This regular meeting had a long agenda including multiple votes, but due to the routine nature of most agenda items, the meeting was less than one hour long. Most of the agenda items had been previously discussed or are part of routine annual voting/renewals. Here is the link to review the agenda with the attachments to review the voted items in more detail: https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Organization/1055
Public forum included one speaker who lives near the old high school and presented concerns about the lights on the old building being especially bright and negatively affecting the homes adjacent to the buildings. Our director of facilities, Bob Olson, was in attendance at this meeting and I anticipate that he will connect with him to discuss, and hopefully resolve, the situation for the neighbors to our now district offices and gymnastics center. Thank you for bringing your concerns to the board!
Superintendent Champa gave a brief overview of her administrative report, specifically noting the excitement for the start of the school year and the upcoming homecoming events. This includes 2-hour early release of school on September 19, 2025 for the homecoming parade with the football game at 7pm.
The consent agenda included routine reports but also a Title I Plan report written by Wilson principal Cassie Mitchell. The report outlines the strategies for improving Wilson’s academic program and meeting the needs of all students, especially those that are struggling.
Agenda item VIII lists all the votes taken, all passed 7-0. Votes included policy revisions, extended trip requests, truth in taxation hearing date (approved for December 8, 2025 at 6pm), the Rose Street Center lease, the resolution appointing election judges and absentee ballot board members, adult meal prices, and gifts to the district.
The Regular Meeting switched to a closed session for a discussion regarding upcoming labor negotiations.
The closed session ended, the Regular Meeting restarted but only to adjourn.
Minnesota Report Card results are in! (https://rc.education.mn.gov/#mySchool/p–3). As you browse the website, you can review data for each of Owatonna’s schools and also for the district as a whole. In brief summary, our district as a whole shows math proficiency is 44.7%, down from 47.3% but overall, slightly improved from 2021. Reading proficiency is 46.5%, down from 47.8% but has not shown significant change since 2021.
The scores definitely need to be improved, but it is worth noting that only 54 of our high school juniors (only juniors take the MCA test in high school) took the math MCA test last spring. Many high school students are opting out of the MCA tests and my daughter was one of them when she was a junior at OHS. My reasoning at the time was that we didn’t need to further test her math skills and I was confident in her schoolwork up to that point. However, what I didn’t understand was that the test is not so much about individual assessment. Its greatest benefit is for school districts to assess its own curriculum and teaching. Because of this, we need as many students as possible to take the MCA tests. MCA tests for math and reading are given to students in grades 3-8, while tenth graders only take the reading test and eleventh graders only take the math test. There are no science test results this year due to the new science standards and a new test given in the spring 2025. Science tests are given to students in grade 5-8, and in high school when the student is taking life science or biology. Test specifics are given at the Minnesota Department of Education’s website: https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/test/mn/ . I’m looking forward to hearing from our district administrators and directors how we will work to move forward this year.
Take care. Soli Deo Gloria!
Elizabeth for Owatonna Schools 