001Hello, Bloomington Public Schools community. I'm Tom Bennett, school board chair. And I'm Superintendent Eric Melbye. We'd like to share a few highlights from the January 26th school board meeting, and the special meeting on January 21st. But first, I'd like to say welcome, Chair Bennett. Congratulations on being elected board chair for 2026. And I'd also like to note that at our early January organizational meeting, we swore in board members who were elected this fall. And that includes newly elected board member Ted Moore. Welcome, Ted. Thank you. I'm looking forward to this next year of working with you as chair of the board. And I also want to first mention the school board special meeting on January 21st, where the board adopted a resolution affirming and reinforcing Bloomington Public Schools commitment to student safety and access to
002education. At our January 26th meeting, we formally adopted the Strategic Choices for a Sustainable Future Plan to meet the targets set by the board of reducing the district's 2026-27 operating expenses by $5 million. We have an outline of approved budget reductions on our website if you would like to learn more. We also approved our legislative priorities for the 2026 Session. We're advocating for Minnesota lawmakers to modernize testing, enact safety policies, and adopt policies that reflect current student needs. Continuing with our bargaining unit negotiations. The school board approved and ratified the 2025-2027 contracts with the Association of Bloomington Clerical and Health Services units. And the school board accepted a $10,000 grant from the Minnesota Vikings to support another year of Kennedy High School’s girls flag football program. Last spring, the team finished their first season with
003an impressive 10-2 record, a section championship, and made it to the quarterfinals of the state tournament. We're grateful to the Vikings organization for their generous support. That's all for our January 26th meeting recap. We'll see you again in February.