Shakopee Public Schools — Transcript
Monday, October 5, 2026
National Merit Recognition
National Principal Month and First Responders Day
Southwest Metro Intermediate District Services
Saber Connection Program Launch and Operations
Building and Department Visions and Data Measurement
Federal Legislative Advocacy for Education Funding
Inter-Governmental Collaboration for Resource Sharing
Votes (7)
Approval of Donations
Moved by Unknown [37:55] · Seconded by Aldridge [38:00]
The board reviewed a list of donations, with specific appreciation given to Minnesota State Engineering for a generous donation of 400 unit processors.
Ratifying Resolution for General Obligation Facilities Maintenance Bonds
Moved by Johnson [36:03] · Seconded by Johnson [36:05]
Michael Hart of PMA Securities reported on the successful bond sale for roofing and parking lot projects. Twelve bids were received, with Morgan Stanley offering the lowest true interest cost of 4.49%. The district's A1 bond rating was affirmed. Discussion included comparison to prior interest rate projections and market volatility, and the fixed nature of the rate post-sale. A small portion of parking lot work was excluded from financing due to state approval rules.
MOU for Pay Dates related to the Education Association
Moved by Johnson [41:59] · Seconded by Johnson [42:01]
Dale, the Director of Human Resources, outlined the transition plan for Education Association employees from a 26-pay schedule to a 24-pay schedule to eliminate 'pay creep' and align with other district employee groups. This MOU serves as a bridge to formalize the change until new language can be negotiated into the teacher collective bargaining agreement, expected during the next contract cycle.
Pearson Early Learning Center Work Group Recommendation Plan A
Moved by Johnson [48:38] · Seconded by Aldridge [48:40]
Assistant Superintendent Mlaus presented Plan A from the Pearson Work Group, a long-term solution to align Pearson's calendar and budget with K12 operations following shortened student contact days. The plan leverages Saber Connection for supervision, allowing teachers to instruct two daily segments, resulting in an estimated positive budget impact of over $250,000, aligned teacher FTE, and Pearson maintaining its unique calendar without early release days.
Pearson Early Learning Center MOU (27-28 Calendar Bridge)
Moved by Johnson [56:06] · Seconded by Aldridge [56:08]
Director Dale introduced an MOU to bridge the gap between the approval of the Pearson Work Group's Plan A and the negotiation of new language into the teacher contract. This MOU formalizes key changes to the Stepping Stones program, ensuring calendar alignment with K12 (excluding early release days) and equalizing teaching loads and benefits for early childhood educators.
Magnifying Abilities MOU with Eastern Carver County
Moved by Johnson [1:00:23] · Seconded by Aldridge [1:00:25]
Lisa Ron presented an MOU for the 'Magnifying Abilities' program, a collaboration with Eastern Carver County, Prior Lake, and Waconia, providing enrichment classes for adults with disabilities. The MOU formalizes this long-standing program's funding shift, now supported by district levy dollars for adults with disabilities, ensuring continued meaningful and accessible programming for Shakopee residents.
Academy Champion Agreement Renewal with 9th Grade Academy (Valley Fair)
Moved by Johnson [1:05:01] · Seconded by Aldridge [1:05:03]
Dr. Test presented the renewal of the Academy Champion Agreement with Valley Fair for the 9th Grade Academy. Valley Fair, under new ownership, continues its vital role in supporting students' career exploration through mentorship and industry exposure. The proposed renewal term is from October 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029, reflecting Valley Fair's deep investment in the program, including unique activities like personal greeting exercises with students.
Notable Quotes (14)
Want to have a shout out to Minnesota State Engineering for the generous donation of the 400 units processors. Incredible.
this morning when we sold the bonds, we received 12 bids... Morgan Stanley from New York being the best bidder at about 4.49%. So, we're happy to see that number bids. It's [clears throat] highly competitive process.
this would be a higher rate than the bond the bond rate on any of your current outstanding bonds and that's largely because we've been in a time you know over the last you know many parts of the last 10 years where it's been the interest rates have been generationally low than they had been at any point in time since the 1960s.
the pay dates gradually move forward over time... after 13 years of uh that system we have now [clears throat] forward to the point where people are being paid before they actually put in work and that's um problematic.
This is really just to to uh make sure we're not running with language in our teacher collective bargaining agreement that doesn't align with what we're doing in our district.
The big solution was Saber Connection coming on board providing us the opportunity to really get the teaching group uh teaching two segments a day rather than teaching and kind of supervising uh and that really aligned us then well with what is happening at K5 uh etc. in terms of teacher instruction minutes and that sort of thing.
first thank you for all the effort and the group that you look at all this uh creativity with connection the saber connection uh has brought everything together and I also appreciate the transparency
we have this gap now between now and when we settle the contract. And so we needed some we needed a bridge pathway to get there.
I'm just going to call out Juliet Charleston. She's the Charleston. She was uh the stepping stones teacher. She's one of the 1.5 FD cuts and she sat on this committee and she at the end of the process stood before the whole group and said, "As much as this affects me personally, um I have to tell you it's the best option and it's what we need to recommend to you.
This agreement was put in place because recently shots was able to levy for dollars for adults with disabilities and that is a change from a few years ago when we were not able to do that.
it's enrichment. So their classes just like our adult enrichment the the students or the adults can sign up for a dance or a craft class or things like that. That's it's an like a class for them to attend and the cost of that is very low because they're usually
Academy champions who volunteer extensive time over some of them their time and talent and we say treasures but it's really their time and talents to be able to support each one of ouries and the nth grade academy noted as freshman but now formally branded as nth grade academy fairs really stepped in.
She will tell you and She is 100% truthful that before the career expo, she will shake every single ninth grader's hand as an exercise where she goes around uh to just truly say, "No, you say you can shake people's hands, but tell me what you would say. Look me in the eye, Mr. Johnson. Look me in the eye, Mr. Peterson. Say my name. Say hello.
having lived here my whole life, Valley Fair has always been a big part of Shaki and it's kind of a great fit for our schools... I think it's a fantastic partnership.
Ordinances & Resolutions (14)
Final action for bond sale for roofing and parking lot projects.
Long-Term Facilities Maintenance plan, partially funded by bond sale.
Part of the bond package for parking lot projects.
Agreement to transition pay schedules from 26-pay to 24-pay system.
Existing contract language to be updated regarding pay schedules.
Long-term solution for Pearson Early Learning Center's calendar and budget alignment.
Bridge agreement for Pearson's operational changes until new contract language is negotiated.
Agreement with Eastern Carver County for programming for adults with disabilities.
Renewal of partnership with Valley Fair for the 9th Grade Academy.
Informational item presented for review before approval.
Guiding document for building and department visions.
Overarching vision driving all district work.
Data platform for real-time school performance information.
Assessment tool used for measuring student progress.