001Good afternoon and welcome to the May Duluth School Board listening session. I'll turn it over to our interim clerk, Joe Lofald, to call roll, please. >> Thank you, member Henry Banks. >> Here. >> Chair Eder. >> Yes. >> Member Member Lofald Kemp. >> Here. >> I'm here. Um Clerk Sarah Mikaelson is excused. Member Zadrozny, our treasurer, is also excused. Stephanie Williams Oh, I'm sorry. Member Zadrozny. Yeah. >> I'm here. >> Treasurer Zadrozny. Um Member Williams. >> Here. >> Superintendent Magus. >> Here. >> Assistant Superintendent Bonds. >> Present. >> Deputy Clerk Simone Zunich. >> Present. >> Board Secretary Patty Piquette. >> Here. >> Um student representative from East Colina, Madala. >> Here. >> Roll is taken. Thank you so much. I'll now have um Member Lofald Kemp, please read our 11 tools of civility. >> Thank
002you. We read the 11 tools of civility each month um and the board adopts it each year. Uh this school board recognizes 11 tools of civility that will provide increased opportunities for civil discourse in order to find positive resolutions to the issues that face our community. These tools include pay attention, listen, be inclusive, don't gossip, show respect, be agreeable, apologize, give constructive criticism, take responsibility, be honest, and care for others, show your evidence, share your reasoning. Uh Uh the Speak Your Peace Civility Project. Thank you. >> Thank you, member Laffler-Kemp. Um Interim Clerk Lowenthal, can you go over the rules of the session, please? >> So, we're going to cover just a few of the rules that um govern the listening session tonight, but we are hoping that many of you that are speaking tonight
003have already read over policy 206, which is our listening session and our communication policy that's in our book that's usually attached to our um listening session form that you fill out. And also, I think there's a document that comes up, too, that has a little bit more detail. But for tonight, here is the information we'd like to share again, too. If you have handouts for the school board tonight, we ask that you give them to our executive board secretary, Patty Paquette, right over there. We also ask that persons addressing the board will have 3 minutes, and this is the timer, and we uh press the the start button, and you can see that, you know, the the light will be on, will be green, and then we push the the stop button, and we'll let
004you know that your time has has um has elapsed. Um Chair Eder will do a little gentle tap when you get to like 5. Do you do 5 seconds before 3 minutes? That'll be great. So, you have 3 minutes. When speaking, the use of negatively personally identified language is not permitted. That includes names of staff or names of other individuals in our community. Persons addressing the board may not merge their time in order to allow one person to speak more than 3 minutes. The clerk of the board, which tonight is me, will start the stoplight timer at the start of each person's time. Green means go, yellow means wrap up. You probably have 15 seconds, and red means that your time has elapsed. When the red light comes on, the chair will gavel lightly to
005signal you to end, and um we ask politely that you do that tonight so we can all get our um message across. In the interest of respect for every listening session speaker, please hold any commentary or applause during the speaker's time until they are finished. Um the mic directions, there are I think right now I see there's two mics up there. I I like these personally the best. They pick up better and there's one right there and you just push the button and when it's green light, it means that the mic is on. So, thank you for coming tonight to share a message. >> All right, with that we're going to start and we would like to welcome Lindsay Youngman up to the podium to speak with us. Welcome, Lindsay. >> Hi, everyone. I want
006to thank the board and district Oh. >> Can you put your mic close, please? >> Yeah. Okay. So, I'm good? >> It just allows for online to hear us. >> Okay. So, I want to thank the board and district AI team for the May 5th board meeting decision to pause the Gemini rollout on high schoolers' Chromebooks. I agree we're ahead of the game by having some policies in place, but I also want to affirm that by pausing, we are also leading the way. [clears throat] I'm primarily here tonight to talk about how we use this moment in light of the pause. First, we must expect more rigorous research. I spoke at length in March about recent studies raising concerns about AI dependency and emailed the board another study in April. So, I was startled by
007the May 5th presentation that claimed AI deepens critical thinking skills without any evidence to support that. I don't mean an example activity, I mean actual studies. In the superintendent's late April newsletter, it was promised that any technology decisions would be research-based. And if If Google AI impact on cognitive development, you will see result after result that shows it harms critical thinking in adolescence. Second, I agree with the May 5th discussion about needing to prepare students for a future in which AI exists. But I disagree that therefore AI must be used in the classroom and it's only a matter of how. As neuroscientist Jared Horvath puts it, the tools experts use to make their lives easier are not the tools kids should use to learn how to become experts. If you really want students to be
008good at AI, he says, give them the strongest possible general education, so when they're older and experts, they can bring meaning to the machine. Before my 14 years at UMD, I taught high school English for 6 years, and my favorites were ninth graders. If you stand in front of a room full of freshmen, they are not at a stage of their education where the top priority is workforce prep. This points us back to our grade level standards for each subject. What do we want kids to learn? High school is the time for kids to discover their own voices, explore their own thoughts, wrestle with authentic challenges, and figure out who they are. Then once they decide on a path, they'll delve into the technical skills needed for their fields, be that college, vocational training, or
009certifications. For example, I bookmarked a recent email I got for a Gemini training for UMD staff. It said, "Drowning in repetitive admin tasks, messy email chains, or data entry? Learn to use Gemini as your digital intern to eliminate bottlenecks." These are not things teenagers need to worry about. One bullet even said, "Train the AI to draft announcements in your exact professional tone." Our job is to help students learn to write so they have a professional tone they recognize as their own. Let's use this time we've bought ourselves as a district to be more AI resilient in the way we teach these foundational skills so kids can't skip them. That is how we prepare them to succeed in whatever path they choose. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next, we have Pete Reynolds. Pete, please come up.
010Pete. Thank you. Welcome, Pete. >> All right. Thank you. Um I'm a community member and grandparent of two children in the district, and I want to um call out a suggestion I made in an email to the board on April 23rd regarding the uh whatever happens with the AI rollout. Um when new technologies come along, it's easy to think that students must learn how to use them to compete in the job market, and we do them a disservice if we don't now offer instruction within K-12 on how to build those skills. We should recognize though that it isn't an ability to use the new technology that allows students to flourish after they graduate, but their ability to continually learn, synthesize information across multiple domains, communicate, collaborate, and creatively solve problems, and and most of all,
011to be able to adapt as the world changes around them. As As I suggested in my email, we don't need to see these goals as mutually exclusive. The concerns around the use of AI and whether and how it can be best be leveraged by teachers and students to further student growth offers a really rich opportunity. It's an opportunity for students to gain a deep understanding of AI tools at the same time they exercise and develop their skills, collaboratively explore issues that cut across multiple domains, synthesize their findings, and share what they have learned with uh the district and community stakeholders. Um you'll recall my suggestion involves exploring how a project might run at the high school level that engages students in exploring the issues around the use of AI within their school, working with the
012technology team and community partners to understand the technology and its implications, explore and test options a district might consider, and make a series of recommendations on how the district might proceed. Um I I think it's the kind of opportunity that is is not only much richer experience for students as they might look at this stuff, but I think it'd give a much richer view to the the board and the district on what what is possible. Um I've spent the last 10 years in Milwaukee putting these kinds of projects together. I'd be happy to volunteer to help see what it that could look like here cuz I know the the board's received a lot of input, but the the listening to what a student has to say and deeply engaging them to work is to a
013world of difference and I think it's a great opportunity to offer that to students. So, thank you. >> Thank you so much. Next we have Lauren Martel. Mr. Martel. Welcome, [snorts] Lauren. >> Uh thank you. Um I'm not going to read this verbatim uh after having conversation with the third district rep, but I do want to make a few comments here. Um I'm very concerned about the fact that STC is sitting over there empty for now 15 years. Um it was a beloved school in our community. It was highly functional. We were promised it would not be shut down and then that promise was broken. Um O'Rourkes has made it clear that he'd he'd be willing to sell it. Uh I think uh it's given given all the investments you've made over the past couple
014of decades and you run up a bill of well over half a billion on buildings. It seems foolish not to not to reach out here and see what we can do. You've got a capacity crunch after all the money that has been spent on facilities and we've got a building over there only 31 years old. A 52,000 square foot building. And the man has said he he wants to talk about selling it. I think we could get it back for a song. I've talked to many people in this community that want it back. It was beloved in this community. STC was beloved. And it's highly functional It was highly functional and you need the space. You're You're crowded into the two high schools and we need that space. And I'm begging they have some kind
015of reaction here to the public. I've spoken to many people in this community that want this. But we can never move the rock. I mean, you can never petition your government here in 21 years. And you've run up so much money on facilities. So, I'm begging you here again as I have many times in the past that think about this. And listen to my my neighbors who live in the middle here and we for years we've been begging and begging and begging for this and that from this school district with no response. And you've run up so much money. We pay the bill. So, I'm begging you here. Uh that's all I'm going to say for tonight. There's other people that wanted to speak for another things, but this is very important to me and
016it's important to many of my neighbors. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Martel. Next, we have Sarah Saris Wells. Welcome, Sarah. >> Thank you. Can you hear me okay? Okay. Maybe a little bit louder. >> louder? All right. Put my teaching voice on. Um Thank you. I I teach linguistics and writing at UMD. Um I have two daughters in the school district, one in fourth grade in Mesabi East at Lowell and one in sixth grade at Lincoln Park. My doctoral work in language acquisition and cognitive science and my pedagogical foundations in writing and information literacy have me thinking about AI use in education a good deal. I am deeply concerned about integrating AI tools into the education of our high school students. I have read the slides on the rollout update and appreciate the present
017pause on implementing AI. But in those slides I see information about AI use that is not supported. Um the push to get AI into schools seems driven by a fear of not keeping up and not preparing students for the workforce, but it feels rushed. I wonder why there isn't equal fear of stunting our kids' development. If students start having AI do or support their work before they develop the skills they need to read, write, think critically, solve problems, and overcome struggle, how will their developing brains learn these important skills? Reading scores are already low. Furthermore, how will students develop their own voice? People using their voices to communicate is fundamental to true democracy. Some worry that if schools aren't providing access to AI, then they aren't providing an equitable environment, but I think that giving
018students the skills they need to think critically and solve problems is what creates equity. If students must learn AI skills, teachers first need sufficient training, and we must better understand what it could mean to use AI responsibly and ensure that it's used that way without rushing. Most of my college students want to reason and write better than they are currently capable of. And many students who turn to AI do so because they lack the ability to understand and do the assignments they've been given. Much of what AI can be used for, we already have the tools to do. We have librarians, teachers, tutors, Google Scholar, our brains. Most of my students tell me they don't want to use AI. They worry about losing their skills. They're concerned about the harm data centers inflict on the
019environment. And most know it isn't ethical to take words or ideas from unnamed sources and pass them off as their own. To be clear, I don't think AI can be used responsibly or ethically. Some students use AI to create outlines, others to revise or fix the Some use it to do the whole assignment. Doing the work oneself is challenging, but it's attainable and gets easier with practice. If students don't do the work themselves, they won't truly understand the final product, and what good is that to them or to a prospective workplace? AI does not deepen critical thinking. It skips right over the process, and we owe it to our kids to understand the ripple effects of AI use before handing it to students and expecting teachers to guide so-called responsible use. Thank you. >> Thank
020you. Next, is Natalie White here? Natalie White? One more call for Natalie White. Seeing that Natalie isn't here, we will call Luca Gargesa up. Oh, sorry, Natalie. My apology, Luca. We'll get this straight one of these days. My apologies, I didn't see you back there. >> Oh, no worries. Thank you very much. >> Welcome. >> Thank you for the opportunity to address the board tonight. I appreciate it. Um I'm a a parent at Lowell of a fifth grader and a fourth grader, and I wanted to share our experience uh being students and parents in the district. We've had a a really awesome experience at Lowell and with the district and with the teachers that we work with. Um I I don't think I could ask for a better education for my children. Um and I'm
021here in support of staff who are being displaced. Um I understand that the district is in a really difficult financial situation. And and that changes other than staff uh and benefits are kind of nibbling around the edges, but at the same time, I want to be here to advocate for the fact that what we value and what has been so important to us are the teachers. Um Cyrus here was a student Profe Andres Chavez. And uh we loved so much the the extra music, um the extra cultural benefits that he got from learning from Profe Andres. Um my children have also been in the E-squared program, and that's been huge for us. I think it's given them um just some really important enrichment that they've appreciated. Um so I'm speaking for um for Profe Andres,
022for the other teachers at Lowell, um for E-squared and the reading interventionists. They've all been so important to us, and I wanted to take the time to express my appreciation. Thank you. >> [applause] >> Thank you so much. Next we have Luca. We got it right this time, Luca. What did you Okay, I'll call her if you I'll call her. Welcome, Luca. >> Hi, my name is Luca, and this is my brother Lochlan Gergis. We are currently fourth graders at Lowell Elementary. >> Over the past 6 years, conflicts are avoided. This is not healthy or okay. I'm asking this for the school board to address these conflicts at the time instead of issues being media- and and to have the issues being mediated and resolved instead of them remaining. Rumors, misinformation, more misunderstanding occurs. I
023received threats and harassments, and nothing is done. My child was threatened twice by a teacher and asked about me. Not okay, um especially when my child has particular needs. I've been and and her accommodations haven't been met. Um I requested my child to not be with this teacher. Um the principal denied my request, which is against Minnesota state statutes. Nothing will be done, just like what the school board has done in the past. Who will suffer? My family and my children. I'm requesting that teachers um get um for the professional development that they will get some psychological training, because if they themselves aren't psychologically healthy, they can't help other students and families who might need that help and can't get those resources in the classroom and other places. That will help a lot with bullying
024and with other things like that. Um I'm uncomfortable standing here with you, but it's the only way um to get someone to listen. Yeah, when teachers feel uncomfortable um um they they will harass the parent and leave out individual parents to chaperone or be involved in the classroom. This isn't okay. Um they still have a job to do. Um I'm not a threat. So just because I'm misunderstood because of my disability and and my issues and my anxiety um doesn't mean that I should get harassed um and threatened um in different ways um and not be involved in my child with my child's education. Um my child is going on a field trip tomorrow and I don't get to go. Um we've been left out of different messages that were sent to all the other
025uh students within that same grade. Is that okay? Is that right? No, it's not. But nothing's being done. Um nothing changes. Um and and even with my daughter's graduation, I'm afraid that I'm not going to get to go based on anything I say or do at this meeting or other places. Um and uh teachers work for public school. That means that their classrooms and hallways are parents and that >> Thank you, Ms. Ms. Huff. We have to move on next to Carol George. >> Um I just was informed that uh it appears that the live stream on YouTube stopped. So I if there's somebody from technology that could work to address that, I'd like to make sure that we can keep all of content. >> It skips for a minute. >> Oh, so oh, so
026it should be on. Okay, good. Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you, Superintendent. Carol. Welcome. >> Thank you. >> Not really, Lou. Can you hear me? Yes. Okay. I'm going to read a letter. It's on behalf of um a number of parents regarding the Spanish immersion program. Um so this is addressed to Superintendent Magus, Dr. Theis, and members of the ISD 709 school board. Uh, we are writing as parents, families, and supporters of the Spanish immersion program to express our concern regarding the non-renewal of Professor Profe Andres' contract for the upcoming academic year. We understand that difficult decisions are often necessary due to budget constraints, enrollment projections, and district policies, and we respect the complexities involved in staffing decisions. At the same time, we believe the situation deserves reconsideration because of the extraordinary impact that
027Profe Andres has had on students, families, and the success of the Spanish immersion program. Profe Andres is far more than just a classroom teacher. His passion, warmth, creativity, and dedication inspire students academically, socially, and emotionally. Parents consistently describe him as the kind of educator who fosters confidence, curiosity, cultural appreciation, and a genuine love of learning. Students feel supported, encouraged, and excited to come to school because of the environment that he creates. As a native speaker, he offers depth, authenticity, and richness to the language instruction that cannot be underestimated. Families have shared that their children have flourished under his instruction. My own son as well, his name is Samuel Boone, in ways that extend far beyond the language acquisition. His classroom promotes enthusiasm for education, resilience, inclusivity, and meaningful connection with him and others. For many
028students, he has become one of the most positive influences in their elementary school experience, and once again, I speak for my son, Samuel. We respectfully ask that the district to consider whether there is a creative student-centered solution that would allow Profe Andres to remain within ISD 709 and continue contributing to the Spanish immersion program. Uh one option worth exploring could be the addition of another classroom or section at Myers-Wilkins Elementary if enrollment and long-term program growth is um supports it. We also ask the district to consider the broader message this decision sends to students and families. Exceptional teachers are vital to student success and community trust um in our public education. When educators who strengthen programs are lost, the impact extends far beyond a single classroom. Our intention is not to criticize the district, but
029to advocate constructively for a solution that reflects the district's commitment to educational excellence and students' well-being. We respectfully urge ISD 709 uh leadership and the school board to revisit this decision, explore all available options, and prioritize retaining Profe Andres for the coming school year. Uh thank you for your time, your service, and your consideration for the families and students who care deeply about this program and this educator. Uh with time with limited time we were unable to collect as many signatures as we had hoped for, but rest assured there are many busy parents who like us support the retention of Profe Andres. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> [applause] >> Aaron Balance. Welcome. Okay. I Good evening. My name is Aaron Balance and I'm the parent of three students at the Spanish immersion program at
030Lowell Elementary. I'm here tonight because our community is deeply concerned about the non-budgetary displacement of Profe Andres, a beloved teacher, a native Spanish speaker, and an educator who has had an extraordinary impact on the children academically, culturally, and personally. My daughter has thrived in his classroom. Her Spanish has grown tremendously as long with her confidence and her academic success. And families across the program consistently speak of the growth they have seen under his care. But this is not simply about the about a liking a teacher. It's about preserving the integrity of the Spanish immersion program. Families choose immersion because they expect authentic language exposure and cultural learning. If we are advertising our schools as Spanish immersion, the language proficiency and cultural authenticity must be treated as essential qualifications and not optional ones. A native speaker
031brings far more than vocabulary and grammar. They bring authentic pronunciation, cultural understanding, and lived experiences that cannot be replicated through coursework alone. In immersion education, language and culture cannot be separated, and representation matters, especially in a community such as ours. I know not every teacher can be an immersion teacher can be a native speaker, and it but it can be difficult to retain and acquire them, which is why we should not be displacing exceptional native speakers that we have. We understand that there may be contractual and procedural reasons behind this decision, but when bureaucracy causes us to lose the exact kind of teacher we want in a program, then the system itself needs to be reevaluated. After the uncertainty immersion families already experienced last year, this decision further shakes the confidence in the district's commitment
032to the program. We're asking the board to review the staffing decision and work toward a solution that preserves the quality and integrity of the immersion program, including finding a path to keep Profe Andres in his position. Long-term, we would like some policy changes considering for considering considerations for native or near native speakers, greater transparency in the hiring decisions, and staffing practices that preserve linguistic excellence and cultural authenticity in education. Our children deserve the strongest immersion experience possible. And if immersion matters to this district, then the educators who embody authentic Spanish Spanish immersion should matter, too. And then my daughter Poppy has also prepared something that she would like to say. >> Um >> [clears throat] >> Well, I'm in Me llamo Poppy. Um Hi, I am one of the one of the few lucky kids
033who were in Profe Andres's class for almost 2 years, and a kid who was in the third grade E2 class in math math and reading. I'm here because every ever since I was in second grade, I have improved in so much. I got into E2, and I made tons of friends for the next years of third grade is included my little brother would be so lucky to have it >> over 100 has has over 100 career wins at just at Danville. And has taken this and has taken the team to three section finals appearances in a row before moving up to double A. He's more hockey knowledge than anyone I would I know, and without him, Danville hockey might still be a losing program. He would spend more time than needed with the code with
034how much coaches get paid and trying to get his team better. He was there every single day and is thinking about ways to improve the team late at night. The amount of hours that he put into this program is more than anybody has ever. In Danville hockey, we believe in the three pillars established by our coaches, respect, discipline, and accountability. All three of our coaches, especially Del especially Diego, make sure that every single one of his players follow it, and if you stepped out of line, he let like, know. He taught every single one of our players not only how to be a better hockey player, but how to be a better person as a whole, which I think is way more valuable than high school level than wins and losses. And I have a
035few statements from players. Our senior captain, Corey Backstrom, said that J he's been J's captain for the last for the year and he can confidently say that he's made a positive and lasting impact not only on the players and the parents, but on the entire community. He's done countless things to support us and give back our Westside community. He's done count and always putting himself before he always putting before always putting other people before himself. J is much more than a hockey coach. He represents Senton hockey and everything it stands for. His leadership and dedication and passion inspire everyone around him both on and off the ice. He constantly pushes players to be better athletes, teammates, and people. No matter the situation, J is always there to support his team and community. That's all. >>
036Thank you very much. I'd like to call Nicholas Burke. Nicholas, welcome. >> Uh good evening. My name is Nick Burke. I'm an 11th grader at Denfeld High School. I'm here to tell you today to talk about the decision to not renew our coach for next season. I started playing hockey when I was 5 years old as a Piedmont Panther and I'm proud to play for Denfeld High School now. During my youth, I always looked up to these high schoolers. They would come and skate with us and we're tight-knit with our three youth communities. It just made us all want to be a hunter and play for J. J expects a lot from us both as players and as people. He expects us to be respectful and accountable to not only ourselves, but the people around
037us. He not only pushes us on the ice, but in the classroom. If someone is struggling or in class or in life, he's always there and helps out. He steps up and fills a father figure role for kids who may not have one. He's truly more than a hockey coach. Coach J, Jake, and Bill are always there for us when we need it and make the locker room feel like a second home. This past season one of our teammates lost his grandma to cancer and Diago checked up on him constantly. Showed support and taught what leadership looks like during tough times and that mattered more than wins or losses. The decision to not have Diago back is very heartbreaking and infuriating to me and my teammates. I believe it does not reflect what we as
038players feel and support. >> [snorts] >> I feel a small group of people should not be able to tear down something great and outweigh the majority of support that we see today. But some questions we ask go unanswered and no [snorts] one will explain why. Why are the people affected most by this decision being left out of the loop? I've been looking forward to my senior season for 12 plus years now >> [snorts] >> but everything is uncertain. What happens to summer workouts and skates? How can we have built a culture back up when not a single person knows what's going on? Why is a high schooler like me standing up here worried about who my coach is going to be? The answer to that is because Diago truly cares about us and prepares us
039to be good people in the real world. To lose that would be to lose the program all together. Diago is the glue for our team and the effort he puts in is unlike any other and in many cases this past year he was the reason we kept moving forward. We understand this is an item in a long list of many important decisions for you. However, for me and my teammates um this is an important matter and I have to ask how does this decision put kids first? Please reconsider this choice and reinstate our coach. If I'm willing to stand up here as a 17-year-old and show my face in support, then why can't the adults showing pushing this issue show their face too instead of hiding behind pen and paper? >> Thank you, Nicholas. Next
040we have Missy Stevenson. Missy Stevenson, please. >> Thank you, Missy. Welcome. >> It's hard to hear you back there. >> We have sign up sheets back there. >> All right. Hello. My name is Missy Stevenson. I'm an early childhood special ed teacher and I've been with the district since 2000 in this role. Thanks for the opportunity for me to speak and I'm a little nervous. This is not normally my what I like to do. Um I and some of my co-workers are here and we are here to give support to our special ed department. Um for a lot of us it's a very confusing as to why there's been a change in leadership and we want this to be considered. Um I've known Jason since I started in the district and have watched him work
041hard as he continued to move in the position he's currently in as special ed director. His calm demeanor and respect for students and staff has been evident as the way evident as he always has students' best interest at heart. Jason has tried hard to be proactive rather than reactive leader in the role that best meets the needs of kids in the Duluth public schools. Jason works tirelessly to ensure that our students continue to make gains and to do so safely. I also want to recognize Laura Thurston, our assistant special ed director, for her tireless work as well. She has been a great asset to our district providing support to us in a lot of capacities. She has increased awareness in the literacy component for our entire district to her passion because of her passion for
042literacy. She has tackled a thankless job of increasing our awareness for medical assistance billing which provides money for our district. Without the support and guidance from Jason and Laura, it would make it doing my job and those of my colleagues much more difficult. We are here to support these two educators who are brilliant with knowing the special ed law as well as as well as the fiscal plan to best meet the needs of our students. Um we ask you to please reconsider. Just as we teach our littlest learners, it's okay to make a mistake. Thank you. >> Thank you. Next we have Jerry sorry and Jessica Anderson. Jerry and Jessica. Welcome to both of you. >> Okay. We are here tonight to address the devastating 25% reduction to our department through the elimination of a
043full-time counseling position. Although we were informed that staffing is returning to pre-pandemic levels for district counselors, student needs have only intensified. To address this, our building launched several initiatives that helped Denfeld's graduation rates increased by 15% since 2021 with counselors playing a vital role in each. >> Our students are at the core at the core of everything we do. We provide direct support to all of Denfeld's 1,000 students. We are the people who work with everyone, not just certain students in a specific program. Our support includes mental health advocacy. We connect families with school-based therapists, local support, and regional facilities while performing proactive risk reviews to address concerns early. Our commitment to academic planning involves tailoring graduation pathways for both our highest achievers and those facing significant obstacles. These comprehensive plans integrate referrals to essential
044Denfeld programs such as our academic skills classes, the indigenous cohort, as well as referrals to credit recovery at our ALC, which is now even more complicated due to their current situation. >> We provide hands-on career and college guidance, a practice we championed long before it became a district mandate. Our work built a foundation for family engagement within our building. We facilitate application sessions, campus tours, and fairs for college, jobs, trades, and the military, as well as financial aid nights and seminars. We serve as a primary resource for families and help first-generation and families in transition students navigate the complex paperwork of post-secondary life. We are the foundation for multiple building and community teams. Examples include building assets, reducing risks, the bar program which serve which reviews 600 students annually, check and connect that serves 100
045students, the community schools initiative in Triel. We also collaborate with integration specialists, 504 and IEP teams, teachers, and scholarship committees. >> We have not yet mentioned the duties that most people associate with traditional high school counseling such as building schedules, organizing, and administering a variety of exams, transcripts, enrollments, registration. We do all of the these things, too. Our ninth-grade counselor focuses on building connections with students and families and ensuring smooth transitions to high school. This role was pivotal in establishing a summer transition academy and supporting grade recovery as well as opportunity and pause days. Furthermore, this position provides essential support for the bar teams and our students have come to rely on having a dedicated ninth-grade counselor. The elimination of a ninth-grade counseling position means that much of this proactive work will cease. The remaining
046three counselors will see each of their caseloads increase by at least 100 students. Consequently, the hands-on outreach and specialized activities we have built will inevitably be sidelined as we prioritize immediate mental health support and academic requirements. >> The loss of this position coupled with the 16 other positions reduced or cut at Denfeld will negatively impact our entire building and jeopardize the gains we have made in our graduation rates. The last referendum was passed by our families to protect and strengthen academic and mental health support in our schools. We ask that the board pull the district budget from the consent agenda and place it as an item for individual consideration and in-depth discussion. A budget with impacts um this profound cannot be passed quietly. Thank you for hearing our concerns and we appreciate your time. >>
047Thank you. Next, we have Breanna Greenly. Breanna Greenly. Welcome. >> Do I need to push that again? >> It's good. Green is on. >> Green. Excellent. >> All right. I'm a little nervous like everyone else. Good morning Good evening members of the board. I'm here tonight to speak about the critical importance of school social workers and counselors and the impact these positions have on the mental health, safety, and success of our students. Right now, we are facing a youth mental health crisis both nationally and here in Minnesota. School social workers and counselors are often the first adults to recognize when a student is struggling. They identify warning signs early. They help students dealing with anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, bullying, family instability, attendance issues, and suicidal thoughts. They connect families to food, housing, medical care, and
048outside mental health services. When preventative supports disappear, students' needs do not disappear with them. What happens instead is we see more behavioral crises, more absenteeism, more academic struggles, and more students reaching the breaking point before they receive help. As a district, we made a commitment to our students and our community and our community when we passed the 2023 referendum that mental health matters. If we fail to honor the promises made through that referendum, we risk damaging the district's credibility and eroding the trust of our community when future referendums come before voters. This commitment must be reflected not only in our words, but in our staffing decisions and our budget priorities. Students cannot learn effectively when they're overwhelmed, anxious, traumatized, or in crisis. Um Cutting counselors and social workers may reduce costs on paper today, but
049the long-term costs to students, staff, families, and the community will be far greater. Having worked as an ISD 709 special ed social worker in early childhood across three elementary schools and primarily with middle school students, I can say with certainty that I have never encountered a situation where schools had too many qualified mental health professionals on site to support the students. We have worked as a team to address increasingly challenging behaviors and mental health needs facing our students and their families. We are experiencing cuts on a catastrophic level and the district is attempting to fill some of these most critical mental health positions in our schools with staff who are not qualified or trained to provide mental health services and support, leaving our most vulnerable students in the hands of individuals without the correct training
050or expertise. As of this moment, mental health professionals are experiencing cuts and reductions from the following schools: Stowe, Lowell, Homecroft, Lakewood, Lester Park, Congdon, Ordean, East, and Denfeld. Um I reiterate the counselors' request that we ask the board to pull the district budget from the consent agenda and place it as an item for individual consideration. Um a budget with impacts as profound cannot be passed quietly. Additionally, we urge the board to table the final budget vote until the next meeting. We ask that you direct the superintendent to evaluate alternative balancing measures, measures that preserve our essential mental health supports and honor the true spirit of the referendum promise made to Duluth voters. I urge this board to protect and priority prioritize these positions and to recognize that investing in mental health supports is investing in
051student success. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. >> Councilor Seal. >> Um that concludes our listening session for May. We invite you to stay in for a few minutes to talk with us if you're interested in that. Um we appreciate that you