[0:00] like to call to order the October 22nd 2024 regular meeting um of ISD [0:09] 622 uh first up is the Pledge of [0:14] Allegiance I alance to the flag of the United States of America and to the [0:21] Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and [0:27] justice for all [0:38] all right so the first thing we have to do is approve the agenda could I get a motion and a second still mooved moved [0:46] by um Livingston second seconded by Martins um do I have to ask [0:53] questions no all right so that's approved um and then do we have anyone [0:58] for public comment okay um and then the consent agenda um this [1:05] consists of routine items that are acted on in a single Consolidated motion without board discussion board members [1:12] have the option of pulling items off the consent agenda if they wish to discuss them or considered them individually um [1:18] so for today we have the minutes of the uh September 17th business meeting minutes of the October 8th work study [1:25] session routine Personnel bid calendar change orders and dispersements does anyone want to pull anything [1:32] out okay um then can I get a motion and a second to approve so moved moved by [1:41] Livingston second seconded by Martins um any questions on this [1:47] before um all in favor say I I and then all oppos say nay all right the consent [1:54] agenda um passes um and then we have the reports so first up is our student board [2:00] [Music] Representatives okay we have a lot going [2:05] on at North and I also have a lot going on so the first thing we have coming up [2:11] is a Statewide salt thing so if you don't know what salt is it's a Student Admin leadership team and we had this [2:19] last year and it was just a schoolwide thing and we talked about different ways we can be more inclusive at our school [2:25] different ways we can get information out all that kind of stuff and now we are attending a conference on November [2:32] 21st at the Minneapolis Maria to discuss different things I will [2:40] update you at the next meeting about that and then so Minnesota Association [2:46] of student councils they host like a student council overnight leadership conference [2:54] and it's at Craig's and I'm going I'm super excited uh because I'm Pres pres and I get to be [3:00] in some fun meetings and just get to talk to a lot of fun people we also have fall conference this Friday at North [3:07] High School in the auditorium and media center uh which is also kind of a part [3:12] of masc and also Capital division so we are really excited to be hosting that [3:19] then our band and choir had a collaborative showcase last Tuesday so [3:25] they both performed together and I heard that was amazing uh this past mea BSU had their second [3:33] annual trip to historically black colleges which is super awesome today our volleyball and [3:40] football sections start uh football's at Johnson and [3:46] volleyball not 100% sure I can get back to you on that and then just a recap of [3:52] hoko week it went amazing we there was so much fun stuff we had our polar Bowl [3:58] we had our polar paloa like our Carnival we had our pet Fest which had some of [4:06] the best feedback we've had which is awesome and then of course our game we didn't win but that's okay we had good [4:13] turnout and then our dance which was um a night in Vegas and it was really cool [4:18] the decorations were amazing and then oh we have [4:25] online we have our blood drive coming up on the 29th so that's next next week I [4:30] we making it spooky themed because it's almost Halloween and then last week there was [4:37] an immunization truck in our parking lot which is um super great so if students [4:43] needed to go there they could uh winter sports are gearing up practices are [4:48] starting now in the next couple of weeks um I am personally working on [4:54] College apps all the time and a little fun tidbit of information that I got [5:00] from our activities director is that um our principal Mr Wolf was inducted in [5:06] the St Paul Central High School athletic Hall of Fame so pretty exciting for him [5:12] all right that's all I have for [5:21] today uh what colleges are you applying to I'm applying to uh Purdue University [5:27] of Iowa University of Minnesota in University of Denver and [5:33] then I think I like did some like direct admit stuff [5:39] to duth gustavis oh and I've already been [5:44] accepted into NDSU very cool yeah thank you CeCe yeah all right good [5:53] evening everyone my name is Scarlet Rodriguez I'm currently a sophomore at tardan I'm stepping in for k tonight as [6:00] our football team has a game tonight against Harding at home so I'm pretty excited about that hopefully if we win [6:08] we'll move on with our season and if we win tonight we'll move on and we'll have a game this Saturday at 2 pm I'm not [6:16] sure if it's a home or away game yet and while I'm on the topic of sports our girls volleyball team has their sections [6:22] game tonight against still water at Still Water um at tardan we have a lot [6:27] going on such as principal descent held class meetings for every grade and she spoke about school updates academic [6:33] support and school expectations also last week the sophomores and juniors took the Pat the [6:40] Pat is in a really amazing way to prepare for the ACT also conferences are [6:46] this Thursday from 4:00 to 7: so if anyone is interested they can come and [6:51] join us since we're approaching the middle of the trimester um students should try to keep their grades up or at [6:58] least maintain it and get a little bit of academic support if they need it and a little reminder for them the trimester [7:05] ends before Thanksgiving break and if students are struggling they should get [7:10] the resources that they need today our Avid seniors took a field trip um to [7:16] college fair at the Minneapolis Convention Center and they had lunch at the Midtown Global Market I've heard [7:22] that they had so much fun and they had a really amazing time as the fall sports [7:27] are wrapping up the soccer boys and girls have their banquet this Sunday and [7:32] a little bit about myself I've been managing the boys varsity soccer team unfortunately we did lose our game [7:39] against Woodbury for sections but we kept our heads High I mean it we're in a really tough conference so at least we [7:48] got a goal in net um and anyways um our Titan of the try is approaching on [7:55] November 13th on this night we'll be celebrating students um and their teachers have nominated them to receive [8:01] an academic award so that's what's just been going on at [8:16] tardan I guess no questions for you on your first night but thank you for for being an alternate and and sharing all [8:21] the stuff that's going over our T so of course thank you for having me thank [8:27] you all right so next up we have a report from operations [8:34] great good evening Madam chair members of the board superintendent tuio Soro [8:40] let me pull this up [8:50] here we thank you [9:00] okay feels like I was just here talking about construction we've had it going on for a long time um now I've excited to [9:08] share where we are overall with our budget and how well we've been doing as well as highlight the projects we [9:13] completed this past summer and of course we do have ongoing construction um sharing a little bit about mainly where [9:20] we are with Tartan and Harmony and then also giving um a glimpse into where we [9:25] are with the planning of our 2025 projects coming up here so overall I think it's great to report [9:33] that you know over the last couple years we've had several Bond issues voter approv School building bonds our [9:38] facility maintenance General obligation bonds we are down to utilizing just two of our issues and we have done so well [9:46] we're we're actually carrying the great balance forward not having to take out as much for the next facility [9:52] maintenance bonds that we're going to need to do here but um we're sitting well most of our projects have come in [9:58] on or under budget so after this next construction season here which is June [10:04] 30th our end of our fiscal year we'll still maintain a balance of about 28,000 or 28 million excuse me of our school [10:12] building bonds which our voter approved and we'll have about $3 million left of our facility maintenance bonds but if [10:19] you recall when we did our 10-year plan for the long-term facilities maintenance middle in um July or in June excuse me [10:26] for mde you did approve an authorization to sell General obligation maintenance [10:32] bonds again to fund fiscal year 26 and 27 so we'll be working with our [10:37] financial advisors Ellers on when would be a good time to do that in 2025 and of [10:42] course we always have access to our long-term facilities maintenance Levy and that's this year about $6 million so [10:50] what have we been doing with the money this past summer we had several great [10:56] projects come to an end so Webster education Center was fully renovated um [11:02] I hope you get a chance to go over and see it new parking lot we've done interor Renovations new Mechanicals the [11:10] security upgrades they did receive new furniture and we did expand the outdoor player areas and of course that was all [11:17] to house Webster um K12 which was formerly Harmony's K12 our special [11:23] education program it also houses Tec and hopefully eventually will be [11:29] home to a future Clinic we have space set aside for that as well and again under budget on that [11:36] project Justice alen page Elementary we as shared previously we did some site reconfiguration work this is a heavily [11:44] used full school which is great we did parking lot expansion added 60 parking [11:49] stalls um I had been over since during the middle of school day and there has been a few left to park which has been [11:54] great um we also um worked with the neighborhood to relocate our playground [11:59] and hard surface play area to the front of the building in the center of the property um it was very close to our [12:06] property line and we received a lot of noise complaints on that so much better this school year and of course when we [12:13] had the ground dug up we had to do some s our waste pipe replacement too as long as we're at it again that came in under [12:19] budget and we haven't been over there um it's great we realiz the same playground [12:24] equipment that was installed so it was it was an easy move for us to do Weaver Elementary also had a new [12:31] playground installed and again that came in under budget Castle Elementary we replaced the [12:38] gym floor and the gym divider um deferred maintenance dollars again under [12:44] budget and hopefully you noticed when you drove in a couple months ago that you weren't hitting all the potholes at [12:51] the district education center that uh each parking lot was replaced as well as replacing the parking lot lighting into [12:57] led to serve or to save money um we also installed similar to what we've been [13:02] installing in all of our schools a mother's room and that's accessible not only for staff that work in the building [13:09] but also for visitors if they need it as well those that are often visiting our Enrollment Center we want to make sure [13:14] they have access and then Tartan High School stadi improvements phase one of two so the [13:22] artificial turf is replaced as well as the track resurfaced again under budget and just to let you know Phase 2 is [13:28] coming this coming summer the bleachers and Press Box will be replaced as well as [13:34] the stadium lighting to more efficient lighting and of course we always got a [13:41] few more to add Eagle Point we did some work around the site extending sidewalks adding fencing um a great picture of our [13:48] maintenance crew working at the John Glenn Middle School we had it drained did tile repairs cleaned it um we did [13:54] the same thing at Sky View Middle School pool as well as doing some important SA upgrades to that pool as well and we had [14:01] a bunch of miscellaneous work at North High too gym refinishing floor refinishing gym divider replacement and [14:08] hopefully you notice the site directional signage that was installed around the site as well hopefully directing people to the correct [14:14] locations inside of the building at North High School ongoing construction of course [14:21] I'm happy to say we are in our last year of construction at Tartan High School I [14:26] think everybody's very happy that's a four almost five year project of construction um those classroom Towers [14:32] came down this summer and they are currently working on phase uh 10 and 11 [14:38] which is a new secured entrance new Administration the media center the secondary gym and a flex learning Black [14:45] Block space we are on budget which is great for that long of a duration of a construction project and we are still on [14:53] schedule aiming for substantial completion in August of next year [14:59] and just to share a couple pictures from the renovated as you recall it's now the commons but it was the old gym and how [15:06] it's opened up the volume inside tarton and then the classroom um Wing Little [15:11] shot down the hall and of course had to throw in the picture of right after they took down the the towers what the front [15:18] side of the building looks like now um where they're going to add on the secure entry and the new [15:24] gym but just to give a little highlight because I know it's been difficult sitewise this year um this is what the [15:32] site will finish as and student and visitor parking and staff and student parking in the back with a separated Bus [15:39] Loop in front and I keep sharing this picture because this is what we're striving for it's going to be a [15:45] difficult year sitewise and we're doing I know the school is working really hard and they've been managing it the best they can but it is painful this year but [15:53] they're doing you know last year and we're going to be there we're going to be Crossing that Finish Line it's going to be great [16:01] Harmony Learning Center um which is also going undergoing renovation started in August that eventually after the [16:08] two-year construction project will house adult based education they are actually [16:13] still living in the building while we're doing construction 622 online and then [16:18] all our alternative programs will also be housed at Harmony um we're two months [16:24] three months into that and right now they've done the demolition on the phase one twostory portion they're working on [16:31] the roof and they're going to start framing as well so upcoming a lot that we did this [16:38] past year and we have going on but planning is one where we're always planning two to three years in advance [16:44] and the design for these upcoming projects started this past spring you actually will start seeing bid Awards [16:51] coming in November and December for these projects um I'm not going to go through everyone but um we have work [16:58] exterior work that's going to happen at Beaver Lake cin is now going to get their new playground um a couple more [17:06] gym divider Replacements we've had them feels like they were all installed at the same time and they're feeling at the [17:11] same time so we're going around replacing those um we have some cost savings uh projects so the boiler old [17:19] steam boiler which is one of the last ones we have in the district is here and it's going to be replaced we're also [17:25] going to go back and do some um parking lot work Gladstone our senior center and [17:31] our Early Learning Center is much like the dec used to be with lots of hous holes and that's really something we [17:37] need to take care of so if there are any questions on any of this upcoming work feel free to let me know but again um on [17:45] schedule on time and looking for a really successful year of construction coming up in [17:51] 2025 with that I and take any [17:57] questions I have a comment Sarah would you be willing um to make a statement or [18:02] two about um all the work you're doing towards solar energy yeah yeah and I [18:09] actually just added it to the agend and hopefully to come back next month to share a little bit more with all the [18:14] details we were fortunate enough to receive three solar for school grants [18:20] from the state of Minnesota for Richardson Carver and Justice Allen paage just shy of I believe [18:29] $600,000 to put solar on those buildings in turn we are also taking advantage of [18:35] our EXL buildings not all of our buildings are in Excel territory um to put solar use the re rebate program and [18:42] put solar on our Excel buildings so first up castle and Eagle Point those if [18:48] you've driven by recently do have solar panels now on the roof they're actually actively installing them and they are [18:55] connected as of today not fully powered up but they're connected to the grid and [19:00] what we're planning to do um I'll come back and share all the data and the cost savings long terms just the three sites [19:06] alone are estimated to uh save over $3 million over the course of those those [19:11] life cycles with 40-year panels um but lots of good movement and I have to [19:17] verify this but the um company that is the solar provider did say by the time we are done with the three phases which [19:24] will be the next three years of solar we will be one of the largest School District [19:29] the school district is one of the largest solar Ray systems in the district or in the state so um exciting [19:35] news obviously goes to our bottom line saves on the utility and electrical cost [19:41] which general fund costs as well very exciting and something to be so proud of [19:47] because and and for those who are are listening or who may not be aware um [19:53] whereas much of the area is under EXL energy um there is uh full energy [20:00] Consortium that comes out of the city of North St Paul correct who manages a lot of the energy for the area and so that's [20:06] what Sarah was referring to with the North St Paul electrical grid versus [20:11] Excel Energy so um we're now and Sarah and her team have done a great job navigating in both of those environments [20:18] which is really exciting and and quite uh a feather in our cap to be a leader [20:23] in terms of green energy for a school district it's exciting and I just I forgot to mention will plan to have [20:29] ribbon cuting for the solar arrays in in April so when it's warmer again very [20:38] cool uh Sarah very impressive report thank you um I uh because Webster has [20:47] been completely transformed I'd be really interested and and maybe others would be interested in in uh a tour um [20:57] so um should we we can set that up through May [21:03] May set that up with Trisha thank you thank you appreciate that yeah yeah I think that'd be [21:15] great I just had a few questions um so the solar is there plans to like expand [21:21] it to other buildings or okay yeah so right now we're planning about five to [21:26] six schools per year so the three solar for school schools I mentioned plus [21:32] castle and Eagle Point five this year five next year and then six the following year and that will cover all [21:38] of our Excel territory um buildings and we're going to continue to work with North St Paul because we would really [21:44] like to have it on our other buildings as well so yes okay um and then I had [21:50] noticed um we did repairs on the pool John Glenn those I mean it's a fairly [21:56] new pool are those like just normal wear ter or normal wear and tear that is a heavily used pool by Community Ed and [22:03] our swim teams but yes um cleaning grout maintenance filter changes Etc that was [22:08] all done okay so it's a good practice to drain it about every four years and clean it [22:14] out awesome thank you so much yeah thank [22:24] you all right we have um superintendent report perfect this first item is going [22:30] to be our assistant superintendent Trisha St Michaels just touching base on some highlights oops it's the other dock [22:37] uh that's the goals enrollment just kind of some of the highlights of what we're seeing with our enrollment Trend so far where did [22:45] you have it do you need my help it's it's on the [22:54] dock got it there we go thank [22:59] you going screen so you can see these really big numbers I expect that you'd [23:04] know exactly what they say but which you also had a chance to look at at our study session a couple weeks ago so it's [23:10] kind of a recap for you good evening Cherry Yang superintendent Tu Osorio and directors of the board just I wanted to [23:16] take a brief opportunity to highlight some enrollment information and numbers for us here as we near the end well [23:24] basically end of September data and big highlight and First Take take away I want to be able to share and again this [23:30] is information that's in your board packet as well and we had the opportunity to review earlier this month [23:36] is that we have had an increase in enrollment from last year's beginning of the year as well as theet 2324 was also [23:44] an um an increase in enrollment from the prior year following kind of the impact of the the pandemic and so we're [23:51] continuing to see our enrollment increase we're continuing also this year another highlight in area that we um [23:57] were really pleased to see is that we also had an increase in our enrollment across our middle schools which was an [24:03] area where we had had some decline in years past and so we're we're really making some gains in those areas and um [24:10] so we're really looking to in also our month-to-month change so in this particular graph you'll see a [24:16] month-to-month comparison and then there's also a year-to-year comparison the graphs at the bottom uh the [24:22] month-to-month comparison being obviously the end of the 23 24 school year we did see also an increase in [24:27] enrollment from that date to the beginning of the start of our school year um and similarly in 23 24 had that [24:33] same data that we were increasing in seeing large growth in our early childhood programs um over the last two [24:40] years which which is great because then we're doing early intervention and needing the needs of students early on [24:47] and and getting them the support that they need and also seeing some changes in our program numbers in terms of some [24:53] of our where you may see some fluctuations at times as you look at these reports throughout the year is in our program section and that has to do [25:00] and captures often students who are in some of our care and treatment programs where there is great variation in terms of how long they're in those programs so [25:07] when you see changes in that it's very likely due to just the length of time students are enrolled in those programs [25:13] and being supported and educated by us so with that I'm happy to answer any questions if there's other areas that [25:19] you have interest in or information I can point out in terms of where we've had some some continued growth [25:28] if I could add to um when school district funding is calculated um by mde [25:35] they they base it on enrollment of course from the previous school year and it's not based on one point in time it's [25:42] it's based on an average of student enrollment for the whole school year and [25:47] so beginning at the start of the school year we just start looking at various points in time throughout the year um [25:54] but our funding for the year following will be dependent upon how the enrollment Trends over the whole course [26:01] of the whole school year and so when we generate these monthly enrollment reports um we often are looking at that [26:08] point in time in the year but also comparing it to the previous year so this is our September 30th enrollment [26:14] Port report it's comparing itself to September 30th of 2023 and so again [26:19] these are point in time moments and we're just beginning the school year so we'll keep looking at all of that but um [26:26] uh all signs are looking good for the start of the new school year so we're happy about [26:35] that um I just had a quick question so have um how close were we with like [26:40] projections for classrooms wise did we have to like do any switches um I can [26:46] speak to Elementary certainly um and we were very close on target actually did [26:52] um probably have a little bit higher enrollment than than we had projected to um to staff our classrooms with and so [26:59] we've we've made some adjustments as needed and continued to be responsive to where we may have had some tighter spots [27:05] than what we had originally projected for so we are we're very pleased with our elementary enrollment certainly at this point in [27:13] time um secondary secondary enrollment was also very close with some being over and some being a tiny bit under but [27:19] really on projection overall students never quite land in perfect little packages of of 25 or 30 [27:27] students in a classroom and so um we always start the school year making adjustments and kind of adding we call [27:34] them our hot spots and adding in a little extra FTE um here and extra people here and so um the area we've [27:42] been doing kind of the most with that has been more El and sped numbers in [27:47] certain classes and such but um and adjusting some schedules and such to try [27:52] to balance out enrollment better um [27:58] CH do we get a sense at all about the enrollment increase due to students [28:05] leaving private schools or charter schools and coming to the district is [28:10] that uh not at this point yet okay at some point once we kind of have [28:17] our numbers a little more established for the year we'll run some reports that'll tell us a little bit more [28:23] information about where those that return might might have happened if it's coming back [28:29] from or if it's new um additions to the school year overall so we'll be looking [28:34] at that again a little more in depth as as we head more into the fall and early winter especially as we look ahead to [28:40] budget planning for the following school year which always begins way sooner than you think it does um right away in [28:46] December January we're already kind of making all those projections so and I know with nine private schools in our [28:52] district it's significant to uh keep an eye on that absolutely [28:59] yep thank [29:04] you I'll pop over here too just to kind [29:13] of all right um chair Yang and directors of the board I have one other item for [29:18] my update for you this evening and that relates to um superintendent goals for the year [29:25] and as you know we review these every year uh we start the year off and and as [29:30] a school board you all had the opportunity to weigh in and look at these and discuss these at um our last [29:37] study session and so tonight we are sharing them uh officially with you as well so we can kind of keep focused on [29:44] this this this is a compilation of goals based around what our data shows us um [29:49] feedback from end of the school year um Schoolboard evaluation my evaluation [29:54] that happens every year in the summertime and so um just just want to hit a couple of the highlights for you [30:00] um the goals for my office this year which basically overarching all kinds of [30:07] departments and encompasses a lot of other work are in basically several key [30:13] buckets the first of which of course is equity and achievement um increasing learner outcomes we used to previously [30:19] measure these according to world's best Workforce legislation which has been sunsetted and we now have um Minnesota's [30:27] new comp ensive achievement and Civic Readiness guidelines uh and these are basically have several key areas [30:34] children are ready for school racial and economic achievement gaps between students are closed students are ready [30:40] for College and Career students graduate from high school and students graduate prepared to be lifelong Learners and so [30:48] um those are the new measurement areas underneath the new comprehensive [30:54] achievement and Civic Readiness guidelines that said you'll still see a world's best Workforce report next month [31:01] in November as we always do because it's it's report on last year's achievement [31:06] through the world's best Workforce data point so we'll go through all of those this year um and we also had under this [31:13] area strong implementation of the new Min uh student engagement and attendance and implementation of the new Minnesota [31:19] raid act because that's a really big heavy lift in our system across the state right now um the second big bucket [31:25] is stakeholder engagement strengthen in organizational and Community Trust through positive relationships with [31:31] stakeholders um transparent communication inclus and these I won't [31:36] read all the sub item bullets here but stakeholders include staff students um [31:42] families and the community at large and so those are all included here and then the third bucket is organizational [31:49] leadership of course alignment with our new strategic plan which we're working on this year and you'll see that our um [31:55] presentations you're going to be seeing this year are going to be aligned to those strategic plan buckets we've identified alignment with the new [32:01] strategic plan strengthening districtwide use of data for decisionmaking workflow management and [32:07] preservation of institutional knowledge we've been working a lot on this and continue to do so because we know that [32:13] you know as people change roles we don't want knowledge being lost with one person who is The Keeper of the [32:19] information so continuing to do that prioritizing Recruitment and Retention of high quality staff resource [32:25] development and allocation um and then of course uh we always include a couple of professional goals as well advocating [32:32] for our school district and public education among Metro and state leaders and applying current research to support [32:37] our equity and organizational leadership and so these are the goals we discussed [32:43] at the study session and these will be the goals for my office this year um and [32:49] with that I'll take any comments [32:55] questions Christine I think thank you for your goals I always appreciate these [33:00] documents and I I love your goals and I wonder if you would just say a couple words about anybody who would like to [33:09] push back on an equity goal oh on an equity goal well here's a couple [33:15] thoughts first of all um Equity is it's a great question Equity is actually [33:21] first of all identified in Minnesota's legislation for comprehensive achievement and Civic Readiness guidelines and so there is an equity [33:30] requirement that we're looking at um Gap closures and one thing I like to explain [33:35] to people and I've had these conversations a number of times over the years but as we think about what does Equity work mean it really is about [33:43] looking at all the stakeholders in our organization and by stakeholders again I mean students staff families and looking [33:50] closely to see who's not being successful in our system as it is right now and where that happens [33:58] where we see someone not being successful we do more for them to try to make sure they are successful it's just [34:03] about monitoring and adjusting um all the work we're doing and paying attention to how successful everyone is [34:11] and are are the goals being met for each and every student and are they leaving our system ready to learn and I know [34:17] there are sometimes perceptions out there that Equity work is about you know [34:23] pitting black students against American unian students against Asian students against against um Hispanic students [34:29] against white students and it's not about that it really is about looking at any groups of students who aren't being [34:36] successful and figuring out what we need um you know I often give this example many years ago when I was a school [34:41] principal in a school that was primarily students of color and I only had about 3% of my student population was white [34:48] students my 3% of white students were actually my highest poverty most um [34:55] affected by homelessness and having the least success in our school systems with [35:01] attendance academics all kinds of different ways you might measure that and that's an example where in that [35:06] environment in that setting at that time they needed extra attention and extra supports to help make sure we could get [35:13] kids to school and break down barriers that we getting in the way of their ability to get to school every day and [35:18] be successful with learning and so that idea of equity um a lot of times you [35:25] hear it together as equity and inclusion it's about inclusion making sure everybody feels welcomed in our schools [35:31] feels safe and is thriving in our schools and so what does it mean when that's not happening well we need to do [35:38] something about it and so I think that's part of why when we talk about gaps and for those who really haven't spent as [35:45] much time talking about achievement gaps um what it really is about taking a look [35:50] at your highest achieving groups of students and those that are performing [35:56] significantly lower and doing more for them and in every grade level in every [36:02] measure the gaps are different right so for example we might seem in one school [36:08] where we're looking at third grade math scores for example in that particular setting we might be seeing that um you [36:15] know some of our Latino students maybe are not doing as well in third grade math at that site and what might be some [36:21] of the barriers in that setting in another school a third grade class might have a different group of students [36:27] students who aren't being as successful um you might have white students or American Indian students or others who [36:32] are not being as successful on third grade math and so it's not a blanket statement but it is about every single [36:39] School site looking and every grade level team looking closely at your data [36:44] and monitoring the progress of all of our groups and seeing okay who are we not serving as well who's not having as [36:51] much success in our system and gaps can exist around academic items they can exist around um Behavior Uh discipline [37:00] referrals gaps can exist around attendance uh needs they can exist for a lot of reasons um and all it really [37:07] means when people talk about closing gaps is taking a look at who's not being successful and what are we doing um I [37:13] always like to tell people Equity by helping and supporting others doesn't [37:18] take away from supporting one group or subset of the of the group doesn't take away from others it's not a pie where if [37:26] I'm going to give you extra someone else is going to have less it's not like that if you have children in your own family [37:33] you know our kids all need a little something different from us even though they're all in the same family and [37:39] demographically they're similar kids but they also have different needs it's about giving each person what they need [37:45] and if you've ever as a parent been asked by a little kid Mama do you love me more than my brother um it's not [37:52] about a finite amount of love we have to give to our own children we have enough [37:58] for everybody and so I think helping to um get that idea across that it's not [38:04] about taking from some to give to others it's about making sure everyone's being successful and when we are putting extra [38:11] attention into a a group or a subgroup of students who's not being a successful [38:16] we don't stop making sure the others are being challenged and supported where [38:22] they're at because we don't want them slipping it's not about that and so I think some of the [38:28] you know the misinformation or or worries that are out there sometimes um there's a lot of buzzwords that fly [38:34] around out there and I think it's really about for me anyway and I know it is for our our district leaders here because we [38:40] talk about this all the time it's about making sure we're paying attention this idea of using data all the time okay [38:48] well some people are upset about something okay who's upset and how many and why and let's find out more about that it's about problem solving the [38:54] needs paying attention to what our data is showing us and acting on it and [39:00] putting support plans in place and so when you see your report on the world's best Workforce pieces next month and you [39:06] see the school Improvement plans that every school has to have you'll notice [39:11] similarities among them but you'll also notice some differences in strategies because everyone's paying attention to [39:17] what their own School Community their grade level needs are and um and how we're doing across a lot of different [39:23] measures and so um I'm going to just challenge everybody to approach this with an open mind and it's okay for [39:32] everyone to be successful and for us to not only want but expect that everyone's [39:38] going to be successful and if it's they're not being successful we need to do something differently does that [39:51] help all right with that I'll be available if there's more [39:56] questions that come up thanks thank you Christine um so next up we have our [40:04] action items first up is finance for the acknowledgement of [40:10] contributions Minnesota State Statute 123b point2 permits school boards to [40:17] receive for the benefit of the district requests donations or gifts for any proper purpose and apply the same to the [40:24] purpose designated in that behalf the board may ask act as Trustee of any trust created for the benefit of the [40:31] district and for the benefit of pupils thereof therefore the Director of Finance recommends the following [40:38] resolution be it resolved by the school board of Independent School District number 622 that the school board accept [40:45] with appreciation the following contributions and permit their use as designated by the [40:51] donors Patric Patricia svad $50 enrichment programs for adults [40:59] with disabilities Aaron Henderson refrigerator for school store Strauss [41:05] skates and bicycles dap bicycle parts to get the DAP bicycles in proper operation [41:13] donon Drummond $700 to be used for black student union programs activities and [41:19] events Connie Hall $100 classroom school [41:24] supplies cop Family Foundation $500 North High random acts of kindness [41:32] account for funding unexpected student expenses at North Steven and Joan [41:38] Sullivan $400 Webster education center K12 school store this brings the total [41:47] fiscal year 2024 2025 monetary contributions to $18,350 [41:57] thank you could I get a a motion in a second so move second all right move by [42:03] Martin second by Anderson um any um any anybody want to talk about [42:12] anything all right could um all in favor say I I all opposed say nay all right um [42:19] so that um passes thank you um so next up we have to talk uh [42:25] approve the nsba conference um so each year Schoolboard members are encouraged to participate in school [42:31] board in related workshops and activities sponsored by local state and National School Board associations our [42:37] board members are invited to attend the nsba which is the national school board association annual [42:44] conference um so this year um per the guidelines of policy 214 out ofate [42:51] travel by board members we seek school board approval for Michelle yenner Nancy Livingston Charlotte party and K Yang to [42:58] attend the nsba annual conference which is April 4th through the 6th um in [43:05] 2025 um the resolution therefore the superintendent of schools recommends the [43:11] following resolution be it resolved by the school board of Independent School District number 622 that Michelle yenner [43:17] Nancy Livingston Charlotte Nardi and Kea Yang attend the nsba conference April [43:23] 4th through the 6th 2025 could I get a mo motion and a [43:29] second all right moved by Anderson seconded by Martins um is there any [43:37] discussion all right all in favor say I I I all oppose say [43:43] nay right um so that one also passes um and then next up we just have [43:49] to set the time and agenda for the next work study session um we have the date [43:55] which is November 12th but we need to set the time location agenda I recommend that the November 12th 20 2024 work [44:03] study session begin immediately following the speal special session that takes place in conference room 202 of [44:10] District 622 education center and includes the following agenda items achievement report superintendent [44:17] check-in board officer committee discussion and board check-in [44:25] um could I get on Mo in a second move move by [44:31] Livingston second seconded by y [44:37] Jenner of any discussion all right um all in favor say I I and I'll oppose say [44:45] nay um so that one is passed and then we also have to set the special meeting to [44:51] Canvas the election sub Minnesota statute section 205a do10 subdivision 3 states that the [44:59] School Board needs to meet and canvas the returns of the election between the 3rd and 10th days after the election so [45:05] I recommend that a special meeting to Canvas the election be set for November 12th 2024 at 6m in the boardroom of um [45:14] 622 education center could I get a motion and a [45:19] second second move by Livingston seconded by Anderson any [45:25] discussion all right um all in favor say I I and all oppose say [45:32] nay all right um so to close out the meeting we have to talk about board [45:38] Communications Julia nothing thank you [45:45] nothing I would just say one thing which is please vote and please watch The [45:51] Forum about our school board members to learn about our the candidates for school board we have six candidates for [45:58] four seats um yeah that's it thank [46:03] you yeah I don't have anything either so yeah I just echoed that too please vote you don't have to vote for me but vote [46:10] just vote just get out there and vote so um Michelle do you have the date and time for that Forum in case people want [46:17] to watch it oh it should be on the district's YouTube channel yep it's on our district YouTube channel if you look [46:23] at previous Forum not an upcoming for [46:28] um so I'm going to set the future board meeting dates um November 12th um is the work study session and then November [46:34] 19th 2024 is our business meeting 6 pm here in the boardroom could I get a u [46:40] motion and a second to adjourn right moved by Martins second by [46:47] Livingston um if there's any discussion okay all in favor say I I and [46:54] allos say n all right meeting I think you guys your