2026-04-20 LFCS School Board Meeting for April 2026

001Good evening. Um, I will call to order this April 20th, 2026 business meeting of Little Falls School District. I'm going to ask you all please rise and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance 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. The mission statement is that Little Falls Community Schools works together for each learner to achieve academic and personal growth in a collaborative, safe, and engaging environment. Uh, Kelly, do we have any public comments? >> We do not. We do not. Okay, thank you. We'll move on. Um, I'm looking for an approval of the agenda. I do have one change, um, in that on your agenda, 11.7, the uh, revised budget presentation,

002I'd like to move up to number nine. So, the the first order of I'm kind of right after the Flyer Pride cards, so. Um, any other modifications or changes to the budget or to the um, agenda? Okay, hearing none, I would ask for an approval of the motion for the revised agenda. So moved. I have a motion by Mark. Do I have a second? A second by Sharon. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all in favor signify by saying I. >> I. I. Opposed, same sign. All right, motion carries. Next, we have the consent agenda, which consists of personnel, prior meeting minutes, financial transactions, and then, uh, looks like a couple of, um, 6.4 and 6.5, are those are consent as well? >> Part of the consent agenda. >> Okay, perfect. Okay. So, the extended leave

003of absence, and then that will contract, so. Um, do I have a motion? So moved. A motion by Dan. Do I have a second? I'll second. I have a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed, same sign. Okay, motion carries. Next, we have the resolutions. Resolution of acceptance of gifts, Kelsey. Whereas the following have generously offered to donate to Little Falls Community Schools, therefore be it resolved by the Little Falls Community Schools Board of Education to gratefully accept the gifts. Pay It Forward Foundation, Ice Fest, donation of $15,000 to the Little Falls Community Schools Flyer Pride Backpack Program. Pay It Forward Foundation, Ice Fest, donation of $12,000 to the Little Falls Community Schools Care Closet. Sobieski Lions Club Incorporated Gambling Fund, donation of $1,000 to Little Falls

004Community Schools Sobieski Lions Club Community Service Scholarship Fund. Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, donation of $200 to the Little Falls Community Schools Flyer Pride Packs Weekend Program. Jean Hass Foundation, donation of $3,000 to the Little Falls Community Schools Robotics Program. Helping Hands 365, Rose Albrecht, donation of books, sports equipment, toys, and games valued at $15,000 to Little Falls Community Schools. Marjorie Droegemueller Hill, donation of $500 to Little Falls Community Schools Robotics Program. Fab, donation of $2,000 to Little Falls Community Schools Community Services New Youth Track and Field Program. Craig and Tracy Swanson, donation of $1,000 to Little Falls Community Schools Bill Swanson Wrestling Scholarship Fund. Hanaken Insurance Agency Incorporated, donation of $500 to Little Falls Community Schools Hanaken Scholarship Fund. Randall Cushing Lions Club, donation of $2,500 to Little Falls Community Schools Community Services Youth Summer

005Theater Program. Beverly M. Pansky Scholarship Fund of the Initiative Foundation, donation of $2,500 to Little Falls Community Schools Beverly M. Pansky Scholarship Fund. Uh, Cook Companies Fund, donation of $2,500 to Little Falls Community Schools Flint Hills Scholarship Fund. Friends of the Carnegie Library, donation of library books to the Little Falls Community Schools. And we'll need a second. >> I'll second. Okay, and then a roll call vote. Um, Dan? Yes. Doug? >> Yes. Julie? >> Yes. Sharon? >> Yes. Mark? >> Yes. And myself, yes. Okay, motion carries. Thanks, Kelsey. All right, next we have the Flyer Pride cards. Um, Dan, you want to kick us off? Emily Mussehl, SPED Coordinator. Not only does Emily advocate for students, but staff as well. She provides knowledge, support, and kindness to all staff and students. This year, she has

006physically come in She has physically come to check in and or help and or mentor me without asking. She goes above and beyond for us. She is a great addition to SPED. Nicole Brambrink. Kelsey. Yeah, I have not pre-read mine, so they may butcher them. Erica Baum, administrative assistant, stepped up in a big way helping take pics last minute for the Lindbergh yearbook. We were about 30 pictures short, and Erica knocked it out of the park. Much appreciated. Neil. Lindbergh Food Service. The food service ladies work hard and ensure all allergies are considered. They learn everyone's names and take the time to check in with students and staff. They bring smiles to others every day. Additionally, they spend they they spread school spirit and always encourage staff and students. They are very important part of

007Lindbergh. Nicole Brambrink. Becky Majerus, library para at Lincoln, has embraced new ideas and taken initiative to improve how students find books they enjoy, implemented thoughtful changes to organization, circulation, treating and book displays that have made the library more accurate, accessible, and student-friendly. Becky's work has transformed the Lincoln Library into a calm, inviting space that supports both students and staff. Great example of growth, activity, and student-centered thinking. Neil Langerud-Shimek. Trisha Labuck, library para. In her first year in the middle school library, Trisha has completely transformed the space into a warm, inviting environment where students and staff are excited to visit. Trisha brings a positive, welcoming presence every day, maintains clear and consistent expectations, and is always willing to help. Trisha's focused on engaging displays, collaboration with teachers to build effective classroom sets, and ability to connect

008students with books they're genuinely excited about, having made a meaningful impact on the entire school community. Neil Langerud-Shimek. Uh, Cara Schilling, special education teacher. Cara goes above and beyond students and staff. Um, she is always willing to help, problem-solve, and mentor. I am so grateful to work with her. Nicole Ridlon. >> [snorts] >> Jamie Barfoot, uh, social studies teacher. Jamie is a new teacher at the high school this year, and we are so lucky to have her. She goes above and beyond her preparation, builds strong relationships, and has become a vital part of our Flyer community at the high school. Please keep it up, Jamie. Megan Simanic. Sorry if I messed the name. Uh, Lisa Brandon, SPED teacher. Lisa is always finding ways to keep our students regulated. She finds ways to make the learning

009enjoyable. She heals. She helps us paras with respect and values our opinions. She hands down She hands down is the best teacher I've ever worked with. Carrie Geiser. Geiser. I had Mark's, too. Oh, you did? Okay, perfect. Okay. Uh, Carrie McGee, um, a Lindbergh para, is working diligently to transfer thousands of books from Dr. Knight to Lindbergh. [snorts] An extensive process that includes determining the best fit for each title, managing record tran- transfers, and reprinting barcodes. Through it all, Carrie continues to support all students and teachers at Lindbergh, ensuring everyone can find the books they want and need. Carrie's organization, dedication, and student-first mindset is making a lasting impact. Neil Langerud-Shimek. Okay. Um, next we have no student representative update, so, um, next will be then Heidi with the revised budget. Right? Superintendent. >> [laughter]

010[clears throat] >> Oh, no, we're going to switch them in half. Sorry, I missed that part, so. Okay, Mr. Johnson, let's do the soup's report, then. >> Thank you. I do want to say, um, since you folks [clears throat] have spent a number of hours at the middle school library with previous school board meetings, you if you get the opportunity, if you're in the neighborhood, to check out the middle school library now. I noticed that Neil had highlighted Trisha and what she's done to redesign that space. It's really pretty clever and creative. And then we don't always have guests here that are acknowledged with Flyer Pride cards, so Em- Emily Mussehl is in the front row. And Cara. And I was Yeah, going to Cara [laughter] next. Cara Schilling as well, so thanks >> [laughter]

011>> Thanks for being here. Um, Project Adam is a project that we took on this year with our new school district nurse, Sarah. And we have become heart safe schools, which is really exciting. It's through Project Adam certification. It's nationally recognized. We are able to respond to a sudden cardiac arrest. And what that means is that we have a cardiac emergency response plan in every building. Strategically placed AEDs, staff trained in CPR and AED, clear roles during an an emergency, coordination with local EMS, and practice drills, not just paperwork. And these are the teams at each one of the schools that were put through the test on April 7th. So, thanks to these folks. Those of you who don't haven't had a chance to meet our new school district nurse, Sarah. That is Sarah. Lindbergh

012and Lincoln. Where are those defibrillators kept at school? Primarily in the main entrance. Okay. Near the main office in that general vicinity. All right. Last week we recognized two students of character. This is a student recognition program through Sourcewell. And so, Zoe Dreher and Cayden Olson were recognized with 50 other students. And they're honored for making a positive impact, often overcoming challenges to inspire others. And I think it describes these two really well that they demonstrate quiet leadership, perseverance, and dedication in their schools and communities. Two outstanding seniors. We're excited this year something new with our senior activities banquet is to expand recognition on May 4th. So, beyond just our traditional athletics and activities, we'll recognize seniors that are involved in DECA, Special Olympics, e-sports, robotics, the fall play and spring musical, Olympic weightlifting, knowledge

013bowl, and our trap team. We have a work session next week on Monday. I know Mark's unable to make it. Mark, if you have time this week, if we could connect. >> Okay. Talk prior to that. Obviously, a referendum follow-up, finance and facilities next steps, and then superintendent goals. Would be primary agenda items. Some additional information. On April 1st, we distributed with the support of our Ed Foundation their grants to a number of Little Falls Community Schools teachers. That was a fun activity. Kelsey was able to join us. A few staffing updates. We've hired a new activities director who is slated to start on July 1st, Dave Langworthy. That's a picture of Dave. We're excited to have Dave join our team. April is the month of the military child. And so, on April 22nd, we

014have a special breakfast for military families. And we have some military personnel assigned to each building to welcome students to school that day. I'll begin recruiting another student representative to the school board to join us next year. Our two young ladies that are part of school board this year are juniors, and will join us again next year. And then a couple letters of support. I'm not going to read these, but a wonderful letter from our chief of police, Kyle Johnson, and Sheriff Shawn Larson, primarily about the use of our facilities and partnering with those folks to be able to bring training into our schools to better prepare people throughout our city and county with emergency management. And Mark, Mr. Deal is very much a part of those processes. And here's a another thank you from

015the American Red Cross who utilized our facilities recently for some training. That's all I have. Okay. Thank you. Okay. We missed Chuck. >> We are. For presentations. Well, I thought we'd move Heidi first because Chuck was at the high school. >> [laughter] >> That's fine. Yeah, he can go. >> Okay. Doesn't matter to me. One of you take the floor. Go ahead, Heidi. >> [laughter] >> Do you want to put the presentation up? All right. Good evening, chair, board members, superintendent Johnson. I'm the business manager, Heidi Hagen, for those of you that aren't familiar. Um tonight I am presenting on the fiscal year 2026 revised budget. Uh in your packets, you have this presentation, and then you also have budget details. Um it's a separate document, and that has all of the numbers on it.

016So, I will uh as I present, I'll refer to that document for additional information. Uh so, I am presenting on all of the different funds tonight uh for the board's consideration uh on a budget revision. [snorts] I'll start with the general fund budget and start with revenue. The majority of our district revenue is uh comes in the form of per pupil aid, which is based on our enrollment of students in grades uh early childhood special education, so pre-K, uh voluntary pre-K all the way up through 12th grade. Uh we originally budgeted about 2,200 students for this fiscal year. Uh the recommendation is that we would revise the budget to more actual uh students in SEPs currently, which is about 2,176 students, or a decrease of 31 students. Uh the enrollment uh includes the early childhood

017special ed kids and the voluntary pre-K kids as well. Based on that uh reduction in students, uh we'll see a minimal adjustment in the state aid overall. We'll have a decrease in the general education aid, which is the per pupil formula, of about 245,000. And that is directly related to the reduction of 31 students. Uh on the other side, we will see an increase in special education aid based on the students that we serve and the prior years' expenditures of about $200,000 increase in special education aid. And then there's some other um ancillary state revenues that are projected to increase by about 75,000 as well. We'll have a slight increase in the federal aid based on the original budget. Uh we'll have an increase in the local property tax revenue. Um it's not an additional

018tax. It's not additional um on the levy. It's purely the tax increment financing that we receive from the city. It was not budgeted in the original budget. So, I added the 150,000 in that we will receive from the city on the tip. And then uh we're seeing a decrease in donations based on current year-to-date. And that's major mainly in the student activity accounts depending on any given year's student activities fundraise or receive donations from the community. Um and it just varies year to year. Uh the general fund expense, I go through uh the five different categories here. Uh starting with salaries and wages being the highest expense in the general fund. Uh projecting a decrease of about $470,000. That is based on the recent contracts that were settled and individual union groups members' salaries and

019or wages. And then assuming because we haven't yet settled with the at at-will employees, assuming um an assumption there for their con- employment agreements. Benefits are increasing by 90,000, mainly due to unemployment for what we call the between terms, so summer time frame for non-licensed staff. They're eligible to apply for unemployment. And then the new mandated Minnesota paid family leave. Uh that is also an increase that wasn't originally budgeted for. Fees for service, so what we pay um vendors uh for services coming into our district is uh projected to decrease by about 90,000. This is mainly due to an adjustment in our transportation expenses. I took um what we've paid year-to-date currently, and then I I also compared that to our contract agreement with the uh transportation uh vendors, and adjusted that expense. And then

020our professional development is decreasing, and that's basically due to limited Read Act uh stipends and some uh decrease in avid expenses. Let me just stop you for a second. >> Sure. With our transportation, wasn't that tied to gas prices? So, we do pay a difference for gas prices based on a certain amount over or under. Right. So, we take that into account and that has >> taken into account here. >> Yep, and that has recently come into play. Got you. Um it also came into play when prices were less as >> Mhm. Next is supplies. I am projecting a decrease of around $200,000 and that was just mainly across all different categories of supplies taking into account what we spent last year, what was budgeted in the original budget, and what we've spent so far.

021Um it's very plausible that we'll see a large decrease there. Um and then capital expense, uh this is a larger increase um additional $500,000. Um the original budget didn't take into account some of the LTFM expenses uh that were planned and then also the projects at Lindbergh and Lincoln, specifically the playground at Lincoln was a high-cost expense. And then flooring and ceiling updates for Lindbergh that were deferred maintenance that needed to be done as well as the flooring um and deferred maintenance at Lincoln. So, overall um if you go to the next slide, this shows you the actual numbers in the general fund. You can see there historically from left to right uh fiscal year '24 and '25 are final audited numbers. The original budget in purple um was calling for just over 35.5 million

022in revenue as well as the same in expense. Based on my review and working with the directors and the principals on their budgets and working together to define what the revised budget should be we're looking at um just over 35.6 million in revenue uh and about 35.2 million in expense for revenues exceeding expense by about $430,000. Any questions on the general fund high-level overview? On the next slide, I'll dig into more of the restricted uh funds, the unassigned funds, the assigned funds, and what our unassigned fund balance should look like at the end of this year. So, this is small to see um but it is in your packet. Uh this is taking account for how the the state and the federal government even the levy stipulates how we can spend our money depending on

023the types of monies that we're receiving. And so, that top portion again, left to right is historical data and then projected uh for this fiscal year. The top portion is all of our restricted funds and so, what that means is whether it's the state or the federal government or local levies uh by state statute or other types of regulations stipulates how we can spend that money. So, you're looking at anywhere from like the top down American Indian education funds, staff development, literacy incentive money, operating capital, all the way down basic skills, long-term facilities maintenance, medical assistance. All of those types of funds uh are highly regulated on what we can spend that money on. Then what's left over is that middle chunk, which would be our unassigned fund money. So, after we've taken into account

024all of the restricted money that we receive, all of the restricted expenses that we pay, what's left over is unassigned um monies. And so, you can see there all the way to the right what I'm projecting is about a three just over a 3.5 million dollar unassigned fund balance up from the 2.8 million that we ended the fiscal year with last year. Uh fund balance policy has since been re- revised to somewhere land between 10 and 12% of unassigned money. And so, that's right around that 3.5 million dollar mark which projections show that we should that should be the outcome. I've taken into consideration future needs for one-time expenses or ongoing expenses in assigning some money if the board would consider that, both facilities and grounds, technology, and then we've also had some assigned monies

025prior to my time here for just future use. So, I'm recommending to maintain that 10% unassigned fund balance meeting board policy that we would consider assigning about $400,000 uh for future facilities, grounds, technology one-time expenses not yet known or planning for. Any questions on the general fund? All right. So, next we'll dive into food service fund two. This is a separate stand-alone budget, again state and federal guidelines require um how we spend the money. Revenue, I'm projecting a decrease of about $114,000. And that's just based on year-to-date meal claims working with food service director Mary Bartlett and Michelle Deesing in the food service office uh they're just seeing lower um numbers students and or adults purchasing meals. Um expense-wise, I'm also seeing a decrease of about $138,000 and that's just mainly going through all of

026the different expense categories. Uh supplies and wages are based on settled contracts, benefits are reduced also in line with the salaries and and wages that we're projecting. Fees for service, I adjusted the budget based on similars to prior years and in conversations with Mary, she agreed. Supplies adjusted to account for lesser food and milk expense, again the trends are showing that we'll come in under budget and the reason for my recommendation to decrease those budgets and then capital we're increasing uh because based on the high school kitchen update that's taking place [clears throat] both uh food service fund is accountable for the equipment and is allowable expense under the food service budget and then all other construction has to come up under a different fund. Uh based on this projection, fund balance should land somewhere

027between the $669,000 range. It doesn't quite meet the MDE's minimum fund balance of 6 months. Uh they had changed it back when COVID happened to be 6 months [clears throat] of operating expense allowable uh compared to the 3 months. We're not quite yet meeting that uh 3-month mark either, so we'll continue to monitor that. Could that Does that have anything to do with [snorts] the What the legislature did to my past free meals and No, I mean we're getting reimbursed at the state level. Okay. Federal continues to reimburse as they had and then with Minnesota opting for free meals for all students, one breakfast and one lunch, we're we're getting reimbursed uh depending on how that's going to play out with current legislature and future budget concerns, we'll have to keep monitoring that. And then

028this is a look at at the overall food service budget, again left to right historical data and then original budget [clears throat] compared to the revised version. Very similar in bottom line, we're projecting about a $300,000 deficit or expenses exceeding uh revenues this year mainly due to that high school kitchen update. Next is fund four, community services. And so, revenue we're increasing uh just over $250,000 and that's basically uh the receipt of the Minnesota deed grant. And then the deed grant provided allowable expenditures for this year as well. Expenses are increasing uh just under $200,000. Uh again, expenses are based on salaries and wages based on any settled contracts and then also year-to-date uh and trend data for wages. Um benefits are reduced in line with those um salaries and wages and then fees are

029similar to the prior year. Again, I met a few different times with both the director of community services, Kayla, and then Sarah Rusted uh to identify where these budgets should land. Uh supplies are adjusted down based on the current year trends and what was originally budgeted and then our capital increased again to account for that Little Flyers playground and curriculum, which is funded in whole by FD grant. Uh monitoring the fund balance under $200,000 is the projection. We certainly want to continue to monitor that given that it is decreasing. Um a few of those variables taken into account are the first full year of Little Flyers daycare. Larger than normal purchases for startup costs and then also just the overall nature of profiting in what a daycare program would normally look like and so projected

030that that should right right itself in the next couple of years but still monitoring that. And then here are the numbers. Again, purple is the original budget. Revised is in the gray. Still projecting about $200,000 additional expense compared to revenue coming in. The majority of that is those one-time one-time startup costs. Overall in the capital budget. Any questions on those two funds before I jump into the easy ones? >> [laughter] >> Okay. Uh construction fund. So this was revenue that we've received in prior fiscal years dating back to the 2016 referendum. Funds had naturally been spent over the course of that project and then there's this residual amount that we can use to remain that we're focused on spending down. Um so expenses are increasing about $312,000 and that's because we didn't originally budget anything

031in the construction budget but we do have two projects that um are eligible for these funds to be used and that's the middle school data center and the high school kitchen update. So both of those projects in total are about $312,000. That would leave about $137,000 in the construction fund to be considered and used for next fiscal year. And here are just the numbers. No um budgeted revenue because we've already received it and it sits in a fund balance and originally we hadn't budgeted for any projects. And then the debt service fund. This is fund seven. Uh the revenue that comes in is based on the 2024 page 25 levy that the board certified in December of 2024. Taxpayers paid the taxes in 2025 and we received the funds for this fiscal year. And then

032expenses based on our current debt service schedule and amortization schedule. So this fiscal year we did pay off the 2010 A and B bonds and we also paid off the 2016 lease agreement. And so what is left is the 2016 A and B bond and then most recently uh the 2023 A certificate of participation which was used to fund the Little Flyers daycare. And the fund balance is monitored and regulated by the state and is currently projected to be just under 900,000. And then you can see there originally uh the revenue increased about 200,000 just based on the levy certified and then expenses were relatively the same again based on already approved debt schedules. Any questions? I have one. Mhm. With the Minnesota um PFML that came out, have we seen a huge increase in

033usage? Therefore an increase in um sub pay? So hard to determine yet. We do have um either those that are currently using using it and those that are scheduled or have applied to use it. I can get back to you with more detailed information. I would I would confer with Chelsea Robinson in HR before I can really say. Um the one thing that we we do uh have is if an employee chooses and elects to use Minnesota paid family leave, they're no longer getting their salary from the district and so the goal would be that the sub cost would offset that salary that we didn't pay out. Um but each each situation could be different and unique. Some are using the full extent of the time off up to if they're eligible 20 weeks um

034and some are using less time. So Where do those rates fall into play with the negotiations? Are are you bargaining units? What are they in a group? What group are they in? Community services or No. For the paid leave? Well, no. Like are do we need to look at sub rates is kind of what I'm asking. Oh, yeah. That's something that we'll bring to you probably in June. Are we struggling to get subs? Always. Yeah, I mean Yes. So what what are those two? Yeah. What group are they in? Are they in a group? No. They're part of >> Teachers On Call. Used to be Teachers On Call, now Kelly Services. Oh, so then they're not No. Well, what about paras though and like kitchen staff? Are those ours? So paras and teachers are all

035through Kelly Services sub consultants and then uh kitchen, custodial, and clerical are all in in-house and we have a pool of of people that sub for those but we are not contracting those services out. So the ones with Kelly Ser- Kelly Services, is that what you said? Mhm. Do we get an increase then in our billing then based on what they want to pay them cuz it's based on what they pay, right? We set the rate and Kelly Services sets like a base flat rate and contractually depending on what our term is, it can or may not change but generally speaking I've seen and I don't know specifically here for Little Falls yet but 3% annual increase generally on that service rate if you will and then we as a district as a board determine

036what we will pay a sub teacher or a sub para and then that percentage is or that flat rate or whatever it is is added to that cost. Any other questions for Heidi? Thank you. Yeah, well done. Good insights. Thank you. Okay, are you We do have to approve the revised budget. Y- yes, that would be preferable. Oh. So that being said I need What's that? I'll make a motion to approve the revised budget. >> Okay. Do I have a second? I'll second. Okay, I have a motion by Mark, a second by Dan. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed same sign. All right, motion carries. Okay. Now if I'm on track, we have Chuck next, right? >> Yes, we do. >> Okay. Chuck, floor is yours. All

037right. All right. So I'm just here kind of to report or to keep everyone in the loop. Um Ice Fest is doing good. Our foundation is a non-profit. So I'm going to leave it called Ice Fest. Um [clears throat] how many people have not heard of Ice Fest? Good. >> [laughter] >> I'd fire my marketing gal cuz somebody raised their hand but anyway, so Ice Fest we've been doing it nine years now um and we've been able to donate $203,000. And it's what started with just wanting to support Flyer Pride Pack turned into you know, great support through community support. We were able to raise I think that first year back then it was their budget was about $12,000. Um by the second year we were able able to fund that and then the third

038or fourth year you know, I thought where do those elementary kids go to get their weekend food, you know, when they're done with elementary? And so Care Closet was a natural progression. So we added Care Closet. We're doing we've been doing that one also for I'm going to guess maybe six of the nine years. And then just this past year, you know, where do those school kids get their food in the summer? So we added Oasis Central Minnesota um as another um because the each year the amount other than Beach Fest when it or when there was my Ice, each year the funds have increased that we've been able to donate. So kind of share the wealth a little bit, keep everyone involved. So I've got just a a 25-minute video that we'll watch. >>

039[laughter] >> A minute and 50-second video that we'll watch that'll just give you a quick and then I'll just tie up at the end kind of where we're at and what the ask is and mostly what the thank you is, I guess. Mhm. >> [music] [music] >> So, like I said earlier, Ice Fest has been around 9 years and over the years we've learned, quite [clears throat] frankly, it's easier to get money than it is to get help. So, you know, as we've gone along, I figured out different ways to get help. And this year, actually, for the first time, and it's only because I didn't think of it earlier, um but Greg and I were talking and he said, "Well, how about, you know, what some students from schools help?" So, Mr. Joe's class,

040what's his last name? Simanek. Simanek. His class, I think it's called Avid. Um they came out for about 3 hours, I think it was Thursday morning. There were probably 20 kids. And a lot of a lot of the setup is kind of many hands, very light work, but just need, you know, a bunch of kids to throw at or a bunch of people to throw at it. So, that was huge because we lost um one of our major sources of help was Challenge. They were on the schedule the week and a half before, they called and said they couldn't do it. And that was anywhere from six to 10 guys, three different times, twice for setup and once for takedown. So, kind of in panic mode, but as Greg and I talked about it, then

041he thought, "Well, you know, I think this we can maybe get you some more help." So, a huge thank you. Then also, a lot of the staff helps on the weekend, which is huge. Um it's just a 2-hour shift, but, you know, somebody's got to cover those raffle ticket sales for 2 hours or the spin it to win it. Um Sharon has actually headed that up now the last few years cuz we lost our original person. But anyway, that kind of help is really critical. I mean, for lack of a better term, it's it doesn't help without a lot of people kicking in. So, a huge thank you there. And the ask then would be, and this isn't just school board members, this is everybody within hearing distance, you know, if you want to help,

042there's a way to help. And you don't Everyone thinks, "Oh my god, I'm not going to stand out there in 20 below weather." Well, we got a list of 103 items that need to be done, and some are as simple as take posters around town and put them up or, you know, warm weather stuff. So, you know, a huge thank you to the board um or the school district for getting all the help that we've been able to do. In fact, Greg and I talked after a meeting. I went to the high school for that meeting, too. And then showed up here a few minutes later. Um about ways to incorporate more of the high school next year. Like, if somebody could think of, you know, the you know, maybe the debate team taking on

043the wrestling team in a snowman building contest or whatever. I mean, we're open to pretty much anything. It's a free family of a family family-friendly event. Next year will be the 10th annual [snorts] Ice Fest. So, I'll say we have big plans for 10th annual. I'm not sure even what they are yet, but >> [laughter] >> it it will be, trust me. So, it'll be it'll be lots of fun. It's been good. Um the community support, when people sponsor us, that money goes toward paying the bills cuz it costs a lot of money to put on an event. And the leftover money gets put with the free will donations and the raffle ticket sales, and 100% of that money goes towards um those three programs. So, um yeah, I mean, people ask me, "Well, does

044all my money go in to the kids?" And well, then, yes, if it's a donation, 100%. So, an example of the one year we donated, this is about 5 years ago, 4 years ago, we donated 24,000, and it was almost literally $12,000 from donations and raffles, and 12,000 in sponsorship money after all the bills were paid. So, it's a combined effort and it's been it's, you know, it's kind of a labor of love. It's been a lot of fun. It's really fun when you get great input, great, you know, people want to help out. So, thank you. Chuck, who would um who would people Is there a website? Or is there Who would people contact if they want to help? Me. Okay. Um mnicefest.org. So, just like it sounds, Minnesota, mnicefest.org is the website. There's

045a Facebook page. Um if you just dig up carousels, um if you dig up spinning ice for kids is how it started 100 years ago. Um There it is, way down on the bottom. No, right there. It's the Sonny's Willing Memorial. Up a little bit. There you go. That's the Facebook version, but yeah, so they can they can message through there and I'll get me or Becca will get that message and we'll we'll get back to people. Awesome. Well, thank you. It's a fantastic event and clearly benefits the community. So, thanks, Chuck. Yeah, thank you, Chuck. Did you beat the record? Um we've had the we've held the world record, I think, five times or six times, five, I think. Um and then we haven't done the biggest one because we ran out of lake.

046So, we are going to finally, it's been a couple years now, we are going to go to a bigger Ice Fest will still stay where it is, but um we're going to go find a bigger lake, hopefully in January, and reclaim the world record. We'll see. Thank you. Yep. Thanks, Chuck. Okay. Next looks like a new business, the approval of the reading curriculum. I'd like to invite Lisa Salber forward. Lisa's our MTSS coordinator and um a huge part of our teaching and learning team and has been leading a very thorough process to get us to the point where we're seeking your approval tonight for a I think a really important decision for our district in that area. So, Lisa, take it away. Thank you. Well, thank you for having me today. So, I'm super excited

047to give you a couple updates including the reading curriculum piece. >> [snorts] >> All right. So, uh first off, I wanted say thank you to you. Our district has really made great strides and without your support, we can't be doing that. I also want to say thank you as we go through the next few slides, the work that we're doing is making a big impact because of the support of Superintendent Johnson and the administrators showing up at meetings, the teachers coming to meetings. It's not work that happens between 7:30 and 3:30, and there's a lot of work that goes into it. And so, I appreciate their work as well as all of the teachers that have done some amazing things that we'll go over right now. So, we'll start with just some district updates, and

048then we'll talk about the elementary curriculum adoption as well as a secondary intervention model. So, all of this stems from our strategic plan, and number one being teaching and learning. MTSS is that framework that was in the first goal, and we've really made some huge strides over the last year. We've had some great data points. We are using some assessment tools that can really help us identify where students are at and best support them. Um and really use that information to inform our decisions. We have worked to start building MTSS teams within each building. So, we have a district-wide MTSS team that continues to meet, but now working to ensure that the buildings are getting that work going within their building as well. And then, we'll be doing a self-evaluation coming up. We have done

049an action plan, and so really our action plan focuses on tier one, uh secondary intervention, data-based decision making, and fidelity. And tonight, as we talk about the reading curriculum, that really falls under that action plan of tier one. And then, we continue to work on PD and what needs to happen to support teachers to be able to do these things as well. So, really proud of the work that the teachers in the district are doing, modeling that lifelong learning for our students, and really being engaged in what um needs to happen to move the district forward. So, grateful for all of them. So, the READ Act, I'll just touch on it a little bit, but it really focuses on all of the components within MTSS, and there's a huge celebration coming up at the end

050of the week. Some teachers have taken part in letters, which is a two-year professional development session or professional development program teaching students or teaching learning how to teach students to read. So, while we start to talk about a reading curriculum, the curriculum is only as good as the teacher using it and so really trying to make sure that the teachers have the background knowledge to use it efficiently and effectively. So, we I am really proud of the continuous improvement that they've done to continually implement these things in their classroom, the perseverance cuz it is a long road and their growth mindset knowing that sometimes it challenged when I first went through letters it challenged the way I was thinking and we see that quite a bit throughout this process, but super grateful for all of

051the work that they poured into that. So, our last session will be on on Friday this week and they'll be wrapping that up. Next year we'll be doing training for the secondary ELA teachers around the science of reading and how students learn to read but from a secondary lens. Both have a new MOU that will be coming your way shortly and then we also had a structured literacy training this year with all our professionals in the district. So, giving them the knowledge of how to help students who are struggling to read cuz sometimes they're the boots on the ground right there next to a student too. So, we're really grateful for and some of them in the room too that have dove into that professional learning at What's what's an ELA teacher? An ELA thank

052you is a English language arts teacher or like a uh I think cuz I always call them ELA. English language arts but they teach the reading and the grammar and the writing in middle school and high school. So. We also have implemented some assessments as I talked about earlier. FastBridge CAT-ED is another one that we've implemented this year gives us really great data and helps us identify where we can best support students. One thing that we'll continue to work on and that comes into play with that secondary intervention plan that I'll be talking about is the student intervention plans. So, if a student if the data is showing they need support, having that plan in place of how we're going to help them. And while we've been doing some things like that, trying to be

053more concrete in that as well and keeping the families in the loop and the student in the loop as well. Um with MTSS supports, they MDE had done a really thorough curriculum review. So, the two curriculums that I'll share with you and then the one that we selected and are going for uh or moving towards adoption with and looking for your approval came out of a curriculum review that MDE did first. So, they both are partially aligned or we looked at partially aligned and highly aligned resources and then we used those to decide what we wanted to pilot within district and look deeper into. And that also is where Functional Phonics came out of. Um so, we currently are using Functional Phonics and Morphology and then looking for that adoption process to continue. So, the

054last piece is they also have an intervention list on MDE's website so we've been using that to try and make sure that we're using the right evidence-based resources to support students when that tier one maybe isn't getting them all that they need. So, giving them that extra bit. So, the knowledge building resource that we'll be looking at we started this process back in April last year. We had 88 88% of teachers who teach reading in kindergarten through fifth grade pilot which is super exciting. Usually pilots don't get that much buy-in from teachers, but teachers are really excited about having that opportunity to be consistent and aligned. We piloted four different resources off that highly aligned and partially aligned list and then we had the continual literacy meetings throughout with about 24 plus hours of time

055together outside of the school day too. And that doesn't even account for the work that they were doing learning the curriculums to pilot. Can I stop you real quick? >> Yeah. Are you alluding to the fact then that 88% of our teachers voluntarily said they would take that on? Mhm. That's amazing. Yeah. Good for them. Yeah, absolutely. I'm very grateful for all of the work that they've poured into this because you'll see that we're super excited about the resource that we're moving forward with and we can be very confident that we picked the right one because of all of that work. So, we looked at those rubrics from MDE and explored some samples. We have some teachers here that actually went through that process. So, we have Melissa Berg if you want to raise your

056hand is a fifth grade teacher. She piloted Arts and Letters and HMH within her fifth grade classroom. We have Peggy Rexsted piloted Benchmark Advance. Steph Oberton piloted CKLA and Shannon D'Orsi piloted Arts and Letters as well. So, we've had a lot of different inputs and perspectives that have come out of that. We talked to vendors, we piloted and did training resource or did training for the pilot with teachers. We had check-ins that the vendors would do with them. Uh some more than others, but that also I think is telling too of what kind of support do we want after we purchase a curriculum. We had those continual literacy meetings, looked at standards alignment, created a rubric on what we wanted for a district and then we narrowed it down to two. So, we were narrowed

057it down to HMH Into Reading and Amplify CKLA and did a little bit of a more in-depth discussion around those two. We did some site visits, we talked to some teachers that implemented some of these resources and then our literacy team came back together for some final feedback. And so, we at that last literacy meeting we had 13, all four of them that are behind me right now. We have 13 people in the room that had consistently been at all 24 hours of those meetings that filled out of a form to give us their perspective on what they thought we should pick. So, huge celebration. There are no responses that say neither. So, we have two good options. There was a little over 50% said that both would be a strong fit and the other

058half said CKLA would be a strong fit. So, after further review we went with CKLA and we're looking for your approval of that. So, this resource really is backed by research and has some strong correlations to the letters training that we have been doing. I have a little video here that I'm actually going to skip and I'll show you a different one instead, but this is actually a research model that we see a lot in letters and it talks about how students need to learn word recognition and language comprehension. So, our Functional Phonics covers this word recognition piece really nicely. Teachers are loving it, administrators are seeing great growth. Um this language comprehension piece is where we're kind of all over the board and we've learned through this pilot process that our rigor and expectations

059of students wasn't as high as it could have been >> [cough and clears throat] >> especially when we don't have that consistency and alignment and talking about data. So, we had a group of teachers including the ones behind me that did a few years ago actually um a book study on the knowledge >> that skills and strategies are more important than building kids substantive knowledge in the elementary years. The assumption has been that this is the way to boost scores on reading tests and so what you've got is a real marginalization of anything but reading and math from the curriculum. But if you look at what cognitive scientists know about how reading comprehension works, what's really crucial is how much relevant knowledge the reader has to the text. [music] So, it's not that you can

060never ask a student what's the main idea of this passage or can you make an inference? It's a question of what's put in the foreground. There was a famous study called the baseball study which took a bunch of seventh and eighth graders and the idea was to see what is more important to reading comprehension. Is it general skill or is it knowledge of the topic? They divided these kids into four groups depending on how well they had done on a standardized reading comprehension test and how much they knew about baseball. They gave them a passage to read about baseball and tested their comprehension of that passage and they [music] discovered that what really made the difference was knowledge of baseball. And even the quote unquote poor readers who knew a lot about baseball scored significantly

061better than the quote unquote good readers who did not know about baseball. >> [music] >> So, knowledge is like Velcro. Kids who start out with more knowledge and vocabulary are in a better position to then absorb and retain even more knowledge and vocabulary [music] because they have a context, they have that other half of the Velcro. And that enables them in turn to read more complex text. [music] But the other kids are falling farther and farther behind every year. They're reading simpler text and >> [music] >> they're also less likely to be able to retain it cuz they don't have that other half of the Velcro. So, what happens is that these gaps grow larger as time [music] goes by. Kids get to high school and suddenly they're expected to read a textbook on world

062history and they they just don't have the background knowledge. And it's not that they can't learn those things. It's that they have never been taught those things [music] in a way that's likely to stick. And it puts them at a tremendous disadvantage. So, if you can start narrowing that gap earlier, if you start building knowledge in elementary school, you're going to get a lot more bang for your buck. So, our goal with this curriculum adoption is really to build that knowledge component so that they're able to be successful when they pick up a book and to have that vocabulary building, the background knowledge components as well as using those pieces to build they talked about reading comprehension strategies. Before we used to teach strategy, strategy, strategy, but not focus on the text we were using

063to teach those strategies. We were just focusing on the strategy. Where now the flip is we're teaching content, and really great rich literature, and then applying those strategies within that. So, we are super excited at looking at the knowledge portion of CKLA. We are not interested in the skills component right now. They're two separate components, and we are really happy with what we've seen with functional phonics. And to be honest, I think we're looking forward to having something consistent that we know, and not adding another layer of new. Um so, we'll continue with functional phonics, but then use that knowledge component of the strands. So, at the elementary level, or I'm sorry, at the K2 level, it implements science and social studies topics as well as literature and art into these. So, they're learning things

064like plants and farms, astronomy, um na- or cycles in nature, insects, the Civil War, and then moving on to third, fourth, and fifth grade, learning more about animal classifications, geology, poetry and oceans. And so, these build as they go from year to year. So, what they learn in kindergarten is going to continue to build in first grade, and so they're learning at a deeper level because they have that Velcro to make it stick. So, we have a first grade teacher who piloted this in her classroom, and her She has a friend at the high school that teaches biology. And when she told them what she was teaching in her first grade class about um the muscles and how the muscles work together, the body system, and the blood circulation components, he was floored because that

065is something that he is trying to get his students to understand at a 10th grade level. So, super excited about how this can impact our whole system by adopting this. And so, you'll see that within the topics, it grows, and they try to build consistency and alignment within topics and in the grades in first grade, and then also throughout grade levels. One other component, so they'll have the knowledge strand at the K2 level. It really is more about looking at the picture and the teacher reading the text than the students trying to read the text, which is at first was a really hard piece for us to wrap our minds around, but this really allows students to listen and gain that knowledge without having to try and look at the words and decode as they're

066doing it. So, it's allowing them to focus on the background knowledge, and then functional phonics will take care of that reading component and helping them learn how to read. So, right now we're trying to build them both up, and then in third grade aligning them together. Uh we will be looking at giving the decodables along with it. The decodables match that same content, but these are books that are easier or simple to read and match what they're learning in functional phonics. And then at the third through fifth grade level as well, they would have some text in hand, student workbooks. Um the teacher guides are scripted enough that we can keep that consistency and alignment as well, so that we know what's happening in one classroom is happening in the other. And so, that's a

067similar student experience. Um there are components as well that will allow them to focus on the writing and be more in-depth within their writing. So, it really was a much better resource when it came to writing versus any of the others we had looked at. And it also talked about differentiation within our students. So, I'm going to show this last video real quick because I think this speaks to the importance of our system level and how now we no longer talk about what are we teaching the next day or what are we teaching in the next unit, what's important, what are essential learning. We're talking data and how our kids are doing and what are we going to do for those kids who don't have it. So, we can spend our time having knowledge conversations,

068and I don't spend all my prep time on a week trying to figure out what I'm teaching the next week and what's important and what skills do they need to have. They're all laid out in CKLA for me. I don't have to do that. And so, we we've been able to get through it and spend our time doing things that are really important, like looking at data, making decisions for tier two interventions and tier three interventions. And those really important conversations about, all right, my kids already know it, what are we going to do for that? These kids don't know it, what are we going to do for that group? We didn't have that time before to have those conversations. So, that really is going to build the foundation for us to be able to

069take education for our students in Little Falls to the next level, so that we can start focusing on what next instead of the the base. Um So, they have embedded differentiation within there, and obviously we will want to focus on professional development and making sure we're supporting our teachers through this process, too. So, any questions on CKLA um and the curriculum that we're Nice presentation. Thank you. Yeah. So, just a quick overview. So, this really is focused on building that comprehension background knowledge. There's stellar writing components. There's also a student online component that is more differentiated and individualized. And then it really will work nicely side by side with functional phonics, what we currently have. So, I'm super excited how this will help reinforce our strong tier one, align to the learning that we're doing

070in all areas, bringing that consistency and alignment from classroom to classroom, and raising that level of rigor for our students. I'm so excited to see the conversations students will be having at home with their families based on what they're learning in the school. So, that's been a huge celebration just through our pilot process. But So, with >> [clears throat] >> that you piloted and stuff, so I'm assuming this would go into practice next school year whatever. So, is there more than then is there additional training or or education, I guess, for our for our staff to >> Yeah. Absolutely. I really look forward to planning out that professional development in a way that's supportive, but at the right time supportive. So, we're looking at doing and trying to get the materials here by the end

071of the school year, so teachers could take them home for the summer if they'd like and look at the teachers' manuals, and having like an online 3-hour session, and then having a welcome back session at during workshop week. And the beautiful part about our schedule allows for some of that PD to happen then in September, where they've been a little bit, help them refine some of their tools and the way they're using it. Again in January to look at the data and how they can have those conversations, and then even in March, where we can kind of refine what we've done this year and better plan for next year. So, I'm really grateful for the calendar that you approved to have that extra time to be able to do that, too. Yeah, so we >>

072[clears throat] >> before we shift into secondary intervention, we ask your approval of the adoption of CKLA as our new reading curriculum. [snorts] Okay. I have a motion by Dan. Second. I have a second by Sharon. Any further discussion or questions for Lisa? Okay, hearing none, all in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed, same sign. All right, motion carries. Well, thank you so much. Very good. Do you want me to keep rolling or do you have >> Yeah, stop. >> [laughter] >> I didn't know if there was any other votes or things you had to say, but Um so, secondary intervention is another component that uh you'll see we're requesting two interventionists, one for the middle school and one for the high school. And so far this year um or so far in the

073past, we've had preschool students come in to Lincoln and have great support at tier one, and we're really working to build that with CKLA and functional phonics. And then we have other resources that if if they're still struggling or need additional support, we have other resources and people to pull small groups and continue to work with them. And then if that's not working, we can get even more granular and really try and support them. But unfortunately, our current model happens that when they move to middle school, and I think the fifth grade teachers behind me would echo this, when they move to middle school, we really just have tier one. And our tier one isn't where it needs to be right now, either. We have a lot of work to do in tier one, but

074we also want to make sure that when we have the data that's showing a student is struggling, that we have the support to give them, too. So, we're just crossing our fingers at this point that through that support they make it to graduation, but our goal is to really try and beef up that intervention model at the middle school and high school. So, this year we've been using power up, which has been great. Uh the middle school did it school-wide, and I'll show you a little bit of data on the growth that we've seen there, which is super exciting. And then the high school started piloting it this spring, fourth quarter, and will be using it for students who need it next year. So, So, the growth that we're seeing with word study, or students

075being able to read words and spell words, uh this could be larger words or even simpler words, but we see that at the beginning of the year in the middle school, we had 30% of our students at what would be considered a K2 level. Now, that number is down to 17%, and we're seeing an increase in our um this was advanced, which is like a sixth grade sixth to eighth grade level, and we're seeing an increase in that by almost 10%. So, super great growth, and we're excited about what next year will show. We're actually this year, I would say, we're using it to an extent of where students are using it continually, but there's this teacher piece that we're looking forward to add on to it, but we didn't have the capacity to do

076that this year, and that's why a secondary interventionist will also be really helpful. So, for grammar, you can see that we were at 42% in that foundational area, and now decreased to 34% with a growth in our advanced area to 11% that was originally at seven, and a little bit of a growth within our intermediate range as well. And then comprehension, it also started at 17% in that uh foundational area with a decrease to 9%, and we see an advanced growth for 6 to 8th grade level from 10% to 32%. So, a huge celebration there and excited to see how that will benefit students for years to come. So, this again is personalized for students. So, it's based on what they need and their placement test that they take. This allows the middle school right

077now to have some PLC time with teachers, but it also gives a tool that students can have to use during that time that's beneficial rather than just sitting around waiting for advisory to get over or for their teachers to get done with PLCs. So, very intentional use of time and staff is really loving it at the middle school. So, we're excited to see that as well. And then we're able to use this data to respond and give support. Um there's accountability to it. We can see what students are doing and how they're moving through and it motivates them. We have some middle schoolers who are really loving uh we have Melissa Miller and Lynn Guast who have kind of taken the lead on it and they're getting prizes and students even at a middle school

078level are loving that. So, So, that brings us to the secondary interventionist. While all of that data is great, we don't have the capacity to intervene if a student's getting stuck somewhere in PowerUp. We don't have the capacity to provide that small group instruction if students are in that foundational area and not moving. So, now our historical data has shown it in the past um teachers have continually asked about it at the middle school and high school level and are concerned about students at those foundational levels and we have the data to support it between PowerUp, FastBridge, and CAP T and help us make really informed decisions about who needs that support. And the READ Act also calls us to act. If we have that data showing that students aren't getting or aren't at grade

079level with reading, we have to respond. So, this will allow us to respond and ACCESS funding, which is a about a 50/50 split. So, they'll fund 50% of the FTE. Well, the district funds the other piece and ACCESS I thought I put it somewhere in the slides, but ACCESS is basically a uh efforts to try and prevent students moving into sped if they don't need it. So, it allows us to kind of cast that safety net. So, moving into next year, we are looking to do a middle school lit lab and a high school lit lab as well as a flyer hub. So, there's my ACCESS slide that I probably should have had earlier. Uh it's a two-year application. So, we actually wrote this into the application two years ago, but weren't at a point

080where we could use it and we're really looking to reduce the number of inappropriate referrals to sped. So, at the middle school, we're looking for one FTE. They'll teach four sections. The fifth section or the other um extra hour in the day will be used to coach and support teachers with the use of PowerUp or other resources and they'll be diving into data, communicating with parents and progress monitoring students. At the high school, similar model with the coaching and then there also is another component we're super excited about and again, thanks to the work that you've done to move the CEC to the high school has opened up a world of opportunities for our high school students. So, we're looking to use that space as flyer hub. So, first hour and seventh hour next year

081will be considered flyer hub. Those CEC teachers are amazing and have a depth of knowledge in four different content areas to be able to support students. So, students who are historically struggling and just need that extra boost, students who maybe are struggling in just one subject and wanting that boost to be able to feel more comfortable and confident in that can use the flyer hub to get that. So, we're really excited about that opportunity as well. Any questions about secondary intervention? Is the funding a grant or is it like an ongoing So, we have to Yeah, we have to refill out every two years. It's kind of like title applications. It's It might be called a grant. The ACCESS I was wondering if there's like a time limit on it. We just reapply every two

082years, but we've had it for at least 15 years here in Little Falls. So, Yeah. Any other questions? I like the data. Thank you for bringing that. Yeah, that's good to see. I thank you again for all that you've done to be able to support this growth in our district and I'm super excited to continue to see it. So, What was the stuff? All right, any other questions for Lisa? If not, I'd be looking for a motion to approve the secondary interventionist position. Uh motion by Sharon. Do I have a second? I'll second. Seconded by Kelsey. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed, same sign. All right, motion carries. Thanks, Lisa. Okay, next we have the uh approval of the memorandum of understanding between school and Education Minnesota.

083I'm sorry, uh do we need to approve the reading curriculum, too? Uh we did that. Oh, I did not see That was right before that. Sorry. The the two positions on the app. Sorry. Nope, that's okay. No point behind it. Just trying to help you. >> [laughter] >> Okay. So, looks like with the with the tables, a couple people got Yep. uh misplaced. The reduction of six steps in the salary schedule and placing people in their new spots, there were three individuals that ended up with a pay reduction. So, this MOU modifies that and aligns it with where other employees are at. Okay. So, it's been in your packet. You've had a chance to look at it. I guess I'm looking for a motion to approve the So moved. I'll second. Motion by Mark. Do

084I have a second? I'll second. Seconded by Dan. All right, any discussion, questions? Okay, hearing none, all in favor signify by saying I. Opposed, same sign. All right, motion carries. All right, next we have the approval of a student support specialist at Lindbergh. Just to clarify, backtracking a little bit. So, when you approve a reading curriculum and the additional FTE for secondary interventionist and now hopefully a student support paraprofessional at Lindbergh, those have been built into the revised budget moving forward. So, we we have budgeted for those. But what we've looked at with our all four of our schools is a ratio. You know, we talk about class sizes. So, we've looked at the ratio of support from principals, deans of students, counselors, social workers, and student support paraprofessionals in each one of our buildings.

085And when we look at that ratio, Lindbergh Elementary has a higher student ratio to those support staff positions than the other buildings, which makes it difficult for them to reach all the students when it comes to behavioral support. And I think the data would support um that as well when you look at referrals at Lindbergh this year. So, again, seeking your support for a similar model to what we have at Lincoln Elementary with a uh building student support paraprofessional. Is this revised every year about the number of students done so or is this just if we approve this tonight, this is a permanent position going forward? It will be, but we'll we can take a look at it again to see what the numbers come out to be. Okay, I appreciate you mentioning that it

086was factored into the budget already. So, we're just we're not just pulling these out of the air. No. Okay. Anything else? Nope. Okay, looking for a motion for the approval of a student support specialist at Lincoln or Lindbergh, excuse me. So moved. Motion by Kelsey. Do I have a second? Second. Seconded by Mark. Any questions? Okay, hearing none, all in favor signify by saying I. I. Opposed, same sign. All right, motion carries. Next, we have the resolution reducing and discontinuing educational programs and positions. This It's my motion. You need to So, you need to read it. Sorry. Yeah, every January you you direct me to look at our budget, to look at programs and as we saw the numbers of student registrations that came at came in at the high school this spring for next

087year uh based on a decrease in the number of students interested in business classes, we're recommending to reduce the business program by a 0.3 FTE. All right, whereas the school board of Independent School 42 adopted a resolution on January 5th, directing the administration to make recommendations regarding the reduction and or discontinuance of programs and positions. And whereas said recommendations have been received and considered by the the Board of Education. Be it resolved by the Board of Education of Independent School District number 42 as follows: that the following programs and positions or portions thereof be discontinued. So, 0.53 FTE business education teacher. I'll second your motion. Okay. So, then our roll call vote would be Dan. Yes. Doug. Yes. Julie. >> Yes. Sharon. >> Yes. Doug. Or Mark. Yes. Myself, yes. We just have to vote

088twice. >> [laughter] >> Okay, resolution carries. Can I write these down for you, Lisa? >> did for Sharon. >> [laughter] >> Okay, looks like another resolution for you, Kelsen. This is related to the previous resolution, obviously. We have a a teacher that will be impacted by that reduction, so seeking your approval of step one in that ULA process. Be it resolved by the school board of Independent School District number 42 as follows, that it is proposed that Shannon Larson, a continuing contract tenured teacher of said district, be placed on unrequested leave of absence without pay or fringe benefits at the end of the 2025-2026 school year, effective June 30th, 2026 for a 0.53 FTE business education position. Said action is taken in accordance with the district master agreement and pursuant to Minnesota statute 122A.40, subdivision

08910, upon the grounds described in said statute and which are specifically as follows, um lack of pupils. Your proposed placement on unrequested leave of absence is not the result of implementation of an education district agreement. Be it further resolved that the notice of proposed placement on unrequested leave, together with a copy of this resolution, be forwarded to said teacher and that an affidavit of the same be placed on the teacher's personnel file with a copy of the notice and resolution. I will second. Okay, let's try this again. Dan? Yes. Doug? >> Yes. Julie? >> Yes. Sharon? >> Yes. Mark? >> Yes. Myself, yes. Okay, thank you, Kelsen. I have a question. Well, no, now we have the Canvassing votes? Yeah, the resolution canvassing the votes on the special election. Um I don't know if there's

090anything really for you to read, right? No. It's just It's just more, yeah. It's just more, um so it's confirming the Yeah. Yeah, these are the official results from each of the three combined polling places as well as the absentee ballots that were submitted. Okay. So, I would look for a motion Yes, on 11.8. So, because it's a resolution, we still go through a individual vote? >> We'll call the vote. Yeah, I would do that. >> Okay. So, does anybody want to second that? I'll second. Okay. Roll call. Dan? Yes. Doug? >> Yes. Julie? >> Yes. Sharon? >> Yes. Mark? >> Yes. Myself, yes. Okay, thank you. And then looks like we need to do the same thing for 11.9 for canvassing the documentation, which is the certification filings, mailings, all the, um postal notifications,

091those types of things, so I would second that. Okay. Dan? Yes. Doug? >> Yes. Julie? >> Yes. Sharon? >> Yes. Mark? >> Yes. Myself, yes. All right. I think you're off the hook now. Thank you. All right, next 11.10 we have the, um first reading of the policies. There's a a variety of policies in here. Um looks like six of them. Um I guess the one thing that I would like to comment on or one of them is the it's just the use of artificial intelligence. I mean, I know that is a ever-changing, it is almost daily and stuff, so I think it's important that I mean, that we that we have a policy, but understand that it could it's so fluid right now that it could change and I mean, this one could be

092we could be modifying this quite a bit, so just to, um just to be aware of that. Very true. And is that one that MSBA has as well, so we're kind of modeling that one, right? >> Yep. Here we go. Comes up. >> question. I I asked this at, well, at the last workshop. After we do the first read tonight, the policies, can those all be printed onto our website so we can get feedback from the people who are actually affected by these and have points that maybe we do not realize? Well, I I would be careful so that it's not confusing that that's the policy. >> But it says right on the if we said on the top, these are what we are considering. Cuz they do have access to these through our board

093packet, right? >> No. Yes and no. They not through the packet. Some of these are on the website, most of them are, but the AI policy, artificial intelligence, is brand new, so it wouldn't be unless we get it out there. So, we could put something that was a propo- a link to proposed policies. >> So, on our website, if somebody wants to know the policy we're considering, vending machine, it is on there at this time? Mhm. Cuz I've been asked about that and either they can't find it and I have I'm honest, I haven't looked for it on on the website. But you're saying they have the old one, not the proposed what we're Correct, there are some revisions, yeah, that the state makes. But if they go to our school board link, the very

094bottom of the page it has district policies. Under consideration. Not under consideration, they're all listed, but we can add an under consideration link. I mean, it needs to be clarified that we haven't voted for these changes yet. Correct. But there's things that happen in the classrooms that I have no knowledge of or I don't know how it's going to affect how the teacher works with the students that day or the parents. Okay. Any other thoughts? Okay, well, it's [snorts] not a not an action item, just a more of a discussion item. >> I agree with you completely on that AI that that's something that's got to be really fine-toothed. Mhm. Did anybody else get an email, a questionnaire asking us about our AI policy? I didn't. And it's from some research, but, you know, it's

095an email, it's like, I don't know what it's all about. I got I got one from a gentleman that wants to know if anybody in the district is interested in foreign exchange students that wanted to be in our wrestling program and he needed but I don't know where that one came from. Yeah, if you're ever curious, forward it to me and I can, like, you know. Okay. All right, that's it for new business. Old business, um the property detachment request. Um you recall last meeting we, um heard from the Crosbys and they spoke about that, so um I would look for a motion. I'll so move. I have a motion by Sharon, do I have a second? What's the motion? What what are we approving it or No, to to Oh, the the motion to

096approve the property detach request. So, the motion that they're that we approve them leaving or their I guess, for lack of a better word, their their property their property their tax money going to Swanville instead of instead of the school, so. So, a yes will allow and a no won't. A yes will allow will confirm that their tax money will go to Swanville. Okay. A no will not. All right. Okay, yep. Yep, no, I understand, so. Okay. So, I have a motion by Sharon, do I have a second? Second. Okay, I have a second. Any further discussion? This is a tough issue for us. Mhm. I mean, it's it's I know I said it before, it we could be opening up a huge can of worms. The district lines have been set for years. If

097we start messing around with them, um It's more problems in the future. >> It's more problems and other school districts might want to restructure and then we you know, we got bussing to think about and how to get the kids here and um and actually, I don't think it's our decision anyway. Eventually, it's just looking for us to approve it to pass it on. But I just, uh I think we leave things the way they are. I'm sorry, I just I'm going to vote no on it. Okay. Any further discussion? Okay, hearing none, all in favor signify by saying aye. Opposed, same sign. Aye. Aye. Aye. Nay. Aye. Okay, motion Denied. Denied. Okay. Reports from board members. Mark, start with you. Uh well, I'll start off with the the land we own north of the

098Pine Grove Zoo. This is really getting interesting because half the people who signed the deed for Ducks Unlimited are retired or dead. I trust >> tired. No one on the DU committee or the original committee going back remembers anything about it. It was donated by a bank out of St. Cloud with that deed restriction. They think maybe Paul at Pappenfus was involved with it and she's passed away. So, I can't check with her. Um with talking to one district out from DUE, thought the thing could be lifted completely. And when I met with a guy Friday night at the Ducks Unlimited banquet, he said, "Well, at the very least we'll get the grazing lifted." So, someone could use it to put critters out there. So, that's kind of where we're sitting with that right now.

099Still waiting for DUE to get back to me, but But, they won't be able to allow critters to graze on it because it's within the city limits and you can't have cows in the city limits. Damn city hall. >> Now it's getting [laughter] really interesting. Damn city hall. Dang it. I'll tell the dude that night. >> [laughter] >> So, anyway, that won't Yeah, that won't help us. I didn't even think about no cows in city limits. Well, maybe we put antlers on them and see if they're cute. You can't shoot them. >> So, what's the next steps with that then? Waiting for DUE to get back to me now. Now they They've done their research. I mean, they didn't have records of it either. They didn't even have a copy of the deed. Because they

100had moved offices at that point and when they're looking at the signatures, they're going, "These guys are all gone." I really think this thing was done with a handshake. So, I'll keep working on it, but Thanks, Mark. Like I said, one said, "Yeah, we'll do it." The other one said, "Well, we'll do the grazing, but then Okay. Thanks. Sharon? I just want to say thank you again to Chuck and Becca on the ice fest and I've been honored to represent the school board for the last 9 years working with him. It's been an awesome. And I'm one of you gets to do it next year. So, it'll be your [laughter] What do you mean? You have more time. I won't be on the school board. I'm sorry. Well, actually you'll be in I will I'll

101still be I'll still be helping. I'm looking forward to the cuz I've talked to him and Becca about the 10th coming up. I'm excited about plans that they're hoping to pull through with. Somebody needs to represent the school board for it. Thank you, Julie. Kelsey? I have a couple things. Um that Little Falls Education Foundation Craig touched a little bit, but it was actually a really fun day. We brought these giant checks to the classroom of the recipients and got to award them with these giant checks. They were all so surprised and I think there was like six of us Yeah. that went in. So, I mean, it was like, "Oh my gosh, who are these people coming into my classroom?" It was scary at first, but then when they saw the big check, they

102were really excited. So, >> do the banks take out? Um they cashed them, right? >> [laughter] >> Yeah. Can't use the drive-thru, I don't know. No. It was a really fun time. I think that Education Foundation wants to continue that tradition every year and was super super fun day. Um I did meet There I got some information from Gianna Toma. She was one of our grant um our elected grants that we did. Um she is going to be purchasing a dynamic floor system. I mean, she wanted me to share with you guys a little bit about what that is. Um in their fine motor at classroom, they're going to have like this projector. See if I get explaining this, right? Gianna's probably going to watch this. Um but they it will project these different movements

103that the kids will get to participate in as well. So, um She sent a video. I can share it with you guys, but it looks pretty cool. So, she's really excited about that. >> That part of AI. It's like old-timing aerobics >> [laughter] >> for VHS. Projection. Projection. And I think it puts little lights on the floors and stuff too for them. So, it's super fun. Um Mr. Dovis uh wants to remind everybody that kindergarten come and see day is Thursday this week. So, all the little kindergarteners have the day off, so the preschoolers can come in. Super exciting for them to start welcoming in a a new group of kids. And then um I'm going to bring up my email. Gianna had one more thing. Um she says shout-out to DAPE teacher Michelle Bring

104and SPED coordinator Emily Museus Museus for their work on getting the Flyers motor lab set up in our early at childhood gym. This project was funded by Bernicks and is a program designed to improve learning readiness, coordination, and attention. This will be piloted at the preschool this spring and will eventually expand to the K-12 students as well. So, a lot of a lot of fun new technology things coming, which is fun. That's all I have. Thank you. Dan? Uh Lindbergh had a penny war challenge between the different pods in the classrooms and grades and pod 4B won it. Um they received hours worth of board games in the pack along with an ice cream sundae and in total uh they raised $1,663.85 for the Morrison County food shelf. So, it was very appreciated by them

105and and uh they actually sent a letter back to the school. So, nice. And I will just say that um Superintendent Johnson alluded to it earlier with the um activities banquet, but it's um busy time up at the high school with scholarship night and um musical and just a lot of the end of the year activities coming up. So, um if you have never been at the scholarship night, it's amazing. So, um I don't know that it's necessarily an open invitation, but I have to check on that, but that is that's a pretty cool night. There's a lot of money given away, so to our students. So, The past they accepted invites. Yeah, okay, yeah. That could be so. Um any other business to come before the board? >> Just real quick, Kelsey made me

106think of it. Our kindergarten incoming kindergarten numbers for next year are almost identical to last year's. So, we're keeping pace with that. 125, 130 number for next fall. Just wanted you to know that as we approach come and see day. And then I mentioned we had hired our new activities director and then we have a couple of key coaching positions that have been recently filled with head football, um head soccer, and currently posted as head hockey, but you'll see some press releases coming out this week introducing some of these new positions to the community. Okay. Anything else? All right. Next Monday. Next Monday, yep, 5:00. All right, this meeting is adjourned. Oh, yeah. Make a motion to someone. I'll second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. All right. Thank you. You're all welcome.