[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[6:15] I would like to call this meeting of the Robinsdale Area Schools School Board to order. Today is Monday, June 1st, 2026. It is 7 p.m., we are in the boardroom of the Education Service Center. And I would like to say welcome everyone, especially our little list attendees tonight. And we will start off with our land acknowledgement read by Director Brinteson. Thank you. We acknowledge Robinsdale Area Schools is located on the homelands of the Dakota and
[6:44] Ojibwe people. We recognize the painful history of genocide and force
[6:48] assimilation of the indigenous inhabitants of this land. We honor or respect the
[6:53] many indigenous peoples who live and hold sacred these lands and we stand with
[6:57] members of these nations to fight injustice in all of its forms. We uphold the
[7:02] preservation of Dakota and Ojibwe languages, land-based education and tribal
[7:06] sovereignty. Thank you. At this time I would like to have our clerk take the role.
[7:12] with pleasure. Thank you. Dr. Moutel, here. Director Long. Here. Director
[7:21] Hillenbrand. Here. Chair Evans Becker. Here. Director Brenneson. Here. Director
[7:26] Bowman-Marx herself. Here. Director Bassett. Here. We have a quorum. Extra and superintendent
[7:31] Salo. Oh, I'm sorry. And Dr. Salo. Here. Here we go. We're all here. Excellent. Okay. First thing
[7:38] Moving up is approval of the agenda. Do I have a move to approve our agenda?
[7:41] Move by Dr. Princeton. Seconded by Director Huto. All in favor, please say aye.
[7:46] Aye.
[7:47] Opposed say no.
[7:48] We have an agenda and I am very excited about Ardell Proud early learning, Superintendent
[7:53] Sallow.
[7:53] Yes, we are delighted to have some amazing adults with us tonight and some absolutely
[8:01] amazing young students who are going to highlight for us the powerful role of outdoor and
[8:07] and nature-based learning experiences
[8:10] in their early childhood education.
[8:13] The early learning team will share how outdoor experiences
[8:16] support young children's emotional well-being,
[8:19] encourage creativity and foster important social skills,
[8:24] such as cooperation, communication, and problem-solving.
[8:28] So with that, I'm gonna hand it over to Emily Levinson
[8:33] to take it from here.
[8:35] Thanks for being here, everyone.
[8:42] I am the director of early learning and I am so excited to shine a spotlight on early learning and share how our early learning students are growing through nature and outdoor learning.
[8:55] I would like to first read our district mission but my button is not working.
[9:08] Molly, there we go. Alright, join with me if you would like. Our mission is to
[9:14] inspire and educate all learners to develop their unique potential and
[9:19] positively contribute to their community.
[9:24] Hi Arthur, layered on top of our
[9:27] district mission, we have an early learning vision statement. Robinsdale area
[9:31] schools early learning programs strive to provide a welcoming and culturally
[9:35] responsive community that encourages lifelong learning connection and play for all children
[9:41] and caregivers.
[9:44] Before we hear more about outdoor learning, I'd like to just take a moment
[9:49] to share a bit more about the early learning program. As you can see, there are many programs
[9:55] and community supports that fall under the early learning umbrella.
[10:00] And while these programs all differ a little bit slightly, slightly different. They are unified by our vision statement and the shared belief that we are here to support all young children and their families. So under the early learning umbrella, we have early childhood screening, early childhood family education, voluntary, pre-k, both at New Hope Learning Center and at Smeda Lake, Forest, Saucin, Neal, Noble, Northport, and Lakeview, early childhood.
[10:29] special education, fee-based preschool, early intervention, and
[10:34] helping us grow, which is a unique collaboration of
[10:38] Hanifeng County School Districts, their early childhood family education departments,
[10:42] and the Robinson area redesign family service collaborative.
[10:48] Here are a few data points early learning by the numbers I like to say.
[10:55] We have over 400 children enrolled in our preschool programs, and
[10:59] And a hundred and twenty one of those students are receiving early childhood special education services and are served in an inclusive classroom that meets their needs.
[11:10] Our family education program serves over five hundred and seventy children and their families, more early childhood special education students early intervention.
[11:20] And we have served 88 students and families through our hug home visiting and literacy events.
[11:26] So you can see lots of children and families are served under the early learning umbrella over a thousand.
[11:34] We also complete roughly 800 to 850 early childhood screens every year.
[11:42] We have two licensed administrators, 60 licensed staff, 51 non-licensed,
[11:48] so a lot of people supporting young children and their families.
[11:54] I'd like to introduce the team that I've brought with me tonight across the
[11:58] table. So I'm going to start with staff. So I've got Sarah Tinklinberg who's the
[12:01] early learning supervisor. Emily Mackie is one of our early childhood special
[12:07] education teachers and then Janet Reign is one of our preschool teachers. We
[12:12] also have some, oops, I can't click and move. We have some very special guests with us.
[12:18] Monica, you give away Monica and Lucy from
[12:34] them a little bit later in the
[12:36] presentation, but for now I'm at a pass it on to Sarah. Thank you Emily you're
[12:46] gonna be my clicker. So we love getting outside and at new hope and in our early
[12:50] learning programs and we like bringing nature in. So our outdoor nature-based
[12:54] learning supports young children's academic growth, their physical growth, emotional
[12:59] well-being, creativity, and social development through hands-on, developmentally appropriate
[13:02] experiences.
[13:04] And before we take a closer look at some of those specific experiences, I just want to
[13:08] briefly share information about our primary curriculum that we use, which is Creative
[13:12] Crickulum for Pre-School.
[13:13] Creative Crickulum is evidence-based, play-based, whole-child curriculum that aligns with the
[13:18] early childhood indicators of progress, which is like the Minnesota State standards for
[13:22] early for littles and then creative curriculum learning center centered around hands on engaging
[13:28] studies that encourage children to explore and discover through play. Gardening happens
[13:34] to be one of the many study topics available to teachers which provide children the opportunity
[13:39] to learn about nature science and the environment through direct experience. All right so there's
[13:45] going to be some good pictures coming up above our classes and gardening again is an excellent hands-on
[13:52] learning tool that promotes holistic development, engages children in lots of sensory exploration,
[13:58] builds those motor skills, foundational science and math concepts, and also nurturing plants,
[14:03] fosters, responsibility, can relieve stress and encourages healthier eating habits. I mean,
[14:09] it's a very, a start. All right, now for the fun part, as you view the next few slides, you'll see
[14:17] our students engaged in gardening activities while hearing from teachers Janet and Emily about the
[14:22] learning experiences that took place in their classrooms. So we're going to start with Janet.
[14:29] You might see some familiar faces, girls.
[14:33] Hello.
[14:36] My name is Janet Ryan and I teach five day preschool classes for ages four and five
[14:41] at New Hope and Lutheran, Anika, or two of my afternoon students. During the gardening unit of study,
[14:47] we learned about the life cycle of plants, what they need to grow, and the tools used to care for them,
[14:52] but before we planted in the garden beds located on the playground, I had the students look at the
[14:57] garden bed. Some of these pictures are showing that.
[15:00] To make a plan, what would be the best place to plant things? What tools would we need? Then they began to prepare the soil, dig holes, and plant the flowers and seeds. Each day they've been caring for their plants by pulling weeds and watering the garden. Planting outdoors has allowed them to use thinking skills, ask questions, and have the opportunity to participate in a real life hands-on learning experience.
[15:28] All right.
[15:31] Hi, my name is Emily and I teach one of our center-based classes with three
[15:35] to four-year-olds including our friend Arthur over here at New Hope Learning Center.
[15:41] Students in my class are in the most restrictive setting and are building.
[15:45] They require small students to adult ratio so that they can participate in school within
[15:52] small groups and one-on-one support. These students also benefit from an adaptive curriculum
[15:57] to meet them where they're at in all areas of development.
[16:01] For our garden study, these students benefit from having the activities broken down
[16:07] so they can really participate in them and enjoy them.
[16:11] So for our class, you can see in the pictures here, we started creating a sign for our garden bed.
[16:19] So they got to color it and just make it really interesting to look at.
[16:25] we put it out in our garden bed so we could find it then when we were out on the playground.
[16:31] And with that, we're targeting our fine motor skills and our problem-solving to do so.
[16:37] Then we used paint to decorate our garden bed. This encouraged my students to engage their
[16:42] social and emotional skills as they interacted with other peers out on the playground as well
[16:49] from other classes.
[16:51] Next we used our problem-solving skills and more motor skills to choose our plants where
[16:56] to put them in the garden and how to put them into the ground.
[17:00] Our senses were engaged as we felt the dirt in various flowers and later as we go on
[17:06] the playground other days, we check our flowers, see how they're growing, we water them and
[17:12] the students are just really proud to see their work every day.
[17:18] Thank you, Emily.
[17:19] Moving on to caterpillars.
[17:21] This was a very exciting thing
[17:24] that we've had over the last few weeks.
[17:26] So we've learned, all of our questions had the opportunity
[17:28] to learn about hatching caterpillars.
[17:31] And it can be incorporated into one
[17:33] of the creative curriculum studies of insect
[17:35] or offered as a standalone.
[17:37] And so, again, some of those fun hands-on activities.
[17:40] I'm gonna just kinda go through a little quicker,
[17:42] just for the sake of our kids wanna talk.
[17:44] But yeah, so they really learned about taking care of living creatures, sought from the
[17:51] little caterpillar, watched to eat the food, turned into the chrysalis, and then waited
[17:57] for the hatching.
[17:59] And so I'm going to let our teachers share again how that played out in their classrooms.
[18:05] All right.
[18:06] So having caterpillars is a fun and hands-on learning to add to our insect study within our curriculum.
[18:12] This school year, I happen to have some students with high interest in bugs.
[18:17] So as you can guess, that was very fun for them.
[18:20] So through observation, video, my students were able to take their learning within this study to a whole other level by taking care of the caterpillars and watching them grow.
[18:32] They were mesmerized to see them as butterflies and this gave them multiple opportunities for student voice in their learning and exploring.
[18:41] So,
[18:44] the caterpillars were a perfect addition to our insect unit of study.
[18:48] The students were able to closely observe the metamorphosis into a butterfly.
[18:52] From the moment the caterpillars arrived, the students were checking on them several times
[18:57] a day and anticipating the next phase of the butterfly life cycle.
[19:01] Students were using their observation skills, their communication skills, when sharing information.
[19:07] Literacy and math skills naturally emerged when students doodled about the changes and
[19:11] tracked each day until the first butterfly finally emerged.
[19:15] Again, this activity provided a tangible experience for students to see
[19:20] and observe the butterfly life cycle in real time.
[19:25] Okay, so now we're going to let our guests jump in.
[19:30] And this is a song that Ms. Janet's class also did the insect study.
[19:34] And they learned this song as part of an end of the unit celebration of learning.
[19:38] And so we would love it if our special guests on a cone Lucy joined in and we're going to play the video
[19:43] We figured it was safer to do it this way than to try to do it live
[19:47] And you are welcome to car you ready?
[19:49] Okay, here's you get to hold the microphone
[20:45] Other things I wanted to highlight that make our learning fun and special, especially when it's nice outside is we have a mud kitchen. Now, I don't know if you've seen mud kitchens before it's not like your home kitchen, you get a little dirty. Well, maybe you get a little dirty in your home kitchen, too. But it really is a fan favorite. A student favorite provides powerful, open-ended sensory experiences, engaging with cooking with dirt, water, and natural materials. They, again, work on those critical fine motor skills, practice early stem concepts, like volume and measurement.
[21:15] and so we just feel so lucky we have this in this grassy area
[21:19] and in the mud kitchen and a place for gardens.
[21:21] And so Janet and Emily do you want to just say a few words
[21:24] about how your students engage with the mud kitchen?
[21:27] So these pictures are just a combination of our two classes.
[21:32] That mud kitchen provides another opportunity for students
[21:35] to participate in a hands-on experience.
[21:37] It offers open and inflate that include those fun sensory experiences.
[21:42] It provides a chance for students to use social skills when sharing materials and academic
[21:47] skills like measuring ingredients, cause and effect.
[21:51] Students will collect pine cones and rocks and grass and leaves to use in their play which
[21:55] encourages using their imagination and experimenting with those materials during play.
[22:01] And in these pictures, my students were making cupcakes and tea for a party we were having.
[22:07] I'm sure they would have welcomed you to join them.
[22:09] All right, before we hear from our special guests, one more time, I wanted to share something
[22:16] from another one of our teachers who couldn't make it tonight, where she does a lot of
[22:19] bringing the learning from the outside inside the classroom.
[22:23] And so here is a life cycle of a pumpkin.
[22:26] So this teacher literally from beginning to end, she just rotates this pumpkin, so in the
[22:34] spring time, they get, well in the fall, they're coming back to the gardens growing.
[22:38] So they'll start by taking care of plants that were already planted by the previous class.
[22:43] Then the pumpkins grow, they bring them in, they weigh them, they measure them, they
[22:47] carve out the seeds to replant again in the spring.
[22:50] And then they put it inside this sensory bin where they watch it decompose.
[22:54] And in some of the pictures, oh you can see the kids, I mean most of the teachers go in
[22:59] there and are like you, but the kids love it, they love watching it grow.
[23:02] And so I just really think this highlights some innovative work some of our teachers do.
[23:07] The same teacher also brought in this beautiful plant and they did a still life study with that and the children
[23:14] observed it and picked out colors and painted their version. And then finally, the last slide shows
[23:20] some pictures of them planting seeds and plants for them to take home as well as planting grass in small sensory bins to have on the tables for children to use in their
[23:29] imaginative play.
[23:31] All right, enough from the adult, so I think we need to interview some of our special guests, so Miss Janet, are you ready?
[23:38] Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready?
[23:41] Miss Lucy, okay, here we go.
[23:43] What did you grow in our garden?
[23:47] Flowers and pumpkin.
[23:49] And what do plants need to grow?
[23:51] Oh, it was seed, and dirt, and sun, and air, and white.
[23:57] And what
[24:02] making pumpkin?
[24:04] It's panning the pumpkins, yes, in the garden.
[24:07] But right by that, it's a big blue cracker.
[24:20] Will you both use the microphone when you talk?
[24:24] That would be great.
[24:25] Thanks.
[24:25] I think it was my teacher and my son.
[24:28] Let me ask you the question.
[24:30] What happens after a caterpillar turns into a chrysalis?
[24:40] It turns into a butterfly.
[24:43] And what did you like best about the caterpillars?
[24:46] How they opened up and how I learned it, how they opened up.
[24:52] And if you were a butterfly, where would you fly?
[24:55] To go get some nectar from a butterfly.
[24:58] Oh, look at the flowers here.
[25:06] We're going to see if Arthur can tell us what he likes best now. All right, Arthur, did you like the caterpillars or the garden? I like the garden. A garden. What did you like doing in the garden? Stick the stick.
[25:26] Water out there. Acorns. Acorns.
[25:35] Yeah,
[25:38] he really wants to go.
[25:50] any questions? I would just like to say thank you to all of the grown-ups and thank you
[25:56] to all of our special student guests. You did an excellent job. Thank you.
[26:02] Thank you. Have you ever had a question? I do have a question. Oh, I'd direct your
[26:09] That's a question.
[26:10] Oh, yes.
[26:11] Sorry.
[26:11] I want to thank you.
[26:13] Yes, too.
[26:13] Thank you all for being here.
[26:15] Especially, you know, our young guests here.
[26:18] We did a great job.
[26:19] Great reading.
[26:21] Great singing.
[26:22] We did a great job.
[26:23] Okay.
[26:23] So now I have some questions for the teachers.
[26:26] Is it okay?
[26:27] Yeah.
[26:29] I'll make for it so you can take it.
[26:30] Okay.
[26:31] So I do wonder.
[26:33] You seem so well.
[26:34] You are successful.
[26:35] I came over and I visited.
[26:36] And I just had a great time.
[26:37] One of the things I'm wondering about is the capture rate of our program district-wide.
[26:46] How many of our fans do we have a sense of that?
[26:49] What is our capture rate about young children in that age range?
[26:53] Do we get?
[26:54] Yes.
[26:55] I have some data around the four and five year olds who attend preschool right before they
[27:00] go to kindergarten.
[27:02] And over the last, I think I have data for seven years maybe.
[27:06] it has been over 88% or higher.
[27:09] I think at the highest, I have like 95%.
[27:11] And that I just have measured if they were in preschool
[27:16] with us before they went to kindergarten,
[27:18] and then they went to kindergarten,
[27:20] and were enrolled on the first day.
[27:22] That is excellent.
[27:24] And I really think that that is something to be celebrated.
[27:27] And I like it because as you know,
[27:29] a capture rate is very important.
[27:31] If we're capturing that percentage of young families
[27:34] and their children run off the bat.
[27:37] That's a good thing.
[27:39] That's something to celebrate.
[27:40] Something to actually highlight and acknowledge.
[27:42] And I had one other question, Chair.
[27:44] All right.
[27:45] Okay, great.
[27:47] What are you going to ask?
[27:48] What do you think?
[27:48] What do you want me to say?
[27:49] Where would she hurry up?
[27:51] So I wanted to, as I listened to your presentation about outdoor space,
[27:56] I'm sure you probably have heard about the famous C-School Pumpkins
[28:00] and the pumpkin drop and all that.
[28:02] And then I know that over in Zachary Lane they got a seven dreams grant and they've been doing some gardening.
[28:08] So one of the things I'm thinking about, and I particularly remember in a conversation I had with our executive director of teaching and learning,
[28:15] talking about scope and sequence. And so with regard, and then so that's one thought not fully formed but a thought.
[28:24] And then the rest of the other part of that is if we have these initiatives that we hope
[28:30] to be part of our brand, environmental spaces and all of that, how can we mind the best
[28:39] that has been learned from each of those sites about what they've done and then is there
[28:45] ever an opportunity for collaboration among those programs?
[28:49] Now, I don't think that's really a fair question seriously because I don't know that that's
[28:55] been contemplated, but maybe it has been contemplated and I just don't know.
[29:00] So, but I do think going forward into the future, if in fact we want to connect programs
[29:06] and brand them in particular environmental spaces and outdoor learning environments and
[29:15] And all of that, to the extent that we can capture what has been learned,
[29:21] mine and across the district, and have some kind of synergy.
[29:25] Because one of the things we talk about is wanting to have all of our neighborhood schools,
[29:30] to have, and I'm not sure to what extent they even have, the elementary's even have some of the students that you speak of.
[29:38] But I think you, can you speak to that Emily, what are your thoughts about what I'm saying?
[29:43] Well, I can speak to it from an early learning standpoint.
[29:48] Yeah, of course, I think it is great when we can replicate.
[29:52] I will say, well, the majority of the things that you saw here happen at New Hope Learning
[29:57] Center, right, where the majority of the early learning program is.
[30:00] We do make sure that our preschool teachers that are at the elementary buildings have the opportunity. They don't have garden beds. It's just a little bit more difficult. But they have the opportunity to do the caterpillars. We make sure that they can participate in that right. So whether you're in preschool at New Hope Learning Center or Meta Lake or Lakeview, you have some similar outdoor experiences. Obviously they have access to the same curriculum, things like that. Thank you. I think that was a great answer. Thank you so much.
[30:29] Thank you, but it's just food for thought.
[30:32] I mean, for me, it's food for thought this presentation
[30:34] is about the future as we talk about it.
[30:38] Okay, Dr. Brinteson.
[30:40] Just real quick.
[30:41] So you mentioned it's something I think
[30:42] a lot of the public doesn't realize.
[30:44] I think people when they hear about early childhood,
[30:46] they only assume it's happening in New Hope Elementary.
[30:49] Correct.
[30:49] It's happening various other places too.
[30:51] I just want to make sure.
[30:51] Yes, yeah, majority of our programming,
[30:54] I would say 90% of it is at New Hope Learning Center,
[30:57] But we do have pre-school voluntary pre-k classrooms at currently our seven community schools that I listed off next year
[31:08] It will be at five and we have two sections at each building. So a morning class and an afternoon class
[31:15] Wonderful. Thank you to you
[31:18] Thank you. Great. I just want to thank the staff the amazing students and families for being here tonight
[31:25] You reminded us of something that we should continue to work on taking to scale across all of our learning,
[31:34] which is ensuring that kids are highly engaged in that which they care most about,
[31:39] even if that's bugs and mud and all of the things.
[31:44] So thanks for modeling, learning, and excitement, and joy.
[31:47] We appreciate you, and if we could get a quick picture, that would be fantastic.
[31:51] I think
[32:03] it is so exciting
[32:09] and they get a certificate.
[32:11] I don't even get a certificate what I want.
[32:14] Look at that tiny little baby.
[32:19] Oh, I don't think so.
[32:22] I don't think so.
[32:24] I don't think so.
[32:25] There's light here.
[32:26] There's light.
[32:28] Here comes.
[32:38] Is that your big brother, that is a nice big brother.
[32:46] Indeed.
[32:50] I think I'm hidden enough.
[32:55] No, no, no.
[32:56] Yeah, yeah, they're off center for the summit.
[33:33] Okay,
[33:43] Peter and try to top that, right?
[33:48] Do you want to put that down?
[34:03] Yeah, I do.
[34:08] Unless you brought train for years, I don't know.
[34:15] 32 years and 2000 presentations and I can't talk to that one.
[34:19] All right.
[34:20] That was something.
[34:21] Next up on our agenda, we have a special report.
[34:25] The district is contracted with the Morris Leatherman company.
[34:28] I'd like to conduct a phone survey with district residents.
[34:32] and he will, and Peter Leatherman will provide a presentation to the school board with the data that they have obtained and review this data with us and you need that anything.
[34:43] I don't welcome thanks for being here and for providing this report to us.
[34:48] Pleasure.
[34:49] This is really, it was really fascinating time to do research in the district.
[34:54] I was really excited to see what residents were feeling because last time I was here was
[35:00] This last November, and you were facing some very difficult decisions. So we have a data point that we can face and see where the districts, attitudes and opinions are moving forward. Just to review with everybody what we undertook for the district. We spoke with, this is the same methodology that we did in November. And we wanted to look at parents again with decisions that have been made and everything facing it, has there been a change in their opinion, not only the community as a whole.
[35:27] So, we have a 400 sample of residents and a 400 sample of parents.
[35:33] Always the 400 sample is plus or minus 5% in 95 out of 100 cases.
[35:40] This is hot off the presses.
[35:43] Calls were completed last week between May 13th and the 26th.
[35:48] Average interview time was 10 minutes.
[35:50] It's a cell phone only, household 66%, landline only,
[35:54] we're down to single digits, 9%, and then 25% have both landlines and cell phones.
[36:01] Putting up the demographics of the overall, no major changes from a few months ago.
[36:08] The typical resident has lived in the community for about 12 years.
[36:12] The typical resident is about 46 and a half years old.
[36:16] 10% have a preschooler or an infant in their household.
[36:21] Well, 23% have a child attending the Robin's Day, or in the school district.
[36:26] So just under one in four are the key constituents.
[36:32] Continuing, just under a third are renters.
[36:35] Self-assessed home value comes in roughly at about $340,000.
[36:41] 43% are college graduates, including post-graduates,
[36:44] 20% high school graduates are less with 37% having some college experience.
[36:50] You can see the geographic distribution with crystal followed by new hole,
[36:55] Plymouth, Rob and Stale, Golden Valley, and then Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park.
[37:01] Looking at the ethnicity, just under two thirds of residents indicated white,
[37:06] 19% African American, 7% Hispanic Latino, 6% Asian Pacific Islander, and
[37:13] 25% multiracial.
[37:16] What I've been very interested to see over the past six weeks is the financial situation
[37:21] of the household.
[37:25] It was going down in the first two months, the number of financially stressed in 2026.
[37:32] Just if we draw a line, the highest level of financial stress that we have is the first
[37:37] quarter of 2023.
[37:38] 23. Twin inflation was 9% and all of that has continued to move down. So it was the issue facing school districts in 23 and 24.
[37:49] We got into the mid-forties last year. We'd moved down to the low 30s in the first part of 26.
[37:57] Now we are seeing an increase across, you know, doing surveys in Wisconsin, doing surveys in Minnesota just in the past six weeks.
[38:06] So that low 30s now has moved into the high 30s and you're actually at 41%.
[38:11] So this is something that's going to be completely out of your control.
[38:16] What gas price is on election day is going to be a huge driver.
[38:20] And if you can guess that, you'll probably win the lottery next week.
[38:23] So it's something to be cognizant of.
[38:26] It's still not at the level we were in 23.
[38:29] Okay. This question is very important though because the higher level you have
[38:35] have a financially stressed households, it creates a person who would support something, they can't afford it.
[38:41] They're not making a decision on what the funding request is, they simply don't have the money.
[38:46] So it's something to monitor.
[38:48] If the Conflict War, whatever ends gas prices come down, this issue will be abated.
[38:55] But if it continues, it's something just completely out of your control, you have to be cognizant of as you're going through plan.
[39:03] Now, a couple of open-endeds upfront, what do they like most, your teachers?
[39:09] They love your teachers here.
[39:11] We combine a couple categories, but teachers is always number one in Ravensdale.
[39:16] Good academics, excellent academics, just under 20 percent.
[39:20] The variety of programming, the broad curriculum, just over 20 percent.
[39:24] So your hierarchy here is the staff, and then the programming and the academic quality is
[39:30] what people value.
[39:31] Now, if we ask what they like most, we always follow up with the most serious issue.
[39:37] This is the same most serious issue across the state of Minnesota.
[39:42] It's interesting, yours is a little less intense.
[39:45] What we saw lack of funding between 20 and 25% last year.
[39:49] We're now seeing in between 25 and 30% this year a more growing awareness.
[39:54] More districts are making budget cuts.
[39:56] That's the discussions are happening, those legislature argued about education.
[40:00] Monday for four months. So it has put more of a spotlight. Your other issue is going to be the issue of the 26 election, and that's property taxes. We're going to look at property taxes a little bit more in depth. It is second place everywhere in the state, doesn't matter if I'm in grand rapids, midiota, or in robin stale, but you're in that 15 to 20% just off the top of the mine response. Large class sizes at 10% poor spending, 9%
[40:29] Back down to the historical number, every district has about 10% of people that talk about
[40:35] poor spending. Facilities issues, unprompted, so one in 12 people are thinking about facilities
[40:42] issues as the most serious issue already before we get into the survey.
[40:47] Lack of discipline, declining quality, and then the $20 million budget issue.
[40:53] So, you're back to being representative to what we see elsewhere in the metro area.
[40:59] The two biggest issues are the lack of funding and high taxes.
[41:05] What about the quality of education?
[41:07] Now, I'm going to insert the parent data here so we can look at the atmospheric amongst
[41:11] the parents.
[41:12] And to be consistent, the green is the overall for this year.
[41:17] The yellow is the parents for this year.
[41:19] So when I was here, the last fall, 75% rated the quality favorably, 77% rated favorably now amongst parents, 87% rated favorably.
[41:31] You're right in line to what we're seeing in 2026.
[41:35] The statewide I just did, we were in the high 70s for a norm on the quality of education.
[41:40] It is not recovered, and I don't see it recovering anytime quickly on the perception on the quality of that.
[41:48] and you're right at the norm for excellence,
[41:50] the enthusiastic rating at 11%.
[41:54] What about the quality compared to four years ago?
[41:57] Not before the pandemic, post pandemic.
[42:00] We want to do an apples to apples comparison.
[42:03] So amongst the overall, 34% say it's better,
[42:08] 13% say it's worse.
[42:10] So it's a three to one ratio
[42:12] of people feel like it's moving in the right direction.
[42:14] A month's parents, it's 44 to 10, 4 to 1 ratio, moving in the right direction.
[42:22] You can see back and last year, it was 29 to 12.
[42:27] So even, there's a more positive momentum you're already starting to see in the survey
[42:32] about things improving just in six months about how they're feeling about the district.
[42:38] Here's another big change in a few months.
[42:41] Rob is the area school district is a high quality school district that this reputation is so good families seek to buy homes in the district and prefer it to other school districts.
[42:52] That was a 50-50 proposition last fall.
[42:55] Now 65% was 68% of parents indicating that that's the case.
[43:01] Does the district meet the learning needs of all students?
[43:05] Most, only some are very few.
[43:07] 43% set all students this time amongst parents 46% right at what we're seeing
[43:14] where it's right about 45% this hasn't recovered there are very few districts
[43:18] that are over 50% of residents saying the districts meeting all students
[43:24] learning needs it's a stringent standard we follow up and that's what's the
[43:28] rate in the lower right hand corner with those that say most only summer very
[43:33] few, is there a type of Lord's students who's learning needs are not being met. It's the same as
[43:38] everywhere else. It is the average student, the struggling student, and special education.
[43:46] Some perceptions.
[43:50] First off, does the district spend taxpayers' money effectively and efficiently?
[43:55] In 2024, 69% said yes. Last fall, it dropped to 50%. It's back to 60%, and amongst parents,
[44:06] it's 68 percent. You're right about the norm now. You haven't recovered fully from 2024,
[44:12] but the rebound has already started. Do you consider all alternatives before you ask
[44:18] residents for a property tax increase? 66 percent this time, 69 percent a month's parents,
[44:26] that's up four points, getting close to the back to the 72 percent. Are the schools a good value
[44:33] for their investment. Now that did not take a hit in 2025 but as a caveat here we're seeing
[44:43] this drop everywhere and because two things go into when you ask somebody to do a value
[44:49] proposition. What's the quality of education and how much am I paying for it? Well across
[44:55] the state of Minnesota there's a concern about the quality and property tax.
[45:00] So this is dropping everywhere. And you're going to see a very big increase in the amount of people concerned about property taxes. But at the same time, the value proposition for them has remained the same, which is very, very strong. Does the quality public schools increase property values? That went up 12 points from 60 to 72% amongst parents, 78%.
[45:29] Do they trust you to do what's right for children?
[45:32] That's back to where we were in 24, with 77%, 83%, indicating that that's the case.
[45:40] I think that this is really a key factor in what's helped the district so much is through everything that's gone on.
[45:49] They still feel that the district's done a good job of involving the community, okay?
[45:54] Okay, you might disagree and Minnesotans have a very difficult time overcoming.
[45:59] Okay, I can have a say but I didn't get my way and so then I wasn't able to be involved.
[46:06] But that is unchanged, even through the Rocky boat ride, shall we say over the past two
[46:12] years, 74%, 79% amongst parents is the district on us about spending.
[46:20] That has started to rebound in six months.
[46:22] 71% in 24, down to 56%, now it's up to 62%.
[46:29] And now the last question on this is kind of the first time we're looking at potential funding requests.
[46:35] The schools are a good investment and I would support a property tax increase to protect that investment.
[46:41] Last year it was 61-33, now it's 59-35.
[46:47] We are seeing that increase though everywhere in 2026.
[46:51] that it's always the no to that question that is the core no because it's the
[46:58] questions posed it doesn't talk about operating let me bond referendum it
[47:02] doesn't talk about dollar amounts what I found in 2026 so far is the typical
[47:08] core no is about 31% so you're within that margin of error just the higher that
[47:14] number is it just becomes more difficult there's just an unwillingness for the
[47:18] discussion. The good news amongst parents is you always need under 20%. Because any successful
[47:27] coalition for a successful referendum, you have to have 80% parent support, okay?
[47:35] Job performance
[47:36] ratings. These have improved.
[47:40] The board was 63, dropped to 52, back up to 60. And it's rated
[47:47] the norm right now, 60% favorable is what it is across the state, amongst parents 68%.
[47:54] The administration, back up to the norm, 5841, most parents 6930, teachers always loved
[48:03] an adored here, 91%, 94% amongst parents, and that's about 10 points higher, teachers
[48:10] have not recovered across the state, post-pandemic, doesn't matter if there are any issues in your
[48:16] district, Minneapolis one on strike, people get upset up in
[48:19] volomic. It just happens. So that you want a very handful of
[48:25] districts that actually is about 90% favorable on teachers. So I
[48:29] think that this speaks to the governance and administration.
[48:32] There's been a steadying hand that's been placed on even with
[48:37] difficult decisions that you've made over the past year and
[48:41] difficult issues you've had to deal with. Well, they might not
[48:44] be completely satisfied with where you're at, there's a sense that things are settling
[48:49] down and moving in the right direction. And quite frankly, I would say much faster than
[48:53] I expected. We're
[48:57] all financial management. It's not back to where it was in 2024, but it
[49:03] is a big change. So we were at 31% favorable. It's up to 44%. It's almost 25% increase.
[49:14] now the norm on this still remains 52% okay that's the there are districts that are upside-down like
[49:23] you are but there's not very many districts that are in the 60s like you were in 2024 so that
[49:30] recovery is moving much better and I think just more reassurance more discussion about the past
[49:39] and people though are starting to feel the stability of those decisions that have been made you know
[49:44] part of it was in 2025 there's a lot of uncertainty, a lot of what ifs, a lot of
[49:49] discussions. Now the decision has been made and how to move forward.
[49:57] This is the
[49:58] issue.
[50:00] That we're going to hear about a lot this fall. In 2024, you had 46% of people say their total taxes are high. Last year, it was 60% and now it's 67%. So it's gone up 21 points, which is why I pointed out earlier that value proposition for the investment in the schools. So at a time that you have one and five more people saying my taxes are too high, they still think they're getting a good value.
[50:29] here like we see basically everywhere else though when you ask about school
[50:35] taxes the high goes down goes from 67 to 62 I always say we used to ask if you
[50:44] think your taxes are high who do you blame citizen counties got really mad at us
[50:49] so we quit asking it that way we ask it this way so we can ascertain that the
[50:54] Anonymous is not focused at the district.
[50:58] I can tell you from my statewide,
[51:00] this Anonymous is focused at the county.
[51:03] That's the biggest issue.
[51:05] And Western Hennepin County now is becoming
[51:08] the hotbed for the property tax issue.
[51:11] These levels are very similar.
[51:13] I've talked to political people.
[51:14] This is reminiscent of the late 90s.
[51:18] When Phil Cranky and Linda Rundack started
[51:20] the Taxpayers League of Minnesota,
[51:22] That was based in a NOCA County, where a NOCA County got into the high 60s, low 70s.
[51:29] But now, it's western end up and even prairie had very similar results on this, just two
[51:34] weeks ago, was 69% in the high category.
[51:38] The overall process stayed at 60% high.
[51:41] So, I mean, this is an issue that you really, there are districts that have to pit themselves
[51:46] against the city and county, you know, Rochester basically went out and said, don't hold
[51:52] If you're mad at the tax increase from the city, vote them out.
[51:56] Don't say no to the school district on this funding request.
[52:03] This is what a different six months makes on this question.
[52:08] Are the schools adequately funded?
[52:11] Well, last fall, they thought it was because of the $20 million issue.
[52:15] That was the issue of 65% said yes.
[52:18] Now, 40% say you're adequately funded.
[52:21] 25 point in decrease, you're basically, this is pretty much across the state, 45, 45, 10, people have no idea.
[52:31] If their district isn't making cuts, the district next door is making cuts.
[52:35] The discussion from the legislature, but you do have now a majority of the residents and of parents, 55 and 57% saying no, you're not at word.
[52:49] This is the power of involving the community and getting information out either this was stunning to me
[52:55] Do the building school buildings and facilities meets the needs of educating today's children?
[53:01] 85% said yes six months ago
[53:05] Now 58% say yes
[53:09] That is a 27 point drop in six months for them moving over into the no or strongly no
[53:18] So the discussions you've had has raised the awareness of the adequacy of the current
[53:25] buildings to provide the education for children today.
[53:29] It's laid a very strong groundwork and a short amount of time.
[53:35] How important is it to ensure comparable spaces between buildings and facilities?
[53:42] It is important to the residents, it's important to parents.
[53:45] 72% of the community and 81% of parents say it's either very or someone important to
[53:53] ensure comparability. Now, the issue you have is learned a lot of districts do so.
[53:59] You don't have to worry about whether this is a value. You have to do an education piece
[54:04] because when you ask folks, does the district provide comparable spaces between buildings?
[54:10] a majority say yes. Now keep in mind, probably, you know, I'm going to start adding this into
[54:16] school district surveys. We did it in the statewide. When was the last time you were in a school building
[54:22] in your district? Across the state in February, 45% have never been in a building in the school district
[54:30] they live. So, part of this is an awareness and education piece and bringing it in. Part of it
[54:38] and also but you look at parents. Now they are in the buildings, but parents are
[54:42] jumping from six seven elementary schools. Their experience between buildings is
[54:47] going to be if their kid goes in place in an athletic event in the Nolka
[54:51] Hennepin or ASE or YZ. That's the comparability piece they're going to see much
[54:57] worker the comparability between bill.
[55:00] So, the foundations there, they believe it is important. You just have to show them where there's issues where there aren't comparable spaces between buildings.
[55:12] So, they hear the district's going to ask for a property tax increase. Are they for all, or are they against all, or are they persuadable? You start a one point ahead. 26 to 25. And in this year, the typical district is four points behind.
[55:31] Meaning they have four points, more opposition than course support.
[55:36] So, you're one point ahead, but the key is obviously going to be the persuadables.
[55:41] And once again, for parents, it's 13 percent against all.
[55:46] So they're willing to have a discussion also.
[55:48] And this is driven very much linked back to that change in the perceptions that the current
[55:55] facilities meet the needs of educating today's children.
[55:58] If they hear the district's going to ask for a property tax increase,
[56:05] the tax tolerance,
[56:07] or let's make a deal question, first off, I look at the nothings.
[56:11] I need that to be under 35%, you're at 30.
[56:15] 32% say $10 a month, 34% say $20 or more.
[56:22] If we take out the nothings, because I'm not going to let them drop the amount that those
[56:27] Those that are willing to see their property taxes increase, they're not going to support
[56:30] anything.
[56:30] There's nothing you're going to do to bring them along.
[56:33] Those that are willing to accept a property tax increase at the outset, it's about
[56:37] $12 a month, $150 a year.
[56:41] Is that number set in stone?
[56:43] It is not set in stone.
[56:45] It's meant to give you a guideline to understand the further you go from that number, it's imperative
[56:52] that the uses and purposes of the funding are highly supported, okay?
[56:58] Which is why we go through two separate lists.
[57:03] First, we looked at a property tax increase for elementary schools.
[57:08] Not surprising, it's at the top of every list everywhere, safety and security, 81% support.
[57:16] Then classroom additions, 65%, playground improvements, 60.
[57:21] drop off parking lots 60 outdoor classroom space 55 you probably could put up
[57:29] that presentation before me and you probably could garner a couple extra points
[57:33] of support the cafeteria and kitchen 54 gymnasium additions 49 47 sports is
[57:42] always going to be at the bottom of the list at media center expansions I don't
[57:48] to think about that one being split. That typically is something that people, you know,
[57:54] it would be in the high 50s. It's not one of those items that grabs people's attention.
[57:59] But the clear priorities on elementary school public spaces are safety and security, classroom
[58:05] additions, playground improvements, and the drop-off and parking lots. The drop-off and parking
[58:10] lots leads—that's a safety and security issue in and of itself. It really doesn't need
[58:18] to middle school and high school, and I want to read this to everybody's clear on what was asked.
[58:25] First off, it's the safety and security improvements, 79%.
[58:28] Then, renovations and expansion to Cooper High School and
[58:33] the New Horp Learning Center to provide space and amenities to support a single district high school, 67% support that.
[58:42] Then we go to the Renovate Plymouth Middle School to house Robinsdale Spanish immersion programs and other district programs.
[58:49] times, 64% renovations and additions to convert Armstrong High School into a middle school
[58:56] and space for other district programs, 63% and then the last one is outdoor class and
[59:03] performing arts additions at Sandberg Middle, 57%.
[59:08] So these are all, they don't have the 50-50 split.
[59:11] Now we pulled it together into one question.
[59:15] And for the purpose and clarity, I want to read the paragraph because we've described
[59:19] total LTFF. So the total cost to complete these improvements is estimated at
[59:26] $515 million of which the district can use $90 million of long-term facilities
[59:32] maintenance or LTFM funding. Therefore it would still need to ask residents to
[59:38] support a $425 million bond referendum to complete the projects we just discussed.
[59:43] If voters approve the $425 million bond referendum portion to these fund these improvements the owner of a $340,000 home would see a monthly property tax increase of about $22 per month or $264 a year.
[1:00:00] We're here for 20 years due to the referendum. So we're about double, okay. That tax tolerance. But you can see because there's so many components that they support, you actually have a majority supporting. 58% support, 40% oppose. The first thing that's striking to me is there's not a lot of intensity.
[1:00:28] 11% strongly support. 11% strongly oppose. It's a wash on the intensity. What I typically
[1:00:37] tell clients at this point in time because this is still, I mean, I guess summer starts
[1:00:43] now. This is still an early survey. There's been no campaign. The threshold, I always like
[1:00:51] for these sorts of surveys. You haven't had a vote. No, you haven't had a vote. Yes, or
[1:00:55] any of those things happen.
[1:00:56] You'd like to clear 60%.
[1:00:59] Because typically over the course of a campaign,
[1:01:02] districts lose between eight and 10 points,
[1:01:04] which makes it a coin flip.
[1:01:08] Now, what number would be more palatable?
[1:01:12] The closer you get to that 12, I mean you could,
[1:01:16] if this was all for safety and security,
[1:01:19] you could go for double.
[1:01:22] Because you're at 80% support for both of those items.
[1:01:26] When you piece this together in the $12 to $15 range is probably the sweet spot prioritizing those components that are highly rated.
[1:01:38] But then also at the same time because I know there's a sequencing this is important also as part of the discussion.
[1:01:46] But as you make these improvements, it's about ensuring the
[1:01:50] comparability piece for folks.
[1:01:53] Now, what's the reason for their position?
[1:01:56] Education's important.
[1:01:57] It'll always be the list before you start a campaign.
[1:02:00] But one in five are right there that this is needed, which is
[1:02:05] really impressive.
[1:02:06] It goes back to that shift that we see overall.
[1:02:09] Then children in the district at 10% and the cost is
[1:02:14] reasonable at 8%. What's the reason for opposition? The cost is too high, taxes too high, poor spending, no
[1:02:23] children are not needed. So if we're looking at the need, it's 19 to 2 already. The need piece,
[1:02:31] I mean most districts have to work to get to this point by the time the campaign kicks off. You already have this
[1:02:39] in place, the need portion.
[1:02:41] Now, it will need to be number one item, an election day.
[1:02:45] Because I always say nobody gets up on election day
[1:02:47] and says, I have to go vote because the cost is reasonable.
[1:02:50] They get up in vote because this is needed.
[1:02:52] Something important will happen if it passes
[1:02:55] and something bad will happen if it doesn't pass.
[1:02:59] Now, we did test a second question and this was,
[1:03:05] the school board is considering an additional option
[1:03:07] to tear down Robinsdale Middle School and build a new elementary school to replace Lakeville
[1:03:13] elementary and provide space for possible early learning center. The total estimated cost to
[1:03:18] complete these projects would be 40 million. This would be a separate second bond question
[1:03:24] and contingent on the passage of the first referendum question. If voters approve this 40 million
[1:03:30] dollar bond to fund these improvements, the owner of a $340,000 home would see a monthly property
[1:03:36] tax increase of an additional $7 per month or $84 per year, 56% support, 41% oppose.
[1:03:46] So it's a little bit tighter, and I think when you look at the prioritization, you have
[1:03:53] those items that have safety and security higher, others in the mid-60s.
[1:03:58] This is probably something for another day to explore with what to do with that site.
[1:04:03] and prioritize a singular bond question
[1:04:06] and that $12 to $15 range.
[1:04:10] What's the reason education's important needed
[1:04:14] while it's cheaper, so the cost is reasonable
[1:04:16] and they have children.
[1:04:19] And then finally, our folks getting their information.
[1:04:26] This is the issue that a lot of school districts
[1:04:28] are dealing with, feel like an outstate Minnesota.
[1:04:34] word of mouth one and five it has gone to the top as your primary source of
[1:04:41] information and just for fun let's throw in social media since that really is
[1:04:46] electronic word of mouth one in three of one in three people say that's their
[1:04:52] primary source of information now there is something happening and I'm going to
[1:04:58] to explore it in the summer state.
[1:05:00] Wait, why, that I'll share at AMSD, because in the last 18 months, I've said for a long time. You don't tell somebody, you don't know on the phone that you don't vote, you don't recycle, and that you rely on social media as your primary source of information. It's kind of just like taboo. Is that something you want to admit to somebody? It is the number one source, absolutely. But people don't want to tell somebody. People are more than happy nowadays to tell somebody.
[1:05:29] tell strangers that, yeah, social media is the way I get my information.
[1:05:34] At a time that there's more discussion about the inaccuracy of social media now, you
[1:05:40] have more and more people saying, I rely on it.
[1:05:43] The local newspaper at 15, the newsletter at 14, the website at 13, mailings and email.
[1:05:53] How do they prefer to receive information, though?
[1:05:58] Do they want to hold something in their hands?
[1:06:01] District newsletter, the local newspaper, and mailings.
[1:06:05] You have 46% of people that want to hold something in their hands.
[1:06:10] That's how they want the communication.
[1:06:12] Do they want to look at a screen, 14% say website, 14% say email, 12% say social media.
[1:06:21] So, 40% want to look at a screen and 8% really, really like the green line.
[1:06:29] That's just their primary source of information.
[1:06:32] What's interesting that's changed, and this one, the traditional word of mouth has been
[1:06:37] for years, you know, all my career, is around young families in ECFE, preschool, youth,
[1:06:47] So sports associations, those sorts of things.
[1:06:50] The new grapevine is old guys like me, old guys like me, that the district might not
[1:06:59] do a newsletter, might not do mailings, the local newspaper doesn't cover the district
[1:07:03] like it used to.
[1:07:05] I'm not going to go to social media, I'm not going to go to a website, just get together
[1:07:10] and gossip with the guys, you know, and I'm sure every what was I last week.
[1:07:16] But
[1:07:19] I ask everybody knows the place in town where the old guys meet for breakfast, and
[1:07:27] that's the hub of the gassa.
[1:07:29] In every district, my favorite is years ago, Roger Juro and Anoka Hennepin.
[1:07:34] The epicenter of the larger school district in the state of Minnesota, the gravevine was
[1:07:39] hardies in Anoka.
[1:07:42] And Roger went for the operating levy and had breakfast with him once a month.
[1:07:48] for 12 months in order to tap down, give information, and just get into that.
[1:07:58] Because once it was in that grapevine, and it's something for districts to consider
[1:08:03] because the difference is coverage that we have nowadays,
[1:08:07] it's going to be the grapevine is more and more reliant than ever.
[1:08:12] So I'm sure there's questions.
[1:08:14] I'll just let you kind of leave the discussion on this one.
[1:08:21] I have a quick question.
[1:08:23] So was it the same people that you talked to?
[1:08:26] These are completely random things.
[1:08:28] It wasn't a panel back, yep.
[1:08:30] Thank you.
[1:08:32] All right, questions, people?
[1:08:37] Dr. Bridgeson.
[1:08:39] I had a handful.
[1:08:42] So one of the things that jumps out at me when I look at this,
[1:08:49] demographics for
[1:08:55] whatever it is.
[1:08:58] This is the answer in the phone is 63% but that doesn't
[1:09:01] match the district in terms of actual residents, right? Because like 63% what? The white African-American
[1:09:12] and Hispanic Latino, like it doesn't seem,
[1:09:16] am I wrong, am I off on this?
[1:09:18] It matches census for the overall.
[1:09:21] Oh, wait, the map is the census for the overall.
[1:09:23] Oh, yeah.
[1:09:23] All right, okay.
[1:09:24] The student population is different from the census.
[1:09:26] Yeah, that's what I'm trying to say.
[1:09:27] Yeah, the student population is very different.
[1:09:29] Right, and even amongst the parent sample,
[1:09:31] because you're going to have that your student count
[1:09:34] is based on, so if one family has five, one has one,
[1:09:39] it's two households 50-50, but that it's, yeah.
[1:09:42] Okay, okay, that's why I was just trying to, it just didn't make sense on my head so that's where I was trying to, okay
[1:09:50] That was question number one question number two
[1:09:54] Back on the 425 million dollar bond referendum. Is it you?
[1:10:03] I feel like there would be like a larger group that are kind of like, I don't know, but is that kind of the norm? In today's age, I mean, so
[1:10:20] this question, the predisposition question, they have no information. And you have 51% of people who have made up their minds with no information. They don't know if it's an operating lever. Okay, 20 bucks a month. Once you give them the information, yeah.
[1:10:38] It's very, when we're asking a tax question, it's very rare that it's above 5% of people saying,
[1:10:47] I'm not sure. Okay, because you have half the people made up their minds and the persuadables are
[1:10:52] just waiting to hear how much of a bunch of what we're doing. Got it. Okay, that makes more sense. Okay, cool.
[1:10:59] Two last questions. The one I just wanted to verify, you said the question, when we had the different
[1:11:05] in schools that were listed, the Cooper, Sandberg,
[1:11:07] all those kind of, I don't know.
[1:11:09] When we followed up with what school it does not provide
[1:11:13] comparable spaces, yes.
[1:11:14] No, it was, oh, this one,
[1:11:17] the property tax increase for middle and high schools,
[1:11:19] so I just want to make sure I understood the question.
[1:11:22] The question for the Cooper High School was specific,
[1:11:25] 67% of people agreed with a single high school concept.
[1:11:30] They agree for property tax increase
[1:11:32] to create a single high school at Cooper.
[1:11:34] got it. Yes, fantastic. And then my last question, and you kind of hit on a little bit,
[1:11:40] but it jumped out of me when I was looking at it. Like the flip, I mean, do you have a
[1:11:46] sense of what? Why the flip on like the schools adequately funded? I mean, going from 65 to
[1:11:52] foot, like that was a big number change.
[1:11:56] Yeah, he's a very big number change. I think there's
[1:12:06] an understanding, a growing understanding of that
[1:12:16] it wasn't dishonest, it wasn't,
[1:12:21] it was, it was a mistake in federal funding, and I think that that has come in.
[1:12:27] So it was very heated and decisions were being made last fall because of that issue.
[1:12:36] And I think that put the spotlight on it that people were saying, well, they had the
[1:12:41] 20 million, then yeah, they were adequately funded.
[1:12:46] So I think there's a growing awareness on that or it makes sense, but it's kind of
[1:12:51] like the hardest decisions have been made and it's dropped you back because that's what
[1:12:57] I can surmise because I was surprised also, yes, at that level of change.
[1:13:02] Those are my questions.
[1:13:06] I have my own questions, but I didn't understand your answer to DJ's question about the ethnic breakdown, but I don't want to spend my time on that right now.
[1:13:17] We look at updated census information.
[1:13:21] I think my question was more about when I look at across our district, what our makeup is.
[1:13:25] And I see that the 400 a random sample that you did then you say 400 of you know I don't have a right in front of me
[1:13:34] But they're 400 you know 400 400 that's not a total of 800. Oh
[1:13:39] It's about 700 total. Okay, so there's more than your normal 400
[1:13:43] Correct because you have 23% parents. So I pull out that 92 people and then we call an additional
[1:13:52] I know, but I know you're sweet, well, and I don't see you sweet, but what you normally
[1:13:56] talk to us about is the 400 sample.
[1:13:58] Right.
[1:13:59] Correct.
[1:13:59] For a typical district for plenty, yes.
[1:14:01] And I wanted to make sure that I was not misunderstanding.
[1:14:03] Yes.
[1:14:03] So we're talking 400 and 400 different.
[1:14:06] Yes.
[1:14:08] And which brought me back to that question.
[1:14:10] Which has to do with if we're random sampling and we're reaching out into our district,
[1:14:19] then the fact that we have so many more households that are not people of color or not why, or you know what I mean?
[1:14:29] Okay, so I'm not sure how that breakdown is.
[1:14:32] However, I do wonder about the responses of that pool because of the majority of the pool is not reflective of the district that we serve.
[1:14:45] then I wonder about this, if there is a schism.
[1:14:49] I can cut the data that way for you if you want.
[1:14:52] I would like it, okay?
[1:14:53] So because it's now...
[1:14:55] Yeah, we can look across that.
[1:14:56] Well, that's working for me.
[1:14:57] You know, I mean, as far as that question is concerned
[1:14:59] because I want to...
[1:15:00] I want to make sure that we're making sure that we're getting at, particularly when we look at the households that responded in what cities and the number of people in the various cities that we have responses from. Because the majority of our responses, if I remember correctly, I got my paper all over here, so I can't quite find it. But I think it was like our planet and the golden valley, and we have half of the golden valley. We have a good little niche, maybe a third of the planet. It's all based on registered voters with the district.
[1:15:27] But you have identified this, cities from which those things come.
[1:15:32] But yeah, the geographic distribution of the sample is based on actual voter counts
[1:15:37] in the school district.
[1:15:38] I'm not doubting that.
[1:15:39] Yeah.
[1:15:40] Yeah.
[1:15:40] That's, I mean, I don't know at all.
[1:15:42] I'm just saying that when I look at who responded, for whatever reason, data didn't.
[1:15:48] Where are they?
[1:15:51] What cities are they in?
[1:15:53] To divide the data by the geographic, we could do that.
[1:15:57] We can cut the data anyway.
[1:15:58] I mean, that was a question of the roles in my mind.
[1:16:01] That's all I'm saying.
[1:16:01] I wondered about it.
[1:16:03] And especially when I laid that aside,
[1:16:05] the demographics in terms of the ethnic background.
[1:16:08] And then when I look at who's here in our district,
[1:16:11] the students that we have.
[1:16:12] And when I look at the values, the housing values,
[1:16:16] because the property tax is significant issue.
[1:16:20] So when I look at where we've pooled from,
[1:16:23] and I look at what the values of those homes are,
[1:16:25] and I look at people who say they're under stress.
[1:16:28] I need to be able to paint a picture of that
[1:16:30] so I kind of know what we're talking about.
[1:16:32] And so if you could help me with those questions,
[1:16:34] I would be absolutely.
[1:16:35] So now, well, thank you so much.
[1:16:37] I love it when my questions make sense.
[1:16:39] You know?
[1:16:40] So now I do have this one here about this bond.
[1:16:44] These numbers are pretty similar between the 400, you know.
[1:16:49] So I wondered when you said,
[1:16:52] and you know there's a conventional wisdom is that it's better
[1:16:54] to not stack on a couple of different questions.
[1:16:56] is that is conventional wisdom.
[1:16:57] It is conventional wisdom, yes.
[1:16:59] But when I look at this, and I see
[1:17:01] that the numbers are pretty much the same,
[1:17:03] and I see how strong the support is for elementary,
[1:17:08] right down the line for all the issues that we present,
[1:17:12] then that gets my attention.
[1:17:15] And when I look at the similarly the issue,
[1:17:20] I think DJ Mission, this one,
[1:17:21] the property tax increase for middle and high school,
[1:17:23] So it's not parsed out in that way.
[1:17:27] It's not parsed out kind of in the same manner that we have in an elementary.
[1:17:31] No, it's not.
[1:17:32] Yeah, that was when we designed it, yes.
[1:17:33] Yes.
[1:17:34] And so, and if the question is leading, and I'm not saying that you're asking a leading
[1:17:39] question because you're good scientists, but if the question is presented in a particular
[1:17:45] way, it's going to give you a particular answer.
[1:17:48] Correct.
[1:17:49] Oh, absolutely.
[1:17:50] I always say I could write a question to elicit whatever answer but it doesn't help anybody.
[1:17:54] The reason I asked the question is because of making sure that we are clear about
[1:18:01] where people are at. Yeah and that was it was intentional we would develop the questions
[1:18:06] because at first and working with the with the folks here we actually I suggest that breaking out
[1:18:15] each individual site. Here's elementary. This elementary school, that elementary school,
[1:18:20] that and it just became so convoluted on what elementary school is getting watched. So we
[1:18:26] kind of looked at it as a blanket. All these elementary schools are getting kind of a piece
[1:18:30] of what's on that list. Yeah. And then the middle and high school, it was kind of like, okay,
[1:18:36] let's do these all together in in in summary. It was and it seemed to work the best way for.
[1:18:44] I understand makes perfect sense what you're saying makes perfect sense.
[1:18:47] However, this one I like a lot when it talks about the elementary because it talks about
[1:18:55] the specific things and gives us the power of where the power is in these questions based
[1:19:01] on, you know, how much it gives you clear prioritization.
[1:19:05] Yes.
[1:19:06] And that's so much here.
[1:19:08] This is, I mean, I understand what you're saying and I understand the point of this.
[1:19:11] I don't feel like that this is really, you know, I mean, it's apples to oranges, in terms
[1:19:19] of the way that this looks and the way that this is raised.
[1:19:23] It gives clear prioritization, too, and it actually shows, I mean, the Cooper pull it up
[1:19:32] here.
[1:19:39] Unlike in the elementary school, like I talked about, the gymnasium, media center expansions,
[1:19:45] I wouldn't do a lot of it.
[1:19:47] I mean, it wouldn't probably be part of any question if you consider scaling back.
[1:19:52] But as you're looking sequentially on what's most important to look at, you do have two
[1:19:59] 3rds
[1:20:00] On the Cooper Plymouth Middle School, Armstrong High School. I mean there are two thirds of support for both of those sorts of things.
[1:20:12] Well, I mean, based on the way that we are looking at this, yes. I do think there are other questions. That's not the purpose of this tonight. I mean, really, I mean, I have different thoughts. And that's okay. You know, I mean, as far as that's concerned, that's okay. I mean, I, you know,
[1:20:29] But I did see the one that I kind of started with, which was that one about the 67 percent.
[1:20:34] That's a let me may not hear back to this one, I think.
[1:20:39] So the support for the bond referendums, because there is a world where we, it could be
[1:20:49] considered that we're just wanting to do the elementary.
[1:21:06] We've had a discussion about it. It's not news. And so since we have had news about that, and because the conventional wisdom is that you wouldn't want to have two questions on, you know, out for a referendum. That's not ideal, actually, one thing or the other.
[1:21:22] When we spoke of the Conventional Wisdom, that it's better not to have two.
[1:21:28] I mean, you can have two, to me, what it comes down to is the political makeup of what this
[1:21:36] election is going to look like this fall.
[1:21:39] Absolutely.
[1:21:40] Absolutely.
[1:21:40] Now, I'm just trying to understand the mechanics.
[1:21:42] And I'm just trying to think about what you have to prioritize.
[1:21:45] What has the best chance to pass is the most broad.
[1:21:48] I agree, but when I look at the numbers for the reason I'm pausing on elementary so hard is because those
[1:21:56] elementary came back so strong. And the prioritization and the interest that people have in them, and the fact that we
[1:22:05] have some other things. That's not for tonight. I mean because for me I'll be walking through what my
[1:22:11] rationale is for whatever I think is the best thing to do. And I'm just trying to use this data to help me
[1:22:17] understand it better. That's all. No, there's no mystery here. You know, but so, and you've,
[1:22:23] you know, we've kind of basically, you've, you've, you've answered my questions. There's
[1:22:26] not that much difference between the two of them. In terms of, just, or it would be whether
[1:22:32] you just add on the addition. Oh, I'm just saying, or it's not going to stand on.
[1:22:37] Yeah. I
[1:22:38] wouldn't, I mean, I'm not saying that we're going to or should. I'm saying it could.
[1:22:41] Yeah, I would advise at $7 a month for four years.
[1:22:47] Well, but that was not all.
[1:22:49] I mean, tonight I'm just talking about these slides
[1:22:51] in this presentation.
[1:22:53] We've received a lot of data about a lot of things.
[1:22:58] We're putting out there what we'd like
[1:23:01] to do in our six remaining, to a certain extent,
[1:23:04] elementary schools.
[1:23:06] There are dollars attached to those things,
[1:23:08] and they're attached to the LTFM right now,
[1:23:10] because we can do that. To do anything new, we'd have to have new money. So I'm very clear about that.
[1:23:21] So I'm saying that a different question in my mind could be something different.
[1:23:28] Or I have some thoughts about what a question could be. We all do. We all get to do that. Everybody gets to do it.
[1:23:34] So no different than anybody else. You know, maybe one question that's been talked about the post,
[1:23:39] But there could be a different question, and at the end of the day, the majority
[1:23:44] of vote on whatever the main question or questions are will come forward.
[1:23:49] I mean, it's, you know, it's the same formula, and it changes because I'm talking about it.
[1:23:53] It's the same thing.
[1:23:54] You know, and I'm just, you're the expert here, so I'm just asking, Mr. Bassett's been
[1:23:57] pet 10 minutes on the floor.
[1:23:59] I'm just wondering if anybody else has had this.
[1:24:01] You know, the chair would ask me, just like, you know, DJ asked for his three questions.
[1:24:04] I had my three or four, and we could go on parole answers.
[1:24:07] So, I, you know, I mean, I'm fine if you just, if the chair is on the sheet, that's right.
[1:24:12] Well, I think we'll have a superintendent clarify and then we're going to have Director Long.
[1:24:16] And I'm, yeah, Peter, Peter, would you just, I just want to be sure that there's clarity
[1:24:20] with what you've said, the data means.
[1:24:24] So will you just do a, will you talk about this slide and the previous slide, because I believe
[1:24:30] what I heard is that you, Director Bassett said there was more support, I just want to show
[1:24:37] the support of where we are with these with the question.
[1:24:41] Well, super.
[1:24:42] Then really when I said is the my question was these tours are really similar in terms
[1:24:47] of the kind of support that they have.
[1:24:48] These are the two.
[1:24:49] I was doing it this way, so maybe it didn't see it.
[1:24:51] Okay.
[1:24:51] But this is what I was showing.
[1:24:53] Okay.
[1:24:53] And you said yes.
[1:24:54] So that's it.
[1:24:54] With
[1:24:57] the $40 million, the understanding.
[1:25:00] The expleting's they were told it was contingent on the first passing. Oh, I didn't know that
[1:25:05] yet. So, yeah, they were told that it was contingent. That's why I read that. Yeah. Okay. So I'm
[1:25:16] wondering, well, I have a couple questions. But my first question is, so we didn't get
[1:25:20] this information until we got here. Was that our seats? So I didn't really have time to go
[1:25:25] through and look through it, are we going to be talking about this at another time?
[1:25:29] Yeah, I could, is that right?
[1:25:32] Sure.
[1:25:32] Okay.
[1:25:33] I said that, I did get that question and the same protocol that we used and I've used in
[1:25:38] other districts, the same one that we used in the October, November survey is usually because
[1:25:44] of the work that you're doing, we get these later, we also had to go to our financial advisors
[1:25:49] and get some information from them, I emailed you all this.
[1:25:53] So we knew that there was going to be, so we knew that this would be the hard copy at your table will post the information afterwards.
[1:26:01] I think the other thing that's so important and Peter does these presentations in multiple districts and cities to hear him share and talk about this is really important, which is why we always did that.
[1:26:14] The other thing to direct her long, we knew that there would be more time needed, and that's
[1:26:20] why we added the June 8th meeting as well.
[1:26:23] We knew that tonight there would be an opportunity to discuss and then figure out what additional
[1:26:28] information questions you had for us to come back, June 8th, and then again June 15th.
[1:26:34] So yes, multiple more times.
[1:26:36] Yeah, people want to submit questions between now and just before the June 8th meeting, we'll
[1:26:44] get every question answered that people have. So ask questions tonight but then
[1:26:50] me'll be able to submit questions also. They know how to get all of me. So if you
[1:26:56] have questions, it's a lot of information. So can I ask my other questions then?
[1:27:00] Okay, so can we have the questions that were asked that make a beach slide? So we
[1:27:07] can have those in print then versus you just saying it. Okay, and then what
[1:27:11] What about access to the raw data?
[1:27:14] Access to the individual data set.
[1:27:19] No, we guarantee confidentiality.
[1:27:20] It can give some reason of it and crosstabs and everything, but part of it is in the
[1:27:25] introduction.
[1:27:26] We assure.
[1:27:26] Okay.
[1:27:27] What can we get that then?
[1:27:29] It crosstabs.
[1:27:31] Yes.
[1:27:31] Absolutely.
[1:27:32] It can be crosstabs.
[1:27:33] Okay.
[1:27:33] And then can we get that well before June 8th so that we can review it for questions?
[1:27:40] Well, the crosstabs will be hundreds of pages.
[1:27:45] If you isolate individual questions, I can pull out, maybe I can give you a couple
[1:27:50] hundred pages of crosstabs.
[1:27:53] It's all the data.
[1:27:58] Can we get the information before the June 8th meeting so that we can look at it?
[1:28:03] So are you saying you feel it's necessary to have hundreds of pages of crosstabs?
[1:28:08] Yes.
[1:28:09] Big
[1:28:13] PDF, right?
[1:28:16] So if you're going to do that, so if that's the case, are you requesting that Peters back here on June 8th to answer questions related to over 200 pages of cross tab data when he's already given you the information based on the cross tab data because it's going to be all extrapolated data and without us all being psycho matricians. I don't know how we're going to do that.
[1:28:44] Well, possibly, I mean, I don't know until I see the data, what my questions are going
[1:28:49] to be. I know I don't need to see that, but you feel like you need to, yes.
[1:28:59] Probably can run it through. I have a meeting next on the 8th. How often do you do something
[1:29:04] like that, Peter? Cross the cross the right, that level of information for a school board.
[1:29:10] Every once in a while.
[1:29:14] And then the questions, too, that were asked
[1:29:16] for each life. He said that already.
[1:29:20] And before the eighth then so that we can probably
[1:29:27] can do it Wednesday. I'll
[1:29:35] try to get it down than not hundreds. Maybe I'll do three
[1:29:41] but three banners of demographics.
[1:29:48] Each of the columns, 18 to 34 year olds, homeowners
[1:29:53] versus renters, male versus female,
[1:29:58] Robinsdale versus Goldenberg.
[1:30:00] All of those individual sorts of things would be across the banners.
[1:30:07] Thank you. Thank you. My question is about the tax tolerance slide.
[1:30:20] So, what were you saying was the sweet spot, because I think the sweet spot is less than what we really need. It is. Yeah, the sweet. How do we? It comes in at the outset at about 12 bucks.
[1:30:35] a month. About 150 bucks a year. But like I said, that sweet spot is not set in stone
[1:30:46] because you have, we jump ahead.
[1:30:51] If you had $25 a month for safety and security, it
[1:30:57] would pass. The example I always use Richfield about a decade ago did a very similar, they
[1:31:05] They had not updated schools in quite a while, it was a major bond referendum, and the tolerance
[1:31:12] came in at $10 a month.
[1:31:15] And when we read this list, they did not have a single item under 65%.
[1:31:23] Okay, so it's not like you have even, like on this one, it's within the margin of error.
[1:31:29] They went for $27 a month and it passed $65.35.
[1:31:34] So it can go up, but if you would come in at $12 a month for gymnasium additions, it would fail.
[1:31:45] Okay, that's what is so important in prioritizing the items that are supported in concept can lift the boat.
[1:31:56] It's why Wiseanna had a second question for a pool.
[1:32:00] The survey showed they needed to do that.
[1:32:02] Even though it was 10% of the total cost.
[1:32:08] Okay, thank you.
[1:32:10] Do you need to do something?
[1:32:13] I think when we talked through this on Friday when we were going through for today,
[1:32:18] we talked about potentially right now as a starting spot being around $14, $15 for planning purposes.
[1:32:25] For tonight, is that still something you would support?
[1:32:28] Yes.
[1:32:28] Yes,
[1:32:30] I would, yeah, I think, you know, going back and looking at the list and prioritizing on that, you know, $15 a month would be, and part of it is also what this election is going to be, what the property tax issue is going to be, in my opinion, it's better to be more conservative at this point in time.
[1:32:53] And you are going to be helped by greater turnout, the more people that vote.
[1:33:00] And I mean, what we saw a couple of weeks ago in Lakeville and South St. Paul.
[1:33:05] Turnout was 15% in Lakeville and 13% in South St. Paul,
[1:33:14] everyone should have passed.
[1:33:16] Luckily, Lakeville did, but when you have that small turnout, it doesn't matter if what district you are.
[1:33:27] There is really a concern on special elections because parents are not turning out.
[1:33:35] Dr. Woto?
[1:33:37] Yeah, Peter, I just have a clarifying question.
[1:33:39] So you mentioned that once the campaign starts, if the board decides to go for a bond,
[1:33:46] the people in the no column could potentially rise to the 9% units.
[1:33:52] What typically happens, the general rule of law over all these years, is that if I have
[1:33:58] 10 school districts that go out,
[1:34:03] two will run a very, will have a very good vote, yes.
[1:34:08] They will be able to maintain or possibly exceed the early survey number.
[1:34:15] The other eight, the typical drop is eight to 10 points, which is why that 60% threshold
[1:34:22] is so important.
[1:34:24] because if you're at 60 and you drop, you're at 52, 48, now you're within the margin of error and then it's the coin flip.
[1:34:35] Now, you could be the district that's, you know, two out of ten.
[1:34:40] But it is,
[1:34:44] it's just kind of the rule of thumb and what happens during the attrition because people aren't focused on this right now.
[1:34:52] And the other issue you're going to have is as we found out from the endorsing convention
[1:35:00] The Minnesotans are tired of a political campaign that starts the day off your Labor Day. This one's starting the 4th of July. Now that we're going to have a contested primary for the Senate on both sides, we're going to be inundated all July. We're going to vote, and then we're going to get the state fair off. And then we're going to come back and we're going to hear about it all again for two months. So the window to get this information out.
[1:35:28] It's really important to be as concise and not as complicated as possible for communication.
[1:35:37] The good news is the turnout is set, you don't have to drive the vote, you're not going
[1:35:42] to have 15% turnout, the turnout is set.
[1:35:47] The key is going to be a surprise voter on election day as a no voter, so you have to cut
[1:35:54] through the clutter of what's going to be coming for the next five months.
[1:35:58] Thank you. Dr. Hillenbrand?
[1:36:02] Yeah, I just had a quick question about would it be valuable or or and if so when would it be
[1:36:09] valuable to survey again as we're trying to make decisions and would it be helpful or does the
[1:36:19] that sort of there would, the data just kind of doesn't really change as we get closer
[1:36:25] and closer.
[1:36:26] Should say, you should survey every week.
[1:36:28] Well, I know.
[1:36:29] I know.
[1:36:30] But I trust you.
[1:36:31] And I know that you are very interested in the data.
[1:36:34] Change.
[1:36:36] Change is on this sort of thing, there would be no reason to do any sort of survey.
[1:36:43] Like if you came back and said, OK, let's test 350 million.
[1:36:49] 300 million, I would say, no, I don't expect, you know, it might be 61, it might be, you
[1:36:58] have the data, I think, to be able to make the decision. I think, you know, typically
[1:37:03] in an off-year election, I would suggest a brush fire, which we typically do at the end
[1:37:10] of September, first week of October. It's basically 15 questions. It's very short. We're just
[1:37:16] looking to see awareness level, potential turnout, everything like that. I don't even think
[1:37:23] it's worth some sounds out for a hundred percent. I don't think it's worth it at this point in time.
[1:37:28] I think the key is going to be the decision made and then the communication piece.
[1:37:35] I'm just curious because of the numbers changing so much from all of it.
[1:37:39] Yeah. Well, it's super-cental on it with former superintendents from here,
[1:37:43] I asked me once the best time to do a survey for an November referendum and I said Monday night.
[1:37:49] To your state election, the problem is there's a little bit of planning that needs to go into play, so to Dr. Sicoli, yes.
[1:37:59] Dr. Bowman, I just have a quick process question.
[1:38:03] Are we going to be sending all of our questions to you or to you or to Dr. Stella?
[1:38:10] If you send them to me and put your Emma's background, that would be great.
[1:38:15] Okay, sounds good.
[1:38:16] Because I do find all the questions everyone asks to be very valuable.
[1:38:20] And I like to see them all.
[1:38:22] Great.
[1:38:23] That was it.
[1:38:24] We'll do that the same way that we normally do all the questions that come in.
[1:38:29] I'll make sure that all board members get questions and responses.
[1:38:32] And Dr. McDowell has another something to add to that.
[1:38:35] I'm wondering if you can speak to the importance or the lack of importance of a unanimous vote for going out for a bond and the impacts of not having that.
[1:38:47] It is very important to have a unanimous vote.
[1:38:51] The rule of thumb is if you have one member that votes no, it decreases the chance of success by about a third.
[1:39:02] And if you have two members that vote no, there's no point in going.
[1:39:09] It is the signal for the community that you have, you summon elected officials, you've
[1:39:18] heard the information, and when you don't all vote in unison, the chance of success is
[1:39:24] cut.
[1:39:26] There are exceptions to that rule, but that is the general rule through 32 years of doing
[1:39:32] this.
[1:39:32] I
[1:39:35] have a question. For those eight to ten district, you know, you said two in ten.
[1:39:41] Well, yep.
[1:39:42] Oh, go up.
[1:39:43] So, for the eight to ten to have the drop, what do you attribute to the drop or factors that would contribute to that drop?
[1:39:53] I mean, like, things we should avoid, so we don't get that drop.
[1:39:57] A very focal vote now.
[1:40:00] We'll be the first thing. And then at the same time, a very ineffective vote, yes.
[1:40:07] Vote, yes, tends to vote, yes, for some reason, can't accept the fact that a victory is 50% plus 1, they have to go out and convince everybody that. And then they get bogged down. It's typically, I'll get out the vote effort, though. In and off here. In an even year, it's a communication challenge.
[1:40:30] and getting your message out and when your number one source of information is word of mouth
[1:40:39] that's hard to get it out quickly in a sense.
[1:40:52] Dr. Bassett, thank you. I just want to answer a question and one of the reasons I really
[1:40:59] appreciate what you just said. One of the reasons that, and I think sometimes
[1:41:03] it's misunderstood, one of the reasons for me that I ask questions is to make
[1:41:08] sure that I'm making the decision that I think is the best decision, and I think
[1:41:13] that's true for everybody, not just for me, but I sometimes think I need to say it
[1:41:17] because people think that good when I'm asked questions they seem to get a
[1:41:20] little animated, but in any case having said that, I just want to make sure in these
[1:41:26] These two, when I look at these numbers and I look at the percentages that we have here
[1:41:30] that tells us strong priority of what people really like, what they really want, and then
[1:41:35] I look at this number over here.
[1:41:37] It's not apples to apples because this was really talking about the bond referendum.
[1:41:42] But I do want to ask you, what is there any relationship between these two because there's
[1:41:48] 47% support and then strong, so together, that's 58%.
[1:41:53] So I'm wondering is there any relationship between this and that or the when we break
[1:42:03] down the individual this is theoretical. How are you going to prioritize the use of
[1:42:08] the funding? Okay. Yes. This chart that's I think that's what you're like. This is these
[1:42:17] These uses of the funding and giving them $22 a month.
[1:42:21] Right.
[1:42:22] Which leads me then back to my question about this one, which because if this question,
[1:42:32] and this is important to me, because when we start talking about what will the question actually
[1:42:38] say, there's usually specific language in it, in every question.
[1:42:42] Yep.
[1:42:42] Whatever the lawyers say.
[1:42:43] exactly whatever we want to do and then whatever the lawyer say it's the question so whatever is in the question so that's why for me understanding this is important you know because when I look at this and I look at the other where there's pretty similar support I haven't you the message that you just landed which talked about the simpler cleaner crisper the message the better I believe that to
[1:43:14] But for me, asking the question and the way that I need to ask it to see if there's a
[1:43:19] way, if there's value in having a question be a little bit more complex is really at
[1:43:25] the heart of my question.
[1:43:27] And so because, as you said, what people really like and resonate with them sometimes can
[1:43:36] carry the day.
[1:43:37] Right. I would say on the $40 million one, not realizing that this is contingent.
[1:43:48] That's because, I mean, if it is contingent, I'm talking about it as purely a stand-alone
[1:43:54] thing.
[1:43:55] I mean, I think in planning, I think my advice would be if this is something that the board
[1:44:00] wants to do, I would include this into one question.
[1:44:04] And here's the way, reason I say this, but just, I'm sorry, but keep in mind that it in concept and they know the price is $7 a month, it's only a 56% support.
[1:44:19] So I would not, the 40 million, I wouldn't insert the 40 million and take all classroom additions or safety and security.
[1:44:29] No, and I'm not suggesting that at all.
[1:44:32] It would be a prioritization, I'm not suggesting that at all, but I guess that you answered
[1:44:38] my question because it is possible to write it in such a way because the perception of
[1:44:43] what might lift this, because there is no secret, there is a body of folks who are not happy
[1:44:49] about this.
[1:44:50] Now, what there is, how deep it is and how robust it is, I don't know, I'm not a psychometrist
[1:44:56] or whatever then, you know, I'm not your, not a survey person.
[1:45:00] I'll say like that. But it is a concern because it's real, you know. Well, you absolutely hear from. Yeah. I mean, that's reason I bring it up is because it's a real thing. You know, I didn't just make it up. You know, I want to be positive. I don't want to be negative, but I was on my real list. No, I mean, absolutely. I mean, I always every board meeting. I've ever done. If I had a nickel for every elected officialist said this doesn't reflect what I hear. I would. I mean, it is you hear from the 10 to 15% about everything.
[1:45:29] everything, the remaining people, they're not on social media, they're not at all.
[1:45:34] Well, I'll ask any other questions that I have I can maybe ask you.
[1:45:37] I mean, before you take off the door or I can send them to you because I don't want to
[1:45:41] belabor the meeting and go on and on, but, you know, send them to the superintendent and
[1:45:47] then she'll.
[1:45:48] But I really do want to say that you are the expert that helps us understand how the information,
[1:45:56] the sampling we've done happens.
[1:45:58] You are that expert for us.
[1:46:02] So if I have questions, I've posed them to you because you're the person who can answer them.
[1:46:07] Absolutely, more than happy to answer them.
[1:46:09] Which is well with the scope of why you're here and what we're talking about.
[1:46:12] Absolutely.
[1:46:13] Okay.
[1:46:16] Board members?
[1:46:19] So we're not going to put all the questions to Dr. Stahl.
[1:46:22] Yes, we are.
[1:46:22] Okay.
[1:46:23] I just wanted to-
[1:46:23] We're still sending that.
[1:46:24] But if there are questions about the analysis of the data,
[1:46:30] our team will not ask and try to answer those back to Peter,
[1:46:35] so we can get responses from him.
[1:46:37] Right, so that we're all hearing the same thing.
[1:46:39] Yep.
[1:46:39] That's the important thing for me.
[1:46:41] Yeah.
[1:46:45] OK, I don't see any more hands up.
[1:46:48] I still don't see any more hands.
[1:46:50] Boy, let's go.
[1:46:51] Please.
[1:46:53] Well, for me, it wasn't as exciting as Arthur, but.
[1:46:56] No, you were and takes that exact name.
[1:46:59] You didn't even sing or have, but thank you very much.
[1:47:02] This is a very thoughtful, very thoughtful information.
[1:47:05] Thank you.
[1:47:06] All right.
[1:47:08] Next item on our agenda is the consent agenda.
[1:47:12] Items on the consent agenda are routine in nature and will be enacted with single motion.
[1:47:17] There will be no separate discussion of items, unless a board member requests, in which case
[1:47:21] will remove that item from the consent agenda and address it and vote on it separately.
[1:47:27] Do items on tonight's consent agenda include the annual QComp report, the extended field
[1:47:34] trip to Germany, Hungary, Austria, and the Czech Republic for Armstrong High School,
[1:47:38] meeting minutes, financial reports, and the personnel reports.
[1:47:42] Move to approval by Director Bowman.
[1:47:44] Seconded by Adjector Hill and Grant, this is a roll call vote.
[1:47:51] And just before we do the roll call vote, two of the people in the personnel report are retiring.
[1:47:58] Allison McKay has 21 years as a special ed teacher and Sandra Fick's 29 years as a tutor EA.
[1:48:06] So thank you for your service and happy retirement.
[1:48:10] Okay, great to do the roll call vote.
[1:48:12] of course. Thank you.
[1:48:14] With pleasure.
[1:48:15] Director Bassett.
[1:48:16] Yes.
[1:48:17] Director Bowman votes yes.
[1:48:19] Director Brinison.
[1:48:20] Yes.
[1:48:21] Chair Evans Becker.
[1:48:23] Oh, yes.
[1:48:24] Director Hillenbrand.
[1:48:25] Yes.
[1:48:26] Director Long.
[1:48:26] No.
[1:48:27] Director Wuto.
[1:48:28] Yes.
[1:48:29] Motion prevails.
[1:48:30] All right.
[1:48:32] Concentration is approved.
[1:48:33] We move on to unfinished business.
[1:48:35] Our unfinished business is the
[1:48:37] the fiscal year, 27 preliminary budget and resolution.
[1:48:44] And is Cable Hohaisel coming in on a Zoom thing?
[1:48:52] Okay, so there's questions.
[1:48:54] Yep, can you hear?
[1:48:55] We can.
[1:48:57] Good evening.
[1:48:58] Good evening.
[1:49:00] Thank you.
[1:49:00] Good evening.
[1:49:01] Chair Evans Becker, Superintendent Solo and School Board members.
[1:49:04] The only thing, the only question that had come up since this,
[1:49:08] what the preliminary budget was presented to you at the last meeting in May, was as it relates
[1:49:13] to the Building Construction Fund, which is also page 6 of the preliminary budget book.
[1:49:18] And the question was how it essentially shows very little revenue and yet tens of millions of
[1:49:26] dollars of expenditures. And we had issued debt in November of 24. And when debt has issued that 20,
[1:49:36] It was about a $20 million debt issuance when that came in, it gets booked immediately.
[1:49:43] So the revenue at that time showed $20 million and the expenses were nominal.
[1:49:49] We work as the years go on to spend down the projects that are used against that issuance.
[1:49:56] We were a little delayed this time around just because not knowing what schools were going
[1:50:00] I'm going to close on what projects we should be moving forward with. We're probably a year behind where we typically would be in spending bond proceeds, but that's why it's reflective of expenditures over revenue. It also wouldn't be unusual on other funds if they have a carry forward fund balance that we could possibly be overspending the next year as it relates to revenue. And that's why the budget book I think is very helpful because you can see the carry forward fund balances. That was the only question that was received since the last meeting.
[1:50:29] And so if there's nothing else, I would ask for school board approval of the preliminary 26, 20, 27 budget.
[1:50:36] I would like to ask for someone to move the resolution that adopts the preliminary budget and then
[1:50:42] we'll have discussion after that.
[1:50:44] So moved.
[1:50:45] Move by Director Brideson.
[1:50:46] Seconded by Director Bowman.
[1:50:48] Is there any discussion or any more questions about this preliminary budget for 26, 27?
[1:50:56] I don't see any hands.
[1:50:58] In that case, let's take a vote.
[1:51:03] Thank you.
[1:51:07] Chair Evans Becker.
[1:51:09] Yes.
[1:51:09] Director Brinison.
[1:51:10] Yes.
[1:51:11] Director Bowman votes yes.
[1:51:13] Director Bassett.
[1:51:14] Yes.
[1:51:15] Director Hillenbrand.
[1:51:16] Yes.
[1:51:16] Director Long.
[1:51:17] No.
[1:51:18] Director Wuto.
[1:51:19] Yes.
[1:51:20] Motion prevails.
[1:51:21] Thank you very much.
[1:51:23] Thank you.
[1:51:24] Thank you.
[1:51:25] Thank you.
[1:51:25] You're welcome.
[1:51:26] Thank you.
[1:51:27] Thank you.
[1:51:33] All right, we're going to move on to new business and we have a resolution accepting
[1:51:39] donations.
[1:51:41] And I think it's like $23,000 in donations this time.
[1:51:47] So moved by director Bowman, seconded by director Bassett and let's take a roll call
[1:51:52] vote.
[1:51:53] Sounds great.
[1:51:54] Director Brennison. Yes. Chair Evans Becker. Yes. Director Hillenbrand. Yes. Director Long. Yes. Director Woto. Yes. Director Bassett. Yes.
[1:52:04] And Director Bowman Marks of Health. Yes. Motion carries. Alrighty. And thank you everyone for those donations.
[1:52:11] 23,000 dollars is quite a bit of money. All right. Next up on our new business is the 2627 resolutions for membership in the Minnesota State High School League.
[1:52:21] I think it's an executive director Williams.
[1:52:25] Good evening chair back Evans-Vecker,
[1:52:28] I'm super into the style of members of the board.
[1:52:30] I am before you today requesting approval
[1:52:32] of the 2627 Resolution for Membership
[1:52:36] into the Minnesota State High School League
[1:52:37] for Robinson Armstrong and Cooper High Schools.
[1:52:40] This is an annual request and just that time of year,
[1:52:43] again, some requests an approval for the resolution.
[1:52:45] Thank you.
[1:52:45] All right, we will enact them as two separate resolutions.
[1:52:49] We'll let someone move the Armstrong Resolution, Dr. Bassett, seconded by Dr. Brintison.
[1:52:57] All in, this is not a roll call, right?
[1:53:01] Okay, all in favor, please say aye.
[1:53:02] What?
[1:53:03] It's a motion, it's a resolution, resolution, state roll call.
[1:53:07] Okay.
[1:53:08] I'm just for clarity, this is the Armstrong Resolution for membership in the Minnesota State
[1:53:17] High School League.
[1:53:18] Okay. Great. I will take roll call.
[1:53:22] Of course. Director Wuto.
[1:53:25] Yes. Director Long.
[1:53:27] Yes. Director Helen Rand.
[1:53:29] Yes. Chair Evans Becker.
[1:53:31] Yes. Director Brinison.
[1:53:33] Yes. Director Bowman votes yes.
[1:53:35] And Director Bassett.
[1:53:37] Yes. Thank you.
[1:53:38] The rails.
[1:53:38] All right. Now do I have someone to move the resolution
[1:53:43] for the membership and for Cooper for the membership
[1:53:46] in the Minnesota State High School League.
[1:53:48] And we have to wave through you
[1:53:49] to the other resolution, too.
[1:53:50] Oh, and wave.
[1:53:51] Okay, thank you.
[1:53:53] Okay, so that was moved by Bridgerton,
[1:53:55] seconded by Bowman, and there are no hands,
[1:53:57] so let's take the roll call vote.
[1:53:59] Sounds great.
[1:54:00] Chair Evans Becker.
[1:54:01] Yes.
[1:54:02] Director Brinderson.
[1:54:04] Yes.
[1:54:04] Director Bowman votes yes.
[1:54:06] Director Bassett.
[1:54:07] Yes.
[1:54:08] Director Hillenbrand.
[1:54:09] Yes.
[1:54:10] Director Long.
[1:54:11] Yes.
[1:54:11] Director Wu-Tao.
[1:54:12] Yes.
[1:54:13] Motion prevails.
[1:54:14] Excellent.
[1:54:14] all right now we are moving on to policy. All right so the policy we have about
[1:54:25] 12 policies in front of us for first read. Our last meeting was May 20th and I am
[1:54:33] glad to let the public and they both know that because of the efficiencies and
[1:54:38] effectiveness of the policy committee so far we are almost at the tail end of
[1:54:44] reviewing all the necessary policies for this cycle.
[1:54:47] And our next meeting will be in August, 17th.
[1:54:52] Excellent.
[1:54:53] And so all of these policies that you're having
[1:54:56] the first read, if you have any questions on them,
[1:54:59] please contact our...
[1:55:00] Director Bhutto between now and the next meeting, because at our next meeting, we will be voting on this. All right. Cool. Okay. Moving right along. Item number 10, administrative reports. Excellent. I will start to that. Thank you. And good evening, Chairman Specker, school board directors of those of you who are still in the room at the ESC and the viewing public. Robyn Stale Area Schools, our mission is to inspire and educate all learners.
[1:55:29] to develop their unique potential and to positively contribute to their community.
[1:55:34] Our collective work is focused on that mission, and tonight I'd like to share some of the work in which we've been engaged.
[1:55:39] In the strategic priority theme of academic achievement, that's not a line to mine.
[1:55:50] I think that was the one that was in from the last.
[1:55:53] Oh, from and see what I'm going to do.
[1:55:55] Yeah, I'm going to go ahead. Do you have this one?
[1:56:04] She's still in this one.
[1:56:06] It's just not the only thing.
[1:56:08] Okay.
[1:56:43] Thanks, Melanie.
[1:56:44] A slide three.
[1:56:45] Are we there?
[1:56:46] Awesome.
[1:56:47] In the Strategic Priority Theme of Academic Achievement,
[1:56:50] I want to take this opportunity to celebrate
[1:56:51] one of the community's greatest accomplishments,
[1:56:55] the successful graduation of the class of 2026.
[1:56:58] Last week, our schools and programs came together
[1:57:00] to recognize and honor students from across
[1:57:02] Robin'sdale area in schools, including graduates
[1:57:05] from the Robinsdale Transition Center,
[1:57:08] Adult Academic Program, Armstrong High School,
[1:57:11] Robinsdale Virtual Academy, and Cooper High School.
[1:57:14] Each graduation ceremony
[1:57:15] reflect the unique journeys, talents,
[1:57:17] and aspirations of our students,
[1:57:19] whether the students are entering the workforce
[1:57:21] or pursuing higher education,
[1:57:23] joining the military or exploring other opportunities,
[1:57:26] they leave our district prepared to take on their next step.
[1:57:31] It's a celebration not only for our graduates,
[1:57:34] But for the families, educators, and community members who support them along the way.
[1:57:39] So I know you've been scrolling some of those pictures, so I'll just gonna keep reading a couple things that I have.
[1:57:45] The photos captured here show some of the excitement, the pride and the joy that filled the graduation ceremonies this year.
[1:57:52] From crossing the stage and receiving diplomas to celebrating with family, friends and staff, these moments represent years of hard work.
[1:57:59] and it's so fun to see the pride in the faces of our graduates and the families and
[1:58:05] loved ones who support them.
[1:58:06] As you look through these final images, I hope you see what makes Robin's Tale Area
[1:58:10] Schools so special.
[1:58:11] Every graduate has a unique story and each ceremony serves as a reminder of our mission.
[1:58:17] Congratulations once again.
[1:58:19] The class of 2026 were incredibly proud of all.
[1:58:22] You've accomplished and we look forward to seeing the impact that you will have for years
[1:58:26] to come.
[1:58:27] I think at each of the graduations, I think RTC helped me out team, but I think we had
[1:58:33] about 12 students graduating, adult academic programming, we had I think 10 that night,
[1:58:41] 9 that night, at Armstrong we had 455, the virtual academy, I think there were about 55,
[1:58:57] that
[1:58:57] are inching up to that thousand points, 9.50.
[1:59:01] So lots to celebrate for sure.
[1:59:03] Also in the strategic theme of academic achievement
[1:59:06] at school years coming to a close,
[1:59:08] our school's found countless ways to celebrate students.
[1:59:12] This photo is from our early learning
[1:59:13] and at the end of the year celebration
[1:59:16] at New Hope Learning Center
[1:59:18] where approximately 770 people attended.
[1:59:23] So again, we got to see some of that team here tonight
[1:59:26] And that question about capture rate and how we make sure that our residents are choosing,
[1:59:33] our early learning is really, really important.
[1:59:37] The photo is the next photo highlights just a few of the many traditions that make the
[1:59:42] end of the year so meaningful as see graduating seniors return to their elementary schools and
[1:59:46] caps and gowns, walking the halls.
[1:59:48] We do that in all of our buildings.
[1:59:50] It's a great tradition.
[1:59:51] At Neal Elementary, kindergarten students celebrate their own important milestone, probably
[1:59:57] performing for family members and demonstrating just how much they...
[2:00:00] They have learned during their first year. Our schools also found creative ways to bring
[2:00:04] entire communities together as the year ended. At Fair Pilgrim Lane, students enjoyed
[2:00:10] the end of the year's celebration with food trucks and ice cream. At Noble Elementary,
[2:00:15] students, family, staff, and alumni gathered for the final roar, especially events honoring
[2:00:20] the school's history, traditions, and generations of students who have called Noble home, definitely
[2:00:27] and ultimately filled with a lot of great memories.
[2:00:30] In the strategic theme of student engagement
[2:00:32] while being last week, our Indian education program
[2:00:35] hosted its annual honoring event of powerful evening
[2:00:38] dedicated to recognizing the accomplishments
[2:00:41] and cultural identity of our native students.
[2:00:43] This event is about more than awards.
[2:00:46] It's about affirming the present strength
[2:00:47] and future of Indigenous learners
[2:00:49] in our schools and communities.
[2:00:51] It's events like these
[2:00:52] that's deep in student engagement and connection
[2:00:54] and he reminded us how important it is that students see themselves reflected and valued
[2:01:00] as they thrive. Also in the strategic theme of student engagement well-being, one of
[2:01:05] the highlights of May was welcoming our superintendent for a day's Shavashton-Harsheim
[2:01:11] fourth grade student from C. He spent the day shadowing me and getting a behind the scenes look
[2:01:16] at everything that's happening. He had lots of meetings with our CFOs. We learned a lot about
[2:01:22] finance. He was with HR. He was with Dr. McDowell. He got a chance to go to the Transportation
[2:01:29] Center and he didn't drive the bus, but he was definitely honking the horn. And we asked
[2:01:36] for his advice on a few things. He also had the opportunity to meet with Chair Evan Specker,
[2:01:41] recorded video message and join us for lunch. So it was really a fun and special day.
[2:01:47] In the strategic theme of staff development, we've had opportunity to recognize and thank
[2:01:54] dedicated staff for their years of service throughout the last couple of weeks in all
[2:01:58] of our buildings at our staff meetings and collectively our honorees represent decades
[2:02:03] of service, commitment, and care to our school district.
[2:02:08] And we certainly thank them for that.
[2:02:10] The district is fortunate to have exceptional teachers in our schools in the spring we had
[2:02:15] an opportunity to celebrate a couple of those.
[2:02:18] I want to congratulate Cooper High School Art Teacher Claire Milke, who was named the
[2:02:22] 2026 Robin Sale Teacher of the Year.
[2:02:26] She joined Cooper in 2013 and has inspired students through creativity, self-expression,
[2:02:32] and meaningful relationships.
[2:02:34] Claire was recognized at the Robin Sale Federation of Teachers Seven Dreams Education Foundation
[2:02:39] events on May 21st.
[2:02:41] Claire was also selected by Cooper Senior Class to speak at graduation on Friday, so really
[2:02:50] amazing, and we congratulate her.
[2:02:52] We're also proud to congratulate Lisa Pleven of the School of Engineering and Arts,
[2:02:58] who was named the 2026 Education Assistant of the Year.
[2:03:02] She's a tutor education assistant at C and has been there for the last four years, and
[2:03:07] we congratulate and thank her as well.
[2:03:10] As we conclude, I'd like to take a moment to thank the board, our staff, students, families
[2:03:16] and community members for your continued partnership and support.
[2:03:20] We launched the 2025-26 school year with the theme of take yourself on and I don't believe
[2:03:26] any one of us could have predicted last August the scope of what that would mean to any of
[2:03:32] us, what it would mean to take ourselves on.
[2:03:34] Today is our last day of school with students.
[2:03:39] So this afternoon, I took the time to visit the four schools that are being closed next
[2:03:43] year.
[2:03:44] It's on as an elementary school, Robin'sdale Middle School, Noble Elementary School, Fair
[2:03:50] School Crystal.
[2:03:52] I saw brave faces of leaders and staff who remain focused on celebrating students in front
[2:03:58] of them rather than the emotions of the day.
[2:04:00] And I felt the enormity of the year weigh on me.
[2:04:04] As I stood with the noble elementary staff as they wave goodbye to students,
[2:04:09] as the buses were leaving noble for the final time.
[2:04:12] Indeed, this has been a very difficult year for us.
[2:04:16] And the years also brought some amazing opportunities, joys, growth, and celebrations.
[2:04:22] Our students continued to learn, our staff continued to serve our community,
[2:04:27] and to serve our students and our community continue to come together in support of our schools.
[2:04:32] I'm proud of what we've accomplished together.
[2:04:35] Grateful for the dedication of everyone who helped make Robin's Delary School
[2:04:38] a place where students can believe, belong, and become.
[2:04:42] Just two other things I want to note.
[2:04:46] After hearing Peter's presentation, I want the board and the public to know that we have a
[2:04:54] informative newspaper that will be in the hands of our public, going to mailings to
[2:05:00] All residents that they'll get the end of this week or the beginning of next week, that was from feedback and input that we had received aligned to what Peter's survey said that people want to see kept things in the mail, they want to feel them. So it is a informative newspaper that our medications team and senior leaders have put together. It updates everyone, not only a whole bunch of really cool student events and school events, but it also has a lot of improvement.
[2:05:29] information about the work that the board has been engaged in for the last several months.
[2:05:35] Also board members, per the superintendent evaluation timeline, I have materials for
[2:05:40] you to review.
[2:05:42] So you can take those with you when you go, and now I will hand it to Dr. McDowell for his
[2:05:47] admin report.
[2:05:51] Thank you, Dr. Stone.
[2:05:55] Very short, but I want to try and wrap up the presentation from Peter, just as we get
[2:06:00] into the mold of now what question should we ask where do we go from here so I've just
[2:06:04] a couple slides that have put together that are hot hot off the press in terms of discussion.
[2:06:12] So just as a reminder when we were talking about the $515 million what we were talking about
[2:06:19] is individually for each building this is the cost right that we've anticipated makes up the
[2:06:27] total of the $515 million. So that's the big scope. You've had this information before.
[2:06:34] Next.
[2:06:36] Then when we're looking at this, what made up this vision, what we've been going off of, right?
[2:06:42] It's made up of the LTFM dollars, which we talked about a little bit, and bond dollars.
[2:06:46] And so what Peter presented tonight was the test for that $425 million in bond or voter approved bonding.
[2:06:57] So, this slide is what those questions were based off of.
[2:07:04] Last time we talked, Kristen shared this slide with you over the impact between the two
[2:07:10] different options and that it was going to be about $30 total a month for a median
[2:07:16] home for the $515 million total project.
[2:07:21] If you didn't do that and you just had LTFM, it would be $16 for the median home to do a
[2:07:28] 140 million of combined investments that are just LTFM, next slide.
[2:07:35] So what I wanted to just make sure we have some clarity on as you're thinking about this,
[2:07:40] that assumed vision was for, so this is just the voter-approved part, $23 per month
[2:07:49] on the median home to get us to $425 million of that large concept.
[2:07:55] But the tax tolerance, however, came in at that $14 to $15 a month.
[2:08:00] So what Kristen has been working with with PTAA today, what we were able to get from
[2:08:07] that then is that's the equivalent of $340 million.
[2:08:11] So if you as a board said we're going to go, we want to go out for a referendum to get
[2:08:18] that $14 to $15 a month. That's going to get you $340 million in revenues from voter approved.
[2:08:27] That would mean that we'd be $85 million less than the $425.
[2:08:35] So here's why I wanted to share
[2:08:36] these slides with you. Because I think as a board, as we prepare for June 8th, because if you're
[2:08:40] a member, the plan all along has been to take tonight. June 8th and June 15th for you to have
[2:08:47] discussions around what do you want to do because July 6th we've got to have everything submitted.
[2:08:54] So we've pretty much got some reactions to the survey. That was the first part. The second is
[2:09:01] just another solicitations for what's the information and options for June 8th based on
[2:09:07] any board direction. The reason that I think that question is important is if we know that we're
[2:09:14] about 85 million less than what that proposed assumption was.
[2:09:19] What our thoughts were today as we're processing through this was to come on the A with here
[2:09:26] are some revised options that are at the $300 within the $340 million range so that you
[2:09:35] could have a discussion about doing like this, doing not like this.
[2:09:40] What I would ask the board, and even if it's not right now, what as you're sending
[2:09:44] questions, Dr. Stalo, if there's something you want to see, like what if we did instead
[2:09:50] of doing this school this way, is there an opportunity to do this this way?
[2:09:56] Because what ends up happening is we now have a
[2:10:04] So now we, we scope in, right? The example I've been using today is you're at a spot with a house where you find the lot you want, and you're going to build this house on it. And you discover that there was something happened in the lot itself now cost twice as much as what you thought. So you only have this amount now on the house. The vision can still come to be. It's just.
[2:10:29] how do we want that sandbox to look and I think the information that Peter gave on the priorities that the community gave will help you as board members in trying to figure out what are some things that we want to entertain.
[2:10:43] It will then be our work to get this together for you for next Monday so that we can give an idea of what does it look like?
[2:10:53] what does it not look like? We already have Nexus working on some stuff for us.
[2:10:57] We meet with them tomorrow morning to really start figuring out different
[2:11:01] potential options to take some big chunks out of what still can be.
[2:11:07] But I just wanted to make sure to share that with you and try to
[2:11:11] put some closure on the Leatherman survey and tee up.
[2:11:16] What would you like to know now that you know that that's the dollar amount?
[2:11:20] It's really not a 425. It's a 340.
[2:11:27] I think I'm hoping that's helpful.
[2:11:29] Take any questions. Didn't intend for it to have to be a huge conversation now, but
[2:11:39] Dr. Bassett, I have a question. So in the presentation that Mr. Leatherman gave, he talked about
[2:11:45] metered the use of that term. One of the things that you have provided for us already is you have
[2:11:52] kind of a phased, you know, that chart that says all the way to 2030, 2031, I do think that
[2:12:01] and as I understood him to say, Meadard, in my mind, that meant you don't have to do everything
[2:12:07] right now. You know, you could decide to do some things. So, if you would give some thought to
[2:12:13] that and see if there's some recommendations that what you know, kind of your,
[2:12:21] That would be helpful.
[2:12:27] Just a quick and I don't know if this is a good suggestion or a bad one and obviously you can't count on money like this.
[2:12:34] But have we considered things like kind of paying county sports grant for the gyms for the high school for example.
[2:12:41] The new gyms that are being added or things like that to help offset some of the costs.
[2:12:48] So, for something like a referendum at this point, we wouldn't consider that as part
[2:12:52] of the game, but what we would back to the metered question, it could potentially be something
[2:12:58] where it's an option for lay, we can do everything but this and our anticipation is to find
[2:13:06] an additional funding source, whatever that might be, to do this.
[2:13:10] Right, or the pool, for example, it's at the same-
[2:13:13] It might be an option, I mean, to implement, sorry.
[2:13:16] Just thinking about it, and obviously grants,
[2:13:18] you can't count on that, getting that, but just a thought.
[2:13:22] We will also, this is why when the question came up,
[2:13:26] even around selling buildings and things like that,
[2:13:30] we wait and we wait until we know enough information
[2:13:33] to say, well, is this something?
[2:13:36] If we can get this much money,
[2:13:38] would it potentially pay for this?
[2:13:40] So yes, your question is really, when do we start considering alternate revenue sources
[2:13:46] as a reality, and that will be phased like everything else?
[2:13:51] The only other example that I want to add to that is we've seen some school districts
[2:13:56] that especially have academies or pathways programs, and there might be a healthcare wing
[2:14:02] that gets some kind of annual support from a hospital or something like that.
[2:14:07] But again, Dr. McDowell's point, that's not part of the referendum phase, but it can
[2:14:12] help with securing additional program funding if it's a long-term part.
[2:14:23] Dr. Long.
[2:14:25] So I was wondering about, you know, if we're going to go to this one high school, why do we
[2:14:31] have one of our high schools on the opposite end of the district, speaking of high view?
[2:14:37] How are they going to get access to the CTE programming and the other things when they
[2:14:42] They aren't in that same building.
[2:14:45] Is there any way that that could be changed and they could be within that same building?
[2:14:50] And not away and stuck with middle school yet again.
[2:14:54] I guess that's one thing that I really dislike about this whole plan is that.
[2:15:00] I view again is stuck with middle school when they're high school students. Yeah, so programatically from a square footage standpoint, it absolutely is something you consider. It's probably because it would be an additional space piece. It would be additional square footage. So you'd have to decide what aren't you going to do in order to make that type of additional square footage adjustment to what is now laid out as the Cooper High School.
[2:15:29] site, New Hope Learning Center site for a single high school.
[2:15:35] For me, that brings up a big equity issue about what they have access to versus what other high school students have access to, and it makes it unfair for those students.
[2:15:46] Yeah, the only other thing, and we haven't, we haven't to my knowledge, surveyed students, staff at our, at high view, but
[2:15:55] I know that there's other districts and research that would say that students don't want
[2:16:01] to be part of a traditional high school, you know, for some students they're choosing
[2:16:07] to be in a smaller venue and not it to be part of the high school, but we have not asked
[2:16:14] that question of our staff or students.
[2:16:17] Well, and I think of any students who would be perfect for CTE instruction, it would be
[2:16:22] those.
[2:16:23] Yeah, you know, there's great partnerships currently that HIVU has with HTC and so, yeah,
[2:16:29] for sure.
[2:16:30] I think Director Long, one thing you're bringing up though that's important, that we will
[2:16:35] come back with is the potential of what programs might have to go someplace else, where can
[2:16:40] we find some efficiencies just in general for you as a board to kind of chew on and see,
[2:16:47] is it of interest?
[2:16:49] We'll have to look at all that.
[2:16:50] But the only thing that I would, other thing I would ask is given that it's next Monday
[2:16:55] and some of the questions might require that we also have to coordinate with Nexus or
[2:17:01] with walled as the architects see feasibility that if they can come in before we hit Friday
[2:17:10] so that we can at least try to coordinate some things before we hit Monday, that'd be great.
[2:17:16] The other thing that, just a reminder of language, we will most likely be coming on the
[2:17:23] eighth with a, the first generic look at our review and comment piece so that it starts
[2:17:30] to become a fill in the blank part for June 15th if that's the direction you end up
[2:17:37] going.
[2:17:37] So we'll have that as well for you to work through.
[2:17:44] So, at the end of one of our recent meetings, we saw the garage on it, and you know there's
[2:17:53] not something we've talked about very much at all.
[2:17:56] So if there's any kind of crystallized information about where that's at, it would be helpful
[2:18:04] to kind of refresh around that, because we really never have talked about it fully as
[2:18:08] a board.
[2:18:09] And, you know, I don't even know, well, there is a lot that could be talked about because,
[2:18:14] of course, you know, it doesn't fit our buses, but that's a whole other thing.
[2:18:18] Yeah, we will have to bring that up as well because that's as priorities go as you saw,
[2:18:24] something like that didn't make anywhere close to a priority less. So that's why, kind of,
[2:18:28] why I wanted to share this little slide deck and I think Molly has it uploaded because I wanted
[2:18:33] you to be able to see that list that has all the buildings on it and the anticipated costs for
[2:18:38] all of them, because I think that would be helpful in trying to decide, okay, if I
[2:18:43] add do, make a different decision, could we look at this?
[2:18:48] Thank you.
[2:18:49] Thank you.
[2:18:51] The end of administrative reports.
[2:18:54] Yeah, thank you.
[2:18:55] Thank you.
[2:18:56] All right, this moves us into board committee reports and board reports, and we had listening
[2:19:02] time tonight.
[2:19:03] So we're going to start with Director Brindison, who was the facilitator.
[2:19:06] Thank you.
[2:19:07] We had seven speakers tonight on a variety of subjects, those subjects included classroom
[2:19:13] safety, support for our EAs, some guidance around the FAC, some special education concerns
[2:19:23] on how e-vals work, listening hour, and having streaming access, equity within the school
[2:19:30] specifically around music programs, and how to work better together to solve problems in
[2:19:35] the community. Thank you. Would you like to do your board report? Yeah absolutely. I think the
[2:19:41] big thing obviously we graduation was last week. It's Monday, right? Yeah. So I had the opportunity
[2:19:49] to go to RTC and the adult academic program. Graduations went to the other three as well, but I want
[2:19:58] want to give the extra love.
[2:20:00] For the RTC and the adult academic program, those were great ceremonies. That's the end of my report. Yeah, Director Long. Yeah, so I attended the graduations at the Convention Center. I didn't get to attend the ones on Thursday because of work commitments and attending the 287 school board meeting. So at the 287 school board meeting, we had a board retreat before our school board meeting. At that retreat, we discussed the upcoming review of the
[2:20:29] Superintendent, we also discussed what her goals will possibly look like coming up.
[2:20:35] So we had some preview into what that needed to look like.
[2:20:40] We also discussed as a board what we wanted our other retreats to be involved in.
[2:20:46] So everybody went around and shared ideas of what they would like to learn more about as a school board member so
[2:20:53] that we could set up those school board retreats around that too.
[2:20:56] So during the meeting they shared their strategic goals, the outcome of that, some of their
[2:21:04] goals they did not meet and so they shared that information about not meeting their goals
[2:21:09] and kind of some information about why they felt those goals were not met.
[2:21:15] And we also got a presentation from Food Service in the district.
[2:21:20] One of the things that I found interesting from that presentation is that the food service
[2:21:27] cannot spend more than 10% of their budget on non-domestic food purchases and so they
[2:21:35] said that made it really hard for seasoning of food and things like that because a lot
[2:21:39] of the seasons that they use for food are non-domestic and not, you know, U.S. made also
[2:21:47] So came about the question of ethnic foods, too, where that also causes an issue in that
[2:21:55] budget, too.
[2:21:56] So that's it.
[2:21:58] Thank you.
[2:22:00] Dr. Bassett?
[2:22:01] Well, very quickly.
[2:22:07] Oh, that was so much fun going to the Ferris School on our parade.
[2:22:10] I missed their closure date because I went to another event, but it was really well attended.
[2:22:16] It was really a lot of fun.
[2:22:17] They were the kids are great, the staff was upbeat, it was great, great low parade.
[2:22:24] Kudos to Ms. Milky, and of course that's been mentioned already, the RFT honoree.
[2:22:29] And then of course it was fun to see her at graduation, be selected, and she came prepared at our little stool.
[2:22:35] That was really cute, so I'll see in her do that.
[2:22:38] And so of course congratulations to the families and the students and the who graduated, that's always wonderful.
[2:22:44] So, thanks, Drew, Superintendent, for touring the New Hope Learning Center with me.
[2:22:48] I had a chance to pop on over there.
[2:22:50] And then the Armstrong Art Show, which was really great.
[2:22:54] I saw some great pieces, and some of the students who had made them weren't quite there.
[2:22:58] But I heard from one of the moms, and so a lot of good things are happening, and so I really
[2:23:04] like that there's more of a focus and an emphasis on many of the good things that are happening,
[2:23:09] although it's a challenging time.
[2:23:11] so we recognize that, but there was a lot of good and I was too late to miss the
[2:23:17] trap shoot. There were 60 students there. I got there late and you know I saw
[2:23:23] miles view.
[2:23:26] So anyway that's it. Okay. I had the opportunity to attend all five
[2:23:32] graduations and it's just one of the best couple days of the year seeing the
[2:23:37] joy, the feeling of accomplishments, the pride in the families, the pride in the
[2:23:42] kids. It's just really great. I love that a lot. And also, the teacher of the year celebration,
[2:23:48] you don't just hear the one teacher, you get to hear about all of the candidates and
[2:23:53] the wonderful things that they're doing, and it just makes them so proud to be part of Robinsdale's
[2:23:58] schools to see all of these amazing teachers. And there's representative of all the other amazing
[2:24:06] teachers that we have. Also, super Jennifer, a day that was a hoot. We started a mock
[2:24:13] school board meeting. He read the land acknowledgement, and I got, I gavled us in. It was, it was very fun.
[2:24:20] So, thank you. Just a lot of fun things to wrap up the school year.
[2:24:25] Yeah, I also attended some of the graduations. I was part of the year, of the year,
[2:24:30] selection committee and I will have to say all I could the same we do have some
[2:24:35] great stuff listening to all candidates that came before the panel any one of
[2:24:41] them deserve to be years of the years so could go through the administration I
[2:24:49] know that we probably don't sing your praises enough negative news cells but I do
[2:24:56] want the community to understand that for our
[2:25:00] Our kids to have good grades, besides the teachers, the administration support is equal important.
[2:25:08] So having good leadership going forward, so we are not going through superintendents every
[2:25:13] two or every three years as it has been the district. History, I think, is very important.
[2:25:19] Let's make sure that we continue to support in whichever way we can to keep the ones we
[2:25:25] have, at least, there's not what I see,
[2:25:28] they're probably one of the best in the business.
[2:25:30] So thank you for all you've done.
[2:25:34] Yeah, I just wanna say I was at graduation.
[2:25:36] I was at the Armstrong graduation quite early
[2:25:39] because I had to drop off my graduate.
[2:25:41] And so I had to see the amazing amount of work
[2:25:44] that staff put in to prepare.
[2:25:47] I don't, you know, as parents, you show up
[2:25:49] because I have one graduate already.
[2:25:51] And you see the event and it happens, it's great,
[2:25:55] but you don't realize the amount of work
[2:25:57] and the hours that staff are there beforehand organizing everything and then afterwards making sure everybody gets their diploma with their name on it, which is very important.
[2:26:08] But really the dedication of staff, I mean there were hundreds of staff there making sure that everything went off without a hitch and I just want to say thank you to all the staff.
[2:26:19] And also shout out to all the parents who sent me photos of my kid getting it.
[2:26:23] I can take any, so very much appreciate it as well, and just want to say congratulations to all the graduates.
[2:26:30] Congratulations to all the staff who brought those kids all the way from Pre-Hay through graduation, really amazing.
[2:26:39] And to all of the other graduates, also an adult academic people who put all the work in to come back to school,
[2:26:46] because that is no small feat as well.
[2:26:48] So thank you to everyone.
[2:26:49] and also thank you to the staff behind the policy committee, because even though we say, you know, policy committee work, but really the staff, these, the last few bunches of policies have been the staff doing a lot of work and updating things for
[2:27:09] legal changes and things like that. It really hasn't been a lot of work in our part. It's been a lot of lifting on the staff's part, so thank you to the staff.
[2:27:15] I hope those who have a summer of, how great summer.
[2:27:22] Well, here I am at the very end.
[2:27:24] You all said everything I wanted to say.
[2:27:26] I was not a graduation this year.
[2:27:28] I actually was on vacation, rock hunting, so but having been to the last three graduations
[2:27:37] and graduations before, it is an incredible time.
[2:27:41] And I just want to be able to say, thank you, congratulations to the graduates, I want
[2:27:47] to be able to think their families also because a graduate didn't get there alone.
[2:27:52] I really want to thank also the dedicated teachers and staff.
[2:27:56] As you had said, it takes this huge village behind the scenes and it takes the leadership
[2:28:01] of the huge village.
[2:28:02] So, thank you for Dr. Wuto for talking on that and how wonderful it is to get to this time
[2:28:09] of year and how much I look forward to the fall and welcoming all of them back and starting
[2:28:14] it all over again with all their excitement from all the little ones up so thank you to everyone
[2:28:21] for the work from this past year. All right keep going. All right that wraps it up. We are finished
[2:28:29] with our agenda so is that our move to adjourn. Move to seconded by, moved by Bowman seconded by
[2:28:35] I've asked it all in favor if we say aye.
[2:28:37] I would say no.
[2:28:38] We are adjourned.
[2:28:40] It is 9-24.