##VIDEO ID:dP9fikPS_Dg## e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e good evening and welcome to this regular session session of the Lakeville Area Schools Board of Education this meeting is officially called to order please rise and join us for the Pledge of Allegiance I pledge alance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all members in attendance tonight include director her director Thompson director David Anderson chair Baker director Lind director Carly Anderson and then the board is joined by Acting Superintendent Dr Emily McDonald members of the executive cabinet Brenda alre sorry I can't see because the bottles are in the way uh Bill homri and Michelle Humphrey all right before we get started I just want to say that today is a very special day because we have a lot of birthdays at the table today so happy birthday to director Carly Anderson and to Dr Emily McDonald so happy birthday on to good news thank you so much chair Baker um I have two items tonight for good news but I have to say that um we've had staff back since last week and that is the best news of all and um obviously we have students coming next week so it's super exciting um there have been some amazing things going on in the buildings as I've been out and about um so I'll start with um we served 87 students at our 11th um Ready Set achieve event um we have to say thank you of course to the generosity and support of our Lakefield Community um the students were able to access free school supplies books food and other resources um our event was last Tuesday August 20th so we had a great turnout and we had a significant number of volunteers um some of whom are in this room with us today so we thank you for your support um I also want to give a shout out um to the community um whether it was an individual small donation or some school supplies or a larger donation that we have had from um businesses and Community groups um and individuals in in our community um we could not do this without you um and we are so appreciative and to see the students walking out with their materials and feeling ready and prepared for school is um gives me goosebumps a little bit so um if you want to check out um all of our partners you can um go to our website at isd194.org newws and again we thank you for your support another little item of good news is we had 11 Lakeville area students um earn bilingual seals this is a new program well fairly new program through the Minnesota Department of Education um and in the spring of 2024 a select group of students voluntarily took um the bilingual seals assessment um demonstrating language Proficiency in languages other than English students who show proficiency need to do so in all all four modalities of learning and that is reading writing speaking and listening um and then they're awarded one of three things a certificate a gold seal or a platinum seal um many state colleges and universities throughout Minnesota do award colle college credit for these bilingual seals and it's a nice recognition um of our students multilingual abilities um we are thrilled to announce that 11 students from Lakeville North Lakeville South High School and Lakeville Online Academy received those Awards um we had three that received the Platinum seal seven received a gold seal and one received a certificate so we want to say big congratulations to those students well done and uh we're proud of what you have accomplished and that's what I have for good news chair Baker thank you uh for board Communications we just want to let the public know that over the um we we're the board will be participating in a board retreat it's going to take place over two different sessions where we'll be discussing our board goals looking over our board board goals from last year the surveys that we've taken internally as a board team um on how we work together and then making setting some new goals for next year so we all look forward to that work uh do we have um can I add one sure go ahead um just I didn't want to interrupt you earlier when you were talking about ready set a chief but one of the things that um the people who are directing that um organization talked about was the just basically making sure we highlight the incredible work of our custodial staff and so they were just talking about how for weeks and weeks they get all these supplies delivered to Lakeville North and they have to basically get them all you know organized and put in the areas that they need to so I just wanted to give that sh uh shout out to our custodial staff so thank you well it's very important thanks for adding that I appreciate that there a lot of work that goes into that event and there's a lot of people that make that happen so thank you all right do I have have a motion to approve the agenda tonight I'll make the motion we have a motion by director David Anderson do we have a second second second by director Lind any discussion okay hearing none we'll put it to a vote all in favor say I I I I all opposed motion carries uh are there any items that board members would like to remove from the consent agenda okay hearing none I'll ask for a motion to approve the consent agenda for tonight some moved so we have a motion by director Lind do I have a second I'll second second by director Carly Anderson any discussion on this okay hearing none we'll put it to a vote all in favor of approving the consent agenda say I I all opposed motion carries all right so we do have some reports tonight uh with recommended actions the first item would be um voting on a board of education clerk um as the community is well aware by now uh director shley uh has resigned and so we need to replace her position as clerk uh so I will entertain any nominations for the position of clerk I'll nominate or you want to go ahead go ahead someone do it I'll I'll I'll nominate Carly Anderson okay so we have a nomination for director Carly Anderson for the position of clerk do we have any other nominations do we have any other nominations we have any other nominations for the position of clerk okay hearing none we'll put it to a vote all in favor of appointing director Carly Anderson as clerk say I I all opposed motion carries congratulations director Anderson all right our next item on uh the reports with recommended action is a vote on the uh intern superintendent uh that would be for Michael Balman that the board interviewed yesterday um do we have any uh a motion on that or is there some discussion that the board would like to have on that item director Thompson I'll make a motion to um uh hire uh Michael Bowman as interim superintendent okay so we have a motion on the table um to go ahead with the hiring for the interim superintendent position for Michael Balman uh do we have a second on that I'll second was second by director David Anderson any discussion on this topic director Keller um one of the things that I mentioned last night that can you hold your microphone closer sorry on though yeah there just couldn't hear you sorry one of the things I mentioned last night is um with this process and just any of the processes that we do I know we talk a lot about wanting to be transparent with our community and I think proc proces are extremely important and superintendent Bowman you know address that as well um that and communication and then the consistency with how we do things and what we do like when we have our meetings and so forth and so I just want to make sure because we we're getting emails about this process and we technically really didn't have a process around this and so um as we go forward we're going to have to appoint a board member we're going to have a superintendent hiring proc process you know we're going to have um we have the levy referendums we have lots of things that are going to be happening over the next several months and I think it's going to be very important that we be sure to lay out the process that the board agrees with that process is such as what we did with boundary adjustments and so forth and make sure that the community is well in tune to that process and where and when they have time for input and feedback and so I just want to make sure that we we we value that because the process is extremely important here not just here but in all that we do and the clear Communications about what we're doing the timelines and why we are doing it I think is really critical and I think a lot of that's been missed lately so um as we move through these upcoming processes I'd like to make sure that we value the process the communication and the consistency with what we're sharing with our community so that they can also be engaged that's the best way that we can have successful Community engagement and um I think that's been lacking so I just hope that we continue to move forward with better processes and Communications as we as we go through the next several months I appreciate your feedback on that um I will speak to the process a little bit um during this uh this time I had reached out to msba I was working uh pretty consistently with them on what the interim process is it is an informal process uh just because the timeline is short um and obviously it's a short period of time um the board met with msba during our training um which was specifically over finding a superintendent and we did have discussion around um the process for hiring an interim superintendent and it was discussed uh one of the things that was discussed was the hiring of a retired superintendent to fill the interim role and what that would look like um when you're hiring a retired superintendent um obviously they're retired and they're not um looking to be a long-term position or looking to have um any type of a a scenario where they're in competition for a job or or anything like that um msba laid out that process for the board uh we talked about how um you this the school board chair will call candidates those names are given to us through msba of retired superintendents that they know that are interested in the positions um called some candidates and then um you know when you have a candidate that you think is viable for your District then you bring it to the school board we had that meeting yesterday where uh we had Michael Balman come in and the board had a chance to talk with him about that and then of course then the final process would be the board vote um if the board decides that this is not the candidate for the district tonight of course that process will continue where we will um call another superintendent see if we can find someone that's interested in that interim role um so just to be clear I just want to make sure that the board did have some process around that um maybe it's not specifically the process that we've had in the past but we haven't also come into contact with um not too many times where we've had to have an interim superintendent so I I appreciate that but what I was referencing was the fact that we have the process explained to the community and the board before we go through it so they're aware of what the process is going to be and not after the fact so we have a lot going on on and I just think that that's an important piece with um Community engagement and student engagement sure thanks for your opinion appreciate any other discussion on this topic I director Carly Anderson I will just say that I thought a lot about this we have um we have received some email feedback I think you know in terms of how people feel about um hiring Mr Bowman and um you know some of the things that I brought up last night in our meeting is in terms of things that are important to me um thinking about someone who can you know I feel like we've kind of writed the ship with um the finances and and we're going in the right direction there um I care a lot about this upcoming Levy and making sure that we maximize our mental health supports in the schools and and things that are going to get um kids ready for their next steps after high school and as they move into high school and things like that um and you know one thing that is is also very important to me is as we are just recovering from a lot of what we have gone through in the past several months you know I know the summer has been quiet for some things but there was a lot going on right before the end of the school year I would like to just see us kind of move into calmer Waters so that I think the board can really focus upon what we need to do which is one of the most important things we do which is just do a very robust superintendent search and so um I was at Eastview today and just talked with some some of the staff there about how they would feel and one thing that really stood out um in terms of what probably 3ars of the people told me is that Mr bowan when he was superintendent was very visible very present in the classroom um that they felt supported and you know I I know this is an interm spot and as we think about the future I I do think there have been things that have changed in the past few years regarding just having a a broader systems vision and things we need to um I think there are good things that happened in the past couple years that I would want to see him continue but also I think he has the right ability to come in knowing what he's walking into allow us to focus on what we need to focus on and um get morale back up where hopefully it needs to be and where we would like to see it so um I feel good about this decision so I just want to share that well said Thank You director Lind I have three reasons why I'm going to support him um One is because of his his experience in the district he has a great understanding of the community and school cultures needs and values and as a result he can hit the ground running uh with very little catchup needed I think he's gone what less than two years m and secondly because of his experience also Michael be will provide the stability and the continuity in leadership during this period of transition I think that's important thirdly most important to me is the fact that Michael's always kept the welfare of our students and what is best for our students in his heart as a guiding principle in making all decisions that to me is a crucial quality of any superintendent's going to be here that to me is number one thank you any further comments director Thompson yeah you know from just from an outsider's perspective it does feel like uh this process seems rushed um and and again the when you look at the number of days that have passed from the uh the previous superintendent to now looking to find a new superintendent it's a very short it's a very small window uh for uh asking someone to support and manage our 200 plus million do operation our 12,000 students you know our 1400 staff and so forth so it's one of those that we want to be mindful of uh making making sure that we're we're we're making a good decision and so with that being said uh we still have to run a school and there are still transactional and key events that need to occur we've got the levy we've got uh potential B uh you know facility growth uh and all the other key initiatives that we we may want to get done this year year and so with that being said uh you know what kind of candidate do you want to bring on board and and I thought like you know there are external candidates out there and with external candidates uh they may not know where East View is at they may not know where Lake View is at and so they got to go figure that out they may not know the principal's name of of of uh you know the Lakeville North or South High School or they haven't been to uh a Lakeville South uh cougars uh football game and I think they won a lot so but like these are some intangible things that you don't get with an external candidate and so uh when you have someone where they check quite a few of the boxes and seem like a very good qualified candidate to to um keep us a float keep us moving forward and has a vested interest in the success of our district because he lives in our district district then I think it is okay to go a little bit faster if those things align and so with January first approaching with new board members coming on board I think it will be important to have someone who is experienced and has gone through this process and be able to provide guidance uh and and and process knowledge changing to new board members of how things work and so I I am in favor of this as well thank you um so so one thing that I would like to say about um Mr Balman is uh in education as someone who works in education uh one thing I'm always looking for is heart um and that's something that that can't be taught in a classroom uh anybody that has a heart and a passion for Education uh for our students for our staff for our community uh for our district and I feel like uh Mr Balman has that I mean just overflowing from everything that he does so um that was one thing that that I felt just really stood out about him um as a community member I was involved uh when he was hired as superintendent and I remember the things that he said then too um and you know I I think one of the things that really resonated with me last night is as he said you know nobody's perfect um and I love that statement because in education we're all we're always saying that to kids we're trying to teach them the mistakes are learning learning opportunities and um I want staff to feel comfortable and you can make a mistake it's okay we we learn from that and we move on and and I just I just like that um that value that that res Ates that um you know the passion for education and that uh the understanding that um mistakes aren't the end all be all of things you know we we learn from them and we move on so um I do appreciate what you're saying that it was a a pretty you know quick turnaround there um I feel that we were very very fortunate um that you know I didn't hadn't called very many people and already had someone that was that was very interested in our district that um has been here before that knows our staff that knows our students um and has the leadership that I think that that we need during this interim process director Thompson uh so the other comment that that I'll share is that while whether it be an internal person who lives in in in Lakeville or an external it is still the board's responsibility uh during our Retreat to establish board goals and then part of those board goals is to make sure that we have the appropriate oversight uh and and how we want to engage and work with the interim superintendent and so tomorrow when we have those retreat I think it's very important that you know director Carly Anderson the comments that you've had shared earlier as well uh and and Kim Baker and Terry ly we've got uh uh it's still our role to provide oversight in how our district operates so even though an interim superintendent is in place it is still our responsibility to make sure things keep running so uh tomorrow's uh Retreat or um uh working session should be super um have a good good dialogue and conversation about that okay thank you any other comments okay theing none we have a a motion in a second on the table uh so we'll go ahead and put it to a vote all in favor say I I all opposed motion carries all right knowing that we don't have any additions to the agenda tonight we'll go on to the superintendent report Dr McDonald thank you so much I do have a a brief update for all of you this evening um as you know we do have um a question on Tuesday November 5th on the ballot um regarding an operating Levy um for our school district um those four areas are to expand the Arts and music programs um at the elementary level um to really focusing on improving media literacy um by restoring our uh media specialists at the middle and elementary schools to provide more consistent academic career and college readiness and personal social Readiness for all students by um expanding our uh counselor and social worker programs at the high school and middle school um as well as strengthening our behavior supports by adding some behavior supports at the elementary and prek level um so the intent of this is really to make sure that we are serving all of our levels and providing additional supports um I wanted to just give a quick update on what's happened since the board voted um to have the question on the ballot in November um we do have a website that is up and running active um it is at isd194.org suceeding together um residents um or employees can find detailed information there about the positions being added about the tax impact um about our why around why these things and why now um we also shared a short article with our community and our staff through our print newsletter as well as our 194 now um newsletter as also in addition to that on our website um and we have some exciting things coming up because of course we want people to know and be aware of this question and what we're asking um of our community um so we will be hosting informational meetings that are open to the community um right now we have one scheduled for uh September 26th at Lakeville South and we have one scheduled for October 7th at the district office um we are going to also provide a virtual virtual option because we know while some do like to attend in person um it doesn't always work for everyone's schedule so we'll be we want to be as flexible as we can there we have times available for that yet um I don't have times right now but we will be um updating that information on the website we're just finalizing all the details around that but we'll make sure that that gets out um in addition to the community meetings um we have scheduled staff meetings um to make sure that all of our staff are informed um and we've also uh scheduled PTO and advisory Council meetings and opportunities to share the information as well um we'll continue to share um information as it is available we'll do that through our website we will do that through our e newsletter um and we'll also do that through direct mail and of course people can reach out too if they have questions um and then we do do have some signage um and other things that are in being prepared as we speak um and so those will be available um shortly so we have finished the process of sort of organizing all of our events to make sure that people do feel well informed um about what it is that we're doing and then um we will go on our uh on our tour and make sure that we answer people's questions and feel like um they have a sense of what's going on um just want to remind people that um this will be um on the ballot and um often times the our questions end up at the very bottom on the back on the back of the ballot so um and the wording is very confusing so make sure you check the website just I mean we have pictures of the ballot on there and what it looks like with the wording so that you understand because when you get to The Ballot Box you don't want to be thumbing around on your phone trying to read that so I chair Baker I appreciate that because this is something that um it's difficult because the language that we have to utilize on a ballot is required by law so we we do not have the flexibility to change that and often times our community finds that wording to be confusing um the reason being is because when we speak to Levy often times we will present that through uh what it looks like on a uh you know what what the tax impact would be for an individual um citizen resident living in in the community so in this case if we look at uh our current um our current Levy we're asking for 4 million in over 10 years um that's about $13 a month for the average price home in Lakeville which is $465,000 so $13 a month on a $465,000 house um what you'll see is on a ballot it's written in a per pupil format um which does not always equate to what your actual tax impact is if you are a resident so we'll go over all of those details and we will break it down step by step and make sure that people are clear um but it is a nice opportunity why we're talking about it today just to sort of get that initial thinking out there that that those things may not always line up the bottom line is the dollar amount is the same it's just the way that we frame and word things so so thank you for that um and that's all I have for this evening thank you all right thank you very much um at this time the board will go into close session pursuant to Minnesota statute section 13d 05 subdivision 3B to engage in discussions with the school board's legal council related to litiga in the case of Kajun uh versus ISD 194 court file number 22- cv-21 35- jwb the board of directors seeks advice legal advice on responding to the lawsuit the alleged claims against the district the district's attorney's analysis of the same and the district's options for responding to such claims that being said I'll entertain a motion for the board to move into closed session so moved I have a motion by director Lind do I have a second I'll second second by director David Anderson any discussion on this okay hearing none we'll put it to a vote all in favor say I hi all opposed motion carries and the board will move into close session at this time thank you e e e