As I was reading this week’s post, I realized I made a typo in stating McKinley’s theme. The theme should have read, “Be you, Be HERE, Belong.” I giggled when I read that I instead typed, “…Be her…” I am exhausted this week and so, typos are more easily showing up.

As life goes, there are always changes and adjustments that we need to make. I am quickly learning that 2025 is starting with a busy bang and so I will be needing to simplify a bit. Therefore, moving forward, I will be creating blog posts that are more focused, highlighting what I believe to be the most important points of each school board meeting, rather than a basic replay and summary of what the meeting included. The regular school board meetings on the fourth Monday of the month are recorded and can be found on YouTube if desired. Thank you for understanding!

The first meeting of 2025 began at 5:30pm with the annual organizational meeting. However, the most important announcement was given at the end of the evening work session with Superintendent Elstad’s announcement of his retirement at the close of the school year in June 2025. The announcement was heartfelt. Thank you Mr. Elstad for pouring your heart and soul into your work for our schools, staff, students, and community. Your hours of hard work are recognized and appreciated, and you will be missed. The school board will have a special meeting in the next few weeks to discuss a plan for moving forward to hire a new superintendent.

Welcome to our new board members recently elected: Ron Kubicek and Andrea VanGelder!

The annual organization includes several votes as outlined. More detailed notes and attachments can be found through the district website – School Board – Meetings – Agenda-with links.

1. Election of Officers
   • Mark Sebring was nominated and voted to continue as board chair.
   • Lori Weisenburger was nominated and voted to continue as vice chair.
   • Tim Jensen was nominated for clerk, and I nominated myself for clerk; Mr. Jensen achieved the majority vote and is the board clerk for 2025.
   • Jolayne Mohs was nominated and voted to continue as treasurer.
2. School board committee assignments are made by Chair Sebring and presented for vote, approved 7-0.
3. Julie Sullivan, director of Teaching and Learning, is authorized as the district’s Title I contact person for funding, 7-0 vote.
4. The Owatonna People’s Press is voted to continue as the district’s official newspaper, 7-0.
5. The 2025 school board meeting schedule is approved with the decision to have work sessions (second Monday of each month) at the district office meeting room which is more conducive for roundtable discussions, while the regular recorded meetings (fourth Monday of each month) will continue in the chambers room at the Charles S Crandall Center. The exceptions are July and December when only one regular meeting is held each month. Vote approved 7-0.
6. Legal counsel for the district is approved to continue through Dorsey and Whitney, and also Ratwik, Roszak, & Maloney. Legal counsel is used only by district administration after superintendent approval. Vote approved 7-0.
7. District depositories for school district revenue is approved to continue with Bremer Bank and PMA Financial Network, Inc. Approved 7-0.
8. Financial Institutions designated to oversee investment of assets will continue to include Wells Fargo Bank NA, US Bank, Wells Fargo Investment Service, Inc., PMA Financial Network, Inc., and Bremer Bank, vote approved 7-0.
9. The district designates the director of finance and operations to deposit and withdraw money on behalf of the district. Currently this position is posted for hire since Lori Volz resigned last month. The Superintendent oversees this also.
10. The district designates the use of a check signing machine and cosigners to be the board chair, clerk, and treasurer, vote approved 7-0.
11. The annual board allowance was established last year at $3700/year per board member with additional $600/year for the chair. The proposal is for a 4% increase consistent with average increase in salaries, raising this to $3850/year, and the additional $600/year for the chair. Mr. Sebring also proposed that our vice chair be considered for an additional $450/year due to the added workload of vice chair designated tasks. I suggested that in light of the $1 million budget deficit in the coming year, the board consider foregoing any increase in allowance. Vote was taken to approve the increased allowance, passed 6-1, as I voted no.
12. The district appoints the superintendent as the deputy treasurer as a means to provide an “internal check” on the district’s finances.

The organizational meeting adjourned and the work session began just before 6pm.

Presentation was given by Justin Kiel and a few of his staff/teachers at McKinley Elementary School with a yearly update. The school theme this year is Be you, be her, belong. They integrate various programs such as co-teaching, positive referrals, “good news” calls to parents, “toot your own horn” as a way to recognize teachers, and student connection days. They are working to increase family engagement by providing a home activity night.

Maggie Goldade with teacher AJ, presented an annual update for our preschool program, Little Learners and Bright Beginnings. They have worked to increase preschool enrollment and to increase early childhood screenings which help to identify and meet developmental needs prior to starting kindergarten. With recent legislative changes, this voluntary pre-kindergarten program will no longer be free of charge unless children or families meet certain guidelines. A preschool open house is scheduled for 1/28/2025, anyone can attend!

Two members of Steele County Public Health presented information regarding the Minnesota Student Survey. This is a voluntary survey given to students in grades 5, 8, 9, and 11. Schools can choose to opt-out, as well as parents or students can choose to opt-out if desired. The survey is given every 3 years. The survey addresses demographics, school attendance, but mainly health behaviors and risks. Past survey results can be viewed on the MN Department of Health site: https://www.health.state.mn.us/data/mchs/surveys/mss/datatables.html#educationalsetting

Please check out the district website as noted above for the meeting video and agenda attachments.

Stay safe and warm. Soli Deo Gloria!

Our school board meeting began on time with all 7 members present, plus our two student representatives, and Superintendent Elstad.

MISSION MOMENT: We had many students and parents present for the meeting as Superintendent Elstad recognized our elementary school patrols for their hard work and commitment to safety. The patrol captains from each elementary school stood together and introduced themselves, and then they grouped together for a photo. Thank you, students and the advisors that help them, especially when it’s so cold!

Lori Volz, our director of finance and operations, along with SI Elstad, presented the financial forecast which was first presented to the finance committee members last week (Jolayne, Lori W., and me). Essentially, the district will have a financial shortage in revenue that, if left unattended, will cause great detriment to the district in the coming years. There are four main reasons for this:

1. ESSR funding (which was federal grant money given to the district during fiscal years (FY) 2021-2024 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) has ended. The district was able to retain 10 teacher positions during the pandemic that otherwise we would have lost, and also able to hire 12 teachers to grow our online program. From FY 2024 to FY 2025 , there will be $3 million less federal funding.
2. Special education expenses have increased, in part due to the increase in the number of special education students, which is now 17% of our student body, and the staff/programming required for them. While the district receives annual funding for special education, there has always been a gap in which the district’s general fund needs to cover the costs (cross subsidy). The special education expenses have increased from $9.9 million in 2015 up to $17.5 million in the current school year.
3. Increased salary and benefits costs due to new staffing positions (those providing direct student teaching/needs), increases in contract negotiations, new mandates approved by the legislature for Earned Safe and Sick Time and new unemployment costs, increased cost of benefits, and general inflation. In the last 10 years, the district has hired 47 new staff, which SI Elstad reports have been all for direct student teaching and care, none of which have been administrative. Summary data regarding state and district expenditures can be found on the MN Report Card website. This shows that the state average district admin expense is 5% (of total general fund), OPS is 4.96%. The state average school-level admin expense is 3.67% and OPS is 3.47%. State average teacher and special ed teacher expenses are 39.29% and 18.56% respectively, while OPS is 42.5% and 21.23% respectively.
4. Student enrollment is declining. As noted previously, our kindergarten and first grade class sizes are much smaller than our current 11th and 12th grade class sizes. We are told that this is a nationwide trend with decreased birth rates.

Other comments from the presentation note that our Owatonna Online program is growing, and while we first used ESSR funds to hire the teachers for this program, we are now seeing net earnings of $1 million, with the goal to continue to grow this program.

Based on the information given, Ms. Volz projects a $1.7 million budget deficit for the school year 2025-2026. Our current unassigned fund balance (“cushion”) is currently at 12.89% which, if needed, would cover 1.5 months of district expenses. The district’s goal is to maintain the unassigned fund balance at 8-10%. I noted that last spring we received a report regarding referendums in area districts (Big 9) comparing Owatonna to other districts. We are second from the lowest with our current operating levy at $529.14 per pupil unit. Austin is the lowest at $512.70 and Northfield is the highest at $2064.34. Budget cuts and a new referendum/levy will be discussed at future meetings.

The enrollment report is reviewed with no major changes.

Committee meeting minutes, previous board meeting minutes and special meeting minutes are reviewed without discussion.

Several policies were presented for a first reading and discussion including: 102, 104, 207, 413, 416, 419, 522. Policy 522 Title IX Sex Nondiscrimination is noted to be completely replaced due to the many changes and is modeled after the MN School Board Association’s policy 522. I asked for clarification on a few of the statements listed under General Statement of Policy. First was letter H. and Chris Picha (director of human resources) confirmed that the legal rights of a parent or guardian are held in higher regard than Title IX rules, thereby allowing parents and legal guardians to make decisions for their minor student.

The second clarification was letter I. which I read aloud and can be heard on the recording. The last sentence of this paragraph states that if a district prevents a student from participating in the activity consistent with their gender of choice, this subjects that student to harm (“more than de minimus harm”) which is not allowed under the new interpretation of Title IX rules. I noted that as of August when I last researched Title IX, congress had not formally approved this new Title IX interpretation and definition of sex (only the original Title IX in 1972 was formally approved, protecting women in sports). So, in essence, one could argue that this interpretation does not need to be upheld and actually violates the original definition of Title IX. However, that aside, as our policy is now written in draft, I suggested to the board that we consider a statement to protect the safety of those students that will feel unsafe in these circumstances (specifically biological women being forced to use bathrooms, locker rooms, and play sports with biological males). These students would be subjected to more than “de minimus harm” in this situation. We need to provide a statement in this policy that will protect all students, on either side. Providing safety for students does not mean discrimination in all circumstances. Simply stated, we have many rules and regulations to protect us (driving, alcohol consumption, work related rules/regulations, hunting, gun safety and licensing, pet management, disposal of chemicals/medications/caustic substances, etc.)

The consent agenda is approved without questions or discussion.

December 9, 2024 is our last board meeting of 2024 and will be a regular meeting as it is our only board meeting in December. There will be an audit presentation and Truth in Taxation presentation.

Happy Thanksgiving Owatonna. I hope that you are able to enjoy time with family or friends, but if not, then I hope for you peace and relaxation! May we all be grateful for the good things in our lives, even the smallest of those.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Our work session began just after the CACR presentation ended, at approximately 6pm. Two main topics were reviewed: current and future enrollment at OPS and Superintendent Elstad’s 90-day action plan update.

Lori Volz, our director of finance and operations gave the enrollment presentation. The slides can be reviewed from the School Board page, then Board Meetings, then Agenda and Minutes. https://www.isd761.org/our-district/school-board/meeting-dates

Currently our total enrollment reported for Owatonna Public Schools (OPS) is 5025 (actually 5041 by the time of the meeting.) However, in reviewing the chart Lori presented, it is noted that the junior and senior classes have 470 and 454 students respectively, while the kindergarten and first grade classes have 281 and 282 students respectively. There is a steady decline in each class size from 12th grade down to kindergarten. Because we have tuition agreements for our Owatonna online school with Moorhead, Northfield, and East Grand Forks, this brings us 77 students from those districts. Our total online enrollment is 265, most of which are high school students, but also some from elementary and middle school. Ms. Volz noted that there are substantial financial benefits from our online program which is now recognized across the state. Open enrollment has increased over the last 2 years. Our percentage of Free Reduced Price (FRP) students has decreased this year from 45% to 41.9% of our students. This number affects our federal funding and compensatory aid.

Elementary class sizes range from 18 to 28 students per class, depending on grade level, bringing the average elementary class size to 22. Each elementary building sits at about 80-88% capacity. The average middle school class size is 25.8, while the average high school class size is 25.3 (not including music classes which are larger by design.)

Average Daily Membership (ADM) is a calculated number based on grade level and number of students which is different from actual enrollment numbers. However, as with declining enrollment numbers, the ADM also declines from 12th grade down to kindergarten. Our district’s total ADM has been fairly steady over the last several years, averaging about 4800 each year with this school year (2024-2025) being 4781.

Projected enrollments beyond the next 2 years is difficult, as SI Elstad noted, explaining that many changes can occur in a community that are unpredictable (new housing, new employers, business changes, etc). This will cause positive or negative enrollment numbers depending on the changes.

How can OPS continue to work within our fiscal responsibility, attract the best teachers, continue to provide multiple services to our students, and bring in other students to Owatonna through open enrollment and Owatonna Online schooling?

Superintendent Elstad highlighted his 90-day Action Plan using each strategic direction. Regarding “21st Century Learners,” he continues to work with Riverland Community College for an ongoing partnership and programming. Within “Safe and Caring Community,” he continues his work with a team in developing a crisis plan, including threat assessment and reunification plans, and training of staff. Thirdly, for “Equity” he is working to identify the district’s financial needs to determine potential “right-sizing realignments.” Lastly, for “High Quality Teaching and Learning,” SI Elstad continues his work with Chris Picha in monitoring and oversight of the teacher apprentice program. He also noted that the Owatonna Opportunity Scholarship fundraising continues with local businesses. They are planning to begin the scholarship program for students in January 2025.

Much information to digest over the last few weeks! Finance and Policy committees will meet this week. The next regular school board meeting with open public forum is 11/25/2024 at the city chambers board room, usual time of 5:30pm. Have a great week, be thankful, be kind.

Soli Deo Gloria!

At 5pm, just before the start of school board work session on 11/12/2024, the board and Superintendent Elstad received the Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness (CACR) presentation by our director of teaching and learning, Julie Sullivan. Also assisting with the presentation was Ken Griswold, Wendy Eggermont, and Kelly Kruger. The World’s Best Workforce (WBWF) guideline began in 2013 and now has been renamed by the 2024 legislature to CACR. More detailed information can be found on the MN Dept of Education website: https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/wbwf/

Four goals of the WBWF will carry over plus one new goal is added to the CACR:

• All children are ready for school.
• All racial and economic achievement gaps between students are closed.
• All students are ready for career and college.
• All students graduate from high school.
• Prepare students to be lifelong learners.

The previous WBWF goal of “all third graders read at grade level” is replaced by “read well every year” in the READ Act.

From the MN Dept of Education website:

Minnesota Statutes 2023, section 120B.11, requires school boards to establish advisory committees (Owatonna has the District Curriculum Advisory Committee.) The advisory committee should:

• Ensure that community members have an opportunity to participate in the strategic planning process.
• Be reflective of the district’s diversity and its schools, and thus include, to the extent possible, teachers, parents/guardians, support staff, students, and other community residents.
• Make recommendations to the school board concerning rigorous academic standards and student achievement goals and measures.

Last year’s WBWF presentation is on the district website, this year’s presentation is not yet available for review which will make these notes a bit confusing, but the link is here for future reference: https://www.isd761.org/district-services/teaching-learning/worlds-best-workforce

I. ALL CHILDREN ARE READY FOR SCHOOL. Fall 2023 measure was 58% with a goal for 5% increase by the fall 2024. Our fall 2024 measure fell short at 56.5%. Our new goal for fall 2025 is for 60%. It is noted that 75-80% of our preschoolers are screened and the team has set a goal for earlier screening to allow for more preschool teaching prior to starting kindergarten.

II. ALL RACIAL AND ECONOMIC ACHIEVEMENT GAPS BETWEEN STUDENTS ARE CLOSED. There are 10 categories of measurement, and the goal was for a 1.5-point reduction in the gap for each category by fall 2024. We had 7 categories that did meet goal and 3 that worsened. It was also noted that white students are the “standard” by which the gaps are measured, however Owatonna’s Asian students outperformed the white students (maybe they should be the standard we aim for since they had the best measures!) For 2025 we have the same goal for a 1.5-point reduction in each gap. The primary focus will be through Culturally Responsive Teaching techniques. A question was raised about the diversity of our staff, and it was noted that our para and education assistant groups have the most diversity for our students. If interested, here is a link to our Achievement and Integration Plan: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1701956800/owatonnak12mnus/p5ifx4ucmsv9c0i31xbk/CopyofOwatonnaAchievementandIntegration22-251.pdf

III. ALL STUDENTS ARE READY FOR CAREER AND COLLEGE. Since I don’t have the slides to refer to, I can only see the percentages I wrote down at the time. One measure increased from 82.4% to 86.9% while the second measure decreased 58.5% to 54.3%. Fall 2025 goals are 85+% and 58% respectively. I’m sorry I cannot give more details about the specific measures at this time.

IV. ALL STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL. Reporting is only finalized through the 2023 year and our graduation rate is 86.9%. Our district goal is to have an 88% graduation rate with no racial group less than 80%. Our Hispanic/Latino students had the lowest graduation rates. We are working toward meeting both goals.

V. PREPARE STUDENTS TO BE LIFELONG LEARNERS. The district was given no guidelines from the state for this goal, so our team has started with focusing on 4 questions from the Desired Daily Experiences survey. Currently, those 4 questions have a 51% positive response rate, and they have set a goal of 60% for fall 2025.

The presentation was generalized and broad in order to provide much information in a short amount of time. I’m hopeful that the presentation will be available on the district website in the near future. Please contact the school principals, Julie Sullivan, or Superintendent Elstad with any questions.

On Thursday November 7, 2024, the school board received a presentation prepared by Superintendent Elstad and Ken Griswold, our district’s data and assessment coordinator. The 3-hour retreat covered four topics: demographic data, academic and accountability data, perceptions data (from the Desired Daily Experiences survey created by Ken) and “other” data. Much of this data can be reviewed on the Minnesota Report Card: https://rc.education.mn.gov/#mySchool/orgId–10761000000__groupType–district__p–3

DEMOGRAPHIC DATA HIGHLIGHTS

1. Ethnicity of students: 7.1% black/african american, 17.7% hispanic/latino, 69.9% white (5.3% combined Asian, American Indian or Alaskan, 2 or more races)
2. Free Reduced Price (FRP) status: 39.7% of students, English Learners: 8.4%, IEP Status (special ed services): 17.7%
3. 24 home languages other than English spoken by our students, mainly Spanish and Somali

ACADEMIC AND ACCOUNTABILITY DATA

Assessments are completed at the classroom level through daily, weekly and monthly reviews for individual students. Assessments at the district level are given 2-3 times yearly for review of groups of students (grade levels, school specific needs, subject curriculum, identifying gaps in learning and areas of improvement.) Assessments at the state level (MCAs) are given 1-2 times yearly to assess learning and curricula for meeting state standards and ensuring students are given a rigorous high-quality education.

MCA tests are developed and revised over time to assess changing and updated state standards. The state requires 95% of students to take state standardized testing. However, students have the right to opt out of taking this test as it is no longer required for high school graduation. Owatonna public schools typically would have a 70-80% participation rate, however this has decreased significantly to 50-55% for the reading test and 35-41% for the math test, in the last few years. Administration staff are discussing how to improve the participation rate. On the MN Report Card, MCA score reporting does NOT include the students who opt out of taking the MCA tests. However, the North Star Accountability Model will count those students who opt out as “not proficient.”

Better explanations of these measurements: https://www.gennextmsp.org/wp-content/uploads/MN-North-Star-Key-Messages-from-GN-DC-Aug-2018.pdf

https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MNMDE/bulletins/3b19902#:~:text=Students%20who%20did%20not%20take,results%20differ%20from%20assessment%20results

Proficiency on the MCA reporting is defined as those students that “meet” and “exceed” expectations, and the students not proficient are those that “partially meet” or “do not meet” the expected standards.

The North Star Accountability Model was developed in 2020 to identify school districts in need of support services. There are 5 categories assessed in this model: academic achievement (MCA scores), progress toward English language proficiency for English learners, measures of academic progress from one year to the next, graduation rate, and consistent attendance (goal is >90% of school days attended.)

The scores below are reported as proficiency rates for Owatonna Public Schools (OPS) and Owatonna High School (OHS) for spring 2024 and can be found at the MN Report Card site: https://rc.education.mn.gov/#mySchool/orgId–10761000000__groupType–district__p–3

MCA tests for READING are taken in grades 3-8 and 10 (OHS 51% participation)

OPS 47.8% OHS 52.1% OHS North Star Report 27.2%

MCA tests for MATH are taken in grade 3-8 and 11 (OHS 35.5% participation)

OPS 47.3% OHS 37.9% OHS North Star Report 13.9%

MCA tests for SCIENCE are taken in grades 5 and 8 and once in high school (OHS 67.6% participation.)

OPS 30% OHS 30%

OTHER DATA

Fastbridge Screening Assessments are completed in grade K-8, three times yearly, for math and reading, to identify student needs.

Graduation rates for Owatonna High School have been consistently matching or exceeding the state average for years 2018-2023 (2024 graduation rates are not available until 2025). The most recent 3 years of reporting show a rate of 87% graduating OHS and the state average is 83%.

The MN Report Card also has data including early childhood information, school spending, student safety, staffing information, and after graduation outcomes data. The district keeps internal data reports for technology use, academic grades per course and grade level, and course enrollment data.

PERCEPTIONS DATA

This data comes from the third year of taking the Desired Daily Experiences (DDE) survey that was developed by Ken Griswold and is given to students, staff, and parents each fall. The questions are based on our strategic directions which are: high quality teaching and learning, safe and caring community, equity, and 21st century learners. Each school uses the data to make changes and plans for improvements. The family survey added two open ended questions asking for opinions on those things they feel are going well and those that may need changes. Check out the survey and all the answers: https://sites.google.com/isd761.org/dde-survey-reports-public/home?pli=1

The retreat was full of helpful information and yet I’d still like to review more data to assess our policy effectiveness. Topics to review may include behavioral and discipline issues, health wellness and illness data, detailed attendance data, social emotional learning program data to assess effectiveness, technology use data and screen time during the school day, time involved in creative and/or outdoor activities, and the list goes on. This will take time!

More to come… I have a report to write here on the CACR presentation and the last work session also! Stay tuned. Congratulations to the newly elected board members, Ron Kubicek and Andrea VanGelder!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Our regular meeting began per usual at 5:30pm at the Charles S. Crandall Center chambers on the West Hills Campus. As a reminder, regular meetings are recorded and can be found on YouTube, work sessions are not recorded. The public can attend any open work session or regular meeting but can only speak at the public forum at any regular school board meeting. Just be sure to arrive early, fill out the public forum card and give it to Sarah before the start of the meeting at 5:30pm.

Superintendent Elstad recognized Lori Buegler and Sarah Hoffman for Mission Moment. Lori is our communications specialist, and Sarah is the executive assistant to the SI and the school board. They are each an invaluable asset to our district and help to keep things running well. Thank you, Sarah and Lori!

Public forum had one contributor, Francy Hall. I appreciate her desire to come and speak to the board and make her opinion known. She referenced the Owatonna People’s Press recent article regarding a large data request that the district has estimated to cost about $300,000. There was also a recent article published by MPR regarding other large data requests in several districts across MN in recent years. Francy expressed that her primary concern was for “people on the school board that don’t want to teach history.” I had questions for Francy, but we are not allowed to discuss the comments made at public forum. While I have not discussed this specific question with my fellow board members, and I don’t believe that Francy did either, I feel confident in saying that I do not believe any of us want to remove history lessons or classes from our schools. In my opinion, quite the opposite. History lessons are a necessity. We need to learn from the mistakes and the successes of the past and move forward with wisdom and the lessons learned. The People’s Press article about the data request, and the organization that made the data request, are not debating whether or not history should be taught in schools. As I understood the article, the data request was made out of concern for our students learning critical race theory and being taught about “white privilege” in society today. Should racism be taught age appropriately? Yes, it is part of history worldwide. Whether or not any one person believes that white privilege and critical race theory occur in society today is an opinion. We are entitled to have our opinions but are not entitled to teach them in public school. Many parents, myself included, are concerned that children may be taught that they are racist based on that theory, simply because they are white. In my opinion, racism does still exist, but it certainly is a small minority and involves people across all cultures and colors. Moving on…

The enrollment report is reviewed, no major changes and no comments made.

Comments during board forum included a noted change in Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent. Previously this was scheduled for Friday Nov. 1, and has been changed to Thursday October 31st at 8:30am at the district office, 333 E. School St. Chair Sebring encouraged the board to continue reading The Anxious Generation in preparation for an upcoming discussion. SI Elstad noted that he is working with district staff to plan a book study for parents and community members with this book. I will update with information as I learn more about this! Our school board student reps will be attending a training tomorrow with Chair Sebring and SI Elstad given by MN School Boards Association (MSBA).

School board committee meeting minutes are reviewed. The policy committee is presenting policies tonight for a first reading (213, 516, 521, 532, 535) and policies for a second reading and approval: Their meeting minutes note that the policies being reviewed by the committee but need ongoing discussion include: 522 Title IX, 102 Equal Education, 104 District Philosophy. The facility committee met and discussed ongoing work on the new storage facility and the future sale of the Bridge Street property. The finance committee met recently and received a financial forecast report from director Lori Volz, soon to be presented to the whole board, no details given at this meeting. A recent news story reported through KARE-11 identifies financial struggles in many districts across the state, in part due to new unfunded mandates passed by Governor Walz. https://www.kare11.com/article/news/education/school-districts-minnesota-face-budget-deficits/89-a2bad38e-872a-4c2c-bcf4-a8615afaa773?fbclid=IwY2xjawGKm2RleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYsvdRUL7DI2kGXcuHFUIc_pvOjUxcFxqfl140AlrSDZGvE2cJogFNwRcA_aem_rZAHM2hHb7bXe-I7ROQmPg

SI Elstad gave a summary Administrative Report focusing on upcoming legislative platforms, specifically working toward equalization of funding for all districts in MN. He is preparing for our school board data retreat on November 7, 2024. Vice chair Lori Weisenburger mentioned a previous concern about student attendance at OHS since the pandemic. In the absence of principal Kath, SI Elstad noted that this is a work in progress. Attendance issues are improving, despite the lack of state assistance and truancy court that was available before the pandemic.

The consent agenda was approved including previous meeting minutes, the disbursement report, and the personnel report.

Four separate votes were taken, all approved 7-0:

1. Policy revisions, second reading and approval: 503 Student Attendance, 512 School Sponsored Student Media and Activities, 515 Protection and Privacy of School Records
2. Bridge street property sale: review and approval of a request for commercial realtors to assist the district in selling the building at 515 West Bridge Street. This request can be viewed on the district website under school board meetings, agenda.
3. Extended trip request: OHS choir director is taking choir members on a tour in the Twin Cities to work and sing with other choirs, requesting approval due to missing 1 day of school in January 2025.
4. Gifts to the district, specifically noted gifts in memorial of teacher and community member Wayne Hermanson who passed away recently.

As a history reminder to us all, the United States of America was founded on Christian principles. God is referenced in our Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance, and on all of our currency – In God We Trust. Please vote!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Meetings this week were held at the district office on Tuesday at 5:30pm beginning with a Special School Board Meeting. The purpose of the special meeting was to review and vote on the contractor awards for construction of the previously approved storage facility that will be built next to the current maintenance building on the old high school campus. The awards were approved totaling $374,804.93, and the expected completion date is February 2025. This will be paid for from the recently approved bond proceeds and the Long Term Facilities Maintenance Fund. This Special Meeting was adjourned, and we began our usual work session.

First presentation of the work session was given by OMS principal Mrs. Christina Mattson who said that the middle school is in full “middle school mode” with >1000 students and lots of good energy. She notes that the students are demonstrating healthy relationships and age-appropriate behaviors — in a good way! With Erin Halvorson and Katie Lenz presenting alongside Mrs. Mattson, they recognize that MCA scores need improvement, and they have set specific goals to improve the reading and math scores by at least 3% for the spring MCA assessments. They note that the staff and teachers have stressed focus areas for teaching math, reading, science, and behavior. SI Elstad noted that we can no longer assume that students know good and appropriate behaviors and therefore this has to be incorporated into all teaching. The SOAR program has changed this year to be more predictable, now once weekly, for all students, for the purpose of reteaching a topic if needed or to enhance learning of a topic, depending on the needs of the student. Quarterly, all students will still have an enrichment activity which is typically considered more fun and rewarding for students. Also new this year is the PACK program which is for students who would otherwise have an out-of-school suspension. This allows the students to stay at school, work one-on-one with staff, to learn to problem solve and interact appropriately with others. This may entail a few to several days, depending on the situation and the student and once the program is completed, the student returns to regular classes. So far, the staff has seen much success with this program.

The second presentation was given by Dr. Martina Wagner, our new principal of the Area Learning Center (ALC). She first explained the difference between an Alternative Learning Center vs. an Area Learning Center, noting that an Area Learning Center is a separate school within our district. An Alternative Learning Center is actually “a school within a school” and not independent. Currently we have 77 students but have had 100+ in the past. There are criteria to be able to attend the ALC, but students can open enroll and we currently have a partnership with the Medford school district. Medford students attending our ALC can participate in any Owatonna activities (but not those in the Medford district) and can choose to earn either a Medford or Owatonna diploma. Students attending the ALC have more flexibility with classes, more focused attention with very small class sizes and access to multiple specialized staff anytime (counselors, social workers, vocational training, special ed services, chemical dependency counseling). Focused goals for the year include increased attendance, increased student participation in supportive services, and increase participation in social-emotional learning opportunities. Once meeting graduation requirements, students earn the same high school diploma as any other high school graduate. Alternatively, the staff also assist students in obtaining a GED if needed.

Both presentations were delightful and optimistic with focused goals and plans to move students forward into successful learning. However, it is disheartening to hear that our teachers cannot just focus on academics but also have to teach good behaviors to our students. What have we done in our society to require our teachers to focus on teaching good behaviors such as respectful dialogue, conflict resolution, self-regulation (physical, mental, emotional)? ?

The last portion of the meeting went into closed session, therefore anyone who did not receive an invitation to attend, had to leave the room. There are certain topics that require the school board, superintendent, and anyone else necessary (in this case Lori Volz and Bob Olson were in attendance), to discuss confidentially. The topic as stated on the public agenda, “Closed Session to discuss sale of Bridge Street property.” My observation of the discussion was enlightening, and I appreciated open dialogue amongst my fellow board members as I’ve never seen before. While I cannot give any details of the discussion, I believe that the conclusions were reasonable, and a plan will be discussed openly at our next regular meeting.

Upcoming dates:

• Red Ribbon kick-off event at OHS with family friendly activities – October 22, 2024 – 5-8:30pm

• Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent – November 1, 2024 – 8:30am at the district office

On November 7, 2024, the school board will meet for a data review retreat that will hopefully let us know if our policies are effective and how we may need to amend them if not. The information presented will also explain MCA score interpretation using the MN Report Card and the North Star accountability scores. If interested, the following link is from the Rochester Public School district’s board meeting on 9/10/2024. Starting at minute 11:44 through 45:40 there is a good explanation of MCA scores, and I’m hoping our November 7th presentation will be similar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZTpiSrJLgs&t=808s

Enjoy the autumn weather over MEA break and the long weekend. Take care everyone.

Soli Deo Gloria!

In follow up to my last post regarding blocked access to the Owatonna Public School online libraries, I was able to meet with Superintendent Elstad and discuss. He noted that as of 10/11/2024 (if not that date, then soon following), parents will be able to access the library system by using the student ID number of their child currently attending Owatonna Public Schools. We should be able to log in to our district’s system through a link on the website: http://owatonna.follettdestiny.com which is located on the media page: https://www.isd761.org/district-services/teaching-learning/media-services. I assume that school board members will also be given access even if they do not have a child currently attending school. If a community member without a child enrolled in Owatonna Public Schools would like to access the schools’ libraries, please contact Superintendent Elstad.

The Owatonna chapter of FAIR is hosting an event at the Owatonna Public Library on Monday, October 7, 2024: https://www.facebook.com/events/413019348096688. “School board elections, what you need to know before you vote.” Doors open 5:30pm, presentation 6-7:30pm.

Another Owatonna School Board candidate forum will occur on October 23, 2024, hosted by Foremost Brewing Cooperative and Owatonna Business Women: https://www.facebook.com/events/1060118692402235/?ref=newsfeed. Meet and greet at 6pm, forum begins at 6:30pm. Check back for details on the location, last year this was held at the middle school but this year it may be held at Foremost, 121 W. Broadway Street. https://www.isd761.org/our-district/school-board/election-information

Next school board work session will be Tuesday October 15th at the district office — 333 E. School St. — and the next regular meeting will be Monday October 28th at the Chamber board room per usual.

Happy Homecoming Owatonna!