- I now call this meeting of School Board Independent School District 624 to order. Will the clerk please call the roll? - Streiff Oji? - Here. - Arcand?- Here. - Beloyed?- Here. - Daniels, here. Ellison?- Here. - Skaar?- Here. - Please stand for thePledge of Allegiance. - [All] I pledge allegiance 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. (whispering indistinctly) - Okay. - We have before us an agenda. Can I get a motion to approve it? - So moved. - Ellison, a second? - Second.- Second. - Second by Ms. Beloyed. Is there any discussion? Yes, Mr. Skaar. - I'd like to make a motion toadd something to the agenda. - Okay, what would it be? - I'd like to make amotion to add to the agenda a discussion on futureclassroom consolidations and the board process toreview such consolidations. - Okay, so we have a motion to review future classroom consolidations. - And what's the processthat the board uses to review and approve those. - We heard the motion. Do I have a second? Do I have a second? Do I have a second? I'm sorry, the motion failed. All right, any further discussion? Hearing none. - Scott?- Yes. - Yeah. To add something to a school board agenda- - We have two options. - Right.- You can either send it to me, and I'll see if I can get it in, see where it fits, oryou can also bring it up at this time and ask to add it. With a second, discussionin it by a majority vote, we can add something. - Okay. When an agenda item is added the night of, I don't know that I'd be prepared to have a conversation about it because I haven't reviewedwhatever we're talking about. So if something is brought up to be added, which I think has happened before, should that request be future? - No, you can actuallybring it for that meeting. By Robert's Rules, I can bring it now. - Thanks.- Okay. Chair?- Yes. - Can I make one quick?- Yep. - I have requested, on 10occasions via email to the chair, to ask for items to be on the agenda. All 10 have been denied. - Okay. Any further discussion? This will be a voice vote. All in favor say aye. Aye.- Aye. - Opposed, same sign. The motion passes, we have an agenda. We also have before us a consent agenda. This contains a variety of business items that come to us monthly,including donations. And we are always trulygrateful for the support we get from our community every month for our students and staff. So I wanna thank you. Can I get a motion toapprove the consent agenda? - So moved.- By Beloyed. A second?- Second. - Second by Streiff Oji. Now, time for discussion. Mr. Skaar? - I'd like to move thatthe invoice register be moved to the regular agenda. - Okay, normally, what we'lldo is we'll move that out. - Sure.- Okay. So what I'm gonna have in front of us is we have a motion to move- - Actually, I don't need to make a motion. - No, but we have it, it can be done. So I'm gonna move the invoiceportion of the consent agenda. And so now what we havein front of us is we have, I'm looking for approvalof the consent agenda less the invoices. - So moved.- Okay. Any other discussion? - Need a second for that.- Oh. Okay, can I get a second? - Second. - Second, okay, now. So we have the consent agendawithout the invoice section. Any further discussion? Okay, this will be a voice vote. I'll ask the court to call a roll. Okay, now, yeah. I'll ask the court to call a roll. It'll be- - Streiff Oji? - Aye. - Arcand?- Aye. - Beloyed?- No. - Daniels?- Aye. - Ellison?- Aye. - Skaar?- Aye. - So that is 5-1, that passes. Now, we're gonna bring up the invoices. Can I get a motion? We'll start with a motion to approve the invoice section of the consent agenda. Can I get a motion to approve it? And then we'll go to discussion. - So moved.- So moved. Can I get a second? Ellison moved, is there a second? - To approve the invoices?- Invoices. Okay, by Streiff Oji. Now, we're gonna bringthat open for discussion. Mr. Skaar, I believe you wanna move it, so I'll let you open. - Thank you. Thank you, I just have acouple of quick questions. On page 17, there's a $70,000 invoice for Chrysler of Forest Lake for fleet. Is that an individualvehicle that we purchased? - Yes.- Okay. Do we normally lease vehicles? Do we have a leasing arrangementwith a leasing company? We purchased some out, right?- We lease vehicles, yeah. - Okay, that was for one? - [Andi] Yes. - That'd be a nice pickup,if it was a pickup. On page 18, there'sCollege Board for $39,114. What was it? Do you remember, recall what that was for? - [Andi] No, I would have to look. I don't know.- Okay. Maybe just shoot me an email on that. - Would that be AP testing?- Yeah, that's AP. - On page 19, I was curious on this one. This was Johnson & Galloway Architects. One was $13,480. Another one was $18,899.12. We use Wold Architects primarily, so I was wondering whatthis was related to. - [Andi] Yeah, again, I don't know. I would have to look. If you'd asked prior, Iwould have been able to look. - No, I get that. And then on page 23, CM Construction Company, Inc., $33,600. Do you recall what that was? - [Andi] Again, no. I don't know off the top of my head. - That's a pretty big check. - Correct.- Yeah. - [Andi] My assumption is that they are one of the contractors doing the construction here at Sunrise, but I don't know off the top of my head. So if you were to give me a heads-up, I would be prepared toanswer that at the meeting, but I don't know off the top of my head.- I think if you gave me the invoice register on Wednesday instead of Friday afternoon,I probably would be able to. - And if you would'vegiven me the question 10 minutes before the meeting, I could look it up.- On page 24, Flynn Midwest, $120,307,building acquisition. - [Andi] Again, I don't know. - So on that one, forbuilding acquisition, I mean, we had a discussion. The board had a discussion onbuilding acquisition costs. So I just wonder what that is and if the board issupposed to carve those out to approve those separately. - So just because it says"building acquisition," it's also slash construction. So that's the technical definition by the Minnesota Department of Education. So it doesn't necessarily mean that, well, it doesn't mean, in this case, that we're purchasing a building. In this case, it means it'ssome type of construction that, by MDE definition,the most appropriate coding. - Okay, but we don't-- Is that. - Okay, but we don't know that.- So it's some type of site work, I would think. I don't know, I would have to look. - So the next one is FrassatiCatholic Academy for $18,419. I was just curious, buyingtextbooks through Catholic- - Correct, so there'sa special state statute where we are the go-between for textbooks. There's textbooks, guidancecounseling, and health services. So that's a statute thing. - Okay, understood, thank you. On page 25, Michael Basic, Inc., again, building acquisition/construction, $23,454 and then $46,800. Do you recall what that was for? - I mean, some type of contract, some type of construction work. No, I don't know the specifics. - Okay. But it wouldn't have hadanything to do with the sale? I know that we're buying property, or selling property, I'msorry, selling property. So it has nothing to do with that. - [Andi] No. - Let me see. I think there was one morethat was related to that. If it was buildingacquisition, we can skip that. Just hang on. Appreciate your patience here. Let's see if I had any other ones. Whoops. Yeah, there was anotherone, Multiple Concepts, which was another building acquisition. That was it.- Okay. - Any other questions or discussion? Okay, hearing none, thiswill be a roll call vote. I'll ask the clerk to call the roll. - [Daniels] My other document here. Streiff-Oji? - Aye.- Arcand? - Aye.- Daniels, aye. Ellison?- Aye. - Skaar?- Aye. - And Beloyed?- Aye. - Okay, motion carries. All right, it's now timefor our public forum portion of the meeting. Public forum allows up tothree minutes per speaker. We have one request submitted to speak. Mr. Arcand, Daniel Arcand,with one minute remaining, an orange card will beheld up to let you know. With 30 seconds, a yellowcard will be held up, and at the end of three minutes,the gavel will be tapped. The board is accountable to make sure that those questions are addressed on behalf of the community member. - I hear what you're saying and I will- - So is that a no? - No, I think I'm not sure what you want. But I would be very clear. - Point of clarification.- Yeah. - In order for us todo that in particular, we would need to adjust policies. - Of course.- At some point in time, if anybody on the boardwould like to do that, then do that at the correct time. - Okay, thank you. I'll follow up.- I would argue that that doesn't require a policy change.- All right. I'll look into it and see.- It's just the right, if it's the right thing to do-- I would argue that it does take a policy change. - If it's the right thingto do, we should just do it. If it's the right thing todo, we should just do it. - Advise yourself of thepolicies and then you'll know. - So everything's closed, so. - Oh. - I will, yeah, I will. Well, yes, we're gonna move on. We're gonna move to informational item C1, student recognition. Dr. K. - All right, thank you, ChairArcand, members of the board. Tonight, we proudly recognizethe outstanding achievements of students from oursoftball, trap and skeet, and boys and girls lacrosse teams. Congratulations to all of you on your state andnational-level recognitions. As a token of their accomplishments, students have received a certificate, a Bear pin, and a congratulatory letter. Our heartfelt thanks also goout to the dedicated staff and supportive families whomade these successes possible. Please join us now in watching a video showcasing their achievements. Go Bears. (bright orchestral music) (bright music continues) (bright orchestral music) All right, well, thank you. That was amazing. And I know that I heardthey really rocked it at the Nationals. They did an awesome job for the skeet. - All right, we're gonna goon to informational item C2, Superintendent Report. Dr. K.- All right, thank you. The district recently mailed its annual Bears Update postcardto all local residents. Sent at the conclusionof each school year, this publication highlightsrecent graduations, our staff retirement celebration, and information on free activitypasses for area seniors. It also provides the latest updates on our ongoing district-wideconstruction projects. A huge thank you to everyonewho joined us in late June for our third annualSpirit Night at Marketfest. 4th Street was packedwith nearly 20 student and district booths, and we even teamed up with the fire department for an awesome aerial Orange Out photo. If you missed it, don't worry. You can still find usat the district booth on 3rd Street every Thursday through July. Stop by to say hi andgrab a Bear Paw tattoo. The White Bear Lake AreaSchools Summer Community Theater invites you to its upcomingproduction of "Grease." Performances will run at 7:00 PM from July 23rd through July 25th, or the final 2:00 PM matinee on July 26th. All shows will take place at the High School Performing Arts Center. For more informationand to purchase tickets, please visit the district website. We are continuing to hirefor the upcoming school year. The district has openingsfor substitute teachers, bus drivers, paraeducators,and staff for our Extended Day and Nutrition Services programs. These positions offer competitivewages, flexible hours, and meaningful opportunitiesto support our local students. To view current openings, pleasevisit the district website and click on the Employment tab. And finally, a quickreminder for families: enrollment for the upcomingschool year is officially open. Please register your child today so we can welcome theminto the White Bear family and set them up for afantastic year ahead. You can find all the details under the Enroll tab on our website. - Is that it, thank you. All right, we're gonna move right along. We're gonna go to discussion item D1, the first reading of the schoolboard policies 210 and 509. These policies are listed in our packet and will be brought back on August 10th or a subsequent meeting for approval. Any questions, pleaserefer to the policy number and the page number you'relooking at in the packet. Okay, hearing none, thesewill come back in August, and I just wanna say thankyou to the policy committee for all the work and time they put in to update these policies. We're gonna go to operational item now E1, action on resolution to renew membership with the Minnesota State HighSchool League for 2026-27. Dr. K.- All right. Thank you, Chair Arcand. So each year, all schooldistricts in Minnesota, including White Bear Lake,are required to approve the resolution to renew our membership in the Minnesota State High School League. Each school board member has reviewed the "Why We Play" training video and required membershipmaterials provided by the league, which defines the purpose and value of education-based activityand athletic programs and defines each memberschool's responsibilities as required by the MinnesotaState High School League. So the recommended actionis to approve the resolution renewing membership in the Minnesota State High School League for 2026-27. - [Arcand] Hearing that, canI get a motion to approve? - So moved.- By Ellison, second? - Second.- Second by Thompson. - Daniels.- Yeah, I mean, Daniels, sorry.- Actually. - It's been a long day. All right, any further discussion? Okay, hearing none, thiswill be a voice vote. All in favor say aye. - Aye.- Aye. Approved. And those opposed, same sign? Okay, 2026-27 has been approved. All right, we're gonna goto operational item E2. Action on resolution approving the 916 long-term facility maintenance plan. Ms. Johnson. - Good evening. Earlier this year, theNortheast Metro 916 School Board approved its 2027-28 long-term facility maintenancebudget for its facilities. And then as a member,it is our responsibility to approve our proportionate share. So this year, that's 9.3% or $55,703. The packet includes a listof all the member districts and the contribution thateach is responsible for. This is determined byutilizing a blended rate based on the net tax capacity and the ratio of ADMutilization by the district. The LTFM allocation is consistent with last year's allocation. So the recommended actionis to accept the resolution approving Northeast Metro 916Intermediate School District's long-term facilitymaintenance program budget and authorizing the inclusion of a proportionate share of those projects in the district's applicationfor fiscal year 2028 long-term facility maintenance revenue in the amount of $55,703 as presented. - Can I get a motion to accept the action? - So moved.- So moved by Daniels. Second? - Second.- Second by Ellison. Discussion? - I have a question.- Yes. - Can you remind us what916 does for the district? Can someone? I know you probably can.- That's a big question. - Yes, I mean, there's a lot. So there are a lot of different things. They help with some ofour special ed funding or special ed programming. There's a lot of differentspecial ed programming that we participate in. They help us with someof our ALC programming. They help with someprofessional development. They help with some careerand tech programming. Am I missing any major one? That's probably like the main. - Thank you.- Yeah. - Ms. Beloyed.- Is there ever a time when any of the other metro districts don't pay their portion? - No, no, no. And actually, what would happen, I guess I'm not exactly sure what would happen if youwouldn't, but by law, if this rolls into your property tax levy and if a school district doesn't approve your property tax levy, then by law, it just rolls back to theprevious year property tax levy. And this is within like $3,000. Their LTFM, like entireallocation, $600,000-ish, is within $300,000 of their prior year, so it would really notmake a large difference for them in total. - [Beloyed] Okay, thank you. - Other discussion? (attendee sneezing)- Bless you. - Okay, this would be a roll call vote. Please, I'll ask theclerk to call the roll. - Streiff Oji. - Aye. - Arcand?- Aye. - Beloyed.- Aye. - Daniels, aye. Ellison?- Aye. - Skaar?- Aye. - Okay, motion passes, 6-0. We're gonna move on nowto operational item E3, 10-year long-termfacility maintenance plan. Ms. Johnson.- Okay. So this is our LTFM plan, and we have Kevin Fernandez, our director of building operations. So each July, we bring forward the district's LTFM planfor school board approval. This is developedfollowing a careful review of the district's facilitiesby Kevin Fernandez, our director of building operations, our building and groundsfolks throughout site visits and discussions with head engineers, building principals, and contractors. The plan before youtoday includes projects planned for the 2027-2028 school year. Following board approval,we'll submit this plan to the Department ofEducation for approval. And then once approved by MDE, the associated revenue is included in the district's annualproperty tax levy this fall. As you may recall fromprevious LTFM discussions, state statute provides fortwo sources of LTFM revenue, annual property tax revenueand then bond proceeds. The district's facilityfunding plan is structured around issuing LTFMbonds every other year. So we completed a bondsale earlier this year, so our next bond issuance iscurrently planned for 2028. A detailed list of projects is included in yourboard packet for review. The total cost of projects planned for the '27-'28 school yearis about $12.6 million. Also included in thepacket is the resolution that's required by theDepartment of Education. So because we're planningfor a year or two in advance, we recognize that facility needs change, project priorities change,and costs may change, and so the plan will remain responsive to those needs as we go forward. Kevin's here and happy to answer any questions that you may have. But the recommended actionis to approve the resolution to adopt the district's 10-year long-term facilitymaintenance plan as presented. - [Arcand] All right,we have a resolution. Can I get a motion? - So moved.- By Streiff Oji. Can I get a second? - Second.- Second by Beloyed. Any discussion? Yes, Mr. Skaar? - Did you put thisschedule together yourself? Is this your schedule? Okay, so main driver for thisis the age of facilities. Do you wanna explainwhat the key drivers are? What drives the numbers? - Yeah, so we do a lot ofstuff based on an assessment that was done some years agothat we've, like, coming up to the referendum and allthe stuff we've been doing with that LTFM and non, we'veestablished a priority list. We use it based on ourknowledge of the buildings. We base it on things we'reseeing, things we anticipate, staff interactions, ages of the buildings, roofs that range from, well,in fact, I've got it here, from 29 to 37 years yet. You know, so we've beenpicking them off one by one. Boilers that are as old as 70 years old, 73 years old, and down. So we kinda prioritize. We kinda look at it as a big picture item: mechanical, electrical, plumbing, the things that make yourbuilding, your facility operate. Then we break it from thereto the cosmetic things. The things that when youcome in and you see it, does it look nice? Is it pleasant? Windows, doors, floors,lighting, that sort of stuff. And then we also are cognizant of the health and safety issues. Anything from indoor air quality, the feel of the room, the smells, you know, you kind of seeand smell kind of thing. So it's based on age, it'sbased on where we've come, it's based on where we think we need to go with that assessment. - Can I ask another question?- Yes, sir. - Somebody else does.- Go ahead. - [Skaar] I mean, I'm good withsomebody else going as well. How often do we do a facility assessment, and is it done like inphases building by building, or is it done, how often do we do facility assessments? Who does it? And then how do we do it? - It's a constant. We've got, you know, the whole team originally came up with anassessment of our facilities. We have contractors thatwe're constantly working with. Teams that we're constantly, we've got our maintenance staff personnel that are constantly in the buildings. We're visiting them. I kind of approach itlike if I'm a visitor and I walk into this building, what stands out to me first, right? But then, again, the look, the smell. As far as assessing it,we look at that review that we did many years ago. We've been taking thatoff the list, updating it. It's just what we see. If a roof leaks, maybe you had a surprise that came up you didn't anticipate. We kinda reorganize andprioritize by what we're seeing. So I don't know if thatanswers that correctly. - No, that's good. When they do assessments,like my past experience, we did an assessment. We used an AI tool. So we took, you know,pictures, we had drones flying, you know, looking at boiler plates or plates on equipment and so forth, and then it all went up into a cloud and AI magic came up with a, you know, a preliminary facility plan. Where is our facility assessment? Is that in like anAI-type cloud or a cloud? Who owns that? Where is it? Can we find it if you needed to? - We don't have anything like an AI cloud document that we operate on. It's the assessments ofthe values we've done based on our experience andknowledge of the buildings. We have contractors, engineersthat we consult with nonstop. Hallberg is a big one for us to go back and get assessments from those facilities. I can't stress enough how much we spend in time looking and reviewing it. The age, the mechanics of it. - So do we have one place, you know, like when you're finishing a project, trying to get as-builtdrawings is probably, the last 10% is the hardest thing, right? So where do we have that knowledge of the, I mean, is there like amaster file where, you know, if somebody came in and weall got hit by fish trucks, somebody could come in andrecreate our facility plan? - [Kevin] They could, yes, wecreate it on multiple avenues. We've got the as-builts,like you referred to. We keep three copies of those. We have them on desks, and we have them in theoperations department. Basically, we house everythingwithin our department. - Okay, all right. - No questions.- Thank you. - And we could give that answer as needed. - Got it, thank you.- Ms. Daniels? - You mentioned health and safety. Is it also for like building security? Like, facilities that helpour buildings stay secure when the students arethere or even after hours? - It is, that's correct.- Okay. - [Kevin] Yeah, constantlyevaluating, assessing. - And I know there havebeen some big changes in all of our buildings and front offices in, you know, in the last 5 to 10 years. - Correct.- Making them more secure, so. - Yeah, the scenarios we run through and the way we kind ofapproach it is pretty intense. - Yeah.- Ever changing, like you say. - [Daniels] Thank you. - Further questions? All right, well, thiswould be a roll call vote. I'll ask the clerk toplease call the roll. - Streiff Oji.- Aye. - Arcand?- Aye. - Beloyed.- Aye. - Daniels, aye. Ellison?- Aye. - Skaar.- Aye. - Motion carries, 6-0, thank you. We're gonna go to operational item E4. Action on the designationof identified official with authority for theMDE external user access. Dr. K. - All right, thank you, ChairArcand, members of the board. So the Minnesota Department of Education requires that schooldistricts annually designate and identify official with authority, the acronym is IOwA, tocomply with the Minnesota IT Services Enterprise Identity and Access Management Standard, which states that all user access rights to Minnesota statesystems must be reviewed and re-certified at least annually. So the IOwA assigns jobduties and authorizes external users' accessto MDE secure systems for their local education agency. So the school boardauthorizes superintendent to act as the IOwA andthen Rachael Markuson, the executive assistantto the superintendent, to act as the IOwA toadd and remove names only for White Bear Lake Area Schools for the coming year orfor the current year. So the recommended action is to approve Wayne Kazmierczak's superintendent and Rachael Markusonas executive assistant to the superintendent toadd and remove names only as White Bear Lake AreaSchools identified officials with authority as required by the Minnesota Department of Education. - [Arcand] Okay, you'veheard the recommendation. Can I get a motion? - So moved. - Ellison, a second?- Second. - Second by Daniels. Any further discussion? Okay, I believe thiswill be a roll call vote. Will the clerk please call the roll? - Streiff Oji.- Aye. - Arcand?- Aye. - Beloyed?- Aye. - Daniels, aye. Ellison?- Aye. - Skaar.- Aye. - All right, motion carries. Next, we're gonna goto operational item E5, action on the resolution relating to the election of school board members and calling the schooldistrict general election. Dr. K. - All right, thank youagain, Chair Arcand. So school board approval of the resolution relating to electionof school board members and calling the schooldistrict general election is required at least 84 days prior to the date of the general election on November 3rd, 2026. The resolution in your packet has been provided byour elections attorney Peter Martin of Kennedy & Graven. So the recommended action is to approve the resolution relating to election of school board members andcalling the school district general election as presented. - All right, we've heardthe recommended action. Can I get a motion? - [Ellison] So moved. - By Ellison. Second?- Second. - Second by Streiff Oji. Any discussion? Okay. Hearing none, this will be a voice vote. All in favor say aye. - Aye.- Aye. Opposed, same sign. Motion passes. We're gonna go on now to item E6, action on school boardpolicies 515 and 604. Can I get a motion to approve 515 and 604? - So moved.- By Beloyed. Second?- Second. - Second by Daniels. Discussion? Hearing none, this will be a voice vote. All in favor say aye. Aye.- Aye. - Opposed, same sign. Motion carries. We are now down to the board forum. This is a time for boardmembers to talk updates to the school board and thepublic on the committee work with which they have been engagedin their official capacity as board members and create awareness of upcoming districtand partnership events. Is there any board member that would like to shareabout your committees? Summer event, yes? - Well, not committees,but I just wanna say I was at Market Fest for the orange-out, and I had never been able togo before and it was so fun. And I really like that wegive the student groups an opportunity to have attend. They were so excited to share it. I had never seen that before. So thank you for allthe work that goes into, you know, Marisa especially, that goes into puttingall of that together. And also, I appreciate theamount of summer activities that are available for our kids. Like my kid did band camp, and the high school students are helping the middle school students, and it's just reallyfun to keep them busy. So thank you. Appreciate all that work.- Thank you. Anybody else officialduties with the committees? Yes, Mr. Skaar? - This is a non-official duty. - Okay.- But I was at Market Fest last Thursday and went by our tent, and we were well-represented. And our group was, I saw Marisa there. It's Andi. Who else was there? And then somebody from Mauer's group that said he was doing a good job. I think she got paid to say that to him. But yeah, it was a really good showing. So it was good. And also, I just wannasay on the invoice stuff, if Andi wanted to, I'm out of order, but I'm just gonna say ifAndi wants to reach out to me on like a Monday, eithermid-morning or in the afternoon, and go through those questions, I'd be happy to do thatif you wanna set that up, if you wanna set thatup and reach out to me because I usually have questions, and we could probablyget them taken care of on a Monday mid-morning or afternoon if you wanna reach out to me. - All right, thank you. Anything else? All right, I'm gonna move us along. We're gonna review thesuperintendent evaluation. This portion of the meeting may be closed to discuss the evaluationof the superintendent pursuant to MinnesotaStatute 13D-05 Sub 3(a). Can I get a motion togo into closed session? - So moved. - Is that-- That was me. - Ellison, second? - Second.- Second. - Second by Beloyed. This will be a voice vote. All in favor say aye. Aye.- Aye. - Opposed, same sign. Okay, we're gonna go into closed session. So what will happen iswe'll go to closed session. We'll do that, and thenwe'll come back out and basically adjourn.