Work Session 2/13/2023

Our school board meeting was at the district office, and I enjoyed sitting around the U-shaped tables, hearing the discussions and questions among members attending. I was especially impressed by one of our student representatives who made several thoughtful comments. He was well spoken and seemed comfortable speaking to all of us at the table. Well done!!

There was a presentation regarding our preschool programs, Little Learners and Bright Beginnings and several challenges were noted given their current spaces (divided between 2 buildings) and what the future may hold for them. Further consideration of possible changes for them will be forthcoming.

We also had a presentation regarding a survey that was developed specifically for Owatonna students and families. This survey was given last fall (and will be given every fall), and all the results will be posted soon on the district website. Rather than use the standardized surveys or the student climate survey that has been used in the past, our district developed their own to better assist us in determining what is going well and what may need to be changed. We saw just a bit of the results at the meeting, and I look forward to seeing the full report soon.

Mr. Elstad gave a report regarding the bussing challenges next year with the location of the new high school, thus potentially adding 700 more students to the bus routes (however we don’t know yet how many of those students will actually need bussing which presents another challenge). Because purchasing several more busses would be very costly, and switching to a one-tiered bussing system would also be very costly, he presented the option of slightly adjusting start and end times for the schools. Good questions were asked regarding the options and the effect on families, and this will be discussed further at a future date.

A governance book was given to all members of the school board, and we will be discussing sections at future work sessions. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around the concept of “governance” and how that is different from “fixing things” or “working on things.” It is my intention to use this blog to inform, but also to provide alternative resources of information, purely out of care and concern for our students so that families can make decisions together. As I compare this to the medical world where I’ve worked for 20+ years, the more I learn, the more I realize what I don’t know. As I stated in my campaign, and now again after visiting all the schools, I truly believe that we have staff and educators that care for students, sometimes we just disagree about what is the best way to do things. Ultimately, I am not telling anyone what to do, you need to make those decisions for yourself and your children. That’s all folks… for now!