Maybe they took it off. It's weird that they didn't have it. >> Now call the Thursday, August 7th, regular school board meeting for Forest Lake Area Schools to order. Please join us while we say the pledge of allegiance. Pledge 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. >> All right. Thank you. Uh, member clerk, will you please take the roll call of attendance? >> Yes, I will. Is this on? You good? All right. Member Hegland >> here. >> Member Corkran >> here. Member Castle >> here. Member Tyson >> here. >> Member Antonson is here. Member Christensen >> here. >> And member Rebeline >> here. >> Everybody's here. >> All right. Before we move to approving the meeting agenda here, I just wanted to point out to the board here that I was notified that there's a technical problem uh with the live stream. The meeting is being recorded and the recording will be made available later, but we will not be live streaming to uh our YouTube channel this evening. So unless there's an objection, I would propose that we continue with our meeting and we just ask administration to upload the meeting uh when it's possible to do so. >> All right. Seeing no objection, I will continue with this and such. I would approve a or I would entertain a motion to approve the meeting agenda. >> So moved. >> Second. >> We have a motion in a second. Is there any discussion on the agenda? >> Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying I. I. Those opposed. All right. The agenda is adopted. That brings us to scheduled and unscheduled visitors. We will start with the listening session. Um, Member Christensen and myself were present at the listening session this evening. U member Christensen, would you like to open? >> Yes. Um we had uh I had eight uh people speak um this evening and there was uh seven of the eight I would say had sort of a general sense of um frustration uh with uh communication and various other uh issues relating to the school board. We had some um questions on the new 300 series that will be on the agenda later. Um some policy uh questions uh on that. Um questions about uh the dress code and the um the the symbols uh that uh go along with the discussion that we had on the dress code. Um we had a discussion or um some speaking about the rule uh in Robert's rules of order that members of the board can only speak twice. Um and that was brought uh forward that that uh there was some concerns with that and representation um people who who wanted their represent the people that they voted to be able to speak about that. We had some questions about um integrity um and uh again more dress code issues and we had another person speak about um some state issues versus uh constitutional issues. Um, another uh comment about the frequency of adding amendments to the agenda at the board table uh versus uh on the printed agenda or the agenda that's sent out ahead of time so that people are able to uh review that information. >> All right. Thank you. >> Thank you, member Christensen. About the only thing I have to add to that in looking at my notes here is um yes, we did have some uh individuals comment about the uh policy 515 which is back in committee uh in September here. So, we'll hear what the the committee has to think about that. We did have one individual that was mentioned that she was thankful for the responses to email. I know we get a lot of email, but uh I do know that a lot of members of the public are are thankful, especially when they're asking us a direct question and they hope to get an answer. Um let's see what else here. We did had have an individual call out uh board member specifically myself on integrity and I just like to point out that you know we are doing our best. We are prone to making mistakes and we are very open to having our comments challenged and if if we do make mistakes, please point those out to us and we can point that out. Uh the specific example that was cited was uh concerning the uh symbols in policy 515 and the various policies uh across the uh the state. I believe I cited that 99% of districts do. Um it's possible that that it's not 99. I I did read every single one of them, but uh I may have missed one or two. I did ask for specific examples so I could follow up on that and look into it closer and then when this does come back around, I can have either a more accurate number or um rectify it in another way. Um, we also did have an individual point out the fact that uh the the board was elected by the community and that there is a strong community desire for change and that change is good and that the people who are happy with the change aren't necessarily the ones that are um going to voice their opinion and make noise. Um so he he did lend some support. Um, that is all I have to add there, which will bring us to our green card process. So, I will read out my preamble here quickly and then we'll move right to that. So, with our green cards, we feel that public comment is a very important aspect of our community interactions and have included that opportunity on our agenda this evening. In accordance with our green card procedure, we ask speakers to keep their comments relevant to the agenda item they would like to speak on. comments that deviate from the topic are inappropriate and subject to being called out of order by any board member. We also ask that speakers remain respectful. Please remember addressing the board during a publicly held meeting is a privilege and the board is not legally obligated to provide the public with this opportunity and that this process is non-interactive due to numerous threats of violence against board members. I'm reminding speakers that comments directed towards or alluding to any individual board member are out of order and will not be tolerated. Violations of this requirement will result in the speaker forfeiting the remainder of their time and a directive to leave the premises. Future opportunities for the speaker to address the board may also be impacted. We request that everyone be respectful of commenters and refrain from making their own comments or applauding to help keep things moving. Commenters are given three minutes to speak and the clerk will give notification to speakers as their time is expiring and the chair will strike the gavl once their time is expired. Um, I've shuffled the deck of cards which wasn't difficult this evening since we only have two and we'll call speakers by their first name and their last initial. Uh, to keep things moving, please be ready when it's your turn. Again, comments directed towards or alluding to any individual board member will not be tolerated. We'll start this evening with Claire L and Joe N. You will be on deck. Welcome, Claire. >> Good evening. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Claire Huger and I'm here to speak on agenda item 6.1 as well as 9.1. Um, I want to specifically speak on the proposed policy uh to punish community members from speaking out of current as well as the proposed idea to reevaluate district business with vendors who are critical of proposed policies as reflected in the meeting uh the July meetings minutes. Um, as a reminder, every member of the audience is a taxpaying stakeholder in how district policy impacts their students, their families, their community, and their property taxes. There are no lanes for stakeholders to stay. The suggestion that any stakeholder in this community should remain silent about proposed policy is actually authoritarian. The irony of what was paraphrased as as disruptive behavior is it was a result of an unwillingness to acknowledge overwhelming community objection to having our schools disrupted for our students and it was avoidable. Um, with elected leadership comes responsibility. Um, and it was extremely disappointing to hear some of the language that was uh utilized to describe community members input. Um the focus on these issues by board members is not only a distraction from the real education issues of our district, but the manner in which they've been delivered has eroded the trust of the community uh from the school board, and that is unacceptable. We deserve better. I certainly hope that rather than continuing to react uh to input with vindictiveness and hostility, board members start to actually engage the public respectfully and responsibly because that is the role of an elected official. Regarding uh agenda item 9.1, I'm really looking forward to a really thorough outline of each step of the process uh and the importance of community collaboration over its development. I want to highlight though a vital element of our strategic plan and that is diversity and educational equity. Diversity is a strength. A strategic plan that includes diversity commits us to equity in access, curriculum, staffing, and leadership. It ensures that we are preparing students for a real world, a real a world that is multicultural, interconnected, and increasingly global. In the Forest Lake Area Schools, we believe that educational equity is the foundation of everything we do according to our established beliefs. Educational equity is not about giving some students more. It's about ensuring that every student has the support they need to succeed. When we create equitable environments, we don't lower standards. We raise outcomes for everyone. Equity strengthens schools and communities. And that's not ideology, that's data. To be clear, equity is not a political agenda. It is a commitment to fairness, to excellence, and to preparing every student to contribute to society, succeed in life, and be proud of who they are, and to do so strategically and systematically. Our school should be a place where all children, regardless of their background, can thrive. If we fail to plan for equity, and we fail to include it as an ideal, we are planning to leave students behind. And that's not just unjust, it's unacceptable. When we prioritize inclusion and equity, we send a clear message. Every student belongs here. Every student is a Ranger. Let's make sure our strategic plan isn't just about goals, it's about values, including diversity and educational equity. Thank you. >> Thank you, Claire. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Claire. >> Joe N. >> My name is Joe Nelson and I'm a proud father of two graduates from this district and a longtime resident of Forest Lake. I am not a business owner. I'm also not on any committee. So, I sincerely hope you spare for me from any retaliation for speaking my mind tonight. I intend to read my intend to use my full three minutes. And while you may not like what I have to say, I respectfully ask that you not interrupt or silence me. I watch many of these meetings and I watch good, respectful citizens attempt to voice their concerns only to be silenced by rules that seem to designed to prevent honest criticism. Some have even thanked you for the opportunity to speak only to be removed from this building to help fund his taxpayers. That won't be me. I'm here to call out what many in this community already know but are too afraid to say. Forest Lake has a serious problem with racism and intolerance. And it's time to pretend. It's time to stop pretending otherwise. In 2022, during the Lynwood car show, your campaign ad with some of your faces appeared under the Confederate flag. When questioned, you claim no one had a problem with it. Well, I'm someone and I had a serious problem with it then and I have a serious problem now. >> Please refrain from referring to direct directly referring to direct to to specific board members. >> I have I have three minutes to talk. Um so many do so many others do in fact that they wrote an article about your car in 2022. They made the same as you've heard. >> You're you're out of order. You're out of you're you're out of order. Please. >> They're just words. I can speak. >> Please no. Please leave the building. My time, please. Please leave the building. We can speak words even if you don't like them. >> Please leave the building. You've been instructed that being arrested. Other stories of students being harassed or abused for being >> You are out of order. Please leave the building. >> Please don't eject me for speaking words. These are just words. Please give my three minutes and then I'll leave. >> Thank you. >> They are just words, right? >> Can I speak my words? >> No. You've been asked to leave the premises. >> Guys, this is this is what taking your rights away looks like. >> I know it's okay, but I mean it's not okay. >> Thank you. >> How does the board have the authority to the board acts as a board? All right, that uh >> we uh >> open enrollment >> brings us to workshops and conferences. Does anybody have anything for workshops and conferences? >> All right, seeing nothing for workshops and conferences, city of Forest Lake, member Christensen and member Tyson. >> Um yes, I had um Or did you have something? >> Do you want to go first? >> I'll go second or I'll go first. whenever you want. >> On the July 17th uh meeting of the Force Lake City Council, um there was a lot of discuss or various discussion on lots of items, but uh discussion about the Veterans Memorial Lakeside project. Uh construction will begin uh September through November. Uh there was also discussion of a concept plan for um an addition to the um bittersweet um subdivision uh new single family homes on the northeast side of Forest Lake. There'll be about 20 lots. That area backs up to Cooland Camp. Um there was also some a mention of an application for a second phase of the Chestnut Creek um development. Uh, I think that was kind of the highlight right there. And then on the July 29th um meeting, there wasn't really anything specific having to do uh with the school board. Lots of discussion about parking along Northshore Trail uh near the Pizza Pub area. Um, and there are some positions open at the um city, so people could look on the um on the website. There's a deputy clerk position and other positions as well. That concludes my report. >> Thank you, Member Christensen. Anything to add member? >> I'd just like to add that we know summer's winding down. The last Arts in the Park with the Cornfeed in the Rock and Hollywoods will be August 26th already. Um then we know school is knocking on the door the next week. Also, they um had night to unite which I think is really coming back after COVID not meeting as often and there had 30 visits to homes. I know there was one up in one of my culde-sacs. And then they had uh presents at art arts in the park and they did a huge um collection school supply drive and Cub Foods donated the boxes for sorting. So we're so thankful that they do that community outreach. It's so important to feel that connection with FLPD and we want to just thank them. I want to add that the intersect intersection at Quick Trip will open up Labor Day weekend but not to 35E. It's the 97 reconstruction. So, I know that um people are waiting for that and I know it's going to probably impact our buses when school starts as well. So, they're making headway. I I read on their website that there was some street found under the street and so they've had some setbacks and the medians are going to be nice. So, I hope there's not too much um with our busing that goes out that way because I know a lot of them cross over there. >> Um and that concludes my report. Thank you. >> All right. Member Hegel, >> member Tyson, did they say when the project is estimated to be completed or if it's behind schedule or anything? >> My husband actually checks it more than I do, but they have changed it a lot. Um, Quick Trip will be told that it's going to open up Labor Day, then they'll pull it back and push it later, but I think the whole thing concludes like around Thanksgiving, >> November. >> So, but >> yeah, it superintendent probably knows. >> Yeah, it it does extend into the fall. I don't know that at this time they're given a firm date. I we have not heard that. Our transportation department is working with um Mindot and the city and rerouting buses and so we're well prepared for that, but it's certainly going to have an impact. >> Does the detour going to be changing going through any residential areas that we need to be concerned about or as far as when busing starts? Yeah, we've been given um the information on ways to access those different neighborhoods and they are providing those access points. >> Yeah. >> And that's with this year's it goes on next year too. >> Yeah. This is phase one. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Phase one >> member Anderson. >> Okay. I was looking for the positive happenings on here, but I don't see No, it's not on here. speak to the workshops and conferences sort of I attended that superintendent. >> Any objection? >> Oh, no. >> All right. Yeah. Go ahead, Member. Yeah, >> I have mine, too. I didn't realize that it was >> If there's no objection, we can add that. Yeah. Go ahead, Member Antinson. >> Yeah. Well, I I went to the superintendent forum and I ran into Jill there and and talked to Gail a little bit. It was nice to see the superintendent from all three districts um talking about what they're doing. And I was trying to take notes. They're real messy. I'm going to try to read what I thought was one of the most important things when the question came up with um and I think it's pertinent tonight since we're going to be talking about uh close session for teacher contracts is what we're doing for teacher and talent retention. And um Dr. Massie talked about the robust um professional development that we have in our district, the mentoring on boarding programs and high school credit and college credit. >> Um and I don't really understand that. So you're saying for students as far as towards teaching certificate or something or okay I I well when we talk on Monday you can tell me more. I don't really get it. So okay awesome. So, I was excited to hear that. And um one of the other things I loved hearing and I know that one of the administrators I talked to said we try to implement this no phones rule and it's not always followed but um Chicago Lakes was saying that they implemented um took out all the cell phones and that they've seen tremendous improvements in behavior and uh student interactions. And I think it's so important that I'd really like to see uh our schools um push for those for that. Um and and I really enjoyed listening to Miss Paul, Sarah Paul was her name, is that it from North Branch as well. Um anyway, it was a good event. Glad I went >> to to add to that. I spoke with one of the board members from Stillwater last night about it that they're implementing a policy this year. When you walk in the building, you turn in your cell phone. When you walk out of the building, you get your cell phone back. Um, it sounds like a logistical nightmare to me. So, I'd be really curious to see how they end up implementing that, how it works for them. But uh yeah, I would suggest the seven of us pay really close attention to how it works in other districts because uh >> it's something that we may need to bring here and work with our administration, our principles specifically. >> Yeah. >> And and see how do we implement >> either the exact policy here or something like it because it if it if it helps with student success, I can't see any of us not being on board with that. >> Yeah. >> Um member Tyson, did you did you have something you wanted to add to this as well? Well, yeah. I wanted to add that I got some really great points of value out of listening to all three and I so thankful our superintendent represents our district so well, speaking on so many aspects of what we're doing, what we have done. There was a lot of talk around the unfunded mandates that came out and how that's really strapping us and how there's a need for local control and that was a good discussion. Um, I really liked one of the points that the superintendent from Shiago Lakes made about they did their strategic plan recently and he said, "Unless you go to the stakeholders and you're really listening, you're not going to come out with a plan that's going to take you into the future." And I talked to him afterwards and he said, "Yeah, we really had to bring everybody into the table." And I said, "We're getting ready to redo ours and hopefully we're going to include everyone and have that depth of discussion in all of that." Um, he also talked about how their bond failed and their middle school has got the curtains up on the top floor and I have nieces and nephews that go there. And so we talked about how that is a struggle because it took us 12 years to get to one that we passed in 2018 and we're just so proud of what we could get could accomplish with those dollars in our community blessing us with the ability to get that new Hback and get all those new things that we got. So anyway, it was really a fun discussion by all three superintendents. It was fun to listen to. I just want to add that in the journal, the MSDA journal on page 24, I believe, our own director of special ed has an awesome article in here about our day treatment that we started. And she just has some great quotes in here. And one I want to read by director Wilson is that she says keeping students at the school from what we've seen leads to a higher success rate of them transitioning back into regular school life. So we're really proud of having that and having it featured in here and um that collaboration with Canvas Health has just been a blessing to those students that need those services and we're so happy they can stay in our building and not have to get on a van and go somewhere else. So, thank you for that, Director Wilson. >> And then, of course, community ed came out. That signifies fall. So, we know school's right around the corner. And that concludes my positive happenings. Thank you. >> They just took the positive out of positive happenings by mentioning fall. >> Oh, positive. >> It's already coming up on us. Member Christensen. I just wanted to add um and I didn't have my um um anyway, I went to the marching band um concert and it was awesome at the football stadium. I think it was last Tuesday. I'm not sure. It was so great. There were so many people there. The weather was perfect. Um all the band instructors um the coaches um spoke about each other and gave each other gifts and um I don't know, it was just it was really neat, super positive. It just felt, you know, it just felt really good. Those are the good things about being on a school board. It was really great to go and great turnout really too. And it was free and it was great. >> We have a great music program, that's for sure. >> We do a partner. >> Um well, I did the night to unite in my neighborhood first time and >> I mean it's a lot of you know it's an older crew. We don't have any kids so but we did have u the fire the police came the fire truck came. I felt like they're like where are all the kids? But I mean they knew we had older community there and then we had the mayor and a council member came. So it was quite the turnout. Um so there's probably at least 35 of our neighbors and then all those people came and we had a great spread with food and everything. So that was a really fun event. And then today I attended the at the YMCA they had the SPIAK event the in influence for good amplifying positive change in Forest Lake. Um, it was this morning between 7:30 and 9:00 and it probably had, I don't know, maybe 45 people. I mean, I was pretty impress I just had no idea that many people were going to be there. Was business owners, um, a lot of different people from the community, just kind of a networking event and it was just really a great event. Really eye opening. So, just I learned a lot today. >> It's really great. >> All right. Does anybody else have anything for reports before we move on to the superintendent report? All right, seeing none, uh, Dr. Massie >> board, thank you for the opportunity. Uh, on behalf of the school district, I would like to extend our condolences to Jay, uh, Shagg's family. Jay passed away on July 24th and as you know, Jay started driving bus for us >> in 20 uh, 2007. So almost two decades driving bus for us. Jay will be dearly missed by all of us and of course the kids and families that he has driven. Some good news on enrollment. Um update there. Enrollment is currently at 5,587 students. That is 44 students over the enrollment number that we ended last year with. It's been a decade >> since we've been able to report increased enrollment last year and this year. Uh we are currently 132 students above the number that we have built the 26 school year budget around. So some very encouraging uh signs there. I am sure that as we get into September that number will be even greater as we approach the start of the year. We're in um still an effort to secure staffing for the school year. Our regular instructional staff are positions are largely filled. Special education position teaching positions are largely filled. Um I will point out that we have seven contracted special education teaching positions. I would point out that the they're more expensive when you contract, >> but when you don't have applicants >> and the pool is really shallow, you have no no alternative to fill those positions. We have contractual oblig obligations to meet IEP requirements. So, we have to turn to contracted positions. We also have five contracted uh school nursing positions as well. Uh on the custo custodial ranks, we have a couple of open positions. Same in food service. Um bus drivers, we have a number of open positions at this time. And for anybody listening to this board meeting who has an inclination to drive school bus, please give us a call. We're continually recruiting and trying to get word out there for bus drivers. >> Um and for our pair positions, we also have many open positions that we're still trying to fill. Um, I will add to the excitement around the start of the school year with a report on open house events. Elementary school open house will be August 27th, 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Great opportunity for board members to get out and about in schools and see young families bringing kids into school and getting set up for the start of the school year. The middle school, as you know, we have the exciting development of sixth graders joining our our middle school. We have a bit of a soft open house for sixth and seventh graders, both grades being new this year, uh to pick up schedules, walk the building, and meet their counselor. That's coming up here on August 21st. Uh sixth grade openhouse at the middle school will be on August 26, 3:30 to 7:00 p.m. Staff will be present for that event. August 27th, 7th and 8th grade have the opportunity to attend open house 3:30 to 7 pm. Uh the first day of school for um for the school year then would be September 2nd, sixth graders only participating in web orientation. That'll be their intensive orientation. That'll be the first day of school. September 3rd, seventh graders will attend along with sixth graders. and then all students um on Thursday, September 4th, open house at the high school. Schedules and scheduling open houses uh will be taking place here beginning August 18th where they'll pick up schedules and have a chance to interact with deans and make scheduling adjustments. Um and then they're available August 20th, 21st, and 22nd to work with students and make adjustments to schedules. The new teacher orientation week begins the week of August 18th. There will be three days, August 19th, 20th, and 21st. The chamber always puts on uh just a tremendous event bringing in local businesses to welcome the new educators to Forest Lake. That's held at Split Rocks at 11 a.m. on August 21st. And then the all staff inservice week will be the week of August 25th. The all district staff event will be Tuesday, August 26th, starting right away at 7:30 with the event and a keynote speaker at 8 a.m. Our keynote speaker this year is Mickey Smith Jr. Those of you that attended the MSBA workshop last January, February or January, whenever that was, >> um Mickey Smith was the keynote speaker there. Um was a rounding success and um just tremendously talented. School begins September 2nd. Um, and as I mentioned, the web events and high school events and all sorts of preparation. And then beginning next week, all of our athletes, um, varsity athletes and high school athletes are starting their their fall season. So, a lot of exciting things developing. As I've said many times, summer's a transition, not a break for many of us. and we along with the administrators have been working almost around the clock in preparation for the start of the year. So, a lot of exciting things taking place. That concludes my report. >> All right. Thank you, Dr. Massie. Lots of exciting things coming up. >> Brings us to our consent agenda item 6.1 to 65. Is there anything on the consent agenda that any member would like to be removed? >> I'd like to pull 6.1, please. >> 6.1. We don't need a second for that. Um, so we'll pull 6.1. Anything else? All right. Seeing none, I'd entertain a motion to approve uh 6.2 through 6.5. >> So move. >> Second. >> Okay. We have a motion and a second on 62 and 6.5. All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. >> Those opposed. >> All right. Um that motion carries. Brings us back to item 6.1. I entertain a motion to approve. >> So move. >> Have a motion. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> Okay. We have a motion, a second. Brings us to discussion. member Tyson. >> Yes. I just want to talk about the resolution that was passed in my absence and I want to address the fact that I had no prior knowledge that this was going to happen. So I think having an item of this significance uh brought up and on the agenda without any prior notice is just disrespectful to the board members as a whole, as a team, as a group. It's disrespectful to our community and our stakeholders. And it's always so disrespectful to our administration. And I'm hoping that we can start setting an example up here and working together as a group. I'd like to see us build trust and not inflame our community and our stakeholders and start working together. I know that I had a discussion with the the board chair and it is going to committee and it'll come back around for discussion that I can participate in, but I'm really disappointed that this took place when I was absent. So, um, I just hope moving forward we can build trust as fellow board members and not have things put on the agenda without prior notice. And then I also want to address the fact that I I was so disheartened to hear that we chastised our business district. I think we have been so blessed in Forest Lake with businesses that go above and beyond supporting our students. the CFS fund, our scholarship fund. I mean, I could go on and on. And I think that when we take a stab at that kind of off the cuff and don't use good tactics with that, opening a discussion around it, I think we need to be really careful because I think in our our district, we have a lot of business support and we are so thankful for that. So, moving forward, I hope we can build trust among our board members. >> Member Antonson. I is there a written rule somewhere or that I'm not aware of guideline whatsoever as to what is what is our practice for adding things on? I mean, you know, like Jill had said, she had wanted to add something >> last time and she couldn't add it on and >> yeah, that that's an excellent uh >> So, can we just talk about that openly? Like what is it? So then, >> but can I go back to my time to have and then I'll be done? >> Oh yeah, absolutely. >> I just want to say that this was a significant thing to add. I think there are other things that we want to revisit whatever member Christensen wanted to put on there, but I think this had a significant um weight to it. So I think those are really areas we need to all have prior notice. It needs to be transparent and on our agenda so that our stakeholders and our community, our community of parents and everyone knows and that's the point I'm making about that >> particular resolution that got passed. >> Okay. >> And thank you member Tyson for bringing that up. I'll I'll respond to uh member antinson's point of inquiry here. Um how we traditionally handle agendas is we we have a kind of a framework that we use throughout the year. There are certain points of business that we need to do. Uh one of them this evening uh being member Christensen's uh employment approval that we just kind of know that's going to come up in August. We have some other things that come up uh throughout the year that are well planned out. Um the rest of the agenda is set uh usually through a discussion between myself and Dr. Massie >> and that usually occurs at least a week ahead of time. Sometimes we we meet as late as Friday uh to get that out, but as board members know, we typically have the uh the proposed agenda out to the board on Fridays. The public then sees it the following Monday. That gives the board some time to to digest it, to ask some questions, and if changes need to be made before it's released to the public, they're released on Monday. Um I have a a running list as um board chair as you know the the agenda is an agenda proposal by the chair. This this is what I propose that we speak about. So I do have a list of list of things that uh we need to address throughout the year that I keep track of. Member Christensen's request she wants to uh readress one of the policies that we have specifically around uh limitations on discussion. That's on my list as well. If I hear from, you know, multiple board members on a similar topic, they will they'll bump it up in the priority. I know every board chair does it a little bit differently. That's kind of how I approach it. Um, on the specific uh directive to administration that you bring up, member Tyson, I'm super glad that you asked or that you brought that up because that was part of my approved uh policy proposal. Um, I did want it published on the proposal. I wanted people to be able to see that uh just because it's my approved or my proposed policy doesn't mean that every one of my suggestions make the proposed policy either. I addressed that two or three times during the meeting a couple of weeks ago, but uh to be perfectly clear, that was part of my proposed agenda. I did want it there. I had no reason to bring it up without giving a some sort of a public notice. That request was denied. So, uh, just because it's my proposed agenda doesn't mean that everything that I want on there is there either. Going and addressing the the point of inquiry that member Antonson had, the agenda that we approve every week that's presented and posted online. And I've said this a couple of time, it's a proposal until the board accepts it. And once the board accepts it, it is finalized. So every board member has the right to make amendments to the agenda just like any other motion that we address and as long as there is a majority of members who agree with that amendment that amendment goes forward and we have made a agenda amendments to the agenda as far back as I can remember. I think even in my very first meeting uh I may have proposed a motion to amend the agenda. So that that is typically carried out once we approve the agenda as a board and a body and we accept it. Those are then our orders for the day. There are a couple of small procedural processes that we can follow if we need to make an emergency motion to to amend the agenda, we need to tweak it as we go. Uh that gets pretty nuanced. We haven't really had felt the need for that in the past, but those options do exist. The that kind of concludes my my comments on the agenda unless somebody has specific questions. Member Christensen. Well, I just want to u make a a point to member Anerson and I would say I came on the board along with member and member Hegeland and since I've been on the board it has been um maybe not like a specific rule but it has been sort of an unwritten rule or sort of a a decorum or way to way the way we do things I've been told or um or the way it's seems to me is you ask to have something put on the agenda and then it's you know put on the agenda or not or whatever. And so I do feel like some of this and and you can to be clear, you can add things at the board table to be clear, you can do that. But I'm just saying in the two plus years that I've been on the board um prior to um probably January I would say. But if there was larger things or things that might be um you know controversial or um people might have concern about I do really feel like those were put on the on the agenda prior to the meeting and that people could see it. I do feel like personally I feel like things are things of consequence are being added to the agenda at the board table and I I just um while that is legal and people can do those things, I just think um you know we we have a lot more attention now on the board. A lot more people are coming. People are watching the agendas and I just feel like um while that is something that you can do, I just don't necessarily feel like that that is the right thing to do. I I just don't I I don't feel I feel like as a board member myself, I try to become really prepared to the meetings and I pride myself as best I can being prepared at the meetings. And so I I really um uh disagree with or um am disheartened by the adding of things of consequence at the table which I feel like I would have rather been prepared about or feel feel like I can speak intelligently to something um that I've done my homework on it. So just um those are my those are my opinions. I would rather we try to get away from that a little bit. um as much as possible. That that would be what I would add to that. >> Member Corkran. >> Well, I I do agree with everything that Jill had just said. I mean, I've been on the board for over 17 years, um many years, and uh many board chairs and um and I can probably count on one hand how many times we added things to an agenda in all those years previous to our new board chair. um if things were of consequence um maybe it was something of an emergency or something that was super important was added but that was very far few I mean not very often um and and and to be transparent is that isn't that the word we keep using transparency and being open and honest and showing you showing the community that we want them to understand what's going on and to be able to show up for things that they they care about and if they don't know and then they find out later, well, I didn't know that was gonna, you know, so it's just it's a building of trust in the community. So, I do agree with that that giving and I think by Monday if it's not on the agenda and people that's when they look and it's all of a sudden it's not on there, that's it's really hard for people to make a plan because they're busy, their families, they're, you know, scheduling their time. It's hard for them to plan. So, it would be nice. I mean, I know things come up once in a while, but as a as a standing rule, I don't believe business, we should be doing our business that way. >> To to that point, we had an adjustment this evening. Uh the >> achievement specialist terms and conditions of employment were not posted until >> just a few hours ago. So, right, that's a normal course of uh work. Member, >> I don't even remember what I was going to say. Sorry. Sorry. >> I didn't I don't even know. We can come back to me. Tyson, did you have something else? Well, I just want to bring it back to to why I pulled 61 because I was absent and you know, building that trust and respect. I would have maybe expected a phone call from you saying, "Hey, we're going to discuss this. Do you want to remote in? Are you willing to remote in?" Of course, I would have been, but I didn't get that phone call. >> To my knowledge, I don't think anybody knew ahead of time. And that's the part that becomes the inflammatory piece for us to work positively as a group for our community to feel engaged in our district and like their voices are being heard. So I think anything of that magnitude needs to have prior notice and if a board member is missing or planning to be absent, you know, ahead, give them the information so they know. >> We we do have to be careful about OML on that point though. We cannot have a uh open meeting law violation due to a um well I'm trying to remember the specific wording and in statute on what type of meeting that's called a a serial meeting or something along those lines but that one is difficult. Member Christensen >> I just want to make one point. Um Chair Reveline did mention that there was an addition to the agenda 6.5 ratify achievement specialist terms and conditions of employment and I would just point out that probably no one here would be upset about that. Maybe they would be. I don't know. But I mean, it seems an an innocuous thing and it was more of like a staff thing. So that's the kind of stuff I'm talking about if we have a lastm minute teacher thing, anything like that. But to put something on the agenda that clearly would I believe upset people or we would have reason to believe that people would be upset, those types of things are the kinds of things that I and to member Tyson's point too that don't I don't believe that those should be added at the board table. people should be prepared and be able to come and speak on a green card to that and know that that is coming up. So those types of things is >> is what I'm saying. >> Okay. I do have >> any more discussion member >> you did say that you had tried to put it on >> I did >> the agenda. I did. >> But don't you ultimately the office decides or >> Well to a point I don't have administrative access overboard. >> So I can't force that. I can just make the request. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Any other discussion on this? >> So can I clarify one thing? >> Absolutely. >> Chair regine. So y >> you could have called me right >> to let >> about the motion >> about the plan to put the motion in the resolution >> possibly. Yes. >> Okay. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Thank you. >> I I had not decided whether I was going to make the motion to amend the agenda or not. >> Okay. >> Thank you. >> Okay. I did want to address one more one of your other comments there about uh I I don't remember the exact phrasing that you you used a few minutes ago here about the local businesses, but I don't feel that anybody was disparaging or even threatening towards any local businesses in our meeting a couple of weeks ago. In fact, when uh member Hegeland mentioned that we review our member list, he specifically uh He he he did on purpose. He did not mention any local business. He just said we we should look at this and make sure that the the businesses that we do that we do interact with meet our values that meet uh um the types of things that we want to do that are organizations that we want to be associated with. We press on the manner. He even refused to mention anybody local. And I I think I even spoke to afterwards that we we love our local businesses. We love partnering with them. We we love having relationships with them and and if any of my comments, any local business felt threatened by that, I apologize for that. But that was certainly not my intent with my comments and I don't believe it was member Hagglins, but I would let him speak to that if I'm incorrect. >> Oh, you nailed it. >> Member Hegler. Okay. Thank you. Was there any other discussion on this uh the specific action item here or All right, seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying I. I. Those opposed. >> Okay, we have approved all of the consent agenda this evening, which brings us to action item 7.1, donations. Member Christensen. We did that. >> We didn't do a roll call. >> We didn't do the voice either, though. We just >> Oh, wait. I did. >> I think you did. >> Yeah, we did. We did, too. Okay. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> All right. Member Christensen, donations. Sorry. >> Oh, that's fine. I just was making sure everything was okay. We have a very long and generous list of um our donations this evening. So, we have $19,63.97 from Forest Lake Girls softball booster club for the 2425 season booster paid coaches. We have $4,0003, excuse me, $4,370.38 from Ranger Girls Hockey. Uh, for STP apparel, we have uh $2,341.84 from Forest Lake Girls Soccer Booster Club for 2526 girls soccer uniforms. We have $494 from the Forest View PTA for third grade transportation to a children's theater. We have $479 from the Knights of Colombia for link activities. We have $334.17 from Mark Castle uh for the teaching and learning department. We have $200 from the First State Bank of Wyoming to support families in need. We have some inkind donations of a wheelchair from Nicole Notto, a pediatric wheelchair for students in need. We have a headrest from Taylor Johnson, a custom wheelchair headrest for the sped department. A crawligator and a harness from Carol Darden uh for special ed use. And a trike and a jumperoo from Misty Walker um also for sped student use. And then uh we have uh from the marching band a bunch of donations here. $250 from the David uh Drollson uh a mayor prize group for the new teacher lunchon performance. Uh excuse me, all these are for the forest like marching band. Excuse me. $250 David Drollson. Uh $250 David Drollson. $250 the David Droll Dolson Family Foundation. Excuse me. $50 from Colleen um Skull Skolund, excuse me, from Amy Johnson Memorial. $10 um from Naen Johnson. all were from the marching band and flag corps. Uh so a total um a total for both sides, excuse me, $28,343.36 and I move to approve with gratitude. >> Second. >> Okay, we have a motion to second. Is there any discussion? I'd just like to thank Mirror Prize for their generous donation for the teachers, the new teachers lunchon because that's always kind of been a tradition in our district and I think it's very fun and welcoming for them and they can get together and have that time to prepare and and then also I think that all the donations that the booster clubs are already in action. I've had two Forest Lake football brothers come selling their cards and the Force Lake dance team girls. So, you know, just remember to generously donate to all of those areas. It's so fun to hear that they're getting all excited to be back in school and back in their routines with their activities. >> Well, they have the best cards, so they do get those cards. >> All right. Any other discussion on donations? All right. Seeing none, member clerk, will you please take the roll call? >> Sure. Member Rebeline, >> I. >> Member Heaggland, >> I. >> Member Christensen, >> I. Member Corkran >> I. >> Member Tyson >> I. >> Member Antonson votes I. Member Castle >> abstain. >> And the eyes have it. >> All right. That brings us to action item 72 Force Lake area school staff retirement notice. Member Christensen. >> Uh yes, we have one retirement this evening from James Weisner. He was a substitute bus driver uh with the transportation department for 29 years of service. So um thank you so much for that. and I move uh to approve and welcome him to have a wonderful retirement. >> Okay, we have a motion and a second. Is there any discussion? >> Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying I. I. Those opposed. >> All right, motion carries. Bringing us to item 7.3, board member approval for employment in the school district. Dr. Mass. This is a annual process where the board is required to unanimously approve any board member working for the district earning an amount at 20 thou $20,000 or less. Uh we're grateful for the service member Christensen provides in the lunchroom at Scandi Elementary. He's been doing that for many many years. Um and administration would bring to you tonight a recommendation to approve her employment in that capacity for the 2526 school year. >> All right. that we'll move to approve. >> Move to approve 73. >> Okay, we have a motion. We have a couple of seconds here. >> Seconds. Yeah, third. >> Um before we bring this to a vote, I'd just like to thank member Christensen for her time uh working for Forest Lake Area Schools and the value that she brings us. >> I would like to echo the statement by Dr. Massie that the unanimous approval is required on this motion. However, that does not mean that members cannot abstain. Um, just in case there was any question on that, I I know I've had questions from the public about uh motions that require unanimous approval, but then there's an individual that abstains. So, that's how that one works. Is there any other discussion? >> Member Tyson, >> I did some research and actually um talked with MSBA Terry Moral said it wasn't unanimous, it was majority. >> Oh, so I if that's >> I don't know if we want to If you want to double check that because you and I had discussed that. >> I can double check that because we we did we did discuss that. I uh >> I couldn't be unanimous if she doesn't vote. Is that >> Yeah, she can still can. Yeah. >> Let me uh >> I abstain. >> Yeah. Well, that's what I mean. But I mean, >> excuse me. I do have a statute. >> Oh, you do? Okay. What can you >> And it does say majority. Oh, >> it does. It says if the officer does not receive majority approval. >> Wow. >> Oh, look at that. >> It's a vote of the entire board though. >> Oh, that that is okay because we did come back. >> It is. Excuse me. We all have to be present. >> That's what it is. >> But it does not have to be unanimous. It has to be majority. Y >> That's right. >> We had to redo that. That one is working. >> That's right. Well, thank you both for looking into this. I I knew there was a nuance to this, but I didn't remember the specific nuance there was to it. Having just gone through the 1200 series policy, I know that we have it in there and it it was essentially a copy and paste from statute. So, thank you for for pointing that out because then uh we don't need unanimous approval. We just need a majority vote. And um going back to the way that abstaining works, a majority vote can be one person and six people abstaining. So, um, the fun part of the way that these rules work, but if there's no other discussion on this, we can move to >> here. >> Yes, member Castle. >> Uh, point of inquiry, have we had any votes that have impacted the employment contract that would pertain because in that case there'd be a conflict of interest and we would should know that beforehand. Yeah. Not not that I'm aware of. >> No. Okay. Not that since I've been on the board. >> So when this comes up, who is it maybe somebody would just remember offh hand, but who would it be that would bring up that this would be impacting the vote and in in that particular case? If if I'm understanding the inquiry correctly, does this uh are you asking essentially is this member Christensen a member of one of the employment groups where we vote on the contract that she would be part of? >> If that was the case, then who would be the one? Would it be uh Dr. Massie that says this would be affecting >> the vote on this case? Or would it be the board chair or would it be the individual? Yeah. Uh, Director Freriedman, I believe is that general benefits or is the the where the food service or lunch duty folks are are covered? >> The the employment scheme under which Christensen's employed, it's the general benefits. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Does that answer your inquiry? Uh well the I'm asking it like when it comes up for that >> when we're working with that >> when we're working with that piece of le leg legislation. So >> I think it's the responsibility of superintendent chair or the member >> him or herself to understand that potential conflict and abstain. >> Yes. >> Okay. Can I just say one more thing before just just to clarify for new board members. Um >> the there are stipulations. You have to make less than $20,000 a year, which I make um significantly less than that. So there's no problem there. And um it's been approved, you know, two other times without incident. So it's a it's a common thing. I think maybe a little bit more in rural districts, maybe. I'm not I'm not sure. there is a, you know, a full-time employee making more than $20,000 would not be able to serve on the board. So, yeah, >> there's not a conflict of interest in that regard. >> Yep. >> Yeah. And I would point out that this has been a long-standing practice here at Force Lake Area Schools. We have uh board members who have served in the capacity of >> substitute teaching or or various other positions across the district. So, >> yeah. >> All right. Any other discussion here? >> All right. See, none member clerk, will you please take a roll call? All right. Member Antonson votes I. Member Hagglland >> I. >> Member Christensen >> abstain. >> Member Castle >> I. >> Member Tyson >> I. >> Member Corkran >> I. >> And member Rebeline >> I. >> And the eyes have it. >> All right. Motion carries bringing us to 8.1. Uh first reading on school district uh well actually we'll we'll handle 8.1 through 8.6 is as is kind of a block here. Um first reading on the uh 1300 series of policies. Uh, I sent these out to I sent out read only copies of these to the uh, board last week. We also have them in our packet. Pull up the cover sheet quickly. Sorry, this one snuck up on me this evening. All right, so that this would replace our 200 series. Our 200 series relates to district administrative job descriptions. Um the 1300 policies that you see in front of you are based on the 300 series from the Minnesota School Boards Association. They follow model policy exactly. Uh no changes were made. Uh they relate to school district administration, superintendent, superintendent selection, superintendent contract duties and evaluation, policy implementation and administration code of ethics. As I've mentioned in an email last week to the board, uh my thoughts on these policies is we would do a first reading here this evening so everybody had a a week to review them. Um opportunity to to see what they are. The public's now had a chance to look at them as well. Um in two weeks on the 21st, uh it will be part of my proposed agenda that uh all policies 8.1 through 8.6. So it' be 1301 through 13.6 six be brought back to the board uh for any discussion or amendments on a policy by policy basis sort of like we workshopped the other the 1200 series policies uh previously but at that time uh on the 21st we would not take official action if amendments are made those amendments will be will be cataloged and they will be included on the September 4th um meeting agenda for final approval on September 4th if any final changes are needed, any any I call it kind of tweaking and tuning. We could do that on September 4th before either officially adopting or uh rejecting the policies on at that time. My thought on this being that this could be an opportunity to review how we approve agendar, a little bit more collaborative with the community. And this seems like a good uh deck policies to utilize for that uh beta test, so to speak. So again to to to repeat and summarize that the 1300 series is based on the MSBA model. Uh it's being proposed here tonight as just a first reading. In two weeks it will be back on the agenda uh for discussion and for amendments if there are any and then on September 4th it would come back to the board uh for final approval and any final changes to anything that may have been amended. And that way we'd have a little bit uh in in that manner that the the community would especially and the board members alike would be able to digest the amendments that are made, comment on those changes, see if any other changes need to be made. Um I I hope that's that's clear. Member Christensen. >> Um I was just going to say um I do appreciate um member chair that these are um verbatim from MSBA. So, I I appreciate that, but I um I was just clarifying. So, we do not currently have any of these policies in existence and can you maybe talk a little bit about what your >> thoughts are there? Sure. >> Timing wise and adding these at this time or >> Yeah, we we have policies that kind of parallel these. Um >> I I've seen a of a lot of policies across the state and and these policies seem to fit the policies that we currently have in place do fit a pretty common framework. I don't know what framework it was based on. Um I don't know if it was an older MSBA policy framework, if it was just kind of a state adopted framework or or what they came from. But uh my proposal here is that these would replace the 200 series policies. If we look at our 200 series policies, they're largely job descriptions. Um, for example, there is a superintendent of schools job description in there that is very well uh paralleled with uh some of the the policies that cover the superintendent between 1303 and 1304 and even 1306. But then there's a number of other uh job description policies that we have and as as we all in the the boardroom here recognize um you know we're a governance organization. We're not really management or the the directive of how how to handle any staff other than the superintendent. The superintendent is really our prerogative. But by defining a junior high principal policy, we are stating this is what the junior high principal is responsible for. This is what they do. We no longer have a junior high. So, and then I would say the same about, uh, you know, the director of human resources. It's really not the board's prerogative to direct what the director of human resources does. That that is the job of the superintendent. superintendent is more responsible with or not more responsible but more familiar with the strengths or the weaknesses of that individual, how they want to develop their career, how their job description should be written, if they have specific strengths that they can address. like um a lot of our directors serve multi-purposes and that's really be in in my estimation in my opinion it's beyond the purview of the board to be that directive with staff that we are that far removed from especially since uh our legal obligation is to employ a superintendent and to empower our superintendent with those responsibilities. So, um, that's my personal thought on, um, how the 1300 policies kind of roll in and replace the the the current 200 series. Does that make sense? Member Christianson, did I address your question? >> Yeah, >> member Corker. >> Oh, so can we can we get like the correlating policies to kind of look when we when we review these >> how they compare? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. There really isn't any. Um, >> there's only policy 2011, which is the superintendent of schools. >> Okay. So that would correlate with kind of what we're looking at, >> correct? That the these six would replace all policies 2011 through 214, but uh 2011 is the one that is the only one that really has any correlation. >> Okay? >> And the the proposal I'm making this evening is that policies 202 through 214 aren't really board business. They're more superintendent business and should be uh >> uh delegated to him. Okay, >> if I can add, if you go to the MSBA website under policies, >> you'll see these explicitly detailed in this same order. >> Okay. >> And language in those policies is verbatim to what's in front of you. >> Yeah. If I misunderstood your question, yeah, the 1300 series was is MSBA 300. Yeah. >> We've just prepended the one to avoid a number in conflict. >> Right. Okay. Yep. >> In our good to kind of cross reference if you're comparing >> those to that. I mean, it's just good for me and for me visually, too, to kind of be able to compare them, look at them on paper. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Member Tyson, >> so I had a question and I did look at them on MSBA's website. So, where there isn't any MASSA um references, there weren't any then? >> I don't believe so. >> Um I will note that I I did the work that we're looking at these 1300 policies. I did this work earlier this spring. I believe it was February or March when I grabbed the policy. So, there have been updates from them. >> They're not captured in this proposal here. >> Okay. >> Um >> because when I looked at a few other districts of colleagues that I know like St. Anthony, New Brighton, um Apple Valley Eaggan, uh Rosemount, they had some cross references with MASA on a few of these, but I can look them up again to get more clarity. But I also wonder um why did you pick all of them? Some school districts only have three of these >> or they'll have four and we have six. >> Yep. Yep. I presented all six of them because I wanted to present the exact MSBA model exactly as it is and then and then we we decide as a board. >> Uh when we looked at the the 1200 series uh even when we looked at policy 515 uh some of the push back we've gotten from the community on removing symbols that was a copy and paste that was directly from MSBA. We we took their directive and then we tune it for our district. So, uh, my thought process being, uh, we will introduce and, uh, propose exactly what MSBA is proposing and then we fine-tune it at the board to to customize it for our district. >> Okay. >> Um, that that seemed like the the prerogative of the board. I I know I heard a lot of interest from the board of any changes or any deviations I had from MSBA. You know, where where did this come from? And in most cases when we were discussing the 1200 series, where did this come from? Was our current um 100 policy series that I was trying to kind of mold together. So rather than repeat that exercise, I felt it was better handled at the the board table >> through amendments. So yeah, these are >> um exact copy and pastes from MSBA proposal. >> Yeah. And I I like your new thought thought pattern and ideas of kind of spreading it out and giving people time to digest and look and read, but I'm just wondering if you chose all six of these for any certain reason, but you just took them all. >> No, no reason whatsoever other than this was the the deck that was provided by MSBA. >> And I was hoping that through the review process, through the amendment process, we would we would maybe decide that uh >> we only need two of these. We only need three of these. I I'm a fan of merging them when we can because >> that's what I was going to say. >> In fact, if you remember when we went through the 1200 series, I actually had a whole matrix built up when I did that work of what policies are repetitive and where can we merge them. >> Okay? >> And it got kind of confusing during our discussion uh because we did have so many references back to the MSBA model. >> Okay. >> That I just felt like starting at the model was a better starting point for all of us so we were all on the same page. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Of course. Any other uh questions or comments on this? Or do we want to move on to 9.1? >> All right. We have no question on the table. So, we'll move to um school board work session. Uh again, school board work session. No limitations on discussion here. Uh strategic plan update. Dr. Massie. >> All right. uh board from the previous board meeting you had a conversation regarding our strategic plan which is covering the years 2020 through 2025. We are now in the 2526 school year. So we're at a time where the plan that was written for the previous five years has come to an end. uh creating the need and the opportunity I would say to readress what we have in the strategic plan. Take a look at the horizon in front of us as a school district, the present needs we have in the community, education perhaps more broadly, and assess our strategic plan from the standpoint of does the plan as written address the needs today and tomorrow. Um, I think you'll see from our presentation that the plan has served us extraordinarily well over the last 5 years. It has been a guidepost for the district and for our work as a district. Yet, I think you'll agree that a lot of the goals that we have here, we have met through our focused and committed effort. Um, not all of them and some of them are some of the goals are ongoing work. Um, and that'll be part of I think the analysis and process to determine do some of those goals continue or do we write new goals altogether. So I've asked our director team and some of our staff to assist with the presentation. Many of the focus areas and goals land in their scope of work. So it's been their charge and their responsibility to lead our district effort in in those particular areas. So, they would certainly be best to speak to those and they will tonight. To get us started, however, um I would take us to um well, just the the point I add that vibrant school systems have dynamic strategic plans. uh they become the the the operational plan for the district as well as the inspirational um entity and um spirit behind the work that we we engage in as a district. Our current plan as I mentioned was established in 2020 by an extremely large comprehensive group of folks that provided input. Uh MSBA facilitated the process and they held focus groups with business leaders, faith community members, parents, early childhood families, retired community members, staff from each of our schools, and at all levels. And we even had focus groups. I don't have them listed here, but with high school students and middle school students. The plan structure includes a vision statement, a mission statement and a set of belief statements again crafted by uh the provided input by the various community members and the overall strategic plan planning team comprised of 50 community members. It includes six focus areas, 10 goals and action plans related to each objective. Um, the set of belief statements I have in front of you, um, I know you're familiar with them. Our strategic plan on a page is in front of you at every board meeting. Um, these beliefs are often referenced and spoken to in building staff meetings, building committee work, certainly district committee work, administrative work. um we ground ourselves in these set of belief statements. The powerful vision of our district, excellence for every student every day. That best be our vision. I would offer um a mission that has served us well for the last five years and maybe even into the future. That'll be the work going forward is to prepare and empower every student to thrive in and contribute to an everchanging world. I think now as much as ever, we would agree that we are we're in the midst of an everchanging world. And I think it's it's arguable that the skills that we're giving kids today are perhaps not the skills that they'll need even five to six, seven, 10 years down the road. So what is our task as an educational system in preparing kids for the everchanging world? We have six focus areas that become the framework and the structure of the strategic plan. Beginning with excellence in highquality instruction, excellence in equitable learning opportunities, excellence in career and college and future preparedness, excellence in fostering personal well-being in a safe and respectful environment. excellence in collaboration with families, partners, and the community, and excellence in communication and outreach. And then, as I mentioned, we developed 10 goals aligned with each of those six focus areas, beginning with goal number one. Director Jacobson. >> Yeah, thank you, uh, Chair Regal, members of the board, Dr. Massie. Thanks for allowing me and allow me to go first. I think what you're going to hear tonight is a lot of familiar information. Many of the things that we have on these slides, the updates that we're going to talk about are things that we've done and had in installed in our school district for years. Our our last couple years, our parents are familiar with them. We've shared them at our curriculum instruction and equity committee meetings. We've shared them here across the board. So, um, a lot of this has been fairly familiar with to you. So, one of the things that we wrote within our strategic plan in 2020 was to align ourselves with legislation at the state level at the time called the world's best workforce. Uh, our district had long held a practice of writing goals aimed at student learning, student achievement, and then driving toward those goals. Not all districts in the state of Minnesota did that. So, the state um required that required that in world's best workforce. Um, and so we aligned all of our work with making that we continuing to try to raise the bar on student learning and monitoring our progress, making adjustments, and driving staff development to do that. Those were the the goal areas at the time. Um, world's best workforce legislation, if you've been tracking that, changed a couple of years ago. It's called something different. Everything's largely the same, but again the the premise is the same is that we focus on learning, tracking learning, setting goals, and then making sure that our curriculum is accessible to every student who walks through the doors of our of our school, that we meet the needs of every student. So, here's let me give you an update on some of the things that we've done. So, we annually now present uh the results of our world's best workforce. I just to be real clear, it's now called comprehensive achievement and civic readiness. Um, world's best workforce in my mind is falls rolls off the tongue a little bit better, but um what it's called in case you look it up. >> Uh we present that annually to our curriculum, instruction, and equity committee and we post it on our district website for parents and community members to go and find if they're curious. that includes our goals and our progress toward those goals and how we've updated them from one year to the next and the activities that we're doing as a school district to chase those down. Uh we present our annual goals and solicit input to our business community through our CTE advisory council. So they give us in the high school feedback and input on what we should how should we be uh revising or adjusting or adding goals. uh our teams through teaching and learning, building leadership, constantly meet and review our progress toward those goals uh significantly in the spring and over the summer. Uh starting in 2023, we um set aside funds to bring teacher teams from early childhood in all of our buildings in at the beginning of August to gaze backwards and look at all of our student achievement and school climate data from the previous year and then say how did we do and how did we do as it pertains to our goals from last year and then turning and looking at the upcoming year and writing goals that then drive staff development velment plans and staff development activities and how we are continuing to to grow and improve the results in our system. As it turns out, our 220 2025 data retreat took place Tuesday of this week. We had more than 50 educators in our high school media center. Uh it was a great event. Uh it was fun to watch all day long as as principles led teacher teams through that work. Um and then uh we continue to to have a continued implementation of our elementary literacy framework. That's a framework that is really steeped in both research and our core resources that we use to benchmark advance in our school district making sure that teachers are clear on what are the teacher moves and strategies that we're doing in the elementary classroom. Um focused on the science of reading and then of the I've presented recently on to this board is about uh the read act and uh the professional development that we've been doing again aimed at the science of reading. We selected if you recall letters which is probably the most comprehensive of the three approved programs that the state gave us. It's a two-year program I would say graduate level learning for teachers. Um some some of the programs could be accomplished in one year. we took on a bigger hill to climb and uh and so we have focused on that and uh the state about a year ago delayed the implementation of phase two yet we're going to move forward with components of phase 2 because we don't want to waste so grades four and five are going to move forward this year even though other districts in the state have selected a different pathway there which is fine um and then we have developed a secondary instructional framework that has guided uh the work for Kelly Jean Jim Calwell Jason Miller and how they're continuing to again not only acknowledge that we've got great educators, but how do we point them down a similar pathway of here's what a great instruction looks like and how we do this together. Uh I've got more to share. Uh we have expanded training in our in our in our schools on being responsive to the different students and their backgrounds in our school district. We we use the term cultural responsive teaching and it really in our district the way that we we frame that is we understand a lot about the students sitting in front of us and we make we we leverage what we know about them to make connections with new ideas and information. If I can say this is similar to something a student is already familiar with that sort of connection is sticking. So we do that. We uh make sure that in our classrooms we foster learning environments where students work as a team. They work together. That's part of this particular model. And then we ensure that our students feel comfortable and welcomed in in their classrooms and in the hallways and they when they see things in their their curriculum and they see things on the wall, it reflects familiarity to them. And I think that's important. Uh we have um uh continue to evolve instructional review so that we make sure that all of our instruction and our core resources are aligned with our local state standards. Uh we've rebuilt instructional review to do that work in the last uh five years. Uh we've got a team of uh if you recall six coaches that we we made a change in how that that work was done about a year and a half ago. Six coaches that I'll talk more about in a few bullets that that need that work. Uh we've developed pacing guides across the elementary level so that teachers can focus on the art of how to teach and we through teams focus on together across the district what they teach. So what a student gets in a third grade classroom at one building is the same as another. And so those pacing guides are tied to the the local standards that I mentioned earlier. Uh we have adopted a new uh core resource program at early childhood uh that we brand and we make sure parents are aware of uh as they enter early our early early childhood programs called Frog Street. Uh the team early childhood team if you're curious is entering year three of the Frog Street curriculum. Uh we brought again a huge team together to vet a whole host of different uh options. This is the one that really caught their attention because the way that it fits with what we want to do and the research behind it. Uh we have instructional coaches where we are we are really uh gifted with uh six instructional coaches I would say seven uh with Britney Hersh but the two but also two in science two in math two in literacy who work with our teachers K12 they stay on top of changes in standards they are constantly reading uh best practice and new research they are going into classrooms and saying, "Let me take over and you can watch me and I'll model for a little bit." Uh, or watching a teacher and giving feedback. They get a sense of what's working and what's not working in our classrooms, design, staff development on that. And they are also the content area experts that lead the instructional review I mentioned earlier. Uh, this past spring, we wrote an ADSIS aid application uh that uh which is really exciting. an academic support specialist doing powerful work in the past. And we were able to write an assets aid application that's going to bring about $1.4 million into our district to augment and even grow the number of interventionists that we have in our schools at the elementary level, which is in which is great to know that we're doing that even as we're going through seven to six elementary schools. >> Uh we also were awarded an MTSS grant. Uh it's a one-year grant. We're uh looking for that to really hit the ground and doing great work. And again, that is focused on assessing the health of our intervention systems and our diagnostic tools so that if a student is learning, we can drill down and determine exactly what it is that they're struggling at. uh uh watching and coaching our intervention teams, doing fidelity checks on our interventions to make sure that they are being uh they have been implemented with the right way and if not we're going to coach the teacher on how to do that. And then of course we've got math and reading core across our elementary schools and in early childhood this year which is really very uh goal area two I uh we I worked together with Donna Freriedman our director of human resources and administration and that one was really focused on attracting uh then developing and then retaining high quality educators. Uh first we wanted to say how do we combine them? And so we we spent some time putting together a list of characteristics that we would say uh reflect highquality instructors. Uh we we created a plan that I think the board is well aware of and how we plan to imple uh recruit and then retain those educators. And then um and here's the things that we did. We we ran we had we had that group meet and we developed those list of characteristics on focused instruction, culture for learning, uh assessing student learning and responding to that, making sure that students can transfer their learning to new and novel situations. I'm not just uh repeating information you told me, but I can use information in a unique situation. Uh then we developed uh as a way to continue to grow and add clarity to this. We developed a secondary instructional framework uh and the elementary literacy framework that we use to again create clarity in the classroom for teachers. Here is the game plan for how we do this in forest lake area schools and a guidepost for how we what we need to do as we design staff development. I would also share uh in pretty close to uh finalized form, our math coaches looking at the newest math standards and some research on math instruction uh have worked on and are close to we're close to uh developing a math instructional framework at elementary level too. Um, we, as I mentioned, we focused on uh developing instructional review and then I should mention not only pulling teachers in to take the time to dig in and develop a comprehensive agreed upon curriculum, but then plans for sustainability where we circle back and check in with them after we've implemented something to make sure that the data is suggested it's working the way that we want it to. uh we uh survey staff uh across the district on what their experience has been uh working for us being a teacher in the school district. I think we all agree that attracting and then retaining high quality teachers is something we definitely want to do. Uh so we did this and then uh we pulled together a group to of teachers to look at that data and make recommendations on how do we continue to keep our our best and most talented without seeing them go to districts that sometimes are closer to home or paid a bit more. >> JP just real quick on on that last slide. But I think it's a good opportunity to to share that as we met to plan this presentation, it was really tempting to to label each of these goals complete. But as you can see, attracting and retaining >> is never complete. Some of the work, yes, we've we've brought to fruition and we're on to the next iteration of that. But I'm not sure for some of these goals you really reach a >> we've accomplished that >> and that's just the nature of the goals. Yeah, I would say in many many ways we never see ourselves in constantly work together. >> Um, one of the things that we could say that we continue to do is we definitely is we send uh representatives to local job fairs to meet with and attract teachers at those job fairs who might not have thought about considering uh employment in Forest Lake and attracting them particularly in areas that are sometimes really hard to fill. Uh we've expanded our reach and how we post um positions to attract more applicants. Uh we are because we are predominantly a district um that doesn't have a lot of staff of color. We met with our staff of color and learn from them about their experiences in our district, why they choose to continue to stay and work with us. Um, we maintain information on where staff go and when they leave our district and at times if possible we ask them their reasons for leaving. Why is it that they don't? Um, we have this board uh has worked at increasing salary and wages for our staff in order to be regionally competitive. Uh, which was certainly an important thing our teachers need and deserve that. Uh we've implemented double lane change credit uh for certain continuing education programs that we find are high lever uh toward toward increasing student learning. reading certifications, math certifications, uh, master's degrees and content areas, and then we've developed and implemented a PTO system that gives our teachers greater flexibility in how they use the personal time off and awards them um, if they choose not to use it. I'm going to turn it over to uh, uh, one of our coordinators, Mr. War, for the the next poll. Good evening board. I have the pleasure to report on goal three which was identifying and transforming systems that contribute to inequities. Um the I wasn't the only one who coordinated this. Um Carolyn Lati and Kenny Newbie were a part of this before retirement and moving on to other opportunities. The first um point of this one you'll see under the note was to establish a district-wide um advisory committee that was going to be named by that committee as it formed and work together. This uh group of stakeholders included parents, students, um community members, licensed and classified staff administrators, um and anyone else that was a stakeholder in the district. Our first objective uh was to create and implement a plan to enhance cultural competency among staff and students. Um so in order to do that we did have our um establishment of this district-wide steering team in five years. We had 35 plus meetings that had um participation collectively of well over 60 people um and they carried out this work. The first thing that they did was create an educational equity inventory which was the needs assessment that was developed and given to licensed staff. This was created during year one and given in the spring of that year. um that in turn those results were given to um staff development teams, principles and teaching and learning to work together to implement the needs where staff self-identified that they wanted um some more training in order to better meet meet the needs of their students. Um, this was also given a second time a couple of years later to incorporate any new staff that were coming into our system as well as seeing if we were moving the needle in some of the previous areas so that we could be as responsive as possible to our staff needs. Um, the next thing that we uh looked at is that the education the licensed education staff is 400 425 people. yet we employ many many more. So, this group went um and modified the original inventory to um something that would be more relevant for non-licensed staff. That was given during year two. And then followed up with that, we were providing um didn't realize I was in charge of this. Uh we were providing the training that went along with that. Um and one example was uh the PAR group reached out to us in the winter of 23 um to provide them with training and resources to meet better meet the needs of each of their students. The second parts of goal three, um, identify and develop consistent and regular activities to make all students feel welcome at all grade levels and establish a process to annually identify and develop programming and practices to eliminate gaps in learning opportunities and resources across the district. So looking at the progress that we have made here, uh, one of the initial things that happened in tandem with the creation of the staff inventory was the creation of a group of teams at each of our sites. We referred to them as safe space teams that had a systematic and um programmatic response anytime we had um some complaints that were either self-identified or uh reported to staff so that it could be responded to and turned into a teaching moment as quickly as possible. uh we continue to have those in place and have refined it as the um the plan has gone forward. Admin administration and teaching staff work closely together with this. Um along with that it was identified that primary level students were not necessarily understanding um and so to better welcome them into the school there was an in-house curriculum that was implemented by the fall of 22 and that goes along with um some of our work that we've been working on. Um this group also worked on creating a set of focus group questions for principles and uh faculty leaders to give to students and student groups for their feedback about their experiences at the school. Again, this um uh provided feedback so that leaders could then make um some adjustments and improvement to the student experience and learning. Director Jacobson mentioned earlier, but it's an ongoing process in the instructional review um teams to make sure that our curricular resources represent the broader community and our students. Right. Also in the beginning of the program implemented was the student leadership program within the uh fifth grade. every student had the opportunity to participate and we've had close to 98 to 99% of our students um participate now going on into the sixth year. All new educators have been reading Zoretta's Hammond's book, Culturally Responsive Teaching in the Brain to better be able to um again meet the needs of our changing students. And finally, um the last one, identifying and transforming systems that contribute to inequities. These are the things that we've been um meeting on most recently. The first thing was identifying what is it that makes students feel welcomed and a sense of belonging when they come into our doors? and is this something that is resonating with each of the students. So the team worked hard to identify what those practices and methods might be in creating a welcoming school environment. You can say it, but that doesn't necessarily make it so. So what is it specifically? And then once we identified on those traits, the last thing that this group did over the course of the last year was to identify practices and factors, qualitative data that leaders could collect and report for equitable learning opportunities uh via student feedback. Areas that were focused on included engagement. Do the students feel challenged when they're in their classrooms, challenged academically? That is um do they receive feedback, actionable feedback from their peers and their instructors? And are they given time for reflection? So, as I mentioned, we fine-tune that this year and hope it hope that we can initiate this so that we can um then start reporting on these pieces going forward back up. Um next goal area, next two goal areas, uh Mwell is going to join me because there'll be code parts of this. I'm sure that he'll want to speak to you. a lot of work particularly at this secondary level but with uh Tethers back at the elementary that has really done a a great job at preparing uh basically enhancing every student's academic technical professional skills preparing them for their eventual career path helping guide them through the ch the process of selecting what they want to do with with for a career uh creating opportunities for them to experience that uh establishing partnerships with families Uh so parents can sit down at the table and help students plot out their middle level and and high school uh career sorry course load that they're going to take. Um uh something that you have heard me talk about a number of times happens at Naz Nauseium is the development of gateway courses in each of the six career pathway areas at the middle school which I think is a real gold star for our district quite honestly in that every student um really has to taste everything on their academic plate so to speak from a uh will would I really ever consider consider a career in business or in agriculture or engineering ing and mathematics. Um, and so those are the things that we have we've worked on. I'll give you an update here. Uh, so the high school has implemented Ranger Connect program using Zello. You know, I might even just let um Mr. talk a little about that. >> I certainly can. >> Um, we implemented Ranger Connect. It's actually a 25 credit each year. So, the student gets one full credit by the time they go through high school utilizing Zel, which is really a Facebook for for high schoolers. They get everything there from their career pathways, our course registration guide, their four-year plan is on there, and just a plethora of information that kids can dive into through survey data helping to identify their career pathways, what steps for them, where they want to go, where they want to be. They can experiment with different careers or what it takes to be successful in that career, what kind of education they need, how much they're going to cost, all of those things, which really led into the rest of this slide with our career pathway work and our CTE areas, kids choosing courses that fit their career pathway, our employability skills, which is really the result of working with our CTE advisory groups, listening to them, them telling what they need these students to do for them when they come out, which happens to tie everyone with research and things like that. Those things are embedded in our courses and our PBIS matrix for the school. Um, our middle school with their learning statement, Mr. Jacobson will probably have a little bit more there as soon as I'm done. Um, but that really provides those middle schoolers with a base coming to the high school. >> Yeah. Yeah. It it really drives the sort of learning experiences that we know kids benefit from. Again, not being asked to just regurgitate information, but creators uh appliers of information, working together, uh being creative, uh having an experiencing academic rig, rigor, uh learning to fail and pick themselves up academically and continue to to progress forward. all those sorts of things that we know that benefit them long term in life. You know, I'll just say in terms of some of the career pathway work we've done just in the last four years, members members of this board have courses including uh exploring medical careers, robotics and automation. We're constantly looking at our high school course offerings and trying to see are there gaps here based on what our advisory boards are telling us uh and do how can we we can fill those gaps in. Um Yeah. And I think I mentioned earlier the six career pathway courses that developed at the middle level that every students take previously in seventh and eighth grade. Now they take them in sixth and seventh grade with mostly adult electives happening in eighth grade including healthy living. Uh we we talked about we're we aren't just about careers, but we're also how do you live as a healthy adult, including making nutritious dense foods, managing a budget, a household budget, and and those sorts of things. Um the career pathway guide, I think everybody, everyone on the board is well aware of it. Parents in our community is well aware of this. This is a the tool that we use to help give parents information to sit down with their their students upon entering high school and what are our career pathways, what are the courses in each pathway, how can I plot that out over the course of my four years in high school. Knowing that if I choose a pathway in ninth grade, I can choose I can change that pathway pathway two or three more times uh between now and my senior year and I still stay on track to graduate. Um, and then it's also available online at all times. Um, and we create activities, experiences in grades 6 through 12 that tie to career experiences. Like for example, I just use one here, the middle school shark tank. And it isn't really that dangerous. Um, instead what it is is we want to show students in a business world that you might spend some time doing research, uh, identifying a product or service that might not currently exist, creating a prototype, uh, testing that prototype out by by presenting it to others, taking that feedback in, going back and changing their prototype, presenting it again. all in terms of trying to design something that others would have an interest in perhaps have an interest in buying and doing that sort of iterative process in a team is exactly what our business owners are saying do more of this in your schools I'll turn it over to Mr. 12 for the last three. >> Well, the last three bringing in guest speakers that are are pertinent to specific careers in those career pathways which are really open to all of our teachers. Molly gone at her work does a lot bringing bringing students in. So students during lunch periods can come listen to different presentations. A career launch program which we had a grants to get that started from Mr. here on where students who have a career pathway can take a class as a junior and senior and spend the second half of their year out working in a paid internship. And we've expanded that not just to our CT courses supported through Perkins and anything, but really all of our jobs and career pathways students can go get opportunities to work after coming out of this program. It is one of the only classes that students can take at the high school, get multiple credits year after year can actually kids take it twice their junior year and senior year and then really our career days and fairs and some people say well what's the difference when you go to a career fair we have different employers in our area come in set up students go around they're actually looking for jobs in the summer asking them questions they learn a plethora of things those career days each student goes to eight different career days we have one in the spring we have one in the fall um we have hundreds of people come in from our our different connections and do presentations And we encourage kids to explore different pathways as they do that. And you ask yourself, what happens that kid, my son, he decided he wanted to teach right away. He always wanted to go to the teacher one because we always have different teachers talk like there's other things tied to teaching. What other areas do we sign up for? So as seniors, we've added things like interview and things like that. In goal area five really pushed us as a system uh to find ways to grow both life skills both in and out of the classroom. First identifying with stakeholders industry stakeholders what are those essential skills and dispositions that they want our students to grow and develop and have upon graduation. Uh and then also encourage students to get involved in passion area projects even outside of the school day whether those be in their clubs, activities, the arts, uh sports, that sort of thing. Uh so what we did is we sat down with our local businesses. We had a a rich uh multime uh conversation around what are they looking for beyond technical skills, beyond academic skills. I I think you heard me talk a bit about this in terms of the business aspect as one example, but here are the things that they talked about. They would like us to build work on with our students. And if you look at that in terms of communication, time management, taking initiative, solving problems, persevering, professionalism. Um I think everybody would look on that list and say, "Yeah, that's exactly uh what it is that we're looking for in our people that we would want to hire, graduates that we'd like to see. JP, before you move on, um, and I mentioned this earlier, >> the power of this strategic plan is it drove some of this work. We wouldn't have this without the the strategic plan that we have. Um, if if we were to survey this board, survey our parents, and we ask them, tell us what's important for you, for your child. Um, I would venture to say that uh high math skills might not be the number one thing they say, but it might be something on this list. >> Teach my child >> how to get along with others and critical thinking, problem solving, communication skills, how to get along with others and persevere. It's not that high math skills and reading and science aren't critical. They are, >> but these are deeply valued by by our parents and our families and of course our community, if not even our workforce. >> Very good. Uh we've developed a flex time at the middle school in the last couple of years in which kids uh students I should say students can have time built into the week that they can uh participate and engage in uh different types of activities that come up from time to time that they co-design with teachers uh of interest to build interest whether it be robotics or whether it be something in the the foods kitchen uh that they can do that. It's also a great time for students who just need to go and meet with a teacher to make up something or to go over something again. They could use this time. Uh the middle school has has rebranded design thinking for you business owners. You probably are familiar with what that is. It's the iterative process that I've prescribed really lightly and really quickly a few minutes ago. And they have branded it as the I create process. Again, it's about research. It's about uh development. It's about presentation. It's about refinement. It's all those different things. Um we developed uh our career career exploration opportunities across all secondary grades. I think Mr. Paul will just go uh to those a moment ago as well as leveraging Zello Zo Zello as a tool uh within Ranger Connect. I would I would add it's also a great tool for after students have um spent time researching a career and what it takes to to what that career involves but also provides information on which college colleges and universities offer degree programs in that area. They also it's a lifetime account for the student. So when the student leaves for high school, they don't lose the work that they put in Zumba. They still have access to all of the stuff they did. They can add to it. They can continue to use it um free of charge after they've gone through the high school. It's very announced currently looking at middle school. The sixth sixth grade's been added. As you guys know, there's a lot of change going on. Um they're not quite ready to add Zelda at the middle school yet, but they school. >> All right. Next up, we have goal number six, which is talking about the well-being and the safe and respectful uh learning environments. So there were two goals and area goal one was more around the students and their social emotional health and then goal two was more around our um staff. So there is a the next slide is going to be a summary of what Dr. Massie was just talking about but this the strategic plan was guiding us through these steps and without this plan I'm not sure if all these steps would have really happened. Um but starting back in 2000, we worked with um the department of education and created a district uh critical needs team. We did not have a tier one um curriculum for students social emotional health. Our teachers were doing different things especially around our elementarymentaries and it was effective for students but it wasn't consistent. So what our elementarymentaries were getting was different. Um and so this allowed us to really explore and in 21-22 we started the implementation K through 8 of um the step and stuff curriculum and in 23 24 we continued with the implementation and um we are now in year five of that implementation stages and I have a graph in the next slide that shows what that does for our students. Um but the second step use of that is really working towards the emotional health of our students and how they're working through um and like I say that consistency among the elementary buildings and then also if you look on our website under the teaching and learning tab there is the relationship matters which is our commitment to the anti-bullying which follows our uh state statute where we're required to do the anti-bullying. Uh second step did create a lesson um that aligned within the second step series for our elementary um and our educators to provide anti-bullying um teaching and so uh that part is in there as well. Um then on objective two building resilient um educators. So as we talk about the hiring and retaining part of that is also um how do we have educators that can go through some stressful days have that resiliency and continue on. We also know that the research behind having educators who have um strong resilience also supports our students um which goes back to the relationship matters. When we have a healthy environment from our educators it funnels on down to more students. And so we uh did a a a group of us did a cohort with the Department of Education around educator resilience. It was a book study and then a couple of us brought that back to the district where we created our own 12-mon series where um teachers went through that cohort. And so as you can see here, the number of staff that went through educator resilience and this book onward by Angular was just our foundational piece. Um and when I we put up there as educators because it included our teaching staff, it also included our pair professionals, our administrators, um and then the teachers that brought it, they brought it back even back into their buildings. So this year we um have decided for 2526 we're actually going to hit pause for a year because it's been saturated. We will bring different pieces into the um like teachers and some for the special education and in another year or so we'll probably bring it back. Um this work also has been brought to other districts around the state. So it's another one of those things to be proud of um that supports teachers growth. So this Oh, you can't see the Okay. So the lines go from 75 and then down from the left to the right down to the one and these dots are um the implementation of second step. So when you think about the implementation, the data shows that the higher implementation of secondstep and working on students social emotional learning skills, the lower number of opposite pearls. So this data is something that we were able to look over the course of the years and see as staff implement um the curriculum the more at a higher rate that is um implemented the least the less amount of officer that we receive. So it demonstrates that there is some all right the remaining four goals I will be covering um I had the the responsibility of overseeing goals seven and eight and then our amazing communications coordinator who were was overseating nine and 10 she wasn't able to be here tonight but we actually worked a lot of these in tandem if you think goals 1 through six is a lot of the internal working of the district. 7 through 10 becomes our bridge to outside the district, our parents, our families, our broader business community and how the school district becomes a an integral role and part of the community. So goal seven provide communication enhances collaboration between our schools and families. Each of the last four years, over the last four years, um we've surveyed our families really to do uh a survey on how what their family exper experience has been like in the district, a satisfaction survey, if you will. Um I put the link on there. It's it's in the PowerPoint presentation. It's also on our district website, the survey results there. One of the important pieces when it comes to this goal was how do our families want to be communicated? Communication is a two-way street. You send out a message, it's not communication till it's received. And if it's not being received in the manner and platform at which it's best received by that family, then our communication is landing and we have all sorts of problems. Um, so there was a scale from one to eight and it came down to on the left side school communications and on the right side district communications. What's fascinating was this. I put them in ranking order of of lowest to highest. It was the same on both sides. >> Oh my gosh. Um, now there's a few uh I think takeaways here from this data that we use internally. One is email was the most preferred and it was pretty significant. We think about back to school coming up here soon and there's going to be a lot of information that's going to come out and nobody wants to get all of those paragraphs of information via text. So email of course becomes preferred method so that I know where it's at. I know where I can go get it and I know that I can check it and and get to it on on my com. However, the other fascinating piece here is that it was a scale of 1 to eight and these were the averages for each of these um each of these sectors which means all of them were very important and they each serve their own role. our website is not the the best provider of all things communication and and so for our sake saying well it's on the website so we're good you got the information of course isn't necessarily the best platform of communicating but we also know that the website becomes a great tool for communication as well as marketing our our district same with Facebook and all the way back up to to email preferences so out of that work We of course have our schoolboard communications committee and this is where we do meet monthly and talk through topics on how do we then utilize that last piece of information to best serve our communication with our families. And I gave this update um a couple board meetings ago that we've come a long way in our district I think in how we how we communicate with our families knowing much like we talked about with the accomplishment of goals. It's like chasing the horizon. you you never get there, but you get better and better every day as you keep taking steps forward. Um, we give weekly administrative updates at our ad council uh regarding district and building social media communication, what's out there, what we want to feature, what our families want to see, and how we showcase our schools. And then ongoing training for staff and and uh on communication strategies, customer service, and best practices. How do we communicate that? Of course, we all know that we live in a world of AI and just throwing messages into AI and saying, "Well, this message is good is not the most tactical and best practice in terms of getting a message out there." However, it can be a useful tool when used wisely to get a message that's clear and concise so that it's received by by the recipient. Goal eight, seek out, enhance, build, and build family and communicate community partnerships to meet the needs of each student. Um, and this one it had my name and Rene's name up there. Um, Dr. Massie brings community leaders together on a on an annual basis to get updates on what's going out in our communities, give an update on the school of what's going out uh to those communities from what we have uh internally here. And I put on here reimagine 2025. And I I think it's important to note this because it fit the strategic plan. When the strategic plan came about in 2020, we knew that there were a list of action steps and items that we wanted to do, but it was never the intent of the plan to say, "Okay, we're going to do these, check the box, and move on because we're supposed to check the box." I can recall many times sitting around a table even with our community ed team, our administrative team or some sort of committee and and thinking through whatever direction we're going to go and asking ourselves or reflecting upon how it aligns with the strategic plan. And when I think of reimagine 2025, shifting sixth grade to middle school, closing forth elementary, the reboundering process, and how we leverage our community partners through community conversations, input sessions, um, surveys, gathering as much stakeholder input as possible so that when the decision and recommendation back to the board was made, it was made as as a as a reflection of what our community and community partners parters um were were saying and then working with goal 9 which is our next one in the communications team to plan events bringing community leaders and partners together. We did about halfway through the 2020 to 2025, we did run a community of communities event at the high school where we we invited many different um community leaders and and business leaders and partners in the community and stakeholders alliance uh to come in and really just talk about collaboration, idea sharing and knowing that Forest Lake area schools is not just Forest Lake proper but really what was and this was a tagline that came out of the creation of the strategic plan. We're a community of communities and how do we leverage all of the communities to not only make the school district stronger but also make each of the um surrounding communities and forest lakes stronger as well. Goal nine, create a community of communities. And that's that's getting into that last component that I said. So, working again together on this. Um, I'll I'll move on to the next one. Through the the CTE advisory groups, leverage business partners and relationships. um thinking about how we're we're going forward and creating the next wave of future workers and getting our our local businesses to come in and give us the feedback that we need as well as creating those really synergistic alliances so that we can start handing off the next wave of leaders into the the working community and do it as prepared as possible. Um it was mentioned earlier partner with the chamber of commerce. We have the upcoming instant an annual event of the education and business event that we welcome new educators and all the local businesses. Many of part of the chamber that can attend the event come to the event and and it's it's a great way of bringing the new folks in our district together and really putting them in front of businesses and business in front of them and celebrating the fact that we have that strong collaboration and partnership with the chamber. um helping out at their their annual golf tournament every year and being visible not just for the chamber to help them guide their event but also being present and out at golf holes and interacting with business leaders in our community um with that face toface uh interaction. Um so desire we've learned desire for business partnerships and workforce development. There's interest in the community and community connections and community events. I don't think that's any super big here. uh schools can be intergenerational community spaces. And then going to the last goal, promote and celebrate the opportunities that make Forest Lake Area School District an educational leader. Um we spent a lot of time of Forest working on our enrollment marketing. We I think in education we say this a lot that we we aren't always the best at ghosting. Um we do the work. We pride ourselves in the work. We don't always shout it from the roof rooftops knowing full well that we have an amazing product and amazing system here. People doing amazing things and making sure that we are putting that out there to our community to know that um we're always looking for ways to improve. We talk about our district pro promotions district brochure for this summer. Um there'll be new updates, annual summer mailing for all district residents. That's actually in progress process right now which will be coming out here the start of the school year. And then continue looking forwards uh to board opportunities to promote success stories to audience beyond forest lake area. And again there was an article in the um it was the star trip on the CTE program here in Forest Lake and putting putting our best foot forward. So you gave us the task of providing some information and recommendation for the next step. Thank you for indulging us over the last hour to walk through the various components of the strategic plan. And I think it's important for us to keep that work in front of us, to celebrate the work, to acknowledge that we're not a finished product. Um, yet we are doing some really amazing things. With that in mind and to the task that you gave us, it brings us to what's the next step with respect to process for addressing the next strategic plan, developing the next strategic plan, including how does that process get facilitated, the level and extent of community input, uh board participation in that process, a plan that addresses and speaks to the duration and scope of the plan. Plan duration again belief, vision, mission, components, focus areas, and goals. If I don't know that you were asking specifically for an administrative recommendation, but I would provide this to you. Uh, this plan benefited from the comprehensive broad community input. I think we as a system benefited from the comprehensive nature of the plan. I know 10 goals takes a while to get through, but it speaks to, as director McKinnon indicated, the first six are kind of the core mission, academic work, but how do we position ourselves and engage with and bridge ourselves into the broader community is also a part of the strategic plan and I would argue are valuable parts of the plan. There are many groups that well not many probably but several groups that provide facilitation. I think there's some wisdom and getting somebody independent to facilitate this work so that we can participate and not lead the work necessarily. This this plan was facilitated by the Minnesota School Boards Association. I think they did a marvelous job through that process. uh specifically Gail Gilman from MSBA. Teamworks does this work as well. So with that background and information, I would turn it back to the board for your discussion on how you'd like to see this process move forward. >> All right. Does anybody want to kick off discussion here? >> Okay. >> Yeah. Yeah. Is this presentation that we have here tonight going to be available to is it already? >> Yeah, I meant to email it and I realized as we started that I may not have done that. >> So, um I did ask at the beginning of the meeting for Director Jacobson to push it out to your email and >> Oh, maybe he >> I think Director Jacobson did we were you able to do that? >> And the other question >> it's on. Yeah. >> Is it printable for us at all? >> Sure. Absolutely. Mhm. Okay. >> Yeah, there's a lot lot of good information there. >> It's, you know, I have one printed up the basic goals. I mean, but not all this work that's been included into making them. So, it's nice to have that reference >> printed. We'll get it we'll get it out and may be on on its way. >> Okay. >> All right. Anybody else? member Tyson. >> I just want to say thank you for to our directors for such a great update. Um, I'm just always so profoundly struck at what continuity it gives our district to have the strategic plan as our guiding force and some of the things in the core goals of one through six IC are mandated by the read Act and we've already been doing it and it's just so impressive that we have that forward thinking staff and goals going on in our district and I just think that the literacy piece is just so valuable with the instructional coaches and I mean everything with that's going on at the high school with our career pathways. And by the way, I was out to lunch with a friend's grandson and her and he said to me, I want to go to Forest Lake and have Zello. He's a ninth grader. I'm not going to say where he goes. I don't want to call anybody out. And at the time I went Zello. And so then I I realized later, but then Mr. Calwell was talking about it tonight. That is just very very unique to have that and then it goes with you and you have that as a Facebook and you're working towards your career path. So anyway, I digress here, but I just think everything that we're doing and I have some questions that I'll ask JP about later, like we've always had MTSS and so now is there a grant because of um it's in the redact and it's mandatory. So they came out with a grant, but I'll check with him later. So I'm rambling. But anyway, I be for the facilitation piece only because I went through that before and I think it just gives you kind of a smooth viable way to look big picture and to do the work. I think I've talked to colleagues that have done it other ways. Um I know teamworks did 916s okay >> strategic plan. Um, and I just think if you don't have that guiding group, um, you're just kind of shooting in the dark and maybe not covering all your bases cohesively. So, >> how you want to go? >> I'm done. >> Okay. Well, I thank you for the presentation. I think there was a lot of information in there that I'd like to have time to digest before really discussing too in depth on on the table here. So, I don't know what the rest of the board's feelings are on that, but I know personally just with all that information, I'd like to go back and go through the presentation again at home so I can write down more questions before we get too ind depth on next steps. I feel like this was more of a >> information download to us. >> Maybe postpone getting too much into next steps until a future discussion. I hate to prolong it anymore, but with the month of information, the only thing I do want to call out Director Jacobson on >> hiding back. >> JP, you mentioned when you were speaking first about the about teachers being rewarded for not using all of their PTO that I would not recommend. PTO is to rest, recuperate, re-engage. I would actually discourage teachers from not using their PTO and encourage them to use it because summers they have offs a lot of them I know have other jobs in the summer but during the school year they should be encouraged to take their PTO when they can so that they can come back and be fully engaged in the classroom. That's my only feedback from that I have written down for immediately >> Cork. Well, also thanks all the directors for wonderful presentation. It's just just a lot of work that's been going into this for many years and just to see the progress that's been made over the many years, it's impressive. Um, and you if you don't have goals set, you don't know how you're doing. So truly quite the accomplishment. So I do thank everyone for that and I do agree with a facilitator down the road it but I also agree it's a lot to go through especially for the new board members. I mean, it's it's a lot of information and it is good to have it printed so you can read through it and kind of write notes and kind of digest the information. I don't know what timeline, Dr. Massie, that we're looking at um for when we want to accomplish this goal. I mean, >> yeah. >> Yeah, there is no >> Okay. There's no immediate timeline. Okay. >> No, that the strategic plan, it's dated 2020 to 2025. >> Yeah. Technically, we have a few months left to 2025, but I don't see why we would >> stop doing any of this work. Like, if the board if we take into 2026, >> okay, >> to finish our work, I I don't see why this plan would not just continue. >> Yeah, I don't want to rush it. I think it's it's such an important thing that we want to do it right and we want to take our time to do it right. So, but I also want guidance and and expertise to help us guide it because it is a very intense document. So, like I say, guiding the new board members through the process is going to be really important. I think >> member said, >> maybe I've asked this and I don't remember already, but do you remember how long it took to do it the last time? Uh, I sounds like there it was. You know, I've looked at the plan many times, but obviously this is all new information here tonight. Had no idea that there was all these different groups working on this strategic plan. So, >> this was approved in December of >> 2019 or 2020. I'd have to go back and look, but >> we started early fall. >> Okay. And it took a good three months to work with all those different committees, provide the input, write, bring it to the board, first reading, second reading, >> and and how do you choose the community members you're going to bring in to work on this, you know, to collaborate with? How do you choose who they are? I mean, there's already been you've had the reimagine and this um redistricting. Do you I don't know even remember how you did that. I chose the people to bring in to work on that. Did they apply? Was it a random like um draw the hat? I don't know. >> Yeah, in some cases it's a general please come. uh in the case of reimagine and some of the other committees, we ask principles to identify two or three parents in their building >> who are involved maybe in PTO or otherwise and reach out to them and um yeah, so there are a lot of different ways to to reach out to folks. >> Folks are busy and getting them to engage can be a challenge given how busy people can be. Well, I mean, we've had a lot of engagement over the last few months, and I think that we have a lot of people that are interested. So, >> I agree. >> I agree, too. >> Yeah. And I think that I think that's an important point, too. Um, not only will it take the board time to digest the information we just got here, but uh I think it's important that the community digest and see what what we've accomplished and see this presentation, have an opportunity to review this meeting. And, um, the strategic plan is quite verbose. There's seven pages here. So there's there's a lot to a lot to digest when you look at it. In fact, when >> you know, reflecting back on when I decided to to file and run for school board, I set up a meeting with Dr. Massie and we sat down. I believe my very first question was, "Here's the strategic plan. Walk me through it." Mhm. >> I don't know if you remember that meeting, but uh we went through the strategic plan kind of top to bottom and uh kind of reflected on what does it mean for the district and and how have we been doing on that and um where do we need to to seek improvement? Um member Christensen. >> Yeah, excuse me. I just had a comment kind of along the lines of some of the other folks, but I mean I feel like this strategic plan is really important. I mean it might look different. Maybe we don't have 10 goals. I don't know. This is really sort of a road map um that each of the schools and and all of us together we can we do all the work that we do because of this plan's direction you know so I think that that is really important and then to member Hegeland's point to just be able to kind of um noodle on some of this stuff I mean a few things I wrote down I didn't I didn't realize the preschool has reading core now that's pretty cool >> and also um some of the other conversations we've been having about um different employee groups groups and losing some longtime employees on the um licensed or I'm sorry the class when we get the list of when people are leaving. That's what I'm trying to say. Um to I think member J or excuse me um Mr. Jacobson said that that they were coming that they were doing some surveys about employees and maybe why they're leaving and some of those things. And I understand that that would be confidential data. I understand that. But maybe there'd be a way to kind of you know black out who the person is. But it it would be interesting to know why some of our long-term um teachers especially and and other staff, special ed staff, other staff are are leaving or moving on. And of course, there's lots of reasons for that, but I mean those were a couple things that I wrote down during the presentation that I would like more information on. >> Member Anderson. >> Oh. Um, so I I think one of my starting points that I would want it to be is all the administrators who were just up here presenting their part that they engaged with this process the last time, what their interest is in the next steps, uh, how we even further these goals. That's a point of interest for me is to hear from them on that. >> That's that's a really really good idea. >> That's a good point. Um, >> member Castle. >> Uh, so one thing that was kind of hinted at but not directly said is work ethic. The vast majority of businesses, if you have a work ethic, >> that's something to work with. If you don't have it, most of these other things aren't going to bring you anywhere that you want to go and they're not going to it it doesn't provide accomplishment. If you don't have a work ethic, you're not going to get very far. So, I don't know if that's something that can be directly stated to be added to that. And then the other thing that uh Shark Tank reminded me of is that I don't see entrepreneurship. I see working for somebody else. Working for somebody else. How about work for yourself? Self-employment. >> If we could add something in that now, how do you get people to come in and >> foster that? >> I think that's a super fair point. You'll see in our business career pathway entrepreneurship courses. >> I've seen Yes. >> So we we certainly provide that opportunity for kids. >> Yeah. >> And >> oh go ahead. >> Well, I was just going to say in response to your thoughts there on this um >> work ethic is are those workability skills set that they're talking about. I think those kind of are the same. >> Well, you can have skills, but if you don't have the ethic, the skills don't do much, >> right? Um, >> I've been promoted largely just because I put my nose to the grindstoneone and get it done. >> Yeah. >> And then even go beyond and learn other things and >> I get you. Okay. >> Member Tyson. >> Well, to that point, Member Castle, that that's so true. And and so part of that for me is I'm proud of the fact that we do have a lot of rigor in our coursework. And I think that that's where they'll get develop a strong work ethic. And then um in the core part that um director Jacobson reported on, they have the I create which I really like that aspect of it where students are creating and mirroring it off and each other and building those soft skills to be those dedicated core workers when they get into the job market. There certainly is a lot to digest here. >> It is and the conversation you're beginning to have. >> Yeah. >> Is the conversation that the process will draw out and provide that level of input and direction on the plan. >> Yeah. The board participation is going to be really key. >> Okay. Let me pose a couple of questions here. I have a from a couple of notes from what I've gathered here from the discussion is that we'd be interested in fac uh facilitation of the process or at least entertaining the idea of facilitation. So I think it'd be a fair ask to administration to look into obtaining quotes on facilitation especially being fresh off the heels of our uh financial discussion that we had just a couple of weeks ago. I think it's important to keep that in mind >> when we consider facilitation especially >> um since our current plan we had so much great input and that the plan appears to be working working well and maybe we can work off of that. Um so I would I would pose that as a a question to administration. The other one would be um member Antonson asked about uh obtaining director's input or u perhaps Dr. Massiey's senior staff on input for their opinion on what direction um to go with the strategic plan and I would add to that if that the there's no objection from the board here that they also list things they like about the strategic plan and perhaps something that they would change as well >> and and you know give give us some ideas there. >> Um I think that would be good. Those are the only notes I have on inquiries back to administration at this point. Did I miss anything or is there anything we should add? >> She asked about community involvement. How >> how much like how do we choose the community members? >> Who gets to is it draw from the hat or >> Okay. Yeah. And I had that written under facilitation, but yeah, I think that's a good point too was member Tyson. actually meant to add on to member Antinson's point because that was excellent that there is a lot of engagement. So I would like to still draw from all those groups that we listed the faith community the um if I can read my writing >> um business leadership early childhood focus groups from the high school and the junior high and I can't read the other one but oh retired community. >> Oh retired community. Yes. >> Would we would we want that information this early in the process or is that a later step? No, but just to be inclusive with our engagement again like we were in the past. >> Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I'm and I'm just thinking a direct the next couple weeks or month here like what what are we looking for >> um over that process? And of course we're all going to have our own independent questions. We can reach out to administration and get that. But uh I feel like this those two >> two pieces there were the the big piece on the ask for administration. >> Good start. >> Okay. So, so then I would have to ask for the board when how much time do we want to digest this and to think this over? >> Do we want to pick this up our next board meeting on the 21st? That feels fast to me. Do we want to uh readress this and discuss it again on the uh September 4th uh which would be four weeks out. And keep in mind, we we don't have to make decisions. We we just I'm thinking when when do I throw it back on the proposed agenda so we we keep talking about it. I don't want this to fall off and and become something that we talked about once and then just forgot to bring up again. >> Yeah, memor. >> I think it kind of matters what what you and superintendent know that for sure that we're going to have on the agenda next week if we're going to have enough time to talk about this. Will will we have enough time to have the administrators who just presented to us come back and speak to more about it? >> That's a good point. Is that adequate time? Is two weeks adequate time for administration to gather the information? Yep. Certainly. >> Okay. >> Will they are they are they too busy? We got a lot going on. >> It's a busy time. You know, I we could put them on on the mic now and they could answer that. So, I don't think it's not that we're going to do that, but I don't think it's complicated to bring that information forward. >> Okay. >> Member Hegel. >> Well, to member Atinson's point there, I agree that we should bring it back. The agenda, I think, should be a lighter agenda. So there's not a lot of topics that night and we also need to have it as you had it on the agenda tonight where discussion isn't limited so that everybody we don't have to worry about limits on discussion. So that would be my ask is if whether it's 2 weeks, four weeks, however long that administration has enough time to complete the couple asks you just had of them where it's going to be a lighter agenda and we have plenty of time to just hash it out questions because we're probably going to have more questions come out of that one too. >> We are. Well, I totally plan to watch this again and get this printed up and yeah, >> given that, how much time do you think you need to I mean, I've seen this since the start of it. How much time would you >> I mean, I think the next meeting would be a good followup. I mean, it doesn't have to be everything and we decide everything then, but I mean, a good followup and I think if we can drip the information along until we, you know, are comfortable moving forward, that's a good way to go. This so it stays fresh. I mean, at least for me, >> we should just keep a good point. Well, and I I would even be okay with proposing that we just keep it as a standing workshop item for each meeting agenda >> until we're ready to take action because >> new questions are going to come up and I think it's important that uh >> keep adding to it. So much of the work that we do is behind the scenes and I think this is an important enough topic that uh we want to bring the questions up in an open meeting like this and when community members reach out and they have questions and they they can see the the interactions that we have in the boardroom and we can uh parrot some of their questions to administration during this meeting they can get direct feedback. So, member Christensen, >> the only uh point I would make about that is is member chair is if we have it on a standing agenda item, perhaps one of the administrators wouldn't be here for some reason. You know, if we had >> a question about community, you know, you name it, you know. So, I I'm not sure about it being a standing agenda item. We don't really have anything else that's a standing agenda item. Correct. So I guess I would maybe um to member Anthony and others point you know two weeks from now and then maybe two weeks again from then or something like that just look ahead at the agendas how heavy they are but as far as a standing item you know maybe someone wouldn't be here I'm not I'm not sure. Okay, >> that is just a you know I'm not sure. >> Member Castle. >> Um well along with that idea is that if a person isn't there to bounce these ideas off of then we don't we use that we do that the next time. >> Right. >> So the workshops who's ever there at the time >> we could work with those people then. >> I can I can go either way. I was I was just saying that we don't really have anything else that's a standing agenda item and I this one's not >> and perhaps we could use what we did with the redistricting or some of that where the involvement was very good with the entire community with that and which was as important in some aspects but this is much more important when you really look at the big picture. >> Yeah. Member Tyson. Well, I would just recommend to member Hegel's point that usually the workshop stuff is done on the second meeting of the month. It's usually got a lighter agenda. So, we could always plan for it to be on >> that agenda. So, it's not really standing and on there every month, but if we put it on the second meeting, it would >> I I think what I'm hearing is let's let's put this on as another discussion item on the proposed agenda for the 21st and kind of see where we go from there. We'll get some answers between now and then um from the administration on a couple of things that we had. We'll get an opportunity to digest it. The public will have an opportunity to provide some feedback over the next couple of weeks knowing that uh it's a workshop item. No official action will be taken on that there. You know, there's no uh motions on the floor. So, there's no limitations on discussion. It's just kind of this this back and forth. And obviously once we get closer to actually adopting something then we'll be on there for official action. But in the meantime I think it's important that we discuss it um really as much as we can and really fully understand it and keep the community involved in the discussions we're having. >> So if if that's prerogative of the board uh I'll add it to the proposed agenda for August 21st. >> Great. Any additional discussion this evening or shall we move on? >> Move on. >> All right. Seeing none, that brings us to reviewing upcoming upcoming calendar dates. As I've just noted, August 21st is our next board meeting. We're getting dangerously close to the beginning of the school year. So, um, check your own personal calendars and be ready. And with that, that brings us to item 11. And I would entertain a motion to close the meeting as permitted by Minnesota State Statute. Section 13D.03 subdivision 1B to discuss labor negotiation strategy for Forest Lake Education Association. >> So move. >> Second. >> Okay, we have a motion in a second. Is there any discussion? >> Seeing none, all those in favor signify by saying I. I. Those opposed. All right, we are in we will close the session