We held our first school board meeting at the City Chambers office at 5:30pm on Monday. The new space is beautiful, with a board table, microphones, cameras and large screens. New furniture and carpet gave the air “that new car smell.”

New chambers aside, our work session immediately followed the World’s Best Workforce presentation. The numbers speak for themselves as do the proficiency rates on the MN Report Card: https://rc.education.mn.gov/#mySchool/orgId–10761000000__groupType–district__p–3

• Owatonna Public School district 2023: Math 46.7%, Reading 48.3%, Science 29%
• Owatonna High School 2023: Math 37.2%, Reading 55.5%, Science 32.6%

One important question we need to ask is how are we going to do things differently this year? If we only do more of the same things we have done before, I don’t expect that we will get the improved results we need. As a school board, we have yet to review and discuss this report and the planned action steps for moving forward.

Mrs. Lori Volz, the director of finance and operations, presented an in-depth enrollment report. The predictions for future enrollment show declining numbers in the next few years, but then overall stability out to 2033. The graphs revealed that the declining student enrollment mainly affects grade 1-5 over the next few years. This is suspected to be due to declining birth rates. Given that our schools’ primary funding depends on the number of students enrolled, this could dramatically affect our budget. This may require an increase in the operating levy and also more work to maximize all funding streams that we currently have.

Ms. Deb McDermott-Johnson, our director of community education, presented a fall update with coworkers Alexa and Lydia. Alexa works with our youth programs and coordinates enrollment. She reported that all 4 of our School Age Programs are now in full swing as they were able to hire enough staff. They have also hired a Floating Supervisor and an Enrichment Specialist. These roles have helped cover programming needs. Lydia manages our Adult Education programs. We have 6 program sites which gives us virtual abilities and regional programming. The details of this report can be viewed through the district website. Overall, the depth and breadth of opportunities for our community members is incredible. While we tend to focus on our students preK-12th grade, it is good to remember that our district also offers a multitude of educational benefits to many members of Owatonna. This, in part, is done through partnerships with businesses and organizations, plus the Career Pathways program.

After our school board retreat last August, at which time we reviewed our 3-year governance work plan, our Chair, Vice Chair and Superintendent were able to fine tune the details of this plan and bring it for the board to review at this meeting. Briefly, we discussed that there were many legislative updates this year, which in turn, requires us to update our policies. We also agreed that it is important for school board members to be present in the community, attending school and community events when possible. In the past, the district has held community forums, typically when big decisions are being made, such as those regarding the new high school. I questioned if we would ever consider doing an annual community forum for anyone to come and ask questions or raise concerns that they may have with our schools. This idea will be tabled for now as we have scheduled Coffee with the Superintendent sessions and a public forum opportunity once monthly at our regular school board meetings.

Superintendent Elstad gave a quarterly update on projects currently underway that align with the district’s strategic plans. This includes work on our cybersecurity and the reunification plan should any buildings need to be evacuated. Also, the project with TeamWorks is ongoing to evaluate the elementary school boundary lines, plus progress is made toward the Owatonna scholarship and our Grow Your Own teacher development program.

During Board Forum, our student representative mentioned that he is taking a self-guided tour of Rome in December with a group of students. What an incredible opportunity, best wishes for fun and safety and wonderful memories!!

Soon to come will be the results of our Desired Daily Experiences survey of students and families. In addition to this information, I am curious to know how our teachers are surveyed, what they are concerned about, what’s going well or not well, and if they feel safe in our schools. How would teachers change things to improve our proficiency scores?

Until next time, take care everyone. Soli Deo Gloria.

This week’s update will be divided into 2 posts because we essentially had 2 meetings on Monday. The World’s Best Workforce presentation began at 5pm and was given by Mrs. Julie Sullivan our director of teaching and learning and Mr. Ken Griswold our data and assessment coordinator. This is a summary of that presentation.

As stated on page 3 of the report, the requirements of the World’s Best Workforce include: developing district goals and plan strategies, align the district budget with the goals, hold an annual meeting to share results and gain community input, establish an advisory committee, annual board review and approval, submit a summary to the MN Dept of Education Commissioner, and then post the results on the district website.

Performance Measure 1: All children are ready for school.

• Fall 2022: composite 60% (4 measures 48-65%) of kindergarten students met literacy benchmarks (Fall 2021: composite 51% met literacy benchmarks)
• Goal for Fall 2023: 63% of students to meet literacy benchmarks
• Results: Fall 2023: 58% of kindergarten students met literacy benchmarks
• Goal for Fall 2024: 63% of students will meet benchmarks
• Action steps: focus instruction on phonemic awareness which was the weakest measurement of the composite score, increase screening for children at 3 years old, and continued emphasis on family and community outreach/engagement

Performance Measure 2: All third-graders can read at grade level (this measure was recently removed by the State, likely due to the new READ Act)

• Fall 2022: 47.3% of third-grade students were proficient on the MCA state reading assessment (Fall 2021: 47.2% proficient)
• Goal for Fall 2023: 60% of students proficient
• Results Fall 2023: 42.7% of third-grade students were proficient (Mrs. Sullivan noted that these students were in kindergarten when the pandemic started and were in and out of school for 2 years before finally having a more “normal” school year in second grade, and now just beginning third grade)
• Goal for Fall 2024: no goal is set due to this measure being removed
• Action steps: READ Act targets new professional development and training for staff/teachers, continue Functional Phonics, and a responsive approach to literacy teaching based on multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) which varies depending on the school and the specific behavioral/learning needs of the students at each school

Performance Measure 3: Close achievement gaps among all student groups

• Fall 2022 goal: close the gap in reading and math proficiency rates on MCA tests for all racial/ethnic/economic groups (10 categories) 1.5% by June 2023 (Fall 2021 goal: decrease achievement gaps 3% by June 2022)
• Past measures evaluated 2019 to 2022 in 10 categories show decreased gaps in 3 areas, and increased gaps or no change in 7 areas.
• Recent measures for these 10 categories show decreased gaps in 2 areas and increased gaps in 8 areas.
• Action steps: continue culturally responsive practices and co-teaching, increase enrollment of underrepresented student groups in specialized courses, utilize success coaches to promote home-to-school connections

Performance Measure 4: All students are ready for career and college

• Goal 20222-2023: 85% of graduates have earned credit in courses with college credit-earning potential or have earned a Bilingual Seal by spring 2023.
• 2023 Result: 82.4% (Goal for 2024 continues to be 85%)
• Goal 2022-2023: there will be a 3% increase in grades 10-12 students earning credit in advanced career and technical courses or in internships/mentorships (2022 59.2% of students met goal)
• 2023 Results: -0.7% / 58.5% of students met goal (Goal for 2024 continues to be 3% increase raising the number to 61.5%)
• Action steps: increase access to guidance resources and experiences through COMPASS days, Naviance, and career connections. Plus continue to develop career pathways programming and integrate 21st century skills in all curricula.

Performance Measure 5: All student graduate from high school. These numbers include our online school and the Alternative Learning Center. Due to not having graduation rates for 2023 yet, this measure is only up to date as of 2022.

• Goal for 2022: graduation rate will increase from 87 to 88% with no racial/ethnic group falling below 80% by 2023.
• Results:

All Students	87.6%
Black/African American	82.1%
Hispanic/Latino	70.1%
White	92.3%

• Action steps: increase academic support and opportunities for credit recovery, refine programs for students receiving English Learner services, create individual plans for all students at the ALC, increase student engagement in learning.

Included in the report but not in the presentation is information regarding our district’s Achievement and Integration Plan, teaching and learning framework, curriculum development, and staff development goals. All of this information can be found on the district website.

The annual World’s Best Workforce presentation starts at 5pm tonight and will be followed by the school board work session at 5:30pm. Our location for meetings is now the City Chambers office and no longer at the district office. There were five goals for the WBW, and after this year’s legislative changes, they removed the goal for all third graders to be reading at grade level. After tonight’s meeting, the presentation will be uploaded here: https://www.isd761.org/district-services/teaching-learning/worlds-best-workforce. Here’s the info again on the MN Dept of Education site https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/wbwf/.

Margo reminded me that Saturday November 11th is Veterans Day. In the midst of planning a November birthday celebration, plus Thanksgiving plans, I wasn’t thinking about Veterans Day. Maybe it’s because I’m not a veteran, but it’s not that I don’t think it’s important. My stepfather was a Marine, my father-in-law and cousin are Army veterans, and my uncle struggled with PTSD after serving in Viet Nam. Margo is my coworker who has suffered negative repercussions from her service to our country. The week leading up to Veterans Day is difficult for her due to devastating memories. I had no idea, but I’m so glad that she shared this with me.

In thinking about Veterans Day, I always thought of it as a positive affirmation for those who sacrificed for our freedoms, not realizing that it would be so difficult for some. Then, while listening to the radio this week, I’d heard someone talk about how people just minimally show up for the Veterans Day parade or events. In addition, there are rumblings in various communities about our young people not being grateful for our American freedoms, and not even understanding how they came about in the first place.

As we hear about acceptance, respect, and kindness for everyone in our community, I simply ask that we continue to remember and honor our soldiers. Express gratitude for the sacrifices they made, and continue to make, while remembering that there are often pains that we can’t see but which last a lifetime. Honoring our United States flag is honoring veterans. Teaching our children about the personal devastation of war and freedom’s defense helps them to learn compassion and empathy, plus thankfulness. This can help them to gain appreciation for our country, and pride for our American flag and freedoms. Help us stand together as Americans.

Jesus stated, “…every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” Matthew 12:25. Even if you do not believe what the Bible teaches, this makes sense.

Thank you veterans. Many are remembering and honoring, you do not stand alone!

Reminder, the next school board meeting is November 13, 2023 at the new location in the City’s Chamber office, 540 West Hills Circle at 5:30pm. There will be a presentation regarding The World’s Best Workforce (https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/wbwf/) which includes guided goals from the state:

“School boards that govern districts and charter schools are required to develop comprehensive, long-term strategic plans that address the following five WBWF goals:

1.All children are ready for school.

2.All racial and economic achievement gaps between students are closed.

3.All students are ready for career and college.

4.All students graduate from high school.

Note: Due to legislative changes, third grade reading is no longer a WBWF goal area as of the 2023–24 school year.“

The virtual State of the District presentation will available soon, given by Superintendent Elstad. For previous videos, check the district website: https://www.isd761.org/our-district/state-of-district

The next Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent is Friday December 1, 2023 at the district office 515 W. Bridge Street, door 1, 8-9am. Anyone in the community is invited to attend.

I hope you smile and make memories this weekend. Take care.

***Yesterday when I wrote this post, I forgot to mention the passing of Cindy Voss, a beloved paraprofessional who worked in our district. I didn’t know Cindy, but I’ve heard wonderful things about her; she was loved by many and will be greatly missed. I’m so sorry for this loss and I pray for comfort for all those that knew her.

Our regular school board meeting began at the district office at 5:30pm. After the call to order, the Pledge of Allegiance and approval of the agenda, Superintendent Elstad used Mission Moment to recognize our schools’ principals and assistant principals. He noted that October is principal appreciation month and they are “the glue that make this operation run.” I have no doubt that our principals work very hard, care for our children, and make many difficult decisions for our students. Thank you to all of our principals!

A community member used public forum to share her thanks to the board and district leadership for the new high school, the technology, the services, the programs, and opportunities that Owatonna students have. It is much appreciated to hear good news… thank you!

A few comments were made during board forum. The policy committee continues to review our policies. The finance committee is working to set up meetings for November and December. The City Chambers space should be available for our next board meeting in November. Governor Walz visited Owatonna for pheasant hunting opener. This is Red Ribbon week, sponsored by SHOC, which is a student organization that helps educate our students about the dangers of drug use. National Honor Society sponsored a blood drive. The high school newspaper (Magnet) led by Mrs. Wagner, was given a second-place award for the best school newspapers in the state. I asked our student board representatives if there were any rumblings or discussions among students regarding the attacks on Israel. They noted that there seems to be an awareness of what’s going on, but no concerns for arguments, safety, or classroom conversations at this time. Mr. Elstad noted that while our district never condones violence, we do not typically make any statements regarding international news.

Mr. Elstad gave the Administrative Report, confirming that the new City Chambers space should be available to us for our next board meeting and there will be a ribbon cutting at the space soon. He is preparing for the State of the School address which will be virtual again this year as this seems to work best for most people. The Learn and Earn team continues to work developing the Owatonna Scholarship which will give students the opportunity to earn college courses at Riverland at no cost. The goal is to have this available in 2025. He is planning to meet with our state legislators to discuss financial assistance and the new unfunded mandates. Our community education director is working to formalize a plan for the public to use the walking track at the high school. There will be 2 upcoming open house opportunities at the new high school: November 2, 2023 which is the opening night of the fall play, and November 14, 2023 which is the All Bands concert, both are 5-7pm. Online registration is advised for these and is available on Facebook and the New High School link on the district website.

The consent agenda was approved which includes the minutes from the previous 2 meetings, the disbursement reports, and the personnel report.

The board approved 3 items in 7-0 votes:

1. policy revisions for policies 513, 514, 524, 602
2. MSHSL Form A Resolution: this is financial assistance through a grant which helps cover student activity fees
3. Gifts to the district: specifically recognizing the Music Boosters of Owatonna and Jersey Mike’s, but also other donations that helped with homecoming.

NEXT board meeting: November 13, 2023 at the City Chambers office! In preparation for the upcoming World’s Best Workforce presentation next month, I have been reviewing the proficiency reports on the Minnesota Report Card. These are based on MCA scores. There has been a lot of confusion about whether or not students that opt out of MCA testing negatively impacts our proficiency rates. The Minnesota Department of Education has confirmed that opting out does not negatively affect the MN Report Card statistics (though it does affect the North Star accountability system).

Owatonna Public Schools district 2023: Math 46.7%, Reading 48.3%, Science 29%

Owatonna High School 2023: Math 37.2%, Reading 55.5%, Science 32.6%

https://rc.education.mn.gov/#mySchool/orgId–10761000000__groupType–district__p–3

These numbers absolutely have to improve and this will be my primary goal moving forward into 2024.

Due to public request, there will be a formal hearing on the social studies standards. The hearings are scheduled for November 8, 2023, 6-8pm and November 9, 2023 1-4:15pm. You can find the links to join these hearings at The American Experiment website https://www.americanexperiment.org/tell-it-to-the-judge-raise-our-standards/

An interview you may find interesting recently took place the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs. The series is called Dialogue Across Difference and is hosted by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance. The guest was the Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera and she discusses the topic “Parents Matter” and how they are working with parents in Virginia to improve academics and schools. The interview is about 1 hour long, but you can listen at 1.25-1.5x speed and still enjoy the interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWnLc1bYueU

Minnesota Parents Alliance https://minnesotaparents.org/about/ is a wonderful resource to assist parents in being involved in their school district. They are hosting a parent advocacy training session on Wednesday, October 19, 2023 via Zoom, free of charge, from 7-8pm. You should be able to register here https://www.simpletix.com/e/parent-training-session-building-relations-tickets-147997

The next Coffee with the Superintendent of Owatonna Public Schools is October 26, 2023, 8-9am, at the district office, 515 West Bridge Street, Door #1. Anyone can attend to ask questions and discuss what’s going on in the district. If you’d like to get more information like this from the district, you can sign up for the e-newsletter https://www.isd761.org/our-district/news/e-newsletter-and-press-releases

On the sidelines for school board work, as a parent I have questioned a few library books, and used the resource form that is listed on the school district website under policy 606 to bring those questions and concerns to the media specialist: https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1657734918/owatonnak12mnus/egcv54ngk3fuo7pqdzxy/606FormRe-EvaluatingaResource2022.pdf One of the books I had concerns about was in the middle school library, the other was in the high school library, and after review by the media specialist and the review committee, both books are now only in the high school library. The books are: Sold by Patricia McCormick published in 2006 and Tricks by Ellen Hopkins, published in 2009. As of now, our schools book selection is guided by policy 606. Our media specialist director explained the protocol to me for choosing library books:

1. Each media center selects materials and resources that support, enrich, and help implement the educational philosophy of the OPS district.
2. Considerations are based on recommendations from faculty, staff, students, reviews in reputable media resources, material previews from vendors and publishers, and by subject knowledge and expertise of the District Media Specialist.
3. Selection of materials and resources is based on the evaluation of the existing collection, curriculum requirements, and the diverse needs of the students and staff.

That’s all for now. Next regular school board meeting is 10/23/2023!

The school board met at the district office for the work session at 530pm. One of our student representatives was absent but all other members attended. The majority of the meeting was spent listening to and discussing the 2023-2024 Operational Plan Update given by each of our district’s cabinet members. Much detailed information was presented and I’ll do my best to explain it here. However, please clarify and ask questions if something is not clear or sounds incorrect.

Human Resources director Chris Picha

We’ve had a substitute teacher shortage, by approximately 15 subs daily, but are starting a short-call substitute pilot program which will hopefully help, plus we are offering increased pay for sub teachers. Ideally, we could hire about 20 more substitute teachers to be able to meet all of our district’s needs. The district has a $750,000 grant for the Adult Pathways program to focus on increasing the number of teachers of color into our district. In addition, there is a teacher apprenticeship program in development which is a collaboration between Owatonna and Minneapolis school districts, and I believe this will benefit our Education Assistants and Paras. Mr. Elstad noted that the OEA (teacher’s union) supports this program. There will also be an Administrative Mentorship program. Another $750,000 is for the Student Pathways partnership for 10th-12th grade students and will offer a summer camp option. Regarding our “safe and caring community” strategic goal, we have developed a Threat Assessment Team which is for prevention of problems. These team members will take a course of study and pass a test. Lastly, Ms. Picha noted that due to new legislation this year, they are working through the complicated documents and requirements for Earned Sick and Safe Time and the updated unemployment processes with the subsequent impact this will have on the district (financial and staffing shortfalls are expected).

Teaching and Learning director Julie Sullivan

At the forefront, Mrs. Sullivan is working through the requirements for the recently passed READ Act, also noted to be an unfunded mandate from the State. There are three professional development courses, and our district will choose one for our teachers to work through. These courses can require 40 hours, and up to 144 hours, of additional training for our teachers. They are looking at options for incorporating this training into the already full work that our teachers are doing. There will be five curriculum options given to the district to choose from, and this is based on The Science of Reading. Currently, our K-2 students are starting the Functional Phonics program. Progress is already underway to meet the Science Standards and the team is looking ahead to the new Social Studies requirements and changes also recently updated by the State. They have developed an Artificial Intelligence study group to begin the discussions for how AI can and will change education in the future. Soon, our students and families will receive the Desired Daily Experiences survey that was designed and developed specifically for Owatonna. This will be the second year for using this survey, which offers quantitative data only. Results from last year can be found on the district website, as will this year’s results when they are finalized. Of note, next month the board will be presented with the annual World’s Best Workforce presentation which comes from the State with specific goals and measures.

Special Services director Sarah Knudsen

They are working on a grant application for $750,000 for special education teachers, with a goal to assist teachers in moving from the Tier 1-2 levels up to Tiers 3-4. The team is hoping to help fund 30 teachers in the area (I believe this is a collaboration and not just Owatonna). Ms. Knudsen is working to improve consistency in programs and systems alignment between all the schools, specifically improving the 504 plan process and practice. She is working to integrate services (social, emotional, behavioral, mental health) into the Multitiered Systems of Support. She continues to work with the STRIDE and Discovery programs, and with implementation of Life Space Crisis Intervention training and Teach to Heal. In addition, she is looking at possible alternatives to the Crisis Prevention Intervention training as well as implementing new legislation requirements regarding non-exclusionary discipline practices. This entails ensuring that students of color are receiving the same type and frequency of discipline as white students, essentially, equal discipline practices regardless of race.

Community Education director Deb McDermott-Johnson

We now have all four School Age Care sites up and running where previously we only had staffing for two. Adult Basic Education is now more simply Adult Education (AE) and we have national reporting standards for documentation of new skills, assessments, and participation rates. We have a Career Pathways/Integrated Education and Training model, adult learning center student leadership council, and implementation of the Southern MN Initiative Foundation inclusive and equitable entrepreneur grant. They are working on community engagement through utilizing the new walking track, driver’s education class, and 2050 Community Vision Alignment. In addition, she is working on a joint educational assistant/para position model, sharing of 504 plans and IEPs between departments, and Positive Discipline on child guidance strategies. I have some learning to do as I don’t fully know what all of these programs are! Mr. Elstad commented on how Owatonna’s community education excels because of the hard work and efforts from Ms. McDermott-Johnson.

Finance and Operations director Lori Volz

School finance is much more complicated now given the multitude of unfunded mandates and changes required by the State Legislature this year. Ms. Volz is analyzing funding streams and compensatory funding, with the change in requirements for spending. Ms. Volz noted the upcoming district boundary analysis to be completed with the Teamworks organization and the growth of the Online School program. Also mentioned was the Voluntary PreKindergarten expansion which was met with transportation challenges. However, they worked this out by obtaining a van for the district, plus using the Owatonna Bus Company and the Smart Bus. She noted that our funding from the COVID pandemic will end this year, but that additional legislative funding will help to balance this loss.

Facilities, Infrastructure and Security director Bob Olson

They are working to finalize an evacuation and reunification plan in the event that any school in Owatonna needs to be evacuated, a plan will be in place for parents and guardians to know where to find their children. The Raptor Alert system is in place for some of our schools with the goal to have all schools using it next year. The old high school building is now officially a construction site and the general public is no longer allowed inside for safety reasons. The asbestos abatement process has begun and is expected to take up to 3 months. The mass demolition is expected to begin in January 2024 with finalization of remodeling of the remaining spaces completed by July 2024. There will be district wide facility assessments in the future to help with planning and budgeting the Long Term Facilities Maintenance fund.

Before adjournment, Mr. Elstad noted that this weekend is the pheasant hunting opener and the governor will be in Owatonna for a tour and to visit the nature preserve at McKinley school!

Take care everyone. There are many challenges, hurts, and unexpected difficult life events happening for all of us. We must look for the helpers, and be a helper when we can.

The school board Regular Meeting started at 530pm at the district office on Bridge Street. As the meeting began, all members were given a laminated card, each side clarifying and asking the relevant questions:

Governance: Why? To what end? At what cost? Through what policies? (School board’s role)

Management: What? When? How will this get done? Who will be responsible for doing it? (Administration’s role)

Superintendent Jeff Elstad used Mission Moment to recognize student Carter Hanson as a National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist. Congratulations Carter and best wishes to you in all your future endeavors!

Mr. Elstad also gave an update on the Learn and Earn initiative which is connected with our district’s Career Pathways program. This is a new project funded by a $1 million grant, organized by a collaboration of the Owatonna Chamber of Commerce, Riverland Community College and ISD 761. The initiative includes the new Owatonna Scholarship and will help to fulfill Mr. Elstad’s vision of educating our pre-K through “grade 14” students. The class of 2024 will be the first class eligible to receive the new Owatonna Scholarship. More info on Career Pathways can be found here: https://ohs-reg-guide.weebly.com/pathways.html. If students are interested in the Owatonna Scholarship, they can talk to a teacher or principal at the high school.

The enrollment report was reviewed and again noted that Lincoln is over 100% capacity. Because of this, the board previously approved the Teamworks proposals on 8/28/2023 to address boundary lines and possible changes for the next school year to help with this.

During board forum I took the opportunity to make a statement to the board and noted this a few days ago in the previous blog post here. Since the board’s work seems to be focused on policy work, it seems reasonable to me that we need to be having respectful discussions as a whole board regarding topics of concerns or questions that any one of us as a parent, community member, or board member may have.

The first reading for policy revisions was reviewed for policies 513 (adds gifted and talented student provisions, early admissions), 514 (adds malicious and sadistic conduct prohibition, updates general policy statement and notice), 524 (adds cell phone provisions), and 602 (adds E-learning provisions).

Mr. Elstad gave the Administrative Report noting that the round-about on Bixby and 18th should be completed in early November, hopefully mitigating some of the traffic congestion on 18th Street. The auctions at the old high school building will be completed October 4th, with October 8th as the last day to pick up items. Then on October 9, 2023 the old buildings will officially be a construction site and the public will not be allowed in the buildings moving forward. Parents in the district will soon be notified of a 30-day window to comment on the updated Social Studies curriculum proposals. This is info organized by FAIR and can be found on their website: https://www.fairforall.org/join-us/

Minnesota K12 Social Studies Standards Instructions, artifacts and sources   Deadline for comments: October 25, 2023 at 4:30pm Administrative hearing: November 8, 2023 6-8pm & November 9, 1-4:15pm (contingent upon receiving 25 requests for a hearing during the comment period)   Statute that outlines how K12 Academic Standards must be established and reviewed: Minnesota Statutes 120B.021   Proposed replacement of the (2011) K12 Social Studies Standards: Final draft   Instructions for comments and to request an administrative hearing: Notice of Intent to Adopt Rules   MDE’s rulemaking page   MDE’s justification for its proposal: Statement of Need and Reasonableness (SONAR)    p. 17 MDE’s summary of the history of academic standards in Minnesota    p. 33 MDE’s summary of establishing the review committee      p. 51 MDE’s summary of feedback received during drafting process    p. 63 Itemized justifications for each of the 25 new standards

Mr. Elstad also noted that on October 10, 2023, at our next work session, we will be hearing some operational plan updates. Lastly, he noted that the open house at the new high school was a huge success with an estimated 5,000 people in attendance.

The Consent Agenda was approved including minutes from previous meetings, the disbursement report and the personnel report.

Several votes were taken:

Director of Special Services Sarah Knudsen noted that we have a $65,000 grant to cover social services in the district and the long-held agreement with Steele County Children’s Mental Health is due to be renewed. Vote passed 7-0.

Policy reading #2 with a vote to approve them (policies 102, 406, 410, 413, 414, 415, 419, 504, 506, 507, 509, 515, 522, 807, 901, 902, 905, 906) was met with discussion regarding transgender girls (biological males) playing sports with biological girls. Ms. Deborah Bandel raised concerns about the fairness of biological males playing with biological females. Comments were made about the guidelines and limits within our district’s membership in the MSHSL and with regard to the Title IX funding we receive. As I understand things at this time, our membership in the MSHSL requires us to allow transgender females to participate with biological females and to use restrooms and locker rooms of biological females. Title IX is a less clear on this topic. Title IX was put in place in the 1970s to prevent discrimination for females playing sports. However, in today’s era of various opinions regarding biological sex differing from gender identity, Title IX is not well defined… yet. I asked about clarity in our district as to the process of transgender students’ participation in sports. Mr. Elstad noted that there is a process to follow that does not allow for hasty decisions in this matter. At this time, I am not aware of any transgender students participating in sports or using locker rooms of their gender identity. I would appreciate more discussion on this topic, out of fairness to our female athletes that work so hard (as Deborah mentioned) and more specifically out of concern for the safety of all our students, on the field/court, in the restrooms, and in the locker rooms. The policies were approved 6-1.

Several other votes were taken and approved, and I will update the Decision Updates section with this information soon! This includes ratification and tentative agreement for custodial employees, preliminary tax levy certification, assurance of compliance report, extended trip requests for OMS students to Washington DC and FFA students to attend the National FFA Convention in Indiana, the old high school asbestos removal contract, and gifts to the district. Meeting adjourned.

Congratulations Huskies Football for their Homecoming WIN! I had so much fun in the homecoming parade with my boys Carson and Michael! I only wish we had more candy since we ran out 3/4 of the way through the parade. Noted for next year… !!

I’ll be writing a summary of tonight’s board meeting, but first I wanted to provide you with a copy of a statement I made tonight at the meeting…

 I’ve been on the school board for 9 months, and during this time we’ve reviewed several policies.  The policies are updated by the policy committee to reflect changes in laws, then we as a board read and approve them.  Most, if not all, of our policies are copied from the MN School Board Association Model Policies guide.

I’ve been taught that the school board works on district governance and not district management. The board’s work is in policy, and I’ve been told that policies are meant to solve problems.  I’ve also been taught that policies need to be carefully chosen and worded… first, to follow federal and state laws, and second, so that we do not open the door for any unfair or unjust perceptions or treatment. 

In addition to solving problems, policy can serve as guidance and boundaries.  One of the positive outcomes of having boundaries is prevention of problems, it is proactive.  I’ve been told that our current board has never created new policy.   At this point, I’m not sure that we need a new policy, but I do believe that we need to discuss topics that our community is concerned about. Then, out of those discussions, we can determine if new policy is needed, or current policy needs amending.   Simply having me or any one person present an idea to the policy committee for consideration does not allow the full board to work collectively as it was meant to do.  Also, I believe just a few board members having a discussion about a topic, is not fully utilizing the board in the way it was created to work. We are a collective group of 7 board members, with different perspectives, each of us representing constituents.  We have more than 5000 students and adults walking through our school doors and hallways, each one of them with a personal perspective, belief system, political view, and moral foundation.  We are allowed, and should have, these differences. As a public school district, it is our duty to welcome everyone into a safe environment.  One of our strategic goals is to have a safe and caring environment.

The only way that all can feel welcome and safe is by remaining neutral in areas of ideologies and political views. With this in mind, I have concerns that our district does not have guidelines for the speech and displays within our schools. I’ve been told that our teachers can display things like signs and flags in the classrooms, as long as the teaching itself is not biased one way or another, and all aspects of a topic are taught. The constitutional right to free speech allows us as Americans to speak and display what we want in our personal spaces such as homes and vehicles, and even on our children.  However, when working for a public entity that is funded by taxpayers and government, it is of utmost importance that we remain neutral.  This neutrality needs to be reflected in speech, displays, and clothing while working as an Owatonna Public School employee and using the physical property of Owatonna Public Schools.  Requiring our staff, teachers, and physical buildings to remain neutral in areas of ideologies, political views, religion and personal beliefs (including sexuality) does not violate the First Amendment Freedom of Speech rights.  Other districts in Minnesota have taken a “viewpoint neutral” stance and I would like to see Owatonna Public Schools do the same.  I request that the board have this discussion at a future school board meeting.

Governor Walz recently signed a new law regarding the use of restraints in Minnesota schools by School Resource Officers. Many have felt that this law is confusing, lacking clarity, and therefore places our SROs with too much dangerous liability. As a result, several school districts in Minnesota are now without any SROs.

State law enforcement associations: School resource officer law needs clarity. House speaker says it’s clear.

In our last school board work session, I confirmed with our Superintendent, Mr. Elstad, that Owatonna Public Schools has been communicating on this topic with the Owatonna Police Department. There are no plans at this time to remove the SROs from Owatonna Public Schools. Currently, we have 2 officers, with the hope of someday adding a third.

Please let us know if you have any concerns, questions or comments!