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!

In efforts to keep this report a reasonable length, I am going to be succinct in my meeting summary notes but expand on my comments, thoughts, and opinions. Remember, this is my personal blog, with my personal interpretations and perspectives. I am not speaking for the whole Owatonna School Board.

The Regular Meeting (these are the formal meetings that are recorded–feel free to watch it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwSiKGskRkc&t=1921s ) was held per usual, all 7 board members and Superintendent Elstad were present.

Mission Moment was focused on a group of elite OPS athletes who excelled last year in their sport. The athletes were recognized for their hard work and success. A few of the athletes I recognized from our varsity football team, and they played a great game last Friday!

A member of the Owatonna OPEN group spoke during Public Forum noting that all school board candidates have received a questionnaire from OPEN and the answers are made available to the public to aid in voting decisions on November 5, 2024. Five of eight candidates have answered the questions, and she encouraged the other three to submit theirs. We have 3 seats up for election this year. The eight candidates include April St. Martin, Ron Kubicek, Mike Herman, Andrea VanGelder, 2 incumbents Eric Schuster and Tim Jensen, and 2 previous school board members Christina Ingvaldson and Nikki Gieske. There is a candidate forum on Monday September 30th at The Owatonna Country Club, beginning at noon, please register if you can come. I will be there!

The enrollment report is available to review. As I’ve noted before, since we’ve made the boundary changes for the elementary schools attendance, there are no flagged class sizes with 3 or more students above the recommended size for that grade. However, we do have 8 classes that are above the recommended class size (this is more than we had last year.) I can accept that the first year after boundary changes may bring surprises, but am hopeful that this will be adjusted for next year so our class sizes are not above goal.

Next, we reviewed a document from the City of Owatonna stating, “The City Council (the ʺCouncilʺ) of the City of Owatonna, Steele County, Minnesota, will hold a
public hearing on October 15, 2024, at approximately 7:00 p.m., at City Hall, 540 West Hills Circle in the City of Owatonna, Minnesota (the ʺCityʺ), relating to the proposed establishment of Tax Increment Financing (Redevelopment) District No. 20‐1…” This is notice of a new development including 74 rental housing units located at Hillcrest Ave. SE, Owatonna. No approval or votes are needed by the district or board, this was for notification only.

No comments were given by the board regarding review of the recent policy and finance committee meeting minutes or the last work session meeting minutes. In my opinion, these minutes provide minimal if any insight into the discussions that occurred. Very little to no information is provided to the public here, a lack of transparency, you could say.

Policies up for review and a first reading: 503, 512, 515. Comments regarding changes in policy 512, which addresses students’ right to free speech, were focused on the change in wording from “publication” to “media” and adding the statement, “The school district may exercise editorial control over the style and content of student expression in school-sponsored media and activities.” This makes sense to me for protection of students, teachers, and staff from defamation, harassment, and exposure to obscene material. As stated in this policy, “obscene to minors” means: 1. The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find that the material, taken as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest of minors of the age to whom distribution is requested; and 2. The material depicts or describes, in a manner that is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community concerning how such conduct should be presented to minors of the age to whom distribution is requested, sexual conduct such as intimate sexual acts (normal or perverted), masturbation, excretory functions, or lewd exhibition of the genitals.

In contrast, our library policy states none of these things and we have books in our school library that have depictions of sexual abuse, sex trafficking, drug abuse, prostitution, and explicit language. These are a few that I found last year: Tricks by Ellen Hopkins, SOLD by Patricia McCormick, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran. A parent also found this book series in her child’s 6th grade classroom library: Heartstopper by Alice Oseman https://www.amazon.com/Heartstopper-Graphic-Novel-Alice-Oseman/. The decisions for book selections are made by the librarians, district media specialist and classroom teachers. While I understand that some parents have no issue with these books, most parents will agree that these books are meant for older and more mature teens and adults. Many parents would agree that a parent is best able to decide what is appropriate for their child when it comes to topics such as these. I’m not advocating for book bans, especially in any city or county library, but should we have more regulations in a public school that is meant for education and funded by taxpayers? Last year, I found these library books because I was able to log in to our district’s system through this link that is still on the website today: http://owatonna.follettdestiny.com located on the media page: https://www.isd761.org/district-services/teaching-learning/media-services. However, now I’m told that only students and staff can access the online book inventory, and that classroom libraries have no oversight or accountability. As a school board member, I asked for access, and I asked how parents can access our school libraries. I have been told to schedule a meeting with our board chair, vice chair and superintendent regarding these questions. Hopefully, this meeting will occur in October. Simple questions are made complicated. Why does this seem more and more as a lack of transparency?

Several policies came up for a second reading and approval, including policy 524 regarding internet use. I believe this policy is well written with many specific guidelines as to what is appropriate internet use and the content accessed, similar to that noted above. I commented at the meeting my observation that this policy is very detailed and well done, yet we have library materials containing the inappropriate content as listed in this policy. There was no response or discussion on this topic. In follow up to the previous meeting’s discussion regarding policy 616 on district accountability, I clarified a few items which Superintendent Elstad responded too. There was no further discussion or clarification by my fellow board members or those on the policy committee. Again, you can view the meeting through the YouTube link above.

Superintendent Elstad gave an administrative report noting that he continues to advocate for our district through Schools Advocating for Fair Funding https://saffmn.org/about/ (formerly known as Schools for Equity in Education).

Votes were taken to approve the previous Regular Meeting minutes, Disbursement Reports and Personnel Report. Also approved was the annual Assurance of Compliance Report explained as, “Each year, school districts in Minnesota must submit to the Minnesota Department of Education an Assurance of Compliance with State and Federal laws prohibiting discrimination.” Our Superintendent is given the responsibility to make these reports.

Lori Volz presented the preliminary operating levy as a 4.99% increase and requested this approval “at maximum.” She clarified this phrase noting that over the next few months, the MN Department of Education may make small adjustments, and this will allow for those changes. Final approval occurs in December 2024 for taxes payable 2025. Last year’s levy was much lower at 1.75%, in large part due to a $353,000 credit and would have been 3.6% if not for that credit. The previous year’s levy increase was 5.94%. So, while there is an increase, she notes that the end result for taxpayers should continue to be a small decrease in taxes paid. When looking at the overall factors: decreased state aid, decreased enrollment, increased inflation, increased tax base and market values, the recent legislative changes, plus $420,000 from our future LTFM fund, and business taxes, the overall tax levy results in a small decrease in education taxes paid for most Owatonna residents.

Gifts to the district were approved with many generous donations for homecoming. Chair Sebring nominated Eric Schuster and Tim Jensen to ride in the convertible representing the school board in the parade, and they accepted. This is an interesting nomination considering the upcoming election… yes?

Lastly, during Board Forum, Chair Sebring gave updates from the facilities committee meeting regarding the future sale of our Bridge and Rose Street properties and the ongoing work at the site of the old high school. During board forum, I noted that I’d been looking at some websites that offer school rankings (https://www.schooldigger.com/ and https://www.niche.com/k12/d/owatonna-public-school-district-mn/) and would like to consider setting a goal to increase our ranking or to win an award such as the National Blue Ribbon Schools award (Thank you for this suggestion–who know who you are! Good work comes from a team!) (https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/ .) Our community has supported our schools greatly over the last few years with funding and collaboration. Our new high school and its programs are setting the stage for other schools. I’d love for our district to continue to move forward with improved academic scores and setting goals to achieve this. A ranking or an award is not about recognition and praise, but about drawing the community together to continue to support our district (students and staff), working toward a common goal, and setting our children up to thrive.

Keep on… Soli Deo Gloria!

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!