--- ## author: Zahradka, Linda date: D:20260811131334-05'00' --- ## TO: Northeast Metro 916 Board of Education ## FROM: Val Rae Boe DATE: August 11, 2026 ## RE: August 5 Board of Education Meeting Talking Points ## Members present: Knisely-12, Palmer-13, Jones-14, Forsberg-16, Striker-282, Nitardy-622, Clark-623, Thompson-624, Dols-833, and Thelander-834. Members absent: Bock-621, Rebelein-831, and Stout-832. Legislative Update: Valerie Dosland, lobbyist, presented the School Board with a review of the 2026 legislative session highlighting that a bipartisan budget agreement, including $31.7 million in one-time funding for K12 education, was reached in the final days of the session. Valerie also gave a preview of the upcoming year highlighting the Permanent School Fund Constitutional Amendment that will be on the November Ballot and provided more on the ballot initiative here. She spoke about 2026 being a major election year in MN, with all 201 state legislative seats on the ballot, along with the Governor, all constitutional offices, all eight U.S. House seats, and one U.S. Senate seat. A record 43 state legislators or 21 percent of the legislature, have announced their retirement or plans to run for another office. Looking ahead, the Blue Ribbon Commission on Special Education and the Compensatory Revenue Task Force will both deliver recommendations in October which the legislature will need to address. Lastly, the Intermediate legislative priorities brought forward in 2026 did not move advance but did receive attention and the Intermediates will continue to discuss funding for ITRAC, special education, and safe schools and student mental health as priorities in 2027. Highlights & Opportunities: 916 Student and Family Surveys: Theresa Wallace, manager of special projects, presented the results of the CAREI student and Family survey. This survey is used to understand student and family experiences to inform how the district engages students and families in ways that promote authentic collaboration to support common values and equitable outcomes. The five categories focused on included Agency, Advocacy and Voice, ## Student Growth, Instructional Impact, and Progress Support, Relational Connectivity, Belonging & Cultural Inclusion, and Environmental Safety. Theresa shared areas of strengths which included strong relationships with staff, support for student needs, and welcoming and respectful environments. She ended by sharing some of the opportunities for continued improvement which include stronger positive student experience with culturally responsive teaching in classrooms, communication and involvement in transitions, and opportunities for student and family voice and engagement. QComp: Scott Thomas, executive director of educational services, reviewed the Q-Comp results for 2026, noting that Northeast Metro 916 is the only Intermediate to receive Q-Comp. He highlighted that 98% of eligible employees received either their full or a reduced amount of their incentive pay and 56% met their individual goal. Dr. Thomas explained the new summative criteria that was created this year which is based on evaluation type and stated that 127 out of the 146 eligible staff received summative payments. He ended by noting some of the work the PLC Facilitators and Instructional Coaches accomplished in the last year. 2025-26 Impact Report: Shannon Hunter, director of communications, shared an overview of the benchmark goals that 916 used across the four quadrants of the 916 experience in the 2025-26 school year. 10 of the 13 benchmarks were met, and the remaining three which are still in progress will be included with this year’s benchmarks. Approval of Policies: The School Board approved policy modifications to Policies 208, 402, 423, 521, 705, 713, 714, 801, and 904. ## Approval of Contracts: • Managed Security Services with Artic Wolf: The School Board approved the quote from CDW-G for contracted Aurora MDR Services through Artic Wolf. This service resulted in a drastic improvement in our detection visibility and security response across all of our various local and cloud-based data systems. It also contributed to a 50% reduction in our Cybersecurity insurance renewals this last year. • Canvas Health: The School Board approved the contract with Canvas Health. Canvas health provides co-located mental health services and this year will also be providing chemical health and substance-use support. • Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT Steps-A & DBT Steps- E): The School Board approved the contract with DBT, a school-based social-emotional learning curriculum that teaches students practical skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. 916 Social Workers attended a training this June and this contract will offer the training to school-based mental health staff and special education case managers in our member districts in September.