Over the last few months, I have made note of various articles in the Owatonna People’s Press, plus remembered a few resources that I know are available and have found a few organizations that are still in the process of prep work and fundraising. This list is certainly not complete as I know that there are many other resources in Owatonna, Steele County and our surrounding counties. Even so, maybe this will help.

COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES

Husky Pantry – food shelf and toiletries for students, contact the school social workers or Trinity Lutheran Church (plus other food shelves and weekly community suppers at local churches in Owatonna)

Homework Help – Wednesdays 3-5pm, Cornerstone Church (across the street from the high school) Please verify with the church due to possible changes.  https://cornerstoneowatonna.com/

The Refuge Ranch – Equine Assisted Learning, contact Mike or Rachel Bath https://therefugeranchmn.org/

Pregnancy Options – when the unexpected happens and help is desperately needed https://pregnancyoptionsfbo.org/

Owatonna High School Parent Connect – open meetings with principal Kory Kath to discuss various topics, 6-7pm, OHS Media Center, 10/21/2024, 12/9/2024, 2/17/2025, 4/21/2025.  Snacks and beverages are provided!

Parent Mentoring – Exchange Club Center for Family Unity, contact Ryan Gillespie

Truancy Pilot Program – helping to keep our students at school – United Way of Steele County, contact Pearl Rendon, the youth support coordinator

Community Pathways of Steele County — https://www.communitypathwayssc.org/

Minnesota Prairie County Alliance — https://mnprairie.gov/31/Crisis-Services

FOR MOTHERS AND THEIR CHILDREN

Rachel’s Light – housing for mothers and children — https://www.rachelslight.com/

Knitted Together – housing for pregnant mothers and infants — https://www.knittedtogether.org/

PARENTING HELP WHEN BEHAVIORS ARE DIFFICULT

Karyn Purvis — https://child.tcu.edu/store/#sthash.9qSvH1ZB.dpbs and YouTube videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5P0nq9Q1xA and https://empoweredtoconnect.org/

Conscious Discipline — https://consciousdiscipline.com/free-resources/

Ellyn Satter Institute – creating successful family meals, not battlegrounds  https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/

Give it a try! https://www.carsondellosa.com/fr01595–the-ten-commandments-chart-free-printable-fr01595/

COMING SOON

The Teen Lodge – housing for homeless teens, contact Julie Summy for more info or to help with this project  507-390-3728

Oak Hill Community Connections – filling in the gaps and connecting families with needed resources —  check out https://www.oakhillcc.care/ for information

Rezilient Kidz – https://www.rezilientkidz.com/  — a program to strengthen families and raise highly capable children (hopefully coming soon to Owatonna!)

Last weekend, the Owatonna People’s Press published my letter to the editor. If you’d like to read it but haven’t yet, here it is!

In October 2021, a small group of Owatonna community members formed and established a mission “to partner with our local school district” building relationships, emphasizing face-to-face conversations, transparency, and respectful dialogue. 

In the fall of 2022, the group organized a school board candidate questionnaire, receiving an estimated 15,000 views online.  They have done the same for this year’s election and the current 8 school board candidates can answer a similar questionnaire to be available soon for assisting community members in their November vote.

In April 2023, they hosted an event, open to anyone willing to grow in developing skills for civil conversations when we disagree. In a world full of negative discourse, even hostile feelings, this is needed!

In the fall of 2023, the group started a local chapter of a national organization (Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism) that seeks to promote our “common humanity” with “equality under the law,” continuing Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision.  The kick-off event was held October 2023 with a presentation and discussion regarding the role of the school board and effective communication.  Owatonna residents have strong feelings and concerns for the education of our children which highlights the importance of this event!

In March 2024, the group co-sponsored an event with Braver Angels for participants to “learn to communicate more effectively about race and public policy with people who differ from them politically.”  

As a parent and resident of Owatonna, I believe this group has worked, and continues to work successfully, achieving its goals of open respectful communication, not only with our school administration, but also giving our community the opportunity to learn and grow in this area. They continue to move forward in their mission, and I am grateful for their work. Thank you, Owatonnans Partnering for Education iNtegrity, otherwise known as OPEN!

UPCOMING DATES

• Coffee and Conversation with our Superintendent, Friday 9/27/2024, 8:30-9:30am at the new district offices 333 E. School Street.
• School board candidate forum, Monday 9/30/2024, 11:30am-1:30pm at the Owatonna Country Club 1991 Lemond Road. Please register due to limited seating, lunch is optional for a fee of $16. Forum begins at 12pm. More info and registration here: https://chamber.owatonna.org/events/details/2024-school-board-candidate-forum-35480
• Homecoming parade and football game, Friday 10/4/2024, plus lots of activities the whole week.
• Owatonna High School Family Connect: open meetings for parents with principal Kory Kath to discuss various topics, meetings scheduled quarterly on 10/21/2024, 12/9/2024, 2/17/2025, 4/21/2025, 6-7pm in the OHS Media Center. Snacks and beverages are provided!

Watch for an upcoming post listing several great resources for families in our community!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Our work session began on time at 5:30pm at the City Chambers board room. Main topics on the agenda included the 2024-2025 Operational Plan Update with comments from each of the executive cabinet members in the district, the Superintendent Quarterly Update, and then the Three-year Governance Work Plan review and update. As always, these documents can be reviewed on the school district website: School Board, Meetings, Agendas, and view the attachments.

Presentations began with highlights from the Operational Plan Summary for the 2024-2025 school year, focusing on each of the district’s strategic directions: High Quality Teaching and Learning, 21st Century Learners, Equity, and Safe & Caring Community.

1. HUMAN RESOURCES, given by Chris Picha: the special education teacher apprenticeship program (created by Chris Picha!) began with student teachers in several of our schools. There is ongoing work in the “Grow Your Own” Pathways program to encourage Owatonna students to receive their teaching degree and then come back to Owatonna as a teacher. Chris notes that there are ongoing budget considerations as these programs require funding, however there will be a grant application in 2025 to assist with this. Work is being done to digitize student records, and embed cultural competence into staff evaluations. The Desired Daily Experiences Survey coming this fall will allow for review of how well our staff is feeling valued.
2. TEACHING AND LEARNING, given by Julie Sullivan: ongoing training for teachers with the READ Act (Functional Phonics for K-2) and Word Work (grades 3-5). They are working with the District Curriculum Advisory Committee (DCAC) regarding the new social studies standards (to start the 2026-2027 school year) and new math standards (to start the 2027-2028 school year) and what that means for curriculum changes. In support of equity, the new social studies standards require an ethnic studies component (check out state statutes for requirements). Our Online Owatonna student enrollment is down so far this year, from 305 in the spring of 2024 to 215 to start the fall of 2024. We lost a relationship with one MN school district but gained the Moorhead, MN school district. In addition, they continue to research how AI can and will be used in the future, working to prepare for the inevitable.
3. SPECIAL SERVICES, given by Sarah Knudsen: working to improve consistency with the various co-teaching that is being done at each school, focusing on what is working well. They are working with the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) to ensure due process and meeting all legal requirements for our special education students. Find ways to expand special education services for our online students. Continue training and application of programs Teach to Heal, Ukeru, and Safety Care which stress non-physical strategies rather than physical restraints for those times when students become dysregulated and/or aggressive.
4. COMMUNITY EDUCATION, given by Deb McDermott-Johnson: she notes that our program had a very successful year, logging 18,000+ hours with students in community education. However, moving forward, there are now requirements of an almost 9% increase in achievement scores, so they are working toward using skills-based assessments vs strictly written based assessments. All 4 of our elementary schools now have a School Age Care (SAC) program providing childcare for students before and after school, with very few children on the waiting lists, this is much improved from recent years.
5. FINANCE AND OPERATIONS, given by Lori Volz: summer was focused on cost analysis, comparing our district to other similar districts. While this will be ongoing, there will now be more focus on the financial forecast as we move into the school year. Specifically, our early learning preschool programs will need attention in the coming years. There will be work to develop a Return On Investment (ROI) analysis for financial resources and programs. The finance committee will meet soon to review the budget.
6. FACILITIES, INFRASTRUCTURE & SECURITY, given by Bob Olson: partial renovations on the middle school pool have been done with future bids on more renovations expected in January 2025. Work is in progress to move forward with the sale of the district’s Bridge Street building and then the Rose Street building. The old high school renovations are ongoing, and plans are in place for the new IAQ/HVAC systems to be replaced at the OEC and McKinley school. They are hoping to finalize the reunification plan by November in the event that any school needs to be urgently evacuated, and students need to be moved to a safe location. Superintendent Elstad took a moment to recognize the tragedy of the school shooting in Georgia recently.

Superintendent Elstad gave a summary of his quarterly goals and action plan. He specifically noted that he hopes Owatonna students, after graduation, are either employed, enrolled in further education, or enlisted in the US military. He is currently working toward:

1. Ongoing work with Riverland Community College to meet needs of various students preparing them for life after high school and continued growth of our community.
2. Finalize and execute the threat assessment procedures and reunification plan as noted above.
3. Review finance plans to identify district needs over the next 10 years, realign funding, staffing and programs as needed, and strategize how to meet future financial needs.
4. Present the Owatonna Opportunity Scholarship for its first year qualifying 2025 graduates. He estimates approximately 60-65 students could potentially benefit from this “last dollar” scholarship and therefore we need about $700,000 annually to support this fund. Because there is no state or federal funding for this, the scholarship is locally funded only, relying on generous business and community donors. This is a work in progress.

Vice Chair, Lori Weisenburger, led the board through the Governance Work Plan review and update. This plan outlines work and goals for three years, reviewing last year’s work in 2023-2024, updating this year’s work in 2024-2025, and also looking to the future year 2025-2026. The plan covers the school board roles in district policy, annual operations oversight, unique operations oversight, board governance, superintendent relations, annual public engagement, and unique public engagement. This is a working document and guide that we will review and update a few times yearly.

During board forum, Ms. Weisenburger, who is on the policy committee, noted that after the last meeting’s discussion on policy 616, the committee will review the questions and concerns raised and bring the policy back to the board in 2 weeks. SI Elstad confirmed that if any major amendments are needed, the policy will go back to a first reading. Preparations are underway for homecoming and high school students are voting for their homecoming court! I started reading the book given to us by Chair Sebring titled The Anxious Generation, and admittedly skipped ahead to the chapter titled What Can Schools Do Now. Two main recommendations are given by the author: 1. take cell phones out of schools and 2. add creative play to the school day. While I don’t agree with everything the author states, these 2 concepts make sense to me and hopefully will lead to future discussions.

Meeting adjourned.

Lastly, I wanted to follow up to my previous Title IX discussion and the requests I made to my fellow board members to discuss this. Chair Sebring has informed me that the policy committee is obtaining more information and will bring further discussion and possible revisions to policy 522 when they have updates and information they need.

Keep an eye out for my letter to the editor in The People’s Press coming soon!

As we rev up into full force election season, I feel much heaviness and stress in the air among us, as I’m sure most of you do too. Stephen Covey teaches, seek first to understand. Also, of much importance is to listen, be respectful, but stand up for Truth and never give up. We know who wins in the end – *wink*

Soli Deo Gloria!

First days of school occur this week for Owatonna students! Thank you, teachers and staff, for your hard work and preparations! A few upcoming dates to be aware of:

Coffee with the Superintendent, 9/27/2024, 8:30-9:30am at the new school district office at 333 E. School Street.

School Board Candidate Forum at the Owatonna Country Club, 9/30/2024, 12-1:30pm with optional lunch starting at 11:30 ($16 lunch fee). Please register: https://chamber.owatonna.org/events/details/2024-school-board-candidate-forum-35480. These are the 8 candidates running for 3 seats on the board: https://www.isd761.org/our-district/school-board/election-information

Passes for high school sports and activities can be purchased online: https://www.owatonnaactivities.com/ticketing. We have a home varsity football game this Friday September 6, 2024 at 7pm. I’ll be working in the concession stand, stop by and say hi!

In follow up to my recent post regarding the Biden administration’s new interpretation of Title IX, I have emailed several board members, district staff, and our superintendent, requesting a discussion on this topic and the possible changes to policy 522 (5 separate requests) and have yet to receive a reply. I will update when I have more information.

Next school board meeting: September 9, 2024, 5:30pm, at the City Chambers board room.

Have a great week! Soli Deo Gloria.

Our regular meeting began on time at 5:30pm at the City Chambers boardroom. After the Pledge of Allegiance and approval of the agenda, Superintendent Elstad began with Mission Moment. He recognized the beginning of our teacher apprenticeship program with 6 participants who will become special education teachers through this program. Each participant will rotate through an elementary school, our middle school and the high school. Elstad commended Chris Picha for many hours spent developing this program, with assistance by Sarah Knudsen. This is a great program for our students, participants and schools.

No comments for Public Forum.

The enrollment report is reviewed for the coming year. We have Washington Elementary’s Kindergarten average class size (22.33) that is 3+ students more than the school board’s recommended class size of 19 for kindergarten. In the current report, we have eight class sizes (averages for the class and school) that are above the recommended class size, but not at the flagged 3+ number. The enrollment report can be viewed through the district website, school board meeting agenda and attachments. Hopefully, as the next few years move forward and the recent predicted enrollments (estimated through the boundary redesign teams) become a reality, the administration will balance out these numbers that are still not at goal.

During Board Forum, Chair Sebring made note that our October work session will be moved to Tuesday, October 15th at the district office, instead of the usual Monday schedule. He also reviewed the Superintendent Evaluation summary and read the summary points aloud, which I summarized in a recent blogpost. No further comments from board members are given at this meeting.

No updates from the facilities committee. The policy committee members Tim Jensen and Jolayne Mohs note that the policy updates for review at this meeting mainly reflect the many legislative changes from the last year. We have 13 policies on our agenda to review for a “first reading.” Given the history of previous policy reviews (each policy should be reviewed every 3 years, unless legislative changes require immediate updates), I asked if we could limit the number of policies to review for one meeting. The board receives the meeting agendas and attachments on the Thursday before each Monday meeting. This makes it challenging when there are 13+ policies and multiple pages in each policy. However, Mrs. Mohs noted that the policy committee reviews policies as they are presented to them, and the process makes this unpredictable for all of us. Mr. Jensen noted that the changes to each policy are noted by the words/phrases crossed out and the new language listed. However, rather than just review the changes in these policies, I’d like to review the whole policy to determine if it’s written to support how we desire Owatonna schools to function best for our students at this time.

Policies presented to the board for a “first reading” and discussion include: 421 Gifts to the District, 506 Student Discipline, 507 Corporal Punishment and Prone Restraint, 509 Enrollment of Nonresident Students, 513 Student Promotion Retention and Program Design, 524 Electronic Technologies Policy, 533 Wellness, 616 School District System Accountability, 703 Annual Audit, 750 Post-Issuance Debt Compliance, 802 Disposition of Obsolete Equipment and Material, 809 Naming Rights, 904 Distribution of Materials on School District Property by Nonschool Persons.

I asked about policy 616 based on great questions I received from an Owatonna resident and parent. These questions involve concerns about the policy 616 changes in how our curriculum is developed and yearly progress is reported (November will bring a school board retreat for district data review in addition to the annual Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness presentation–previously this was called the World’s Best Workforce). Another question focused on the District Curriculum Advisory Committee and how members are chosen (by application, and the chosen members will follow the policy guidelines when feasible–per Elstad). Also, one of the changes in policy 616 notes that the advisory committee will make recommendations to administration and no longer to the school board. I questioned this because MN Statute states that the Duties of the Board include: to superintend and manage the schools of the district. If the school board is ultimately accountable for the outcomes of the district (our children’s academic ability to be “college, career, and life ready” at graduation), then it is important for us to be aware of what our curriculum process involves and how it is changing to improve our outcome data. I ended the subject discussion by  stating that it seems to me that there is a gap in what information presented to the board and the public about the curriculum decisions, development, and associated outcome data. Despite 2 of our board members being on the curriculum advisory committee as Elstad pointed out at the meeting, there are still a lot of questions as evidenced by the questions I have, but also those that I received by other parents regarding policy 616.

Elstad has stated in other meetings with me that we can’t assume motive in others when we disagree or question something or someone. In essence, we need to keep an open mind and ask questions before making assumptions, passing judgement or having negative opinions. During this meeting, know that I heard the huff and expletive coming from someone attending the meeting. Know that I understand my questions seem very annoying to some people present at the meetings. However, please don’t assume my motive is negative. I seek to understand a process that I don’t understand. We need to be able to ask questions, without judgement or assumed motive, when we need more information, don’t understand something, or just have a concern.

Superintendent Elstad also gave an Administrative Report including important dates for the beginning of this school year. He noted that there are 8 candidates for 3 school board seats in the upcoming November election. There will be one candidate forum at the Country Club and possibly another, soon to be announced.

The board approved, in consent agenda, minutes from the July 15, 2024 meeting, the disbursement report, and the personnel report.

Separate votes were taken, all passed 6-0 including:

1. Extended trip request for the Owatonna FFA to attend the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis in October.
2. The Truth in Taxation hearing scheduled for December 9, 2024 at 6pm with formal approval of the tax levy.
3. Adult breakfast price increase of $0.15, bringing the cost to $2.40. Adult lunch price will remain the same. Students will still receive free breakfast and lunch for the second year since passed by legislation.
4. Gifts to the District: many generous community donors gave money for Owatonna’s Football Homecoming which will take place on October 4, 2024. Also noted is the donation of 700+ backpacks from CostCo. Thank you!

Meeting adjourned.

Enjoy the smiles, new crayons, and exciting moments in the weeks to come that occur with the beginning of a new school year!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Immediately following the school board retreat, we started our usual work session, still located at the new district office building, 333 E. School Street. Since we began the retreat 2.5 hours earlier with the pledge of allegiance, we did not repeat it at this time.

Chair Sebring began the session with the summary results of Superintendent Elstad’s annual evaluation. The questions on the evaluation were divided into 4 categories which are the district’s strategic directions:

1. 21st Century Learners–effective communication and engagement with community partners, while continuing to work on communication with students and parents.
2. Equity–strives toward Inspiring Excellence. Every Learner. Every Day. Continue to work on public communication.
3. High Quality Teaching and Learning–high quality administrative staff with the vision to recruit and retain high quality teaching staff with ongoing work to ensure adequate funding for staff professional development.
4. Safe and Caring Community–maintains visibility and presence in all schools, while continuing to use survey data to ensure safe schools.

The Transportation Safety Advisory Committee has met once already and will plan to meet about 4 times yearly. Due to student safety concerns at a few busy intersections, the district has posted 2 positions for adult crossing guards. Two intersections will have the adult guards present for just one hour in the mornings and one hour in the afternoons, Monday through Friday, each day that school is in session. This position will be funded by money from our Safe Schools levy. Elstad noted that he did contact law enforcement, but they were unable to assist the district with this need.

During board forum, I brought attention to a newspaper article I found in a stack of old papers while doing work on a craft project with children at Cedar Kids daycare. The article was dated 6/14/2017 and covered a school board work session at which the board reviewed goals for the new Superintendent Jeff Elstad!

Elstad noted that in November, we will have another retreat for a data review of the district which will hopefully assist us in determining how effective our policies are and if there are any changes needed to the budget, etc. In the fall, the district will give the Desired Daily Experiences survey to parents, students, and teachers, and in addition, will have more complete academic achievement data. November is also when we have heard the World’s Best Workforce annual presentation in the past. The presentation will occur in November again but under a new name: Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness (CACR). November 5, 2024 is election day and November 12, 2024 will be the work session which is on a Tuesday instead of the usual Monday.

Elstad also commended his talented leadership team and noted that Chris Picha, our director of Human Resources, and Sarah Knudson, our director of Special Services, successfully launched the first teacher apprenticeship last week.

Chair Sebring noted that all board members will be receiving a book that comes highly recommended by Superintendent Elstad called The Anxious Generation.

This fall we will have 3 new principals. Cassie Mitchell comes from experience in Lakeville and Minneapolis to work at Wilson Elementary School. Justin Lange will be our new Lincoln principal, and Dr. Martina Wagner returns to Owatonna Public Schools from Red Wing to principal the ALC.

The first day of school for Owatonna students will be the week of September 3, 2024 but the date varies depending on the school. Please check the district website for information and complete the annual family update.

This has been a busy week!

Soli Deo Gloria!

On August 12, 2024, our retreat was held at the new district office building at 333 E. School Street. As last August, the school board had a planned retreat this August titled by Chair Sebring as Blue Sky Thinking. In addition to all school board members and Superintendent Elstad in attendance, our OMS principal Mrs. Mattson, our director of teaching and learning, Mrs. Sullivan, and our director of special services, Ms. Knudson, were also present. The discussion revolved around the concept asking, “What do we want our graduates to be able to know and do when they cross the stage to get their diploma?” My answer: our students need to be able to read, write and speak well, they need to know concepts in math and science, as well as problem solving skills and how to treat one another with respect and kindness. Many agreed with this, and the suggestions broadened to include characteristics like grit and determination, resilience, critical thinking skills, and the ability to learn how to learn. One member noted that students should know that they have someone at school who cares about them and is a safe person. We discussed our school vision as it states “…all students are college, career, and life ready.” Questions were asked, such as should it be simpler, “all students are future ready” knowing that some students will not see college in their future (However, I thought that our career pathways program was already helping students choose options that include college OR career. After all, they can’t all be YouTubers). One participant felt that we were too focused on “white, middle-class norms,” and an example was given noting that if a child wakes up at home and the power is turned off, then that child will struggle at school that day. However, I challenged the concept of “white middle-class norms” and stated that I believe ALL parents want their children to be able to read, write, do math, problem solve, etc. While some children will have more trials and stressors than others, all children are going to have a difficult day or week at times, regardless of their skin color or ethnicity or socioeconomic class. There will always be tough days and circumstances for all children whether it be a family member with cancer, parents’ divorce or fighting, someone who is rude and mean (teasing or bullying), a lack of food or clean clothes in the home, a family limited by one car or no car, a parent with a disability, low-income level that puts added strain on the family. The list can go on and on. While we can and should help these students and families by providing resources that can help them, we still have to focus on education when they are in school. All of our schools have multiple staff members to assist students if needed such as the behavior interventionists, school counselors, school nurses, and social workers. I believe we can also give our Owatonna parents more credit than some of our board members and staff given them. Income level and ethnic differences do not mean that these children are not loved, or that they are not safe at home. There will be children of ALL colors, ethnicities, and at all income levels that are struggling or abused or hurting in some other way. I could go on with my thoughts, but I won’t at this time!

There was a suggestion to possibly have a listening/sharing session for parents and the community to share what their concerns might be (I brought this up in the past, but was told that our community members can speak at public forum and email/call us if they have concerns). Our new student representative, with his recent experiences and interest in government and history commented, “American youth have mistrust in government,” and he would like to consider education regarding government closer to the age of graduation when students will soon have voting rights (I like this idea!). I’d be interested to know why some of our students choose not to say the pledge of allegiance.

Three other topics were brought up for review and discussion. Earlier in the year, we heard a presentation from Mrs. Mattson about her experiences in Norway where the students have one hour of mandated outdoor play time each day, and their school day is only 8am to 1pm, August to June! Currently, our OMS students have an average of 10-12 minutes outside daily, if they choose to go outside during the lunch period. Mrs. Mattson states that she sees a disparity in parent supervision in that students are often allowed hours of unmonitored screen time on the internet (not at school), yet their time is otherwise micromanaged with play dates, sports, activities, and events. Very rarely these days do children have free time for creative play without screens, indoors or outdoors.

A second review was regarding The READ Act. Mrs. Julie Sullivan noted that they are working with Functional Phonics and Word Work which includes new curriculum and new training for many staff. Phase I training for K-5 and special education teachers will be completed by 6/1/2025, then phase II will begin. Several times over the last many months, I’ve heard from various people that The READ Act is one of the most important legislative changes in the last 10 years and they are expecting major improvements in reading. A personal thought from me… it’s interesting that they are already seeing great things with this curriculum and expecting great things for our students reading in the coming years by using this program and curriculum… yet I don’t believe that this curriculum has anything to do with Social Emotional Learning or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs. Great things will come because of great curriculum and teachers teaching!

The third and final topic was cut short due to lack of time. However, it was briefly noted that the concept of a possible 4-day school week and a 45/15 calendar (not sure what this means yet) is being explored… nothing serious, no plans in place, just research at this point.

The retreat concluded and the work session began, next post soon to follow!

As of August 1, 2024, the new federal Title IX interpretations and definitions are to be in effect for institutions across the United States. As a result, our school district policy 522 needs to be reviewed and possibly updated. The policy committee will be meeting on Monday August 19, 2024 to review this.

The school board had a 2.5 hour retreat and a work session on 8/12/2024 (those posts will follow soon!) at which time Title IX and the rules set by the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) were briefly discussed. Yesterday’s People’s Press, 8/15/2024, featured this discussion highlighting the concerns brought forth by board member Deborah Bandel. Title IX and MSHSL deserve our attention and further discussion.

As I mentioned at Monday’s meeting, the topic of Title IX has come with much controversy and debate.  Anytime we have new interpretations and new definitions of previously familiar words and laws, we need to consider what is lawful, fair and right.

Title IX was approved by congress and signed into law in 1972 with just a short 37-word statement, basically stating that there can be no discrimination on the basis of sex (referring to biological sex) in any organization receiving federal funds.  The original intent was to provide fairness and equality and protection for women in sports. The Biden administration has set forth rules for Title IX that redefine “sex” to include sexual orientation and any gender identity, as well as protections for pregnancy status and abortion rights. 

According to attorney Sarah Perry from the Heritage Foundation, there are a few reasons why the Biden administation’s new definitions for Title IX are not lawful and many states are trying to work through this. These are the main reasons to state that the new interpretation is unlawful:

1. Congress officially only authorized the original Title IX federal law, they have never formally authorized Biden’s new definition of sex and his interpretation. As I understand the recent Chevron ruling by the Supreme Court, institutions are required to follow the original federal ruling if there is any question or doubt regarding interpretation of the law. We must follow federal law first and foremost (as a Christian, however, God’s laws come first, then federal law), despite what rules an institution has set in place.

2. Given the first amendment and the right to free speech, no institution can compel speech (forcing the use of alternative names and pronouns)

3. The new interpretation for Title IX does not allow for due process to protect fairness, life, liberty and property, especially for the girls that are required to share bathrooms, hotel rooms, locker rooms, and share their competitive sport with a biological boy (even surgery and puberty blockers will never change the DNA of XY male to XX female.  This DNA is within every cell of the human body). This was Ms. Bandel’s primary concern that led to the discussion at last Monday’s work session.

4. Adding transgender students to their gender-identified team essentially violates the original Title IX rule which was meant to protect girls and women and give them equality (now equity is the common term) for competition and safety.

5. MSHSL, by requiring schools to allow transgender students to participate with the gendered team they identify with, also violates the original Title IX rule and should not be allowed to require this. I don’t understand how MN allows MSHSL to do this, and to be the only organization in MN that our students can have any meaningful organized competition with. While I don’t want to take away extracurriculars from our kids, had I known this before, I would have reconsidered my vote for MSHSL… I cannot vote for an organization that is violating federal law (and God’s law).

This is a link to just one example of how some states are struggling with the new interpretation of Title IX.  Plus, there are additional links at the bottom of the article that lead to other examples:

https://adfmedia.org/case/state-louisiana-v-us-department-education

Sarah Perry also noted that the federal government has never withheld funding from a school on this basis and if anyone chose to file a complaint, the process takes 6+ months, then the legal process can take another 6-9 months.  Therefore, taking our time to fully consider what Title IX means for our district and Minnesota and the implications of MSHSL rules seem a worthy cause. All school board members have each made an oath of office to uphold the US Constitution first and foremost and to speak on behalf of our constituents.  While I know that the district desires to prevent any lawsuit against it, ultimately, I believe that we all want our children to be safe and treated fairly.  

More to come…our district’s policy committee will be reviewing policy 522 on 8/19/2024 and will bring a revised policy to the board for review and approval. Please come to speak at public forum during our regular meetings on August 26, 2024 or September 23, 2024 if you’d like to share your thoughts on this topic to the board. Alternatively, you can email us anytime, our email addresses are on the district website.

Take care, be safe at the fair.

Soli Deo Gloria…forever.

July 15, 2024 was the only scheduled school board meeting for this month, as per usual for July and December each year. I was able to watch the video recording since I was not able to attend the meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPoNfC_0iII. Ms. Deborah Bandel and Superintendent Elstad were also absent for the meeting.

There were no comments for Public Forum.

During Board Forum, Chair Sebring noted that school board members should have received an evaluation form for the Superintendent, the same form we used last year for the annual evaluation. Results will be discussed at our August 12th board retreat.

Given Superintendent Elstad’s absence, there was no administrative report to review this month.

The consent agenda was approved including the meeting minutes from our regular meeting on 6/24/2024 and the personnel report.

Next, the board reviewed the Long-Term Facilities Maintenance Plan, which is a 10-year plan reviewed annually and submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education. Lori Volz and Bob Olson were present to review the information and answer any questions. As stated on the meeting’s agenda: Minnesota school districts applying for long-term facilities maintenance revenue must annually complete the application for Long-Term Facilities Maintenance Revenue and submit it to the Minnesota Department of Education.  To qualify for Long-term Maintenance Revenue, school districts must have a 10-year plan adopted by the school board and approved by the commissioner.  The Long-Term Maintenance Revenue Application – Ten-Year Expenditure is attached. (This can be reviewed by going to the district website and searching under Board Meetings, Agenda, and finding the attachment. The plan was approved by 5-0 vote. Lori noted that revenue for LTFM is based on enrollment, square footage of our buildings, and age of the buildings/equipment. Ms. Volz confirmed that, “prior to this time, the district was receiving about $2 million in revenues.” Because of the new high school, our funding will be about $1.8 million going forward.

The second vote was for the “Resolution Relating to $7,770,000 General Obligation Facilities Maintenance and School Building Bonds, Series 2025A.” The notice is copied here: NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that Independent School District No. 761
(Owatonna Public Schools), Minnesota (the District) intends to issue its General Obligation Facilities Maintenance and School Building Bonds, Series 2025A (the Bonds) in the approximate principal amount of $7,770,000, pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, Section 123B.595, subdivision 5 and Chapter 475. A portion of the Bonds (approximately $5,800,000) will finance health and safety projects as described in the District’s ten-year facility plan (the Facility Plan). A portion of the Bonds (approximately $1,970,000) will finance the acquisition and betterment of school sites and facilities, as approved by the electors at a special election held on November 5, 2019. A copy of the Facility Plan will be on file with the District and available for public inspection at the District offices during regular business hours. The total amount of outstanding indebtedness of the District as of July 15, 2024 is $153,730,000. Any interested person may submit written comments relating to the Bonds or the projects to the District. The vote approved 5-0.

The third vote was for the 3-year transportation contract with the Owatonna Bus Company. Lori Volz explained that the contract includes the rates for the 2024-2025 school year, but the following 2 years will be negotiated in January 2025. She also noted that this is the first time the contract has been addressed in this way, but she believes that it will be more beneficial to the district rather than approving a set dollar amount for all 3 years at one time. Vote approved by 5-0 count.

The fourth vote approved 5-0 was for the Resolution Calling the General Election which allows the district to be included in the November election. As stated on the agenda, “The Secretary of State’s office sets very specific timelines for notifying the county auditor’s office, posting notices of elections, and publishing notices.  Attached is a resolution calling for the general election so that the election clerk is able to meet these deadlines.  Terms for these board members will be expiring after December: Deborah Bandel, Timothy Jensen, and Eric Schuster. The filing dates are July 30-August 13, 2024.” The filing fee for school board candidates is $2 and applications and payment can be done through Sarah at the new district office, 333 E. School Street.

The second reading and approval of policies are noted below. The policy committee members noted that the updates were mainly related to language and statutes, no major changes were made. Approved 5-0 for policies:
410 – Family and Medical Leave
416 – Drug, Alcohol and Cannabis Testing
506 – Student Discipline
507 – Corporal Punishment and Prone Restraint
510 – School Activities (review only – no recommended changes)
514 – Bullying Prohibition Policy

Lastly, gifts to the district are approved 5-0. As stated on the agenda, “Policy 706 establishes guidelines for the acceptance of gifts to the District.  As specified by Minnesota Statute 465.03, the School Board may accept a gift, grant, or property only by the adoption of a resolution approved by two-thirds of its members. Any gifts accepted of more than nominal value (more than $5), shall become property of the District (Policy 421).” The gifts are noted in the attachment. Thank you again to the ongoing generosity of the Owatonna community in supporting our students.

Meeting adjourned at 5:46pm! (I wonder if the meetings are shorter when I’m not there… 🙂

School supplies are now readily available in the stores…happy shopping everyone! If you have children in the Owatonna Public School system, watch your email for annual forms and updates for back-to-school preparations before the first day of school! The new district offices should now be open. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. If you need assistance with getting school supplies or school clothes, please check out Community Pathways, United Way, and South Central Human Relations Center.

Be safe. Be kind. Be helpful. Be respectful.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Our board meeting began per usual at 5:30pm at the city chambers board room. After the formal call to order, pledge of allegiance, and approval of tonight’s agenda, Mission Moment was presented by Superintendent Elstad. He recognized several OPS district retirees, noting their leadership, commitment, and passion for our students and schools. None of the retirees were present at the meeting as they are hopefully enjoying retirement! Congrats and best wishes to you all!

No comments for public forum. During board forum, I made note that I will be absent from the one school board meeting that is held in July.

The enrollment report is reviewed with no significant changes.

If you haven’t heard yet, here is the brief summary about the upcoming new school bond. Based on necessary facility maintenance updates and repairs, majority of which were unexpected for 2025, the school board will likely be approving a new bond of $7.7 million. However, most Owatonna citizens will not see a noticeable difference in annual taxes paid for this. Some will see a small decrease, some will see a small increase.

Here is my best explanation of the details of the bond and its financing at this time:

Matt Hammer from Ehlers financial advisors gave a presentation in follow up to the information given at our work session 2 weeks ago. This information included recommendations from SiteLogIQ (our Long Term Facilities Maintenance Fund planning tool) for necessary air quality updates to the HVAC systems at Owatonna Education Center and McKinley Elementary School. Additionally, the board was given information for financing these projects with considerations to minimize tax impact to Owatonna citizens.

The projects for 2025 include the new HVAC systems noted above ($5.3 million), fire alarm and suppression projects, and asbestos removal, totaling $5.8 million. Other needs include the OMS pool restoration, among a few other smaller projects listed on the chart given by SiteLogIQ. The total amount needed for 2025 Long Term Facility Maintenance is estimated to be $8.2 million. A new bond ($5.8 million), plus $1.97 million remaining authority as noted below, and the approximate $1 million LTFM funding in our preliminary 2024-2025 budget, will give us the needed funding, with some left for other or unexpected needs that come up.

It is noted that the 2019 election gave the district $112,000,000 in bond authority and $110,030,000 has been issued thus far. Therefore, the district is able to use the remaining $1.97 million for the upcoming project needs.

Combining the 2019 bond authority of $1.97 million with the new project needs of $5.8 million, the total new bond is $7.7 million for 16 years at 4.75%. Despite the new bond, the taxes paid by most citizens of Owatonna will actually decrease or just slightly increase. The estimated decrease is based on tax base growth, with projected 8% increase in home market values (average home value in Owatonna in 2023 was $250,000). New homes, new businesses, and home improvements offset taxes and will actually decrease the tax burden if your home value is $250,000 or less. If your home is valued at $300,000, up to $1 million, your estimated tax increase will be $1 up to $79 annually. Estimates for Agricultural Homestead and Non-Homestead property values up to $12,500 show an annual increase of <$0.50. The Homestead Market Value Exclusion will also result in a net decrease in property taxes. Commercial Industrial property valued $100,000 up to $1 million will have increases beginning at $10 and going up to $134 annually.

The estimated timeline for this, pending approval of certain projects by the MN Department of Education:

1. July 15, 2024 School board regular meeting with public forum: school board adopts Resolution of Intent approving issuance of bonds
2. September 23, 2024 School board regular meeting with public form: school board certifies preliminary levy for taxes payable 2025 (including facilities maintenance bonds)
3. Winter/Spring 2025 Bond closing date and issuance of funds

The presentation from Ehlers financial advisors and SiteLogIQ can be found on the district website/school board/agenda/attachments on 6/10/2024 and 6/24/2024.

I did my best to understand and explain this information, but please contact the school board or Superintendent Elstad with questions or concerns. Or, please come to any of the future regular school board meetings and speak at public forum. You need to come early and fill out a card before the meeting starts at 5:30 and then you will have 3 minutes to voice your opinions, concerns and questions during public forum. After the school board meeting, someone will reach out to you.

Other items reviewed included the 6/17/2024 policy committee meeting report, the 6/10/2024 work session report, and the first reading to review policies: 410 Family and Medical Leave Act, 416 Drug Alcohol and Cannabis testing, 506 Student Discipline, 507 Corporal Punishment and Prone Restraint, 510 School Activities, 514 Bullying Prohibition Policy. In light of the policies being reviewed, I asked about determining policy effectiveness and data that is available regarding incident reports for student discipline, bullying, substance use, etc. Superintendent Elstad noted that all incidents are reported to the MN Dept. of Education and an annual summary data report is received by the district. Our upcoming school board retreat in August will give us time to review a variety of data sets, including that from the MN Dept of Education.

Superintendent Elstad gave the administrative report, noting the district offices will be moving into the new space on School Street beginning June 26. There will be no district phone services beginning June 26, hopefully being restored on July 2, 2024. The district will have a voicemail system set in place with instructions if needed, otherwise it will be best to use district emails during this time. Staff will be working from home until the new offices are in working order. They expect the district to be back online with working computers in the new space on July 10, 2024. Also noted is summer school which is in full swing for June and July, then preparations for the new school year ramp up in August. Elstad also informally recognized an OHS student for her recent win of the girls golf state championship, a formal recognition is to come this fall!

The consent agenda was approved 5-0 and includes 5/28/2024 meeting minutes, the disbursement report, and the personnel report. No discussion amongst board members.

Several other votes were taken, all approved 5-0, with some discussion:

1. Indoor air quality projects at McKinley and OEC, pool restoration, and other long-term facilities maintenance priorities. This approval is for the scope of the project only and is not a commitment to funding or bond changes.
2. Casual worker pay schedule, mainly updated last year, with only a few updates this year.
3. 2024-2025 Preliminary budget; a formal presentation was given recently and a one page summary was reviewed for this meeting
4. 2024-2025 School board meeting schedule, with meetings to continue on the second and fourth Mondays each month and only one meeting in each of July and December.
5. Minnesota State High School League membership. As I noted last year, the MSHSL is the only option MN schools have for competitive sports and arts programs at this time. As part of this membership, one board member (Chair Sebring) and one school representative (Marc Achterkirch) is appointed to represent the high school and vote on matters as needed. Faculty are appointed to represent each area: Girls and Boys Sports (Marc Achterkirch), Speech (Marcia Anderson) and Music (Mr. Guenther). There is also an advisory committee to the district representatives that includes a board member (Chair Sebring), a faculty member (Tami Langlois), a parent (Pat Bogen), and a student (Blake Davison). There may be votes and decisions made by our representatives on behalf of the district; I mentioned that I would like to be included in this information and will contact the reps above about this.
6. Minnesota School Boards Association membership (fee $11,000). The policy committee works closely with MSBA for policy updates and development and MSBA gives the required and many optional trainings for new and existing board members, as well as gives an annual conference for school board members.
7. Schools Advocating for Fair Funding (previously Schools for Equity in Education) membership (fee $7000). SI Elstad commented that this organization helps to lobby at the state capitol for rural communities to receive necessary funding, also provides data and resources and professional development. This organization helped OPS receive the Ag Credit (admittedly, I am not too familiar with this credit, but Elstad and Weisenburger agreed that it has been very good for our school).
8. Policy revisions-second reading and approval: 709 Student Transportation Safety, 806 Crisis Management, 950 Public Data and Data Subject Requests. It is noted that public data requests that are to be taken off school grounds do need to be paid in advance by the requestor, otherwise the district absorbs the cost of data requests.
9. Resolution establishing dates for filing affidavits of Candidacy for the school board; remember to file at the new district office (333 E School St) beginning July 30th through August 13, 2024.
10. Gifts to the district, specifically recognizing Mayo Clinic for their $15,000 annual “installment” toward the career pathways program.

Lots of information! Thank you for reading and please keep in touch with questions or concerns. Take care.

Soli Deo Gloria.