001Oh, this morning this meeting is order. Please join us in the pledge to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. [clears throat] One nation under God, indivisible with justice forever. All right, with the roll call show, um, all board members are present except for Eric Ming and Scott. Oh, Eric is on. >> I'm here. [laughter] >> How cold is it in Florida? >> It's 54 degrees. >> You're not here then. >> Um, and Scott, actually, Scott Lman, um, is on his way, so he should come in. Um we will go on to citizens comments. Uh we have um one citizen comment Mary B. >> Great. Good evening members of the board and fellow community members. My name is Mary Ba and you probably know that um
002but I've taught in Prince for 33 years. I'm a special education teacher, first grade teacher, and currently an intervention teacher. I also taught one year of premarin during co I loved it. And last year I taught first grade for the first two weeks until additional teacher could be hired. I stand before you today fully aware of the numbers on the page. I know the budget is tight and your projections say we are facing declining enrollment, but I'm also here to speak about a set of numbers that don't show up in the district ledger. the rising cost of rent, cost of insurance, and the monthly bills that wait for no one. While the number of students in our hallways may be changing, the cost of living for those at the front of the classroom is only
003going up. Teaching today is a different job than it was even just 5 years ago. We're seeing a record number of students with significant academic and emotional needs. We show up every single day with one mindset, providing an education that will help our students succeed. We act as educators, counselors, crisis managers. That is why using test scores as a reason to withhold fair wage is quite frankly an insult. Telling us we are not meeting the grade when we are doing everything humanly possible is not a way to work to motivate the workforce. It's a way to demoralize it. The test scores are a snapset of a moment in time, often reflecting socioeconomical factors far beyond the classroom. They do not capture the hours we spend after school, the emotional labor of supporting a struggling child,
004or the fact that teachers will earn roughly 73 cents for every dollar made by peers in similar um professions. We must recognize that declining enrollment is not a reason to underpay. It's a reason to compete. If we allow our wages to stagnate while the job becomes harder, we enter a doom loop where we lose our best educators to neighboring districts. A budget is more than a math problem. It is a statement of our values. Retention is the best budget strategy. The cost of recruiting and training new staff far outweighs the cost of a fair raise for the experts already here. Support leads to safety. When teachers are compensated fairly, they have the bandwidth to manage the complex behavioral needs that now define the the modern classroom. Respect over retribution. You cannot test score your way
005out of a teacher shortage. You invest your way out of it. We are not asking for a miracle. We're asking for a seat at the table to find creative solutions. Let's stop glorifying the sacrifice of the underpaid teacher and start priorit prioritizing the impact of a wellsupported one. Our students deserve it and quite frankly our bills require it. Thank you for listening and thank you for your time. >> Thank you Mary. >> All right, we will move on to uh schoolboard member reports and we'll start with Eric. uh attended the schoolboard conference in January and then um had finance for this meeting. [clears throat] >> Yeah, Scott, >> nothing new required. >> Okay, I had agenda planning. >> Um we just had finance and then I went to the town hall and I don't remember
006what else in the time crunch. Oh yeah. >> Um we had public engagement since our last meeting, I think. >> And just um a mention that the robotics tournament is here in town this weekend at the middle school and the high school. So come check out the um cool robots in the middle school musical is off to a start. So >> on to the spring. >> Yeah, >> Kind of. We're in that transition. >> Yes. Um I also attended the town hall meeting. Um, I had agenda planning and finance meeting also. So, next we will move on to student council report. Uh, toddler and preschool story time with Miss Tiffany at the Princeton Library was yesterday. Um, baby story time with Miss Amy is at the Princeton Library tomorrow. >> The character trait for February
007for the primary school is cooperation. Um, you could donate your shoes for the all-incclusive playground. And on I think it's next week, February 12th, it's the 100th day of school. And for the intermediate, the it is the I love to read month. And this Thursday, students will wear a sports shirt. In the middle school, uh the bookstore just started and conference start Thursday and continue to Friday. In the high school, the high school is putting on a band concert next Monday and then Sophonic Wins will go to contest and compete and perform this in front of everyone else the day after. The Snow Days dance is on Friday the 13th next week. There are dressup days, uh Disney characters Tuesdays, or Wednesday, Silly Soft, Jersey, and Color Day. A student council is selling Hershey kisses
008for 50 cents in a and crush cans for a dollar. And the pop drive uh pop tab drive ends this Thursday. Currently, juniors hold the lead, seniors follow staff, and then freshman and sophomores are near tied. >> The Valentine's Day flower is um open for anybody who wants to buy bouquets or for their loved ones. >> That's all. >> All right. Thank you very much. Superintendent report back. >> Yeah, thank you. And few things going on again in the last couple weeks and just kind of go through some of the highlights. Um continue to have my um admin and midyear goals check in and talk about uh where we're at there and progress and what's happening. Um obviously in the last two weeks we did have another e-learning day. Um so those are popping up
009more than I would like. uh they we now have used three. So I think it's important for everybody to know that there's two remaining. If we use those two and I told you a day after that um we would look at how to make up that day. Um right now we do have potentially Easter Monday sitting there that we may have to come to the board and we're going to consider if we do a calendar switch for that. Um but let's just hope that two is enough to hang on for the rest of this winter and we get through the winter just fine. Um but I do want people to start thinking ahead in case we get some blizzards come. Uh we had the ATPS uh steering committee meeting kind of our midyear meeting and
010that went really well. Um I still uh say that the the structure we have in place is a really nice structure for affecting student learning. So I'm really pleased that all we've have that put together in this district and work really well with that. Um had been a legislative town hall uh um meeting uh last week and I know Melissa and Dev and I were all there. Um saw Representative Lawrence and Senator Matthews uh just there to answer questions and pretty interesting at times. Well, it was kind of a little lightly at times in the meeting, but uh overall it was a really good uh uh meeting and a time for I know I got up and talked a little bit about, you know, school needs and and we know that schools are highly underund
011underfunded and to make sure that they uh um consider that as they go in their legislative sessions. Um um continue to have administrative and executive teams and other leadership meetings throughout the throughout each week. Um, I uh start to uh meet in the buildings a little bit um of how might we I call it how might we look at maybe our Spanish immersion program to make sure that it's in full fidelity and we're giving it our kids the best learning opportunities. Um, I know we've had uh some uh starting to have some how might we um look at uh how we can support the teachers and staff into helping um move our test scores in a direction that we'd all be um really happy with. Um I know that our teachers [clears throat] work really
012hard on that already, but how might we improve that? So, it's a teamwork thing. Um, I know that we're also having principal meetings right now with the with the three of us talking about our budget um moving into next year, mainly looking at enrollment and what that uh would consider for for class sizes and so on moving forward. So, those meetings are happening. Um, we've started up our uh referendum discussions on Wednesdays now to to talk with uh our our partners that are with ICS and the construction management group and so on to talk about what is that going to look like moving forward. Um, and we know that that's on the resolution tonight for a May 12th uh um referendum election. Um, uh, Rum River had its or meeting that I know Eric Ms
013and I were at, uh, virtually. Um, it's probably one of their longer meetings, but we made it through it. Uh, couple highlights from there, though, is they they, um, are building a new building, uh, Rem River in Malaca, and that is level four program for students. So, we'll have a shorter ride for any of our students that need that, um, that programming. and that uh that uh level four u building and MAC are going to partner up with a uh um school resource officer and um and so that they will have that ability to be there to help those students if need. Um we um and speaking of kind of Rum River, I'll just throw this in there. I just heard today that our special education uh um uh coordinator which is hired through Rum
014River uh was named the special education administrator of the year by Mace which is Minnesota administrators for special education. So Tanya Tacker is um the administrator of the year for special education this year. >> Um uh so it's nice to have that as somebody that works with us. Um, and then, uh, lastly, I just say, you know, we had agenda planning. I know Deb and Don and I met, we did that. I'm starting to get into this cycle of making sure I get out to every buildings at least every two weeks and then eat with the kids. I've started that this Monday. Um, it's really fun. It's fun for for me to sit and talk to the kids. It's also fun to see what's going on in the classrooms and and the great work that's
015happening in our school. So, um, I try to get out there at least every two weeks to every building. Um, so that that seems to be working. Um, we had a crisis planning meeting today and we're really looking at any value add things that we can bring to our crisis planning. Uh, one of the things that that uh is going to be a simple thing is uh we're putting the um classroom numbers so that you can see from the outside windows. Um if you want to see a sample of it, it's on my office window, but um we'll have those going up here in the next probably month to to six weeks. So expect to see that on our buildings for the um emergency staff to know exactly where where the uh problems might be
016if they're they're coming around outside of building. Um but other there's other uh value ads that we're looking at for the crisis plan. I'll bring those when we get that more refined. Um and then lastly, Lions meeting last night. Uh two big things happened with the Lions meeting. One is we got the big fishing uh uh tournament, so ice fishing on February 22nd out at Green Lake. And for those that want raffle tickets, it's uh me and the Lion Eric over there that has them. So you can come find some tickets if you want raffle tickets. Um and then the Lions are really uh uh interested in how they can help uh the inclusive playground. Um there's a really big opportunity this year for that and I know we're going to have meetings of how
017we can make that help uh the the inclusive playground. There's and we're talking some considerable well money if we can if we can somehow between the Lions and what's been already donated get up to 150,000. They think we can get a grant from the regional Lions Club for another 150 and get it up to 300,000. So, um I've uh asked for some meetings for that and see if we can get that going and maybe move that faster, but um I know Eric was at the meeting last night. There's there's at least one person that's pretty passionate about making that happen. So, we'll see if we can get that to happen. >> Well, with all that, that was my report. >> All right. Thank you. Uh we [clears throat] will move on to item number six,
018approve the agenda. Is there a motion to approve the agenda as presented? Some motion's been made by Melissa. Is there a second? >> Second by Jen. Uh, any comments or questions? >> All right. Hearing none. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Opposed. All right. Agenda is approved. Item number seven, discuss and act on previous board meeting minutes. Is there a motion to approve the [clears throat] minutes as presented? >> So moved. >> Motion's been made by Don. Is there a second? >> Second by Scott. Um, any comments or questions on the minutes? All right. Hearing none. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Opposed. All right. Minutes are approved. Uh, consent agenda. Is there a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented? >> Motion made by Jen. Is there a second?
019>> Second by Melissa. Any comments or questions on the consent. All right. Hearing none. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Sorry. [clears throat] >> Got it. Consent agenda is approved. >> Well, you did forget about me on on reports, so I just want to make sure I'm heard. >> Do you have any reports for us? >> Uh, no. Our our awesome superintendent filled filled everybody in about Rum River North. >> Sorry about that. You got to speak up. >> All right, we'll go on. Uh we have no information items tonight. So we'll go to our first action item the of the budget parameters is uh 10A the state uh legislature. So the state legislature uh released the number last Friday as to what they are saying we should use and that number is
0202.68%. All right. So, is there a motion to approve um a motion to accept the state percentage as presented? >> So, moved. >> Uh motion's made by Scott. Is there a second? Second. >> Second by Don. Um any any discussion, comments, questions? All right. Hearing none. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Opposed. All right. 2.68. Is that what it is? 2.68. >> All right. We'll move on to class sizes. This is the same as what we had. >> Same as what we had from last year. Yeah. Okay. >> No changes. Um, is there a motion to approve the recommended class size ranges? Some motion made by Melissa. Is there a second? >> Second. Second by Scott. Um, any um comments, questions. All right. All in favor say I. >> I. >> No. No.
021All right. Uh motion is approved. We'll move on to resolution calling for special election. >> Have to read the whole >> pages. No, you don't. >> I just meant like that thing. I wasn't going to recall of that thing. >> You can read that. It's just that thing there. >> Cap letters. Yes. >> Great. Uh I move to approve the resolution for relating relating to determining the necessity of issuing general obligation bonds and approving a new capital project levy authorization and calling a special election thereon. >> Very good. All right. So motion's been made by Melissa. Is there a second? >> Second by Jen. Any questions, comments? All right. Hearing none, we will uh vote by roll call on this. And we're going to start with Eric Minkx. >> Yes. >> Standard. >> Yes. >>
022All right. Resolution passes. >> Last item here is pay equity. >> So in your uh in your you have two forms. Uh the first one is the pay equity implementation report. Um this just basically states that uh all of the data was entered into the job evaluation system. Our payroll for last year was 28,748,000. Um that uh this was posted in the district office here and then copies were also sent to each of the building or each of the um specific unions. The compliance report is what was evaluated by the state. Um, basically they're looking for in category 2 the statistical analysis test. Uh, our score was a 97. We needed to have either a zero or above 80. So, we met that requirement. On the salary test range um was also needed to be
023either a zero or over 80. Ours is at 81.81. So, it is meets that requirement. And then the exceptional service of pay test uh also has to either be at zero or above 80 and it's at 119. So that did pass. Um I did receive a certificate actually from the state already um stating that our pay equity was um compliant. [clears throat] >> All right. Uh any questions for Jason equity? Uh if not, would somebody like to make a motion to accept the 2026 pay equity compliance report as presented? >> So >> motion's been made by Scott. Is there a second? >> That's good. >> Second by Jen. Uh any questions or comments? >> Hearing none, all in favor say I. >> I opposed. All right. A equity is approved. We have no additions to
024the agenda. Um so I'll look for a motion to adjurnn. So moved. >> Motion made by Don. Is there a second? >> Second. Second by Melissa. All in favor say I. >> Oppos. And you have 40 minutes to get to your caucus. Thank