might be struggling so you can act quickly and not wait to help support a student who might need that added support and and personalize that as well and individualize that support and accelerate that growth. So, you know, I look forward to digging into how well do we do that? What does our data tell us? What do our metrics tell us? How are we doing as a system at each level? And that honestly starts in early childhood. Our our early learning programs set the tone for for everything else. And how do we respond um quickly and effectively to those who are needing that added support? One example I can give you too that we just did Tuesday night in my current district, all the school districts are really great at recognizing athletic accomplishments, other high achieving accomplishments. We do a student growth and recognition event. So we had 300 students that came in. They are in the top 5% of their school in their rate of increase in their academics, reading, math and language acquisition. We brought them all in. Um we do two of them. We do um two big clusters because of our size. So we do two events like this and we bring them in and recognize them by name with their families on stage. And it's powerful to recognize students for beating the odds, for overcoming kind of the where they were and now getting um uh in the top 5% of growth in their buildings and uh we didn't know if that was going to work well the first year we did it and it is it has stuck right. So that was just one innovative idea. We used to bring students to the schoolboard meeting and you know uh it was hard kind of getting in and out of the facility and wasn't a great experience for our families. So, we just moved it to a high school auditorium. We could stage it well. They were in and out in 40 minutes. They got recognized. Um, it's published. It's recorded. We live streamed it. You treat it just like any other strong recognition event and and recognize the students that have overcome and and again beat the odds and turn it around. So, that's one example of um ways to reinforce the power of of supporting students who are struggling academically. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Teachers are one of our most important stakeholder groups. How do you view superintendent's role in building a strong productive relationship with teachers and then rep and their representatives? >> Another very thoughtful question and um you really hit on something that's critical. So, as superintendent, I learned quickly to have a strong partnership and relationship with our teachers uh group or our teacher union. Um, you got to have an open honest avenue [clears throat] for uh bringing issues and challenges forward. And the why behind that is the number one impact on student achievement and growth is our is our classroom teacher. The research is clear. So I'll pause there because I know uh that weisetta is part of the center for educational leadership effort and work. I did that alongside Weisetta as a superintendent uh in AIO area schools. We went through three years of CEL training in AIO and Weisetta was with Mountain View and some other districts. We were all in this effort together. Two components of that there was an instructional leadership academy that was also a piece of this. And when I talk about teachers are the number one impact, uh how are we leaning in and investing in what they need? There was a great question yesterday in our interview about um how to do that when you have a range of needs. And so we have to really tailor professional development to meet the unique needs of each teacher. Assuming that every teacher needs the same um same experience in PD is something we got to protect against. Now I would say when when the science of reading came out and we were doing letters or OLA training and those things there was a foundational piece you had to have but now we're learning that you know when a teacher comes to us they might already have that so what can I give them that makes that experience even better instead of asking them to go through that again because this is what we offer so some flexible professional development is huge and doing that in partnership with the the uh this learn with our teacher union really helps because uh they have insights and they get information and feedback that we just don't get. And so that's a, you know, sometimes a blind spot you have to really look for. Um, and then number two, the principal's role in helping develop and grow the teachers in their building. So that center for educational leadership model and that instructional leadership academy is all about how to help principles be instructional leaders in their building. And the research would tell you they're number two on impact. And we we need to have our principles as instructional leaders. and they are struggling because they're managers of behavior, they're managers of operations, they're managers of budgets, they're managers of a lot of things, but the number one impact they can have is instructional and academic outcomes. So, I commend the district for leaning into that. I I think you've taken the next step and folded that into evaluation process. Having your teachers performance aligned to the district goals all the way down to the classroom level in the school improvement plans gives clarity, clear expectations and and so then you have to have strong um my role in this is setting up that system, continuing to improve upon that system, making sure we're giving the resources and clarity and and tied into best practice around this strong classroom walkthroughs and observation cycles. My job is to make sure I've created opportunity for our principles to do that or assistant principles. So that's a systemic piece that's on my shoulders to figure out with the resources we have. But this should be at the top of the list. This is how you move the needle on achievement, especially for a high performing district like Wisetta to get to that next level. You really got to be tight on how are we maximizing the knowledge and experience of our teachers and taking things off their plate that take them away from time with students. probably most evident in the area of special education. There's too much time spent away from students and not in front of students on paperwork and other administrative tasks. And so our challenge is to find new ways to maximize impact and um time with students. So um you know the 4D and 5D models are critical. Those are a great commitment because that is grounded in research and best practice. I think if I looked at my team here, they'd probably say they haven't arrived on that. Uh because it's tough. But I would say how do you double down on those efforts and really maximize impact through some proven strategies. And it's my job to make sure we stay focused on that. We do it with fidelity, there's accountability and measurement on when you make that commitment and what results are we getting. So that's that's the superintendent's role in making sure that those uh systems are in place ultimately getting them um the benefit of of our our staff. And again, I I smiled because the students yesterday all the number one thing was their teachers. They were just so proud. It was like I could hardly finish the sentence like my teacher's the best thing here. And as I walked through um classrooms um I just saw the engagement. I saw the I saw the teachers um really doing a great job with whether I we saw math, we saw art, um we saw band, we saw we saw lots of things yesterday and I just was really impressed. So for me as superintendent, one of your biggest investments of time, energy and resources is um growth of your teaching staff. >> So thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you for that. One of the things that Weisetta prides itself on is the rich, unique, and powerful voices that make up our administrators and teachers. Please speak to what you see as the cabinet's role and how you plan to bring out the strengths in those diverse voices. >> Yeah. >> Along those lines, how would you respond if a member of your administrative team failed to follow district protocol or governance norms? >> We'll assume that last part's hypothetical, right? Yeah. Does never happens. Um, I've had those experiences honestly when when a team's failed. And there's usually a reason for that because there wasn't clear expectations on the front end. I come from some what I call trust accelerators. I talked about this in my first interview, too. And there's four key key ones. And one of those is assume positive intent. I'm going to start with the assumption everyone's doing the best they can with what they have. So, that's on me then as superintendent. If someone's not meeting expectations, then I haven't done my job well enough to make sure the system is set up clearly and they've had every opportunity to perform at their best. If that's happened, then you have a different issue to deal with. Um, but let's make sure it's not because of a lack of systemic support or clarity in what the roles are. So, that goes back to what I started with with um the relationship with the superintendent and the schoolboard setting clear measurable goals. um measure like what are those measures around the strategic priorities that you're going to hold me accountable to that I can then take to my team and say your role in this is as is x y and z and I view the team I I talk about as the office of the superintendent it's not one person it's not just me it's everyone that's my direct reports they're really functioning like a member of the office of the superintendent it takes all of the team to to carry out whether it's operations HR community ed on the teaching and learning sides We have to have clear expectations and um you got to have a robust process to give feedback and coaching. So from my experience the last seven years as a superintendent, I have been intentional to invest in professional development for our team and constantly reviewing uh role definition and uh people just want clarity. They just want to know what their charge is and what their expectations are and that uh lack of clarity and and I've had some moments where when the clarity is not there, that's where things, you know, that's where drama comes in. The best way to kill drama is with results. So, you have to have clarity on how to do that. And so, my job is um to work in partnership with I said that earlier too, but work with people, not doing things to people. And it it holds up as well with our building leaders. They have a huge job to do at the building level. They just want clear expectations and um um high level expectations of course. So how do we invest in them and have that accountability, management, feedback and coaching that we're are growing our leadership team and then are we meeting the expectations of the board? I will be coming back to you and saying what are are we meeting your expectations? Is my team meeting those expectations? Where are the weaknesses that you see? what information can we provide or data that we can provide that would help um give clarity to that and are we in alignment to um having as tight of an efficiency model as we can on meeting those strategic priorities. So it's a collective effort. It's on me though as superintendent to be clear through that evaluation process and u when things aren't working to make make those changes. I've in my in AIO and in Oka Henipin have restructured the senior leadership team twice um because I didn't feel like it it wasn't it wasn't the people it was the structure not getting us results. So we went through a process of restructuring that and having a better uh productivity model which is difficult because you're still you know we're dealing with people. So there's an art to that. Uh it's a skill as a superintendent you got to really um hone in on and work with, but ultimately I am responsible to the district and to you as the board to get results. And my job is to have the most effective team possible and position those uh team members so they can max out their impact in their roles. [gasps] >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Considering the conversation around reading instruction and the practices designed to bring more students up to grade level in reading, what have you learned through your own experience or seen succeeding in other states or districts that require leadership from superintendent? How do you monitor and measure the effectiveness of these literacy programs? >> Before I dive into this one, I just want to say thank you for hanging in. This has been a long day and you're near the finish line here. So [laughter] hang in there with me. Um I got lots of stories on this an experience here in the last just three years in an noa henipin with our size. Um and this kind of ranges from what we've experienced at the classroom level all the way up to my working and testifying at the at the legislature last year for more resources to fund the work that's required of the read Act. So that's an underfunded mandate. And for us to deliver on this, we needed twice what we got. We got a pocket of money or a bucket of money for um for staff development and we got another bucket of money for um resources. And as we adopted that, we're in year one of our reading adoption and it's we got half of what we needed. So we did prioritize that with district funds to make sure we are doing it right. And what I learned through this, I love the nature of this question. Um, because we we kind of took a little slightly different path, but there's some fundamental things that need to be in place as the read continues to get rolled out where I think we're now at a phase two spot where what does this mean for grades 6 through 12? We're getting our arms around K5. Um, we know what that means and and I I'm excited throughout my career to to see the efforts and and results now coming from the science of reading training. We've been all over the map for the last three decades and I feel like we're finally getting traction and when I go into watch classrooms, I was at Monroe Elementary the other day in my district and they had a partnership with Serve Minnesota. I think um Dr. Sahony, you're familiar with them. Uh this was a a resource that came to us free. We didn't have to buy it or purchase it. And it came from the business community. It was very unique and different which sometimes we get we get nervous about. And uh it came from u one building. So we've had a history of kind of some top down approaches um always with the intent positive intent of of fidelity and consistency. And this one building said can we try something different that we think could work? It's a highly diverse school. 90% students of um of color and about 90% poverty too. And so it's a really challenging building and uh we said go ahead and explore it. And we had two teachers that said let me let me try it. Well those two turned into four and four turned into eight in the building. And then it when you when your colleague sees you having success with something they're like I want to try that. Like how is that working for you? What can I try? And so this was a real grassroots effort. All of a sudden, Monroe was getting big results. They they increased their uh performance by 20% that first year. Significant. We haven't seen that in a long time, maybe ever. If you go back, that's a a big milestone. So, instead of making every building, hey, let's we think that that this will work everywhere else. We said to the other schools, try it where it makes sense. Start with a grade level team. Maybe it's second grade, maybe it's first grade. This is a K3 program. And we didn't force it. We just said we we were hanging on to the notion like if they want to try it, they're motivated to do it. Let's see if it works in a pilot sense. Well, within two years, we had all 25 elementaryaries piloting this. So, when we got to our final adoption, um we had we have to pick a comprehensive um um program. So we did pick CKLA which is core knowledge language arts but we augmented that with bridge to read for K3 and functional morphology for grades four five to fill in the gaps that you have when you have a those comprehensive programs um have some weaknesses to them. So, as superintendent, uh, that was a it was a bit of a risk, but more of an innovative concept instead of doing what we've always done. 10 years ago, we adopted Wonders, and that that adoption was super tight fidelity. You can't deviate pacing every day. Uh, and that that was really hard on our teachers, honestly. So, this brings a little more autonomy to them to lean into their expertise. And when we've I just had Senator Swisinski and Sherk Kunish uh at Monroe recently to see it in action. so that our legislators could see what is possible with highquality doable reading instruction that doesn't burn out our teachers. Right? [gasps] So, um that took um me going to the schoolboard and saying, "This is going to sound different, but here's the evidence behind it. Here's why we think this could work. Will you support us giving it a try, measuring that, and then seeing if there's opportunity down the line?" And that was a good example of um through that moni monitoring and measurement that proven to be um effective. So on Monday night at our work session we are sharing the fastbridge data um for the first couple months of of our first year adoption and that'll be our first litmus test of is this working early on. and then ask we spent all last week asking your elementary teachers what about this adoption and implementation did you not expect that you need help with and so we got uh feedback from all of our elementaryaries that we'll share back and what do we need to do to adjust and support them through now that we know more you know so when you know better you do better right and and that's sort of the approach we've taken with this while I still when we were at uh the capital on Monday we're going to lobby for more support we're going to keep the pedal to the middle on that one and make sure they hear we're doing everything we can with the resources we have, but we need continued commitment for this to really stick long term. So hopefully that gives you a sense for at least my uh as a superintendent may even willing to try something different, but make sure it's grounded in data and evidence and in a process so there's trust along the way and it's not just kind of a random effort and you hope that it works because hope's not a plan. >> So thank you. >> Can I ask? Yeah, please. >> Can I ask a clarifying question? The system you're talking about is fast bridge or bridge to read. >> Um, fast bridge is the assessment part. So, bridge to read the instructional component. Yep. >> Thank you. >> And then, you know, the part I didn't mention that's coming to is Capy, the CAPY data that the measurement we're going to have across K12 to just have another measurement point telling us if we're um hitting the targets we need to hit. >> Thank you. Our next question is Wisetta public schools has a strong tradition of being a place that welcomes each and every student and by extension each and every family. What do you think the role of nonpartisanship has in this? >> I love this question. I've been living this [laughter] and I I give you um I commend you for asking it. Um, the role of nonpartisanship is central. It's central. It has to be at its core. And you have to welcome all perspectives. The board represents our communities. So, we have to be disciplined enough to listen to each and every perspective. But it's my belief that as a school board, your role is a nonpartisan role. It's been harder and harder and harder to to live in that space. I have currently worked the last two years with a board that has co-chairs because they can't agree on who should be the chair, right? So, a superintendent that's a different challenge for me and how do we move the work forward and be successful when you have division, right? And I would say in the same breath, we've had success with that. It's a it's a unique challenge and um but it it's it's clear to me all the time that a shared purpose your strategic plan is the roadmap for this. Right? You all have a different perspective on how we should be prioritizing things. But there needs to be a collective commitment to really move the system forward. Otherwise, you're just kind of treading water or or not making the kind of progress that is expected of us by our community and most importantly our students. So, the way to fight [snorts] those forces that pull people apart in a partisan way, you got to peel it back. You got to find the areas of agreement because I believe at at the core there is a common purpose. There is a common shared purpose. And for me the the most obvious one was literacy. There was a common agreement among the board that that was the number one priority. Safety and security of students and recruiting a strong staff. We found three right out of the gate that everyone can get behind. So you start there and you you those um areas of agreement are really driven by values. So for me, a different perspective than maybe my own is driven by um I always am curious what's behind that. And usually when you peel it back, there's a a set of values there that you often have agreement on. But it just takes time and and effort and work. But for me, for a high functioning board and a high functioning district, the role of nonpartisanship is central. It's at its core. you can still and you all have your own perspectives and influence and expectations and you're you're elected to do that. Okay? So, that is your role and my role is to help find those common areas where we can really leverage change and accelerate growth. So, um we live in a world that's kind of pushing and pulling us different directions. And so we have to be very intentional about um staying in that nonpartisan space and because our ultimately our student success depends on us doing that. It's our responsibility. So thank you for asking this question. >> Thank you. >> Weisetta Public Schools benefits from strong business, community and parental support of our schools. With that comes both opportunities and challenges. Please describe how you would engage with these school communities to build trust and collaboration while maintaining boundaries that support and ensure the district's internal systemic integrity. >> Yeah, as a superintendent, uh I've learned I think I said this the other day, everyone's an expert on the weather and snow days and graduation. Um, you got to be open and willing to listen to our communities and and we really need business as partners and I see it as a strong component already in the district. Um, when I think of business community and parents, uh, why wouldn't you expect strong feelings and passion? I mean, that's just a way to show that they care. So you want we want people engaged and invested in what we do and that tells us they care about it. So you you got to there's the there's the assume positive intent part, right? Um you appro you know another core trust accelerator for me around this one is I just call it simply KDR. You you approach us in a kind, direct, respectful manner. Okay? And being direct is kind. Not being direct isn't kind in my book. So I think people need to know where you stand on things and you do that in a very respectful way. And I talked about respect and dignity earlier in my interview. Uh that's how you build trust. So not everyone's going to agree with every decision that I make or the board makes or the district makes. But if they understand why and we're transparent about that and we tell the story and we listen and we ask questions, that is how uh you you work through that. And then you do have to have boundaries, right? You're elected to make tough decisions. So, you're going to make those and you're going to do that hopefully being as informed as possible, fully informed and make the best decision that you can based on where you land as an individuals and as a board. And um what I mean by boundaries, I guess, is clear expectations on how that partnership works and when is it input and when is it decision-m. So, we talk a lot about that. I do as as superintendent. I I seek a lot of input, but I remind folks, you're giving me or the board input, but um the decision lies with the board. And this can be from everything from a curricular decision to whether we should have football games at 6:00 or 7:00 because we had that experience here this last year. And there's passion behind those things and they sometimes seem trivial, but they're real, you know. So, you have to slow down, you have to listen, you have to seek perspective. and go back and like what does that information tell us? What you know um you have to know as superintendent when to you can make a quick decision or when you need you need time and sometimes you think we're there and then something throws you off and you got to just find more time to get more input, ask more questions. Um find those blind spots. The strategic planning process should really knock some of this down though with a strong continuous cycle on an annual basis. So you can tell and communicate with your community, here's when we set priorities and we do that to set up our budget and here's when we carry that out. Here's when we measure it. Here's we come back and and tell us whether we need to um make adjustments and and kind of go through that cycle again. So that strategic planning process when it's public and it's uh transparent helps helps our constituents know how we make decisions. So we're just not reacting all the time in making quick decisions uninformed. Uh, I can already tell the sports um when you can you're deliberate, you're informed, you take the time to be really careful um on the big ones and as a superintendent, there's sometimes where you get five minutes to make a tough call and you got to make it with what you have, but you can even go through that process in five minutes. I think I believe that. So, having a strong decision-making framework um is important for the for the relationship with the community um and the superintendent and schoolboard relationship too. So when you know how I uh approach a problem or a challenge um and the process I go through that's a trust builder that's a trust accelerator like I said before. So um it's a little different from a business community and uh parent side. Um there's unique things to each of those three pieces. So it's a little tricky when they're in one question. But um you know when I said real skills for real life that's our business community depends on us to have graduates that can be part of their workforce and so why wouldn't they want to have say in that and I as I was asking Scott at the high school how we do that and how we give those experiences to students as a part of their high school experience. Um, I think we can expand that even more so that um, we let we have students figure out what they what they love and what they're good at and we're meeting a need from our business community um, where there's vacancies to be filled and that that's a trend we're going to see continue. So maybe I'll just I'll kind of pause there. Thanks. >> Thank you. >> Oh, I'm doing great. We're on the last one. Our next question, please provide a summary statement of why you feel you are a good fit to lead Wisetta Public Schools and please share your vision for what you would hope to accomplish during your time spent here as superintendent. >> Yeah, thanks for asking this. Um, maybe I'm back to where I started at the beginning of the interview a little bit because I tried to kind of set the tone for my transition plan. But, um, what what I see and as I've over time as I worked, you know, I really spent a lot of time with Chase during the pandemic as we were just looking for solutions to what felt like unsolvable problems at the time. And we lean on our colleagues and so as neighbors when I was in AIO, I did a lot of that with with Chase. So I I learned a lot about the district just through that process and and as it carried me through. And I think my experience the last seven years in in the chair. Um all decisions kind of end with you and I have to be accountable to you as the school board because you're you're ultimately the authority. And so that partnership has to be strong. in my experience in the first and fifth biggest district right in the same region as Weisetta I think gives me some great context and lived experience in Minnesota that when I step into the role I can hit the ground running and there's not a lag time there and you can move your and we together can move the Weisetta strategic plan forward and re and you know hopefully we're talking about implementation of that referendum and getting the all the work started on a success uccessful vote and being available to you right away uh immediately and leveraging that experience I've had through those similar um experiences in other places. I think we can take a robust strategic plan and continue to improve on it. Um haven't said it out loud, but I noticed it says 2023 to 2027. We're at a perfect moment to refresh it and make it even better. You got such a strong foundation. and we can just like it's just such a wonderful opportunity to take it to the next level and my experience in doing that we did a massive strategic plan overhaul when I was superintendent in in AIO I talked about at my first interview I think where we really went out to our communities and we didn't wait for people to come to us we went to them and made sure that we asked especially our marginalized communities where they you know it's harder to engage we went to their spaces to their neighborhoods to their locations where they felt safe to share and I think we could ask the same questions. What's your lived experience like and what do you want it to be like? And just let those two questions drive our improvement process. So, you're so uniquely positioned to do that. So, that's exciting to me. And um how do you how do you not only remain dedicated to being the number one ranked district and I'm happy to tell Minnotonka and Edina that we are we're the number one district. Come chase us. Um I'm good friends with those superintendents there. So I have good relationships with them. And we do that by uh not only remaining but elevating our our um worldass education by how do you do even better by delivering rigorous learning and rich experiences and and really being bold about innovation. So you can't do that though without systems in place. And I feel like with my deep roots here locally and my proven track record of success as a superintendent, um, Wisetta really needs uh, to me that kind of experience to keep that momentum going and accelerate it. So to elevate it and accelerate it. That's just what's been on my mind throughout this process is I feel like I can bring that to you as a superintendent and live on those experiences while I learn and and really come to even appreciate even more greatly the unique and special qualities of Weisetta. And there's so many wonderful things to to leverage here. And um I wouldn't have been ready for this 10 years ago as an assistant superintendent. I really wouldn't have been ready even further back in 15 years as a director. Um, but I I feel like the last seven years in in some really complex systems has given me that like that battle tested experience around what does it take to be successful and stay focused and and find um higher levels of of achievement. And you have to do it with integrity and you have to do it with transparency and you have to be willing to be uncomfortable and you have to be willing to lean into some hard things. But none of us have ever probably if you look back at the hard things you've done that's where your biggest growth has come from. Right. So I think we're just as a district so poised to really continue to set the standard as being the premier district in the state and continue to be a national model of excellence. So I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here. I think I beat my time a little bit today. So, um, thank you for, um, spending not only the time with me today, but with all the candidates. I know it's a big lift. I know there's a lot of other things you're not getting done. But your commitment is evident to me. Your thoughtfulness in the process and your deliberate approach says so much about how committed you are to getting it right. So, thank you. >> Do we have time um for your last question, which is, do you have questions for us? So, I only have about 40. No, I'm kidding. I have two. I have two today. Um, I'm just curious from your perspective, if you're willing to share how you view the role of the relationship between the board and the superintendent, what what are the and maybe it's what are the key pieces that make that successful? And what are some areas you would say, you know, you you you want to get better at because there's always opportunities for improvement, right? I can go. Uh I think you already mentioned that in one of your answers and uh collaboration obviously expectations was the book big thing, right? You need to know what the board expects from you and that is very very key. Clear clarity is is the most important thing in anything in life, right? >> So if you do not know what the board expects, you cannot perform to our satisfaction. So I think that is the most important thing in the relationship. It's also mutual trust that you will do or try to do what the board thinks as a vision as a strategy for the for the school district. And the board is not always right but at least it has a vision based on what the community is asking it to it for you know as far as expectations are concerned. So those are the two things I think mutual trust and clarity. >> Yeah. Thank you >> my mind. >> Yeah. Thank you. >> So I'll add to that a bit. Um, I think the way I view it is really, we've talked about this as a board, is there's a handshake between us and the superintendent and it takes a lot of trust to to make that handshake happen. >> Um, and so there are things that we already have built into our processes in our system that allow us to get that trust. our committee structure, for example, um the individual relationships that we have with our superintendent, um the invitations that we get to go to different events and places, those all help to build that level of trust so that we can see for ourselves what's going on. Um, and so that that handshake is really important and just the continued understanding between of us, between us, like you said, that shared commitment to creating the conditions that elevate everybody so that they can do their jobs properly. >> Yeah. Thank you. It sounds easy, right? But it's sometimes not so easy, [laughter] >> but that's the fun part of it. >> That's the fun part, right? Yeah. You have a seven member board here, if that's any solid. >> Yeah. Yeah. Right. [laughter] Yeah. My last two boards have been six. You know, 140 districts in the state still have six, so it's more common than you'd think. Um, so and I've worked for seven member boards, too. I don't know if anyone else wanted to weigh in. >> Yeah. So, I'll also add uh the datadriven approach. So, we come from different background, different industries, but you are the expert in education. So, there are times when we may not see the whole picture. We may just see from one vantage standpoint. So it helps us to put some measurable criterias in place. Uh talk about options, pros and cons, uh why we can or cannot do certain things. So it helps us understand or visualize you know the outcome. So the datadriven approach goes a long way because it's black and white. There are no emotions and I understand not every time >> you know data can be number one. There are sometimes other aspects you have to look at it but the more we are metrics driven datadriven it helps us to make those decisions quickly and understand quickly. >> Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. >> Um I guess it piggybacks off of this so I don't want to push back a question on you for your question but I was just looking back um I really I highlighted I like um and maybe you could give a little bit more um of an example when you mentioned giving regular updates to the board. Um, again, I'm new to this, but I've been really appreciative of being able to be involved in so many committees, but it still feels like you can't possibly keep on top of all the information that's happening. It's hard to do that. So if you could give a little bit of um more detail on that and then the other thing that I highlighted is a future question but I think it's directly related to this is you had mentioned maybe you've learned some examples of what you do differently when you do walk into a superintendent role and if there was anything you >> Yeah, thank you for asking that. By the way, can I just jump in? Do you want me to take those? Okay. Um I'm always filtering everything that happens in the district on what would if I were you, what would I want to know and when do I want to know it? U when things happen in the district and someone reaches out to you in the community or a parent or someone on social media and you don't have information, that's a sinking feeling, right? So um there's a continuum. There are days where I'm going to call each and one of you and just say, "Heads up. This is what's going on. I want you to hear it from me first, right? um if things are more in a and maybe we need to have a conversation about it so you can be ready for any questions you get or just for me to gauge whether you're supportive of you know the the action we got to take. So that can be in just in time moments um where it could be a quick phone call or text where you need I need your engagement right away. Now I know you have jobs and so I'm going to respect those boundaries and and every one of you have a different availability. So me getting to comfortable and understanding when I can reach you and when you know how you like to be communicated with um I do I love the practice of every Friday a weekly update on um my schedule activities in the in the um community activities in our schools. three to five key initiative efforts. So when you look at your seven strategic priorities, what are some things I just need to keep you apprised of? It's more kind of onedirectional and also u media updates. Um you need to be aware of just what's going on and around us um in the in the media. And then uh also I forecast the next two months of board meetings. I keep a together we'll develop a one-year board calendar and actually in in a great format you have a three-year board calendar although it's you know it's fluid so that you can expect and anticipate there's certain things that just always you know are in June you know you're going to pass the budget in June you're going to get an LTFM update in June things like that [gasps] but there's other things that um as board members have interest or something spikes let's at least plan ahead for the the upcoming work sessions and board meetings so you can see oh it's on the agenda Oh, I don't see it. Then you can reach out. So, a number of things I try to b fold into that um weekly update department updates. I include I include updates on professional development approvals, things that you just would want to know that I think you might get asked about, right? Because I want you to have information. And then if something um happens, uh I might give a midweek update on a specific topic or something unique. And then I'm ask I'm asking myself is that an email or is that a phone call or is that something else? And um a good superintendent just knows you got to know how quickly what do you need and when do you need it and so we'll work together on how to meet your expectations and when you need information, how you want to get it, right? So that maybe there's some things that you know you loved about how Chase did that, but other things you might want to make adjustments on. So, I don't know if I'm hopefully I'm answering your question there. >> Um, the second part was >> you had mentioned um, you know, walking into the superintendent position before that maybe there were examples of anything that you've found that you would do differently. You don't have to go into great detail, but >> No, it's uh, I'm you know, it's good to be a little vulnerable and transparent. You you just there's a lot of learning. I remember my first um couple my first year especially in uh, AIO, you know, I was five months in and then the pandemic hit. I mean, I I was barely in the job, you know, and then then the world changed and so I quickly had to learn uh and we had a board member resign and so we were onboarding a new board member. It was a lot going on and I I learned that um I was kind of hanging on to that end of the week communication that I could just include everything in there to try to respect your day-to-day lives. And I learned the hard way that there's information you need right away. Uh, I I learned quickly the power of social media and how board members get can really get inundated with issues. So, the more I c I I kind of learned quickly that if if I can see that coming, I'm going to call you. I'm going to give you an, you know, update or have you plan or what do you need? And so the day-to-day communications that might be needed from time to time are are really important and not waiting to package it nice and have it look great and organized and all those things. Sometimes it's just messy and you got to be okay with being messy sometimes because um and I had a couple board members, they just preferred phone calls. They didn't they they didn't like the email updates, right? They didn't like the formatting of it. So they would rather just be column. And so we had to work through there's things I want you all to see at the same time and get the same information so you have trust in that, right? So you all trust um uh but there might be unique things in your own neighborhoods or communities that I would want you to hear first. Uh my current district, we're in election districts, so each six each of the six have their own election district. So if something happens in their cluster of schools, I'm going to start there because they're likely to hear about it first and then I can follow up the whole board. So, I learned the hard way and those are those are strategies that just work and it's really um learning individual preferences and how that how to do that and you know really establishing I am just available to you all the time like it's a 247 job and especially in a system this size or bigger life happens to people at all hours of the day and night and sometimes unfortunate things and so uh that's just we are servants to the community and we're always on in that in that way. So, I appreciate you asking that followup. That's one example. >> Thank you. >> You had another question right there. >> I did. Thank you. Um, thank you for getting me back on track. >> Yeah. Oh, I'm doing all right. Okay. Well, uh, you know, as the new superintendent stops in, I I see the um, the priorities that you've set and I see the work right in front of you from my own experience with referendums and the bond work that is going to come with that and the opportunities there. But feel like it's important for me to ask, you know, what are your one or two top priorities for each of you? And when you when you are onboarding a new superintendent, what comes to the top for you? Because I think it could be different things, right? There's a district work, but you might have a individual lean on certain things that are more important to you. So, I thought it it's a great question to ask. >> Well, again, you I think you stole one of my follow-up questions. Uh that was what I was going to ask you. But if since you asked us maybe I'll start my my two top priorities are achievement reducing the achievement gap and transparency with the community. >> Okay. Y thank you. Um so uh again my two priorities u number one academic achievements that will always be and again for each and every student so that that should always be on the top priority and then the second is really the the datadriven metrics driven discussions and decisions as much as we can facilitate. >> Yeah. Thank you. >> We just going around. I think we have time for all of us. >> Yeah. Um, I was just I would say yes, being as a superintendent, I think especially knowing, you know, who has been with us for so long, I think it's really important to know that we're getting someone who's going to be forward- facing, very community focused, is going to be seen and heard and accessible. And also, um, the other would be just meeting the needs of all students, just making sure we're really doing the best for every single student in our district. >> Yeah. Thank you. really really building off of um what Alicia shared. Um you know, for for me it's we have a a deficit in in the special education budget statewide. So I want to hear about how are we still providing um services to students with the possibility that more um districts are going to be paying a greater share of special education tuition bills. >> Yeah. Um as well as the second um piece being uh we're a growing community and so how we respond to that growth, facilities, expansions, you name it, is going to be very important to me. >> Yeah. Thank you, Dan. >> Um this is going to be kind of repetitive. Um but just you know learning the about the our community and kind of the the families and what's needed um where you know so that we can bring the opportunities to all the students. Um so just kind of just the first priority should be understanding who makes up this community because you will need to know that before you can make any kind of positive impact. um with the ultimate goal of yes academic achievement for each and every and when we say that we mean it. >> Yeah. Thank you. >> So I'm going to piggyback on Alicia and Sheila a bit is that just really deeply embedding in the community, understanding the communities. There's so many different facets to our wonderful district. Um and making sure that that you feel confident in those spaces as well. I think that the transition is going to be important, especially because it's been such a long time. And so getting that part right, I think, will set the next person up for a lot of success in the community and we'll set the community up for success. Everyone's excited about this phase. Um, and I and so it's it's going to be great to to do it in the right way so that it's so that it's long lasting. Um obviously the academics um and that rigor that you speak of is really important in all aspects. >> Yeah. >> Academics, the whole student. We want to see our kids leaving our doors happy, healthy, confident, ready to take it on and also knowing that they can always come back home. >> Yeah. Thank you. Uh for me what uh would be important is uh you bringing your experience and expertise with uh readact because we all know um it used um at least America used to say uh students are learning to read till third grade after third grade they are reading to learn. So what can be done at our school district uh that students are not we are not getting the data po post uh mortm. Yeah, >> we are right away implementing and helping students who need and uh we are hearing data here at uh board so we can we can share uh excitements I mean exciting news too hopefully uh and also uh we can also deal with challenges and hear challenges and second one I would have said um what kind of support system can be put um from administration to teachers cuz as you pointed out if teachers are teachers are the main um changing um person in students life and if teachers are are feeling being helped and being heard then I think that um at the end of the day student outcomes would be um far better. >> Yeah. Well, thank you. And in 15 seconds, I'll just say a robust data dashboard. It's not something I spoke about, but um I'm hugely a big proponent of that. We're doing that right now, my current district. And then lastly, that community piece. My experience with how to do what you connection with community. I had to do that with 13 communities in Noah Henipin. And each of those 13 have a different identity. Like you had said here, the eight here have different identities. So, I learned that you got to really take the time and understand each identity. So, there's the the Weisa community, but there's eight unique communities that um they're all proud of, right? So, um I've learned how to um that's something I'm very comfortable and confident that we can accomplish together. >> Okay. Thank you for the questions, uh Superintendent McIntyre. Uh any follow-up questions? Okay, I I have one and that is based on primarily your first answer that was the transition plan. You talked about how great Wisetta school district is, how you have a good you know very strong relationship with Chase and how well he has performed in 18 years. You also said that you are the type that sets the bar higher. you want to set it higher in Weisetta uh as a premier district and in the I think in the 15th answer you said there needs to be a a continuous momentum and acceleration have keeping that in mind what would be your your top priorities when you hit the ground running when you start that was very percept perceptive on your part to catch that so I'm glad you asked uh in the handout I gave you uh I won't go through all those but I gave you two actionable items for each strategic priority. Right? So there's there's there's 14 right there that I feel like can help do what um I think um you got to think sky's is the limit, right? So what's possible? And if we can together keep that mindset moving forward in assuming positive intent, what's possible? I'm a big believer that at least the people that I'm around that are that live with excellence in everything they do, they're always pushing what's possible piece is me getting in in the weeds with people and really learning like what's possible here, right? But it comes from a mindset first. So you're high performing. We can be high performing, but I don't sense you're satisfied. We can do better. So, let's have that approach. How do we keep doing better? How can we we still have needs not being met? We still have students who are high performing that can perform higher. And if we lead with that mindset and and I have the opportunity to kind of dig into those, where are those those opportunities large and small? Uh because sometimes it comes from just a small thing. my my bridge to read example was two teachers that sparked a whole change, right? So it it it can be um very unique that way. I'm just uh trying to share with you my mindset is um let's push even higher. And I feel like um my experience the last seven years having had to move the needle on a variety of different things where people thought it wasn't possible. It's possible if you believe it's possible. Um we have and one example um that I can give you is the last three years we have so we have 40 sites in an O canon 80% of those sites are now in the top quartortile of the hardest to move student groups special education students of color poverty when we benchmark against. So, we have closed the gap systemwide, getting more and more schools in that top tier of performance, knowing that our operating funding is half of the neighbors next door in AIO, which I was partly responsible for. So, I guess I can take kind of some credit for that. Um, AIO's at the cap financially. That's $44 million a year that they have that we don't. And we are still with what we have we have moved significantly moved the needle on performance reading math science because we believed it was possible. Setting the tone for what can we do and what what doesn't even seem possible but let's push ourselves to think differently. So what I see um with Weisetta is that foundation is so strong and the opportunity and I even felt it in the tours yesterday just the hunger to just keep getting better. I heard I saw it in our in the students I talked to um the two high school students were amazing. Um and that tells me we're doing great but how do we get even greater right instead of just trying to maintain or sustain. I think that's a negative uh that's a that's not the mindset I want to have. So hopefully I answered your question. Yes, you did. Thank you. Thank you for that. >> No other questions. Um so thank you Superintendent Mc McIntyre. Um thank you for joining us today and MSBA's um Barb Dawn will be in contact with you following our board's deliberation after this. Um and we appreciate your interest in be becoming our next superintendent. Thank you so much and have a good day. >> Yeah, thank you all very much for your efforts through this process. Congratulations. You're almost done. [laughter]