Forest Lake Area Schools — Transcript

Friday, March 20, 2026Analysis complete

3 Topics in This Document

School Board Self-Evaluation Survey

School Board Vacant Seat Appointment

Spanish Immersion Course Proposal

Full Extraction
No formal action taken; discussion concluded with a plan for further information gathering and future discussion on April 7th.
Motion fails (3-3)
Motion fails (3-3)
First reading only; no action taken.

the school board self-evaluation tool is a 72 question evaluation conducted online and complete on personal or the school district computer. Takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes. It's 100% confidential.

Member Tyson [00:00:46]7.1 School Board Self-Evaluation Survey

I'll reach out to Gail Gilman at MSBA and just explain that we'd like to do the you know, the the actual questions first and then kind of come up with timing and we'd like to do the report. And then the second part is is definitely how to It's supposed to be a board superintendent team workshop. And that part we would do in July.

Member Corcoran [00:02:16]7.1 School Board Self-Evaluation Survey

I came up with the idea of dressing like a chicken, looking like an idiot. Um and I ran through the auditorium like Chicken Little. The sky is falling. The sky is falling. We've lost our leader. We don't have on our team. We don't have a leader and I'm going through the auditorium dressed like that. And then went up to the stage [clears throat] and the present superintendent was standing there. 'Don't worry, Chicken Little. I've taken the job.' We have a leader and we had our team back.

Mrs. Morehead [00:04:47]7.2 School Board Vacant Seat

My true north compass, it comes back to the kids in our community and that they're relying on the adults here to do right by them and to support them. Um the seven-member board, as you know, was designed to function fully. And I think what's been challenging for you and the community is that we haven't been able to embrace that as much as it could be yet. And I really believe that I can serve as a tool to try to help bring that together.

Mrs. Hanson [00:08:58]7.2 School Board Vacant Seat

Karen Moorhead... has identified herself as a conservative many times this evening. She's known that way in the community. Um so, if it is true that we want to fill or that that there was a lot I remember um I think is it Dean Erickson spoke on a green card, many spoke on a green card wanting um uh member Hegland's seat filled with someone who is like-minded... then I think um Mrs. Moorhead is the is the obvious choice.

Member Christensen [00:56:51]7.2 School Board Vacant Seat

I always challenge that question with uh we're not a 3-3 board if we look at the board as a whole. As it was pointed out by both of you this evening, we agree on 95% of the things we want to do. Even when we have contentious meetings, we leave it approving more items on the agenda than we uh we don't approve.

Member Reboline [00:44:31]7.2 School Board Vacant Seat

Karen has the governance experience. Karen has taken the trainings over and over. Karen understands advocacy, which we need in our district. She understands the per pupil formula, transportation sparsity. She can speak to all those things. That's important for Forest Lake Area schools.

Member Tyson [00:58:39]7.2 School Board Vacant Seat

But I mean the respectful communication, and I don't like saying this publicly, but hasn't always been my experience there. And for that reason I won't be supporting her appointment to the seat.

Member Corcoran [01:02:46]7.2 School Board Vacant Seat

what we would be proposing here tonight are two uh courses. Uh one in immersion six course that would be new and an immersion seventh grade seven course that would be new. These would be equivalent to a semester length in time. Uh where students could take um their Spanish they'd be able to continue their Spanish instruction from fifth grade uh into sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, but in a Spanish for immersion students course.

Director Jacobson [01:06:06]8.1 First Reading: Recommendation to Approve Spanish Immersion 6 and Spanish Immersion 7 Courses

in the past uh social studies up until even right now, today, uh students in the immersion program at at the middle school in sixth and seventh grade, their world language instruc- instruction happens in social studies. And we what we would do is we'd move away from that and instead students would have a essentially a stand-alone Spanish course.

Director Jacobson [01:08:18]8.1 First Reading: Recommendation to Approve Spanish Immersion 6 and Spanish Immersion 7 Courses