Good evening. The time is now just around 7:00. The Visetta Public Schools Board of Education Organizational and Regular Meeting for Monday, January 12th, 2026 will please come to order. >> Will the acting clerk please call the role? >> Heidi Kedar >> here. Alicia Little >> here. Harris Bend >> here. >> Valentina Ays >> here. >> Sheila Prior here. Dan Janestra >> here. Milan Sahony >> present. >> Chase Anderson >> here. Thank you. We have a porum. Please rise to recite the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Welcome back colleagues uh to another year on the board. Your work on the board is always appreciated. Let's make this year a great one for the district. If you wish to speak during the audience opportunity to address the board, please fill out a form at the back of the room and hand it over to our district admin assistant Amy Guys sitting to my right. This evening there is a slight change from the regular agenda. We will first do the oath of office for our new and returning board members. This first meeting in January is referred to as the organizational board meeting where the board is required to elect its officers, the chair, vice chair, clerk and treasurer among other organizational approvals. This is required per state statute 123b.14. The term of each officer is for one year. I'm acting board chair until the chair is elected following which the elected chair will conduct the rest of the meeting. Let's begin with the oath of office for our new and returning board members. I will join Alicia and Heidi at the podium. It's an honor that you were elected to guide the education of our community of our community's children. As you recite the oath of office, you assume a tremendous responsibility as a director of our school district with the duties empowered by the Minnesota legislature. This power puts you and the other members of our school board in the position of being both morally and legally responsible for equitable quality education of every student at in the district. In carrying out this responsibility, you will be asked to fulfill the roles of vision, structure, accountability, and advocacy. In providing vision, the board with extensive participation of the community, envisions the community's educational future, and then formulates the goals, defines the outcomes, and sets the course for the public schools. To achieve the vision, the board establishes a structure and creates an environment designed to ensure all students the opportunity to attain the their maximum potential through a sound organizational framework. Because as a board, we must be accountable to the community. We must ensure a continuous assessment of student achievement and all conditions affecting the education of our children. As board members, we serve as education's key advocate on behalf of students and our community schools to advance the vision of for our schools. Furthermore, we must strive to work together with the superintendent and staff to lead the district towards fulfilling the vision we have created, fostering excellence for every student in the areas of academic skills and knowledge, citizenship, and personal development. So I'm going to read my oath first if you don't mind then you guys can come or you maybe maybe Alicia should read it first. >> That's okay. >> I don't know. Is it okay? >> Yeah. >> All right. So I'm going to So as you read the oath, you can you know raise your right right hand if you would like. >> So having signed the acceptance of office and oath of office, I hereby publicly affirm my commitment to the oath of office. I affirm, I swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States of this state and that I will discharge faithfully the duties of the office of school board member of Independent School District number 284 to the best of my judgment and ability. Thank you. Having signed the acceptance of office, an oath of office, I hereby publicly affirm my commitment to this oath of office. I swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and this state. And that I will discharge faithfully the duties of the office of school board member of the independent school district number 284. Go Trojans to the best of my judgment and my ability. Having signed the acceptance of office and oath of office, I hereby publicly affirm my commitment to the oath of office. I swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States and of this state and that I will discharge faithfully the duties of the Office of School Board Member of Independent School District number 284 to the best of my judgment and ability. >> Congratulations. Let's head back to our seats then. Thank you so much. Come on up. Can I see you? Okay. Now we elect officers of the board for 2026. I as acting chair will call for the election of the chair. When the once the chair is elected, that chair will call for the election of the rest of the officers. Let's begin with the election of the chair. Are there any nominations for chair? >> I'd like to nominate Heidi Kar. >> Are there any other nominations for chair? >> I would like to nominate Milan Sony. >> Thank you. Are there any other nominations for chair? Thank you Sheila and thank you Valentina. I accept your nomination Valentina. Thank you. Okay. Now what we are going to do is we are going to be voting by ballot. Oh, would you Oh, would you like to make a statement? Sorry. Sorry, Heidi. >> Uh I think we discussed this at our organizational work session. >> Okay. Um, I'd like to be chair for several reasons and I think that I'm ready and that our district would benefit from my leadership. I've sat as vice chair for two years, which is our typical cadence of our officer roles. Um, and it's our good faith practice amongst board colleagues that our roles will last for two years. I am prepared. I am practiced. I have incredibly strong relationships that I've developed over the past four years. I'm unapologetically committed to strong leadership and along with that goes strong succession planning. Rotating leadership roles can only strengthen our board and creates better board colleagues amongst us. I bring extraordinary presence and experience to the role. I'm non-adversarial, but I do have the tough conversations time and time again. I have the ability to remain neutral, which is one of the most important roles that board chair holds. I'm ready for this role. >> My microphone. Thank you for the commitment and perspective each of you brings to this board. Our diverse viewpoints strengthen our shared responsibility to serve our students, families, and community well. Over the past two years as chair, I have focused on expanding community engagement, elevating student voice, and strengthening our con u connection to schools. These were steps toward effective governance. The year ahead is especially consequential. We are navigating a superintendent search, a bond referendum, and other initiatives already underway. This is a moment that calls for steadiness, preparation, and care in how we lead. In times of times like these, continuity matters. My decision to seek another term as chair is driven by the work ahead and the benefits of continuity in a critical year. It is driven by the belief that elections are a part of a healthy governance and so the voice of the entire board can be represented. Me my leadership approach is grounded in listening, collaboration, transparency and accountability. My leadership roles with Minnesota school boards association, Minnesota school district liquid asset fund and the consortium of state school boards association has further reinforced what effective board leadership requires, particularly during complex moments. While our board has often rotated, rotation is not a policy. Our policies allow us to elect officers based on the district's needs. And when more than one member is willing to serve, an election is appropriate and healthy governance. As noted by a board member previously, there were some years when no one expressed interest in serving as chair and rotation was a practical solution. Then if elected chair, I will continue to lead with trust, inclusion and follow through. I am mindful of the commitment the role of school board role of a school board member requires and I would be honored to earn your support to be chair and work alongside you as we navigate the journey ahead. Thank you very much. Okay. So now what we will do is in front of you there is a little piece of paper. There are four pieces actually for the four different positions. So we'll pick the first one which says chair on the top and then write your name or sorry write who you are going to vote for either Heidi or myself and then pass that on this to your right and then to your left to Sheila who will read the the votes. I have everyone's votes in no particular order. Heidi Kedar votes for Heidi Kedar. Valentina Ays votes for Milan Sahony. Paris Bend votes for Milan Sahonyi. Alicia Little votes for Heidi Kedar. Dan Janestra votes for Milan Sahony. Milan Sahony votes for Milan Sahony. Sheila Prior votes for Heidi Kedar. So that's four votes for Milan Sahony and three votes for Heidi Kedar. >> Thank you Sheila. >> So Milan Sahony has been elected chair for 2026 and I will now chair the rest of the meeting. We will now move to the election of vice chair. Are there any nominations for vice chair? I'd like to nominate Sheila Prior. >> Are there any other nominations for vice chair? >> Are there any other nominations for vice chair? Hearing none, Sheila Prior has been elected vice chair by acclamation. Congratulations, Sheila. We move on to election of treasurer. Are there any nominations for treasurer? Mr. Chair, I would like to nominate myself for the role of treasurer. >> Thank you, Dan. Any other nominations for treasurer? >> Any other nominations for treasurer? >> I would like to nominate myself. >> Okay. So, we have Dan Janestra and Heidi Kedar wanting to become treasurer. So, we will have to go through the same process that we did for the chair. >> I Oh, did I not say three? Okay. Are there any other nomination? Thank you Amy. Okay, hearing none, we will do the same process that we did for the chair and please write down your choice. Go ahead, Shil. You want to read that one? >> Oh, I'm sorry. Okay. That's what Par. Okay. Reading the votes, Milan Sahonyi was voting for Dan Janestra. Paris Bende is voting for Heidi Kedar. Dan Janestra is voting for Dan Janestra. Heidi Kedar is voting for Heidi Kater. Alicia Little is voting for Dan Janestra. Valentina Ays is voting for Heidi Kedar. Sheila Prior is voting for Heidi Kedar. That's four votes for Heidi Kedar and three for Dan Janestra. >> Thank you, Sheila. And congratulations, Heidi. Okay, we have one more left and we'll move to the election of clerk. Are there any nominations for clerk? >> I would like to nominate Dan Jinistra for um clerk. So, are there any other nominations for clerk? >> I'd like to nominate Paras Bendy. >> Are there any other nominations for clerk? >> Three, right? Okay. I think that's three, right? Okay. Okay. Hearing none, um there are two nominations, Paras Bend and Dan Janestra. We'll do the same process that we did for the other two positions. Okay, reading the votes. Valentina Heirs votes for Dan Janestra. Paris Bende votes for Dan Janestra. Heidi Kedar votes for Paris Bende. Dan Janestra votes for Dan Janestra. Milan Sahony votes for Dan Janestra. Sheila Prior votes for Dan Janestra. And Alicia Little votes for Paris Bende. Dan Janestra has five votes. Paris has two. >> Thank you Sheila. So congratulations Dan on becoming clerk. All right. So, we now have officers for the board of uh of the board for 2026. Thank you uh Dan. Thank you Heidi. And thank you Sheila. Sorry, I forgot who for your dedication and willingness to serve. Also a happy, healthy and safe new year everyone. I would first like to say thank you to my colleagues for your trust in me. I'm truly honored and know that it is a heavy lift which I cannot be cannot do without your help. In return in return in collaboration with the administration I promise to perform the duties of chair to the best of my ability while being focused on the district road map and the commitment to each and every student. All right. So let's um back to business. The next item on our agenda is the approval of the agenda and the consent agenda items. Consent agenda items are considered routine in nature and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a board member or a citizen so requests in which event the item will be removed as a consent agenda item and addressed. The consent agenda items are listed in the materials. The recommended action is to approve the agenda and the consent agenda items. Will the Will the clerk please take a roll call vote? >> We need a motion and a second. >> Motion. Oh yeah. Is there a motion? >> Motion to move. Is there a second? >> A second. >> Moved and seconded. Will the clerk please kick a roll call vote? >> Am I still acting clerk or is it now Dan? It's the new >> the new one. Yes. One. Dan. Yeah. >> Colleagues, Dan Janestra. Dan Janestra votes yes. Alicia Little. >> Yes. >> Paris Bendy. >> Yes. >> Sheila Prior. >> Yes. >> Heidi Kedar. >> Yes. Valentina ears. >> Yes. >> Milan Sahonyi. >> Yes. Thank you. We have an agenda. The next item on our agenda is report from organization. This section of the agenda provides an opportunity for Visetta High School student council representative to report on information and events at Visetta High School. I would like to invite Rachel in. There you are. Student council BP from Bazetta High School to please come forward. Welcome, Rachel. Good evening, Superintendent Anderson, members of the board, and everybody else gathered here tonight. I hope you all are having a great start to your 2026. My name is Rachel, and I'm the Wisetta High School student body vice president. Here is January's monthly report. The salad bar has officially opened at the high school. Students for months have been speculating what was ominously being constructed behind our beloved alle carte and it turns out to be another lunch option. Students can now enjoy a dectable ham and cheese panini or a diy salad if they're feeling extra healthy. Our student council has officially launched fusion a new initiative to bring our student leaders across clubs and sports teams together to facilitate collaboration share ideas and increase school spirit. Our first meeting took place last week with over 50 members where we discussed school culture and provided student input for the new superintendent search. Our athletics and academics are on a roll. Our varsity dance team is top five in the state for jazz and kick while boys basketball is the best in the state, winning all games so far except for one. Our science olympiad placed second at a recent invitational. And at the 72nd youth and government conference, two Wisetta officers were successfully voted in by their peers into the mock government. As for future events, The Importance of Being Earnest, the winter play opens this week from January 14th to 17th. As an Oscar Wild enthusiast myself, you bet I'll be seeing it. And I encourage everybody else to come support our theat's amazing work. DECA and BPA regionals take place next week physically at our high school where students across the state compete in various career oriented challenges to advance to the state level. With the semester wrapping up, students are gearing up for another gruesome, daunting finals week. But with the tireless dedication of our teachers and peer support opportunities, I'm confident that we will end the term strong and with our sanity in one piece. Thank you for your time tonight and I hope you all have a wonderful rest of your evening. I'm now open to any questions you may have. >> Thank you, Rachel. Board colleagues, any comments, questions. >> Yeah, Sheila, >> thank you for coming as always. Um, you mentioned the superintendent evaluation that >> to provide feedback. Did you were you able to participate in that? And yes, >> could you tell us what that was like? >> Yeah. So we had student leaders again we had 50 student leaders our first fusion meeting and so some of the most memorable feedback that I personally remember is one uh nonpartisanship. So it's really important especially um how education has been increasingly politicized recently that the new superintendent can work across party lines to um support initiatives that most people can or as many people can agree upon. Um, another facet that was really highlighted was for the next leader to have a vision and know exactly um what they want to accomplish when they step forward. Especially as um I think um Mr. Sony mentioned earlier with the referendum and all the uh increasing changes that are happening recently, it's really important that our superintendent is focused on um yeah like supporting these new initiatives and also um having a plan Thank you for sharing that and I just I hope everybody's taking advantage of the surveys as well >> because that's going to be really important to get as much input as possible. So, thank you for sharing. >> So, thanks for coming as you always do. I have to say your descriptions are getting better and better as time goes on. Um, so I have two questions. Um, one, theater tickets. How does one purchase theater tickets? Can you buy them on the spot or do you have to buy them in advance? Um, how I've personally bought the tickets is through Venko. So, if you search up Wisetta Theater, there should be a yeah, Venko link available. I believe tickets are around $12 to $15 each. I actually the um I have a theater person with me right now. So, do you remember like do you know how to do you want to come? Yeah. >> Yeah. So, you're going to go to wh ther.com because we're fancy. Um, and then there should just be a links um or a tickets button and it'll take you to the Vanco directly. Yeah, >> perfect. I highly appreciate Fancy. So, thank you. Um, the next thing I just wanted to mention is last year was my first year judging in DECA and I just have to say it was so fun. My husband and I are doing it. We do it as a couple's thing now. Um, so we're going to be there and I'm really looking forward to that. And do you know if volunteers are still needed for judging? >> Ooh, I personally don't run DECA so I have no idea, but I imagine the more the marrier. So if anyone is interested in Oh, I do run BPA as well. So then maybe I should like give it a little plug for that. But um yeah, so I if you just reach out to the Wise ADA email or BPA email if you're interested. Um yeah, I'm sure we'll find an opportunity for you to judge. Volunteers are always welcome. >> Wonderful. Thanks so much. >> Yeah, thank you. >> Okay. Um I I totally agree with Sheila about having as many people take the survey as possible. You know, it's the it's true that the school board decides who the next superintendent is going to be. But I think it's a community effort. Everybody in the community, teachers, staff, students, parents, administrators, everybody actually participates, is involved and provides feedback that the board takes seriously and then then decides on who the next superintendent will be. So, so I think it's a very very important thing and we are glad that the students have taken that survey. Thank you for coming and hope to see you next month. Thank you. And yeah, we appreciate having that opportunity to sort of inform the next search as this will be our future superintendent. >> Yes. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right. The next item on the agenda is recognitions and I will join Dr. Anderson at the podium. >> Good evening everybody and welcome to our school board meeting tonight. My name is Chase Anderson and I'm the superintendent for the school district for six more months. uh as you were just hearing about the uh pending search that is underway here in the district. So it's my honor to uh convene this portion of the school board meeting and uh we have two recognitions this evening and to get us started I would like to invite Shelby Schmea to please come forward. Shelby, congratulations. You have an impressive cheering squad here for you tonight. Um, before we give Shelby an opportunity to make a couple comments, uh, I'm going to share a really nice tribute to her that was submitted on her behalf uh, for this honor. We are thrilled to recognize Shelby Schmea, fifth grade teacher at Birview Elementary School as the January employee of the month. Shelby embodies our Birch View motto of at Birch View, you matter. In every interaction with student, staff, and family, she goes above and beyond to make sure each and every student feels seen, valued, and capable while supporting her colleagues with care, guidance, and positivity. Shelby's unwavering dedication while supporting her colleagues with sorry Shelby's unwavering dedication, leadership, and can do attitude make her a true model for our school community and a shining example of what it means to put students and people first. A fifth grade teammate shared the following about Shelby support, care, and leadership. In any profession, especially teaching, it is important to understand your own strengths and how to use them to your advantage while also having something you consistently strive to become. Shelby embodies the educator I hope to be. There is no shortage of superlatives to describe Miss Schmea as she is a model of consistency, punctual, professional, and able to adapt to whatever curveball is thrown her way. She is truly gifted and as someone returning to the profession, it has been such a gift to be a part of Shelby's team. Whenever I'm aware or unsure or unclear of what I am doing, I can always look to Shelby for guidance. I know I speak for many when I say that Shelby has made a positive impact on me and on our team. In addition to her classroom excellence, Shelby serves as virtuous professional development lead teacher, working countless hours to ensure our professional learning is meaningful, student centered, and engaging for staff. Her leadership in this role comes naturally, and her influence extends beyond our building. Shelby has had the opportunity to present at both state and national level on PLC's and sharing the powerful work happening at Birch View and elevating our collective practice. Most importantly, Shelby's impact is felt deeply by her students. She has a unique ability to see the best in each and every child, helping them feel included, important, and confident in themselves as learners. One student shared, "Miss Schmea tries her best to understand you and what you need. She makes me feel included, important, and good about myself. Her classroom is a safe place to make mistakes and learn from them. I love Miss Schmea. Bertie is incredibly lucky to have such a gifted and talented educator in Shelby Schmea. Through her leadership, positivity, positivity, and unwavering commitment to students, staff, and families, she continues to make a meaningful difference in our school community. And we are proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition. Congratulations, Shelby. Good evening, members of the bo of the school board, district leaders, uh, colleagues, families, and friends. I'm incredibly honored and grateful to stand here tonight as Weisetta Public Schools employee of the month. I'm proud to represent Bertie Elementary and the incredible people I work alongside every day. When I first applied to Weisetta after graduating, it felt like a long shot. I didn't live nearby. I had no connections. And as a brand new teacher, I often struggled to be seen. But during my interview, my newness was not viewed as a weakness, but as a strength. Even in a crowd and conference room at the brand new Northwoods building, I felt welcomed, valued, and like a part of the team. I walked away knowing that this was my home. And here I am over 7 years later. That sense of belonging became my anchor during my early years, which included a global pandemic, school changes, and new grade levels. Those years brought challenges, but also tremendous growth. You could say things have calmed down since then, but my opportunities for growth have certainly not. In the past few years, I've had the chance to serve on our building leadership team, participate in and help lead after school clubs, act as our building professional development lead, attend conferences, and even present at them. Each of these experiences has shaped me into the educator I am today, and none of them have happened by accident. I want to give a very special thank you to my principal, Ashley Farrington. Ashley, thank you for seeing me as a leader and acting as a mentor to me. Your guidance, trust, and encouragement have pushed me to grow in ways that I never imagined. Your ambition, and passion are contagious, and your work as principal truly helps everyone who walks through the doors of Bertview Elementary feel that they matter and that they have the opportunity to thrive there. To my Birch View colleagues, thank you. From day one, I felt a special bond with our community. I'm grateful to create, to collaborate, to problem solve, to celebrate alongside all of you. You are such dedicated educators. And to my fifth grade team, Nick, Mackenzie, and Carter, I couldn't do this without you. Teaching is challenging work, but doing it with people who support, inspire, and laugh with you makes it all the difference. I also want to thank my friends and family for their unwavering support. My parents have always been incredibly proud to tell anyone who will listen that their daughter is a teacher. My dad and many others um have come in early mornings and stayed late nights to help me set up my classroom. And my mom volunteers every year and never misses a chance to show my students embarrassing photos of me when I was in fifth grade. My best friends and my fiance are also and my fiance, not fiances, I promise I don't have more than one. Sorry, Caleb. uh are constant supporters who genuinely love hearing about my work and I'm so grateful for their encouragement, excitement, and the love they bring into my life. Teaching is not just my profession. It's a part of who I am. My friends and family often hear stories about the adventures of Mishmeas classroom. Silly circle up prompts, very lively debates, and readalouds that make all of us tear up. I learned so much from my students, not just academically, but as people. One moment that has stayed with me was from a field trip during my first year as a teacher. After volunteering at Feed My Starving Children, we missed lunch and ended up having a picnic on our classroom carpet. As I looked around the room, I noticed a wide variety of lunches my students brought. What started as a simple meal turned into a moment of curiosity and connection as students shared about the foods they ate and why those foods were meaningful to them. It became a powerful reminder of the vibrant diversity within our classroom community. That experience has encouraged me year after year to find new ways to get to know my students beyond academics. Ways that help us better understand one another and the world around us. My students continue to teach me every day. When they heard about this award, their cheers filled Birch View. And that energy is what fuels me. They bring joy, perspective, and constant learning, whether through meaningful conversations or the latest generation alpha slang. I do want to give a special shout out. I have a student here tonight. So, thank you, Ben, and your family for being here to support me. Thank you. As I think about what's next, I'm not exactly sure what my future holds, but I know that I'm very excited for it. I'm passionate about continuing to grow, about making positive change, and learning alongside this incredible community. And I know that Wisetta Public Schools will continue to support me along the way. Thank you again for this incredible honor. It truly means so MUCH TO ME. THANK YOU. Congratulations again, Shelby, and thank you for all your dedicated efforts and your wonderful work. Uh we have just one other recognition tonight, and that's in recognition of our retirees. Uh it's been our custom at each board meeting to read the names of the individuals who have indicated their intent to retire since the previous school board meeting. And we have two on that list tonight. I haven't spotted either here tonight, but if you're here, feel free to step forward if you wish. The first is Karen Keeler, principal at Meadow Ridge Elementary School, and she's been in the district for 27 years. And our second uh retiree announcing this month is Jerry Johnson, uh special education administrator in the district, and she served the district for 32 years. So, if you could join me in a round of applause for those two individuals, PLEASE. AND ON THAT NOTE, I'LL uh again say thank you for being here this evening and uh joining us for the recognition uh portion of the school board meeting and for being here. We hope you have a wonderful evening. And at this time, I'll turn it back over to board chair Sony and we'll move forward with the remainder of the meeting. Thanks again. Congratulations. Congratulations to the honores and thank you Dr. Anderson. And now we have the highlight of our regular meetings, the school spotlight presentations. Tonight we are joined by Birview Elementary. and I'll turn it over to our executive director of teaching and learning, Dana Miller, to make the introductions. Dana, >> thank you. Members of the board, Superintendent Anderson, it is my pleasure tonight to welcome Birch View Elementary to our school spotlight. And with us, we have um Principal Ashley Farington. And the topic tonight is going to be on the extracurricular activities that they have added this year as part of their student experience goal. And so they will be highlighting that. So, with that, I'm going to turn it over to Ashley and his team. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Um, yeah. Yeah, we'll make it work. All right, members of the board, thank you so much for this opportunity. um anytime I get we get to speak about Birch, we take that as a really um great opportunity to just share all the great work happening. Today we'll be focused on creating connection beyond the school day. Um some of the things that we've done to add more opportunities for all of our students to participate and I have a lovely crew here um who's going to share the things that they're doing after school to help students. Um and so here's what we the layout of what our day will look like or our presentation. We'll start with some introductions. We'll talk about how it's aligned to our district goals. Um how it's aligned to our Birch View goals. And then each of them are going to share um the club that they're leading and what and how that looks for looks at Birch View. Um and then we'll share a little you'll hear from our students, which is always our favorite part. I wish they could be here with us, but at 8:00 at night, I know my kids should be at bed and all the Birch kids should be sleeping too, right Ben and Emma? Um, so we'll do that and then we'll wrap up and we'll see what at the end. Before we move forward though, I think it's important that we introduce everybody who's here. So, I'll let them kind of come up and tell them who they are. Tell you who they are. >> Um, Kristen Fornier, music teacher at Birch View. >> I'm Scott Sykes. I teach fourth grade at Birch View. >> Good evening. My name is Trina Snow. I teach third grade. I'm Rose Thomasson. I'm the school counselor. >> I'm Megan Tradal. I teach kindergarten. >> And not able to join us tonight is Michelle Mandu. She's our family partnership lead and she has a club that she runs too that I'll share on our behalf. Um so supporting students beyond the school day. Um anything that we do in Weisette is important to um tie that back to our strategic road map. Um and so today's presentation will be focused on strategic direction number one which is ensuring um a high quality daily experience for each and every student. Um and in strategic direction number two deliver highquality instruction that leads to high academic achievement for all students. At Bertview our goal is for all students to thrive and reach their highest potential in an inclusive, safe and supportive environment. And we do that by setting two goals for ourselves each year. We have an academic goal. Today's presentation will be focused on our student experience school which at Birchview is we want 100% of our students to respond yes to the question at Birview we say you matter. Do you feel like you matter at our school on our final survey in May? Um on the screen here you can see our plan and today's focus like I said is on our student experience. We believe that by doing these different extracurricular activities it does allow students to feel more connected. It does allow students to feel like they belong. It does allow students to feel like they're that they're safe and ultimately it helps them feel like they do matter at our school and we want 100% of our students to respond yes to that question. And so since um co really when I started as principal we kind of had to do a pause of all of our extracurricular activities and you guys all know why that happened. Um but since then I've had many teachers and staff members approaching me can we do this? Can we do that? Can we do this? And the answer in my opinion is I need to make it happen. And the easiest way to do that is by saying yes if they're willing. Why not let them do it? And so we have seven different um extracurricular activities that we do at Burch. Brew Bobcat News, our Bobcat Readers, um the Mighty Math Club, Girls on the Run, our Birch Choir, our music club, and Bobcat Ambassadors. And so moving forward, I'm going to call them up in each individually and they'll give you a quick snapshot of what their extracurricular activity looks like. Good evening. Um, well, I am in charge of the Birch View Bobcat News. Um, students watch the Birch View Bobcat News every other Friday. Uh, we choose two anchors from fourth or fifth grade, and they, uh, get to insert a lot of personality by, uh, introducing themselves, introducing all of our segments. Uh, the segments that we include in each broadcast include the pledge of allegiance, the Bobcat pledge, principal announcements, and the uh, Birch View Moments. First few moments is a slideshow. Our staff works incredibly hard to include a lot of different students uh participating throughout uh highlights and just showing off the wonderful things that happen at our school. And the BRview Bobcat News really strives to amplify students while building connectivity and belonging at Burview. >> Thank you. >> All right, Megan is going to come up and explain Bobcat readers. >> Hi. Um, so Bobcat Readers, um, was Ashley and I talked about it a few years ago and we thought it would be a great opportunity for students to receive some extra reading support, um, outside of the school day and also um, just a chance to build connection and a love of reading. Um, so through collaboration with community members, our program provides students with free reading support outside of the school and helps build strong relationships that foster a connected school community and a love for reading books. Um, we have 31 community reading volunteers. Those volunteers are virtue parents, grandparents, high school students from Wisetta High School, and just community members that want to give back. Um, it's one-on-one reading and we have students pre-K through fifth grade um, participating. Um, and then when they're not reading with their volunteer, they have lots of different literacy based activities that they do with a couple of other teachers that volunteer their time. Um, and it's been a lot of fun to see it grow over the past two years. Thank you. >> Thank you, Megan. Um, Trina will explain Mighty Math Club. >> All right. Um, Mighty Math Club is a new club to virtue this year. I went and talked to Ashley about it and had some ideas. He said, "Let's go for it. Try it out." So, very open and excited just to see what we could do. Um, but the club is for third through fifth graders who enjoy discussing math problems, sharing ideas for strategies and solutions, um, exploring a variety of math concepts with peers, and just playing some math games together. Activities are designed with multiple points of entry in mind, allowing students to engage regardless of their current proficiency in mathematics. So, it wasn't you had to have a certain score on anything to get in. Anyone was welcome to join. Um, we had a lot of interest this year. Um, and so I'm hoping to continue it next year. Um, some highlights from our extracurricular will be meeting. Our last meeting is this Wednesday, actually. Um, but it's studentdriven conversations through our culturally responsive protocols, which is really fun to see kids using those outside of school, outside the school day. um increased flexibility, efficiency, and confidence in mathematics and just having fun squeezing in some more math in our day even after school. So, thanks for listening. >> She didn't mention we have a weight list of a math club, too. All right, Miss Thomasson will explain Girls on the Run. >> All right, Girls on the Run. Running is a passion of mine. So, when I heard about Girls on the Run, I went to Ashley. I said, "Listen, I want to do this." And of course he said yes. And so um girls on the run is way more than running. So yes there's a lot of running involved but the girls they develop um confidence and self-esteem. We use a um a program in which the girls also build social emotional uh skills. They strengthen their positive relationships with their peers and they practice healthy communication with one another. Um they also learn to contribute um to their community. So, one of the guidelines is we do a community service um for that season. And lastly, they connect um physical activity to mental and emotional well-being. And so, um it's open for grades 3 to 5. Last year, we had about 40 girls with a weight list. Um and this year, we already have nine coaches who volunteered. So, that means we could take more than 40 girls. So, we're really excited uh to begin. It's open for grades 3 to 5 and registration starts in February. So, we're really excited about that. Um, one of the things I love about this program is that it's accessible to all. So, um, it costs about $240 for each girl to be in the program, but they have like, um, you pay as you go or you pay what you can, which is very, um, good for our families. And lastly, the season ends with a 5K at the end of May um which over 3,000 girls um get together and families and friends and we just um run and just be really positive. It's a really fun environment and if you can come and support us um on May 30th, we would love to have you all there. >> Thank you so Thank you, Rose. Um Miss will explain our choir. >> Hello. We have choir um that meets before school um and it's open to fourth and fifth graders. Um we work on coral music in an ensemble setting. So it's an opportunity for kids that really like to sing and to be next to each other and just join in and have fun making music together. Um we have exciting performance opportunities this year especially. We are going to be um at the MESPA conference for elementary school principles along with Mr. Farington and um we're going to get to sing at that event and then we're also going to a twins later this year as well. Um >> our truth is going viral everybody. >> Um and so just the idea of working together towards a common goal is really important. And for me and I think for the kids, being able to start your day with singing and have them leave smiling and walking to their classes to start their day smiling is just very very fun to see. And then I also have a music club that kind of started up a little bit organically last year. There was just some interest. Um I have students, especially in the upper grades, that will say, "Can you give me something harder?" Um, and you know, so there's always um those little things I'm giving them on top of whatever the class is doing in music. And this is a time for them to just kind of dig in a little bit more. Um, and you don't have to be an advanced um music student either to join. It's just a fun time to we work on a piece, but they kind of choose what instrument they want to try. They I had kids learning ukulele um before we usually learn it in music class last year. Um and last year we um performed with the choir and they accompanied a piece that the choir sang. So it was really fun. >> Thank you, Kristen. Um and then last but not least, we have Bobcat Ambassadors. And like Michelle Mundu really wanted me to tell everybody she really wants to be here. She's closing on her house and she said make sure you tell them that. Um so Bobcat Ambassadors um is our version of student council. So um Bobcat is a program where stu we really want to elevate our student voice and leadership while encouraging teamwork and strong sense of community. Um the students work together to plan and implement several school events and fundraisers and service projects. Um one of the highlights is each student is assigned a class and they join that class every Wednesday. Um and they are part of that class circle time and they are leaders within that class. Um they have their monthly meetings. Actually, a meeting is tomorrow morning where they're continuously generating ideas about what we can do to make the Birch View community better. Um, some activities they've done is a food drive for IOCP, our American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge, our Earth Day cleanup, um, the Bobcat Baristas, which is they all showed up um, a few weeks ago before school and they delivered um, coffee treats to every staff member and it was the the best thing for staff walking in in the morning to be delivered some great coffee. um or something to get their they started. And then obviously they also help at our book fair as well where they're um cash registers and they're serving and they're doing different things. So we want to put them in as many leadership roles as possible. And so enough from the adults and now from the kids. Um they're going to share a little bit about um the impact um the different extracurricular activities have had on them. Hi, my name is Margot and something about choir that makes me feel more confident and connected with others is that I get to sit around other people that um are in upper grades and my grade and I can connect with other people and it's fun singing with all the other people to make it sound good. >> Hi Ellie. >> Hi. >> What did you like about Bobcat readers? reading with my Bobcat reader and having so much fun because you got to eat snacks and you got to um read books and have a lot of fun. >> Thank you, Ellie. >> Bye. My name is Shauna and participating in Girls on a Run makes it fun because I can feel more confident and I can build more strong connections and it's just fun and like when you're mad or angry or something, you can run it all off and you can you can get stronger by running. What I like about the Bird Tree Pop canoes is that everyone gets to share their personality on there and we all get to see what's been happening around our community and it's also fun to be an anchor because like at the end you get to do a fun thing when you say make it a great day. >> Hi, I'm King Neil. I'm a fifth grader and something I like being about Bobcam Bass and stuff, they are kind. They're always here to help. They listen to you when you need a listen. You can come to them for for for problems and not just teachers or the principal. They love to help out and that's kind of why I became one cuz I love doing that too. >> Mighty Math Club teaches me math but so much more. It helps me meet my fun need too because I get to play games and do SD mysteries. My name is Hazel and I think Girls on the Run is really great because you get to laugh with people you don't know and you feel more connected. My name is Ael and what I like about choir is that I get to connect with other people who love to sing, too. What I like about the Birch View Bobcat News is that I like seeing other people like what they're doing around the school, like their fun activities and all of that. Hi, my name is Arian and how Girls on the Run impacted me was I was able to connect to my friends that I already have, but also make new ones. And I was able to set my goal and achieve my goal, but also I just like doing it in general cuz it was really fun for me to do. Hi, my name is Brix and I like the 5K because it was really cool running through the state fair without everything and there's lots of activities to do before with your friends and I also thought the medals were really cool. Participating in the Muddy Math Club makes me feel really nice because I get to play these really fun math games and overall it's just really fun. >> I like the ball candies because I can see my classmates. >> My name is Mason and choir makes me feel confident cuz there's choir A and choir B. So I can work in small groups and I can also there's also full group so I can do full choir and it's really fun so it makes me feel confident about my day. >> Hi Liam. >> Hi. >> What did you like about Bobcat readers? >> Um that we get to color and that we get to eat snacks. >> So fun. Thanks Liam. Hi, my name's Anoska and Girls on the Run has like impacted me by like it makes me feel better around others and it makes me feel more open to other spaces and like trusting others and yeah. >> Hi, I'm Luciana and I'm in fifth grade. And the reason I like to be a Bobcat ambassador is because you get to meet new people from other grades and you get to do some fun stuff. And how do I feel being a Bobcat ambassador? It makes me feel proud and it makes and it also makes me feel like a leader. >> Hi Xavier. What did you like about Bobcat readers? Re um reading what is the Super Bowl with Miss Emily and playing guest 10. >> That's awesome. Thanks so much, Xavier. >> Okay. My favorite part of the Birch with Bob Kenn is just being the anchor cuz it's like really fun. Um, I also like being the anchor because you can kind of do the end like in your own way. You can add anything you really want to it. I'm Edith. I am in fourth grade. I like being involved ambassador because it makes me feel really happy. It's like so interesting. You get to meet with people. You get to go to other classrooms and it just makes me feel like I matter. >> Well, I think that's an appropriate way to end it and that's really our goal is to give every child a space. You can see that having this opportunity, we believe that the support beyond the school day contributes to our student experience. Um the adults are able to make better connections as the students said they're able to make better connections. We are excited to continue to expand and add more options. Um more and more teachers are willing. I know Miss Thomasson sent out her email about who wants to volunteer for girls in a run and she's already at 9 and counting and that's teachers giving up their own time to come and do these extracurricular activities for our students. So big shout out to our first staff. None of this happens without them. Um which is why I love them and all the things that they do. They are just the most committed group I've been around and super proud to be their principal. >> With that, any questions? >> Thank you, Principal Farington, and all of you for coming here and sharing with us your experiences and the kids experience, any comments, questions, colleagues? Dan, >> uh Mr. Farington, you mentioned there were um other ideas that individuals have been putting forward for clubs or extracurriculars. I was curious if you could share some of those. Yeah, for sure. We um we had a sports camp that um happened about three years ago, so students are begging for that to come back. Um Mr. Reynolds, our PE teacher, put on a variety of different sports um activities that kids can do with him. Um Mr. Reynolds is also a big rugby player and we just don't know if we can do rugby at the elementary level yet. Um but that's an idea that's out there. Um students are always asking me about art club um because they're invested in that. However, community ad has an art club already going on. So, students are able to sign up through that avenue. So, we haven't explored that yet. So, those are a few to there. Those are to name a few. >> Excellent. Thank you. >> I would just like to thank you, especially from a parents perspective. I know how impactful these after school clubs were for my own children, and I love seeing how many of them are a little bit later in the elementary age. I feel like we hit a point at least with a couple of my kiddos where a lot of kids get so busy with their own extracurriculars that they would go door to door looking for friends and everyone is busy doing things and so when there were >> similar children you know that they maybe didn't know in their own classroom and then especially it helped the transition to middle school for sure too. So thank you guys all for taking the time to do this after school like it really means a lot. >> Thank you Alicia. Thank you for the details. I mean it's always great to hear especially when you hear kids experience and how that makes difference. Um question is how do you share lesson learns or what worked well with other buildings? Is there any forum where you guys share ideas maybe things that worked well in one one building you take it to >> Oh you mean as a principal team? >> As principal >> yeah we I think we can do a better job of talking about how we can spread the knowledge around extra activities. So I think that's an area we can talk about. Um because I think we so which is why I wanted to do this presentation. We're so focused on what's happening from a um sometimes there are other opportunities. So to answer your question transparently, we need to talk about that more. Um how we can continue to grow those efforts. However, I do know for on the community ad side, we do know that community ad is offering many different options. At Birch View, we have art club and chess club and the list goes on. And so how do we continue to expand on that? to Alicia's point um students are craving for this opportunities to just be with their friends and their teachers um more and have a better um and have a great experience. No great I think that will definitely help especially kids who are in sports they talk to each other because everybody's in different school and I have personally experienced that when there are three girls from three different school they'll start talking about their classes and how it happens and you could see that they feel that experience difference if you will but if there is a forum where you can share ideas and you know lessons learns and if we can try and implement what works best in in other buildings. I think that will be really helpful. >> Absolutely. Absolutely. I know as a dad, both of my kids are in Bobcat Readers. And my son wasn't as excited until he saw his younger sister do it. Um and then she came home saying like, "Oh, look at all the things I'm doing. I get an adult and then I get a snack. Everybody talks about snacks." Um and now he would rather read with the Bobcat Reader volunteer than with mom and dad. And so we're like, "Well, if you want to read with them, great. That means we accomplished our goal." So that's another way that Megan and I talked about is it just a way to give students who are a little hesitant in reading to make it more exciting. Um and so that was a big part of that too. >> Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. >> I have a question about uh readers club. >> Pardon me. >> I have a question about readers club. >> Readers club. >> Yeah. uh because I'm just curious first of all uh even I mean many many of them after care I mean after school what do you do about busing uh some are struggling with that for example >> yeah that's a great question we um so right now we um have parents pick up um but busing is on our our radar and um we've been in talk we've talked a little bit to remind me her name >> Wes Sarah Griff Sarah Griffin Yes. And so, um, she's she's kind of been our our next step for getting busing because we do think it could open up a lot of doors for a lot of kids. >> Um, we also thought about maybe going the targeted services route. >> Um, so we're still kind of in the planning phase of that, but it busing is definitely on our radar because of the doors it could open. >> Mhm. We definitely don't want transportation to be a barrier. Um, and so Sarah Griffin has been really helpful brainstorming how we can do that in with WF. So we're in the primary stage of talking of how we can have that partnership to provide that opportunity for all kids. >> Second one related obviously snacks. Uh, how are you finding that amount of snacks? >> Oh, good question. Um, so uh they have free breakfast. So then I go in throughout the day and I grab leftovers. Hi said no. So >> yes. >> So if you know one at anyone at Hi, tell them >> donate the birch tree. >> Yeah. >> Um no, but there's always leftovers and it goes to waste otherwise. So we put it in the fridge and then it's good to go. >> I I think that uh reading especially can uh especially if kids uh would like to learn but parents are busy or parents don't have sometimes. uh that allows to uh child to have another venue and in my case when to be honest you represented as a third grader you had a teacher um uh who played a big role in your life I had similar experience in my life too and in my case for example it was after school >> one year experience which uh helped me to be uh to level up w with other students so when I'm hearing it it uh It makes uh me feel uh that any students who would like to they have an opportunity like I did in my time like looks like in your time you did too and I really appreciate that part. >> Good. And it's so fulfilling for our volunteers too which is so our students get a lot out of it and our volunteers do too. Um >> yeah thank you. pretty heartwarming to see when you walk through the library >> and then on Tuesday afternoons you walk through the Birch View Library and you see so many adults with so many kids just reading >> and it's just one of those moments where you just pause and say, "Wow, that's what it's about. The community coming together to just have fun reading. There's no scores or anything tied to it. It's just read for fun. Um, and kids are having a lot of fun doing it." >> Especially if you'll have it love for reading so early, then nobody can stop them right. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. So speaking of W uh why is that education? >> Um thank you for coming tonight all of you. This is incredible work that you're doing and I have a bazillion questions to ask you about the model and the strategy and all of it around it. Um and you touched a little bit on the financials about it because it can it can be you know tough to figure all of this out. And so I'm really impressed that you are all stepping up and and just doing it for the kids. Um, I have a question about how this is impacting the vibe in your school. What have you noticed in the classroom? What have you noticed studentto student? What have you noticed studenttoteer? Talk to me about that. >> Yeah, I think one of the Bobkin ambassadors is one of the way that you see that direct impact. I think when Miss Mandu sends out the applications, there's so many kids who want to be ambassadors, right? And honestly, we want to take them all, but we can only have 25 of them. And so I think those students are now immersed in every classroom at Birch View and they are seen as the leaders of the school. Um they're leading the the circle times and they're a part of those and kids are in kindergarten, first and second grade and are looking up to them and saying, "Oh, I can't wait to do that when I get in fourth and fifth grade." Um that's one way I think our Bobcat News is a big connector. It really tells the story of our community each and every week. We see photos, we see have music, there's a principal announcement. So that keeps our community together. These days of the week are a little tricky for kindergarten. So they ask every day if there's a Bobcat news >> only on Fridays. >> Friday. >> Um choir. Um as Kristen mentioned, our choir started off really small and we just did a concert at our uh Birch View Chill and now this year we're expanding. They're going to be at the Minnesota Elementary Principles Conference with me and they're going to kick off um the conference by singing the national anthem and lift every voice and that's really cool. They're going to be at the Twins game. So now they're expanding and giving kids that opportunity to perform in many different places. Uh Matty Math Club, I mean it's just doing itself like Trina said. Um there's no you it doesn't matter your math ability. It's a place for everybody to do it. So all of them it's just you can feel it around our school. And I think what is happening is that connection piece. Kids are so much more connected to adults and other kids that I believe really help them to excel even more during the school day. >> Thank you for that. Will you make sure to let us know when that baseball game is so we can all get our tickets? April 6th. >> Amazing. Thank you. >> My apologies Heidi and Millian. I got excited and didn't look at the table for rest of the question. Um so speaking of WE um obviously the running program that is the only program which is uh paid or there are fees associated with it. So I'm assuming that's not prohibiting students to enter. I think I I hope I'm not mixing the programs but even for running program I think there is a list right so I'm assuming it's not prohibiting anyone to enter because and if not or if that's the case we can potentially seek help from web that's that's what I was thinking but as soon as she said web I thought I'll just jump onto it so I'm assuming you would look at it and work with Sarah and team I know they are amazing >> yeah all of our clubs are free um the only cost would be like if we needed transport back and forth. Um, and so that's why we're like working with them cuz buses are very expensive if you didn't know. >> Um, so we would want we would need help with that. >> Okay. >> So, thank you for your presentation. I just have one comment and one question. So, the last girl in that video, she what did she say? She did not say I feel like I belong. What did she say? I matter. >> I matter. Right. So you already have one one student that will say yes >> to the belonging at the end of May or whenever you do that. >> That's great to hear. My question is >> when you have these clubs or you know the the the event or whatever that is all those programs >> uh how do you decide that that will help them feel that they belong? Is there like a benchmark that you follow saying, "Okay, this program helps kids feel belonged." >> I think these guys have done a really good job. >> I know I say yes a lot, but not just bringing any idea to the table, but bringing thoughtful ideas in terms of what's going to make the biggest impact. What do our kids can what can really help our kids feel like they matter and they belong um with intention, right? The Bobcat readers was something that we kind of talked about as like how do we make this different? And we really wanted to talk about this community involvement piece, right? Not just reading, but how do we involve our community? Um, so to answer your question, I think we're constantly asking our kids these questions and when they say yes to the question, you matter, like what makes you feel like you matter and kids are able to identify some of these different things as reasons why they feel like they matter at our school. Um, so I think our survey is a big measurement, right? Because I think it tells us whether or not we're the things during the day or outside of the day are contributing to that. And do you do that survey only at the end of May or in May? >> We do it um we do it at the beginning of the year in the fall. Um there are three questions on there and then we do it again in um a couple weeks here, February, but mainly for anybody who might have answered no cuz we want to do a midyear check to see how they're at and then we'll do it again um probably the second or third week in May. >> May. Okay. >> Yep. >> All right. Thank you. I don't have any other questions. Thank you again for coming and appreciate uh everything you shared. Thank you for all the work you guys are doing and um giving us a seat at the table to share all the amazing work at Birch Street. We really appreciate that. Thank you. Okay. Next is the audience opportunity to address the board. If you wish to speak during the audience opportunity to address the board, please fill out a form. Please fill out a form placed at the back of the room and hand it over to our district admin assistant Amy to my right. Do we have some? >> Okay, thank you. >> Thank you. Okay, so this section of the agenda provides an opportunity for re members of the community to address the school board. Speakers who wish to provide input to the school board must complete the signup sheet and return it to our admin admin assistant Amy. Um, and please note that you will need to complete a request form to be included on the speaker request list. When you're invited to the podium, please identify the subject and or agenda items to which your comments pertain. Priority will be given to students and families with students currently enrolled in the district. The school board practice is not to engage in a discussion or debate with the speaker, but rather allow the speaker time to express their thoughts. Please present your comments in a respectful and professional manner. This evening, each speaker will be invited up to the podium to speak for 3 minutes. If you have already shared your thoughts with the school board before, please consider letting someone not new address the board. If a community member shares a message similar to yours, please consider shortening your message or presenting as a group. Are there any students first? No, no students. So, I'm going to go in order as the form received. First one is Sarah Olsen and let's see here. And she's going to talk about iPad technology use at middle school. Welcome Sarah. Thank you. >> Hello board members. My name is Sarah Olsen. I am a parent of two students at Gleon Lake and a teacher at West. My colleagues and administrators are incredibly dedicated, passionate, and I am very proud to live and serve in students families in our district. With nearly two decades of experience in education, I am speaking tonight to share my growing concerns regarding our heavy reliance on iPads in middle school. iPads have moved from being a supplemental tool to a replacement for physical textbooks and paperbased work. In many classes, iPads have replaced textbooks, notebooks, articles, worksheets, and other assignments that require reading and writing. There are a lot of problems with this. Research consistently shows that reading on screens negatively impacts comprehension and memory. Unlike print, which provides tactile cues that help our brains map information, screens encourage a skimming reflex. When students read on devices, they often lose the capacity for deep the deep reading necessary for critical thinking. Gamified apps and websites are used in the name of engagement. But we are trading our students attention and memory for the sake of a digital dopamine hit. The iPad has become a companion that fills gaps in the school day. This doesn't just distract our students from their tasks. It erodess their ability to navigate downtime without a screen. Because iPads are also gateways to entertainment, students must use significant cognitive energy just to resist distraction. This cognitive load leaves less energy and attention for actual learning. One thing that I am constantly observing is that when we put an assignment behind a screen, we trigger an instinct to search instead of an instinct to think. I've watched how iPad the iPad often stops being an assistant for the student and starts being a replacement for their own logic. To prioritize student learning and attention, I asked the district to consider three requests. First, reintegrate physical textbooks and paper pencil activities into the daily curriculum as much as possible. Second, provide opt-out pathways that allow families to keep iPads at school, ensuring a screen-free home environment if they choose. And third, implement a policy against using iPads for choice time and during transitions during the school day. iPads should be used intentionally, not as a default learning tool. We must ensure the convenience of a screen does not replace the cognitive benefits of print. Our students deserve a learning environment that protects their attention and prioritizes deep reading and critical thinking. Thank you for your time. >> Sorry. Next, we have Jenny Sorenson and again on the iPad uses usage in elementary and middle school. Jenny. >> Good evening, members of the board and Dr. Anderson. Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Jenny Sorenson and I have three children in the Weisetta School District. I have two children at Greenwood Elementary and one student as a sixth grader at West Middle School. I'm here to also share my concerns around the growing reliance on iPads for both classroom learning and homework, especially in middle school. During the pandemic, screens were essential. But as we've re turned to in-person learning, it feels like we haven't fully recalibrated. What was once an emergency solution has quietly become the norm. I'd like to paint a picture. When my sixth grade students come student comes home from school, she immediately opens her iPad to do her reading, her homework, her practice tests, and her group projects. She brings home no worksheets, no textbooks, and almost no paper. Even vocabulary, something that used to involve writing on note cards, is now done entirely on the device. Just last week when I asked her if she'd prefer to write the vocabulary words out, she told me her teacher prefers that she use the iPad so she can track completion. A large portion of her school day is also spent on the iPad. Teachers are constantly reminding students to get off Safari and to get off YouTube. The same device used for instruction is also the gateway to every distraction imaginable. Research shows that students often last only a few minutes on a screen before their attention drifts. And I think many of us can relate. We pick up our phone to do one thing and suddenly we're somewhere we're somewhere else completely. Now imagine you're 12 with a developing brain and that level of temptation sitting inches away from you all school day. Based on my daughter's experience, she is spending roughly 3 to four hours a day between classroom and homework on her iPad. That feels significant and it's not something I was prepared for when she entered middle school. I see the impact in elementary school as well. My elementary school student used to love reading. He always had a book in his hands. Over several months, I watched the enthusiasm fade. Reading became a chore. When I asked what he was reading during his independent reading, he told me he could just go on his iPad and read short sports stories. A year later, his reading stamina has still not fully recovered, and that worries me. I want to be clear, I'm not anti-technology. I'm just asking for balance and intentionality. I'm asking the board to request data on how much instructional and homework screen time students are actually getting each day. How it varies by grade in school and how that aligns with learning outcomes and district priorities, especially reading. I encourage the district to build in more screen-free learning and study the results. Our children deserve an approach to learning that supports their development, their focus, and their love of learning. Not Okay. >> Uh, next we have Julie Peterson and she's going to talk about screen time. >> Good evening. Uh, my name is Julie Peterson and I think you can ascribe the same subject from the prior two speakers to mine too. didn't align my uh my subject matter with them. But um I'm here just to echo the concerns that are shared by the other parents who've just spoken. And um I have a third grader at Gleon Lake Elementary. I have an eighth grader at West Middle School and a sophomore at the high school as well. And um so just wanted to stand up here, share my voice, and echo the concerns that were raised by these parents. And I know that sometimes people don't always feel totally comfortable standing up and speaking in front of a body like this. So on behalf of the others who are here on the same initiative, if you raise raise your hand and just kind of visually indicate to the rest of the board, maybe others who are here in the same capacity with the same concerns but maybe didn't um fill out a card to share their concern and their voice with the board themselves. So thank you for listening. >> Next we have Paige Lee and she's going to talk about preschool age guidelines. Hi, my name is Paige. I am a parent in the district and I am also a reserve staff member. Um, I have two children in the district. One of them is a brand new baby who we've participated in ECF for the past four years. Um, we started with my oldest, um, who is who I am here to talk for because she doesn't know how to yet. Um, we were recently informed last week that the district has chosen to change the guidelines regarding preschool registration and prek registration. With this, it is limiting those with summer birthdays into having to either wait until May to hope that there is a spot in prek or preschool or go outside of the district or being pushed into kindergarten. Many of these students, their parents are choosing to hold them back or what is called red shirting to give them an opportunity to develop socially and emotionally to be able to match their peers. What I have found out in the last week since I have learned this information is that we are one of the districts who are now limiting our students and who has to go to preschool and who they are pushing to go to kindergarten. I have spoken with many other districts around our area including Orino, Hopkins, Minnotonka, St. Louis Park and then also up in Maple Grove with OIO. All of them have the requirement of being four by September 1st, 2026, but nobody has a requirement that you can't turn five during the summer. Since my daughter was little, we have always known that we would love for her to do another year of preschool and delay entering kindergarten. In the last year, we have learned some new information as well as going through their her three-year-old screening that she is developmentally delayed in her social emotional skills. This often means that her reactions to something we would consider small are very large. Not only do we as parents believe that she needs to complete another year of preschool through our district, but her teachers also believe the same thing. Unfortunately, there are no exemptions with this policy. We received services through the district. She is on an IEP. I am doing all the correct steps. Yet, I feel like our students who need the extra time before entering kindergarten are not being given that opportunity. What I want the takeaway to be with this is think not only about kindergarten, but think long term. these students who are being pushed into kindergarten at 5 when they turn 5 in June, July, and August. What about when they go to college? A brand new 18-year-old and maybe not even 18 heading off to college, perhaps in a different state, sometimes in a different country. Is this decision truly preparing our generations? Thank you for your time. >> Thank you, Paige. I think that's that's all we have tonight. Okay, we move on next to the administrative reports and recommendations. There are no superintendent and teaching and learning reports. And so the next item on the agenda for admin reports is financial reports for the month ending November 2025 presented by executive director Treble Peterson. Treble, all yours. >> Yeah, thank you. Uh members of the board, Dr. Anderson, good evening. Um tonight uh this month's um financial report is looks at uh the statement of revenue and expenditures through the month of November. Um we're always about a month and a half behind just based on the timing of um getting the books closed out. So um as in previous months, uh there's not a lot uh to that waivers from um previous years um or has us uh concerned about where we stand uh as compared to budget. Uh some of the things we'll point out that probably have been pointed out in in u recent months too. Um for the revenues um we are looking at um overall for the general fund we've received 42.9% of our um budgeted revenue and that compares to 44.6 from the previous year. Um one um line item that you will see that is less than last year is in the federal aids. Um, as a reminder, last year, uh, we did have some ESSER funding, um, that was considered federal funds that needed to be closed out, um, spent by September 30th, 2024, and then drawn shortly after that. So, uh, we did receive those federal aids, um, at the same time at the same time last year for those ESSER funds. So, that's why it's a little bit less than previous years um, but certainly right in line where we would expect it to be. Um moving over to the expenditures, uh we are at about 28.3% of our um expenditure spent to budget for the year. Um and that compares to 30.6%. So less than um what we had at this time last year, which is a good trend. Um those that's the number we kind of look at just to make sure nothing is um standing out as to potentially um expenditures that um hadn't been paid or been paid at a different timing than um previous years. So, uh, one thing, um, to mention there is, uh, if you do the math through November, uh, November is 512ths of our fiscal year, which is about 42%. Uh, so you might look at the salaries and benefits and say, well, why haven't we spent 42% of our salaries and benefits yet? Um, just a reminder that our teaching staff and majority of our support staff are paid um, over the school year. Um, so they're paid September um, through June. Therefore, there's only been three months of those salaries and benefits paid and not the five months. So, that's why that uh looks a little bit different. Um the other thing that I will draw to your attention to is in the the cash report. Um uh we we do have about uh $78 million in cash um in our bank account. Um if you look at the far right side, that's a number we have been monitoring as far as what the interest rates are doing. Um for the last uh year or so those interest rates have been north of 4% and for the first month it has dipped below that at about 3.9 or 3.87 3.84 depending on um what account those funds are in. So uh that is something we are monitoring as we are um we do have interest earnings as a revenue budget line item in our budget. So, um certainly as those um are expected to continue to go down, we'll we'll monitor how that affects our not only our cash flow but also our budget. Um also to last week uh we did have um the finance committee of the board look at it and maybe a little bit of a a more deeper dive into these um uh reports like we normally do. But um with that, I'll entertain any questions you might have. >> Thank you, Trevor. Any questions, comments, colleagues? Yes. >> So Trevor and team again thank you for all the due diligence. It's always good to do those deep dives and learn more about the finances numbers. So really appreciate all your help and support. Um I know you had presented again truth in taxation and few other powerpoints in the past and you had articulated where those LTFM adjustments are. So if you look at just the statement your budget is lower than the expenditure that doesn't mean we are losing money. it just you know the accounting aspect right so I know with you know obviously the referendum coming up everybody is focusing on finances um some community members may not have heard or seen the previous presentation would you be able to touch on those two numbers so if somebody's hearing this for the first time at least they have context and they can go back and review some of that material >> yes thanks for pointing that out Harris um so the what you see is for for the general fund the total revenue. Um the budget is about $232 million and the expenditures is about $237 million. Um so that is what he is referring to when he says that looks like maybe it's upside down where expenditures ex um exceed revenue. Um but back to our LTFM, our long-term facilities maintenance revenue. Um that is a line item in our levy. Um it's called a self-correcting um funding source, which means uh we do our best to estimate what our LTFM eligible expenditures might be in any given fiscal year. Um that amount is levied for and then it's reconciled. Um that is a do not exceed number, but if you spend less than what you say you're going to spend, um it results in a subsequent um negative adjustment to your revenue in the following year. So um essentially what that means is over the course of the last few years we have received more revenue than we have in expenditures. Um that revenue at the end of each fiscal year is then set aside statemandated mandated to be set aside as a restricted fund balance in our LTFM account. Um so there is a larger than normal um balance in that restricted fund balance. Um therefore um when that does get right sized after this year um that fund balance will decrease down to a more reasonable amount which you might expect to see on a on any given year. Um but because of that that negative revenue adjustment is included in what you see in this budget which is bringing down the revenue a little bit. Um, so what we had talked about last week is we'll probably find a way to illustrate that a little bit differently and maybe have two sets of these that um takes out some of those um adjustments just so we can get a clearer picture of that because you're right um anyone on the outside looking in at that is not getting an accurate picture of what our financial status looks like. >> And thank you Trevor. I know that's more work uh but I think given the year we are looking at I think it'll be helpful for someone to look at the numbers and follow through. So appreciate all your help. >> Yeah, I I do agree. I think it's important and helps tell the story a little bit more. Yeah. Thank you. >> All right. And so no more questions. Thank you, Trevor. So there are no human resource services reports and next we will move to other board action. Uh anyone want to take a break? All good. Good. No. Okay. Good. All right. So, we will look at the first item on on the other board action is the first uh the board will approve its committee structure for 2026. This is very much an organizational in nature and we think it's important to share with our community the work that board members do in between meetings. So, there are more meetings than just the second Monday and the fourth Monday. At the December 16, 2025 organizational work session, the school board reviewed its committee structure, individual board members indicated their interests and a tentative list of committee assignments for 2026 is attached for board approval. So I am going to do I'm going to read the committee assignments for 2026 for each individual committee. Um first we have the facilities development and longrange planning. Milen Sony is on that committee. Valentina Paris Bendi and Milind is the chair. Then we have finance and operations. We have who's you are the treasur now right? So we have Heidi Kadder Dan Janestra and Paris Bendy with Heidi Kadder as the chair. We have human resources Heidi Kedar, Sheila Prior and Alicia Little with Heidi as the chair. Next we have policy and regulations review Sheila Prior, Dan Janestra and Alicia Little with Sheila as the chair. Community relations Dan Janestra, Milan Sahonyi and Heidi Kedar with Dan Janestra as the chair. Superintendent in Superintendent Evaluation and Schoolboard Development Milan Sahonyi Heidi Kedar Valentina Ays with Milan Sahonyi as the chair teaching and learning Sheila Prior Alicia Little Valentina Ays with Sheila Prior as the chair and then we have ad hoc committees for 2026. First one is equity and inclusion ad hoc committee with Paris Bendi Heidi Kedar and Alicia Little with Paris Bendi as the chair. Employee negotiations assignments for 2026. Negotiation teams 2026 for the principal is IDK is the board representative. And then we have the negotiations team for the community ed and Dan Janestra will be representing the board. So that's your committee assignments. The recommended action is to approve the board committee structure for 2026 as presented. Do I have a motion to approve? >> I move. I second >> and moved and seconded. Is there a discussion? >> Uh just to note as well on every committee there is an administrator who sits on the committee alongside with us. >> That is correct. Yes. Thank you Heidi. >> So any other any other questions, comments? I would like clarific >> I would like clarification. Um in many of them we didn't discuss looks like alternate. Uh >> that is correct. So Amy, can you provide an input on that? >> Yes, the administration has discussed the alternate situation. I did email the school board with regard to alternates and haven't heard from many yet. But um I think that we we can discuss this further, but I think we're going to move to a alternate as needed basis. Um it's needed quite rarely and you all are very busy people. Um so that was the plan for now but we'll discuss at the next agenda planning meeting. >> Okay. >> Rotating committees you'll be getting that doodle tomorrow. >> Can I make a comment about the alternates too? I just would say that we had alternates assigned last year and oftentimes the alternate couldn't like kind of the person that could fill in was pretty random for the most part. So I'm okay not having alternates at >> so Amy if we if the alternate cannot make it then we can reach out to another board member that's not on the committee obviously and so have them join >> that's correct but again I >> right >> haven't had alternates volunteer yet so I think we'll probably revert back to our old practice >> okay >> so as a clarification that means we're not identifying alternates for each committee and that we're moving forward with just reaching out as needed Okay, great. Thank you. So, I'm going to read that motion again unless anybody has any other questions or comments. So, the recommended action is to approve the board committee structure for 2026 as presented. All in favor say I. >> I. >> I. >> Opposed? No. The motion carries. Also at the December 2026 uh 20 December 16, 2025 organizational work session, the school board reviewed the member appointments made to the community and professional organizations. Individual board members indicated their interests and a tentative list of appointments for 2026 is attached for board approval. Once again, I'm going to read the names of the appointees. Uh the first one is the Association of Metropolitan School Districts also known as AMSD. The board representative is Heidi Kedar. Citizens Financial Advisory Council CFAC board representative is the finance committee. All of the committee is the representative community education advisory council. Board representative proposed is Valentina Ays curriculum instruction technology advisory committee also known as site and the board representative will be Alicia Little Intermediate District 287 board representative Dan Janestra Bright Works board representative Heidi Ker Minnesota School Boards Association MSBA board representative Min Sahonyi Minnesota State High School League MHSL board representative Milan Sahonyi Q Comp board representative Heidi Kir and Sheila Prior. Visetta Education Fund W board representative Alicia Little Student Wellness Committee Board Representative Sheila Prior and Heidi Kedar. Uh rotating board assignments and these are all rotations. So Amy will follow up on that and we'll have those names updated. All right. The recommended action is to approve the board committee appointments for 2026 as presented. Do I have a motion to approve? >> I so move. >> Second. >> Moved and seconded. Is there a discussion? >> Hearing none. All in favor say I. I. I. >> Oppose. No. The motion carries. Another item discussed at the December 16th special organization work session was schoolboard compensation. All right. I'm going to read from the agenda. And then Oh, thank you. So, in accordance with board policy 220, board member compensation and expense, the Visetta School Board must annually recommend a compensation plan. The board recommends a 2.74% increase for 2026 and the board will be compensated at the following yearly rates. Schoolboard director $4,828. School board chair $5,650. In addition, for special meetings and work sessions scheduled on days other than regular meeting and work session days, compensation will continue at $50 paid to each attending board member. Board colleagues, the recommended auction is to approve the board compensation increase of 2.74% for 2026 as presented. Do I have a motion to move to approve? I so move >> second. >> Moved and seconded. Any discussion? >> I'll just make a quick note for anybody watching that we had not had any raises or changes in compensation for many years. I think it was about eight years that we didn't do that and there's a certain point where you have to start keeping up. We aligned the 2.74 number. that percentage is in alignment with um what our uh the >> funding formula >> the funding formula increase was. So it's right in line with that. >> Yes. Thank you. >> I'd like to make a comment as well please. Um just to reiterate what Heidi said that you know we don't want to get too far behind and there hadn't been a raise. It's not really an easy decision. And um I know you know we had been in cost containment previously and that was you know it didn't feel right to um raise compensation for the board at that time. um you know the amount that we get none of us are really in this for the money but to we want to make being a schoolboard member um you know available to people in the community and if you have to get babysitting or if you have any other incidental costs associated with coming to board meetings um this the compensation can be important for you know providing opportunity for more people to participate so uh I just want to say that's the reasoning behind it. >> Thank you. Okay. So, I'm going to read the recommendation again. Uh the recommended action is to approve the board compensation increase of 2.74% for 2026 as presented. Uh this is a roll call vote. Will the clerk please call the role? Valentina ears. >> Yes. >> Danestra. Danestra votes yes. Alicia Little >> yes. Paris Bendy, >> yes. >> Sheila Prior, >> yes. >> Heidi Kedar, >> yes. >> Milan Sahony, >> yes. The motion carries. Thank you, Dan. All right. The final item on our agenda is we have approval of the schoolboard handbook and the December 16 meeting again 2025 special organizational work session. The school board reviewed its newly adopted WPS schoolboard handbook and the recommendation of the superintendent evaluation and schoolboard development committee. The handbook will be approved for implementation and reviewed bianually by the school board. The action is to approve the Wisetta public school board handbook as presented. Is there a motion to approve? >> I move. >> Is there a second? >> Second. moved and seconded. Is there a discussion? >> Yeah, Valentina, go ahead. >> I would like some questions. I sent my questions via email and um I didn't get um to be honest, I feel like as if right now this handbook is still um is as a draft. It's not finished product. because um there are some things I feel like need to be added to uh to handbook. >> Okay. Anyone else? >> Um are we I mean with the handbook to get something started to have it even if we add to it later. I I'll be supporting having something currently and I feel like as a board we should it's a it can be a a document a living a living document that we can change as we go along. So I I hope that um Valentina's suggestions we can discuss them at some point and add them in as needed. My major concern is to be honest that it it took so long on some items. I don't want um things to be taken that long each and every I um put some items like to be honest it was a um superintendent um time timeline uh comes to my mind then I remember both of us at the time also requested um to include acronyms because uh many people um it's for any school board member Not all school board members um in education. And to tell the truth, even people in education might not uh be able to read uh to be able to um know what all the acronyms uh mean. And uh what else was another one is I tried several at least one uh definitely didn't work. uh like hyphens uh links uh didn't work. Um my concern is if someone would like to read and find and if hyphens don't uh work then uh that person supposed to go searching uh it needs to be as ready to go document. So um what we discussed in the organizational work session was that it may not be a perfect document and that this would be our version one is typically not you know completely done but it's a good starting point and we will we have it in the um in the handbook and also in this resolution that it'll be reviewed by annually and so it seems to me like the prudent thing to do would be to approve it um tonight and then we can get on a cadence of review. But without approval of it, you're not going to be on a regular schedule to approve it. If you are concerned with it taking too long for updates, this is your way to making sure that it gets scheduled. >> But again, board colleagues, this is your vote and I think we can go ahead and move forward with that. >> No. Okay. So, I have I have a couple of questions again. I'm I I'm also concerned like Valentina. Oh, >> I I'm very sorry. I just want to make sure Valentina, you are absolutely correct that the acronyms were discussed. That was lost in lots of things that I was doing when I was reviewing the organizational meeting. So, I do apologize because that was just a complete miss on my part. I think that's something that could still be added because the board did already agree to have those acronyms. So, I think as long as you're okay with me adding that after you vote, I think I can do that and I will absolutely check the hyperlinks. I I verified them on my end, but please let me know on your end if hyperlinks aren't working. Um, we can figure out what the problem is. Mo all almost all the hyperlinks were going straight to the website, so I can absolutely adjust that as well. It is, like I said, it's a living document. So, I do apologize because those were both um things that I had done. >> Okay. So, thank you for that clarification, Amy. The other one I have is in addition to the to the educational definitions and acronyms I you know I don't think MSBA's handbook template has that but the Hastings handbook has that I like like six pages. So even if we copy and paste them from that book to our book that'll be fine and then we can add them as we go. Uh the but the other one I wanted to ask was similar to our policies. I don't see any any statutes and date stamps at the end of that handbook and Hastings again has those. Those are not very difficult to incorporate. So I'm okay with that, you know, being added afterwards. So, what I'm going to propose to the board is I don't know how critical Valentina's questions are and how how she feels about them being absolutely there right now in our first draft or first edition of the handbook. But if she's okay, we can either approve it now or if we want to wait for another month, we don't have to wait for 6 months to approve the first edition and then we can uh there is no stopping us. I don't think we can be stopped from approving it next month maybe or March or anything like that. I don't think we can we can stick to only like in 6 months right 6 months is a bannual review. So my proposal is if we can do another update or you know another vote not another vote a a vote in a month two months with the with the assurance that all those concerns that Valentina has would be addressed and incorporated in the handbook. If the board feels it's okay with that then we can postpone this or we can table this if you would like. >> I think we have a motion on the table. Yeah, we have a motion to approve. Um, so another option then would be to approve the motion on the table already with the understanding that we will have another vote in a month or approve or not approve. I mean, I don't know. >> Yeah. >> Um, so continue with this vote, but also yeah, hopefully we'll revisit this again in a month, >> right? >> Okay. >> So, we can either do that or we can amend the motion and then say, you know, we will do it ne next month or month. I'm okay with either one of them. I'm okay with approving this motion and then with the with the with the understanding that we will come back and in a month two months not 6 months to have those additions because th those are important I think in my opinion we don't want to wait till June to have the uh statutes and the definitions and acronyms added to the handbook. Is that doable Amy? Okay. Um so let let me just read that u motion again um and then we'll vote for the motion as as presented right um >> just sorry uh can I ask quick two questions yeah >> so one is again there is no statute or anything that it has to be approved today is that correct or no >> we don't have to we can we can amend the >> this is again work in progress but whatever is already published so let's say if we don't vote on it today the existing board document which is more stale if you will which is out there right >> am I saying that correctly so if we were to approve now >> no because that that handbook is in our board book right in our book >> but it is not a part of the district calendar district website for example right so that that am I correct in saying that yeah >> okay Yeah, that was my question like because this is more latest. Yes, it's not 100% accurate but it is definitely better than or updated versus what we have >> we don't have anything right now on on on the website. We don't have a handbook period. >> Okay. >> All right. So this would be the first edition >> and so the question is whether we should approve that now >> with the understanding that we'll come back in a month two months or whenever you know in a couple of months with all the additions that we have discussed right now and then approve that and then go to the six month cycle after that. So I'm going to read that recommendation and if you think that that recommendation is not approved you know not appropriate then you can vote accordingly. So approve the visetta public school board handbook as presented. Uh this will be a roll call vote colleagues. >> Heidi Kedar >> yes. >> Valentina ears >> no. Dan Janeestra. Dan Janeestra votes yes. Alicia Liil >> yes. >> Paris Spendy. >> Yes. >> Sheila Prior. >> Yes. >> Milan Sahonyi. >> Uh I am hesitant to vote yes. So I'm going to vote no. Uh the motion carries. Thank you. So the final item on the agenda is board reports and there are none tonight. So this concludes the Visetta Public Schools organizational and regular board meetings for Monday, January 12th, 2026. Is there a motion to adjurnn? >> I so move. >> Second. >> Moved and seconded. All in favor say I. >> I. >> I. >> Oppose. Nay. The Visetta Public Schools Board of Education regular meeting for Monday, January 12, 2026 is adjourned. Happy New Year everyone. All right.