you good evening I'd like to call to order tonight's meeting of the ISD 191 Burnsville Egon Savage school board the date is August 8th 2019 and the time is 6:30 I'd like to start by welcoming everyone who's joining us both in person and at home tonight we always appreciate it when people tune in to learn about the work of this board on behalf of our students director Hall worker would you please lead us in the pledge all right we will start by approving tonight's agenda do I have a motion to approve the agenda moved by director Schatz second second seconded by director courier any discussion seeing none all those in favor of approving the agenda please signify by saying aye aye opposed nay and the motion carries starting in our information the information portion of our meeting we will start with the superintendent report dr. battle Thank You chair alt and board members tonight I'd like to share a little overview of my activity since officially joining district 191 this summer July 1st these first few weeks have been part of the listened connect and learned portion of my entry plan and so I have been focused on meeting with leaders in the district learning about who they are and what they do and also meeting with community members to learn more about district 191 starting with some of our 191 colleagues I met with each school principal I still have two more to meet and toured their buildings throughout July it was so exciting to see all of our excellent facilities get to know our school leaders a little better and meet some of our students at those locations hosting summer programs I was particularly excited about this year's new STEM Academy for incoming 9th graders that Burnsville high school along with hands-on learning about science and engineering and technology students were also learning tips to be successful in high school meeting teachers and getting familiar with the beautiful building we have talented dedicated and caring people leading our schools and that gives me a lot of excitement my plan is to continue visiting schools twice a week throughout the school year that's where our work is happening so I want to be there as much as I can I've also spent time meeting and working with our district-wide leaders including my leadership team department directors and be a president Wendy drew key it's been great getting to know their stories their motivations and seeing how we will work together to support student learning moving on to the broader community I've had a bit of a whirlwind introduction to 191 and hopefully community members have started to have a chance to get to know me - in July I was interviewed by both of our local newspapers appeared on Carol Evans breaking the news and joined 8 women leaders from Burnsville for an appearance on The Today Show I've also met with community organization and leaders including the regional council of mayor's staff from the Dakota County birth to eight aged aged eight initiative Scott cronquist from the association of metropolitan school districts and hedy lamarr walls from the YMCA to just name a few our community partners and partnerships are essential for our success it's clear to me already that we have a new Niq level of support from our community and it'd be go it goes beyond lip service or even donations our partnerships are about bringing resources expertise and passion to benefit student learning and to make our community stronger lastly one of the best ways to get to know a community is just to ask people what they love about it so I did ask the principal's about what they're most proud about and I did this not only with the principal's but in my first tweet my first day on the job and not surprisingly people had plenty of suggestions and I've already acted on many of them visiting some of the community's best restaurants and attending great summer events like the Egan Market fest Burnsville International Festival and the night to unite just this week so it's been a very busy and rewarding for six weeks and I'm excited for what's ahead learning even more about 191 and the for the work that we will do together on behalf of students and families and that concludes my report for tonight thank you thank you very much dr. battle opening it up to board members are there any board member reports director courier yes this past Monday I attended the Minnesota School Board Association summer seminar its theme this year was bold leadership unlike previous years all sessions were full assembly and these sessions were insights into the 2019 legislative session presented by the to MSB a government relations staff members Denise Dietrich and Kim Lewis who are the MSBA lobbyists bold leadership and action presented by the keynote speaker jolly Corley who went to school in Adrian Michigan where my aunt lived and worked and it nearly blew me away case a case law update by MSBA director of legal services Terry Merle access and equity and college credit class a presentation by Roseville area schools and I think we should present one as well maybe next year and an outdoor prairie outdoor classroom connecting students to nature a presentation by Jeff real unsupervised central school and that was a unique one they had some land that was just dormant doing nothing and they decided as a school project now this is a school district of maybe I don't know eight hundred kids maybe not even eight hundred kids and they took on a project in 2015 to make it like an Environmental Learning Center and they turned it in and have continued to make it into an environmental learning center it was really extraordinary and then the last presentation was changing student demographics at presentation by the Minnesota state demographer Susan Brower we may want to bring her in she is very informative so that's what's the Minnesota School Board Association summer seminar and I encourage our new members to consider doing that summer seminars it's really quite well done by the MSBA and then director Chester and I went to the burdens ville Burnsville made two you made and it ended up to be especially memorable to me as luck would have it I got assigned to one of Burnsville finest firefighters Assistant Fire Chief Terry Ritchie who also was assigned City Council member Kara Schultz Sparky the fire detection dog and a su trail alumna and guess what neighborhood we were assigned I couldn't believe it su trail elementary school area which was my last assigned administrative assignment eleven years ago the su trail alumna was a kindergartener when I was there they couldn't believe it this was better than a high school class reunion my memories were sharper and I got hugs it was incredible we had so much fun we handed out yo-yos and car cell phone mounts poor Sparky he got a bit overheated as dogs sometimes do when they get excited around many people but we made it through we thank the city of Burnsville for organizing all of us it was one of my most favorite memories as a board member it just was a wonderful evening and we had perfect weather I I think it was the best weather ever so that concludes my report terrific thank you very much director courier are there any other board member reports nope all right turning to the business portion of our meeting we will start by approving the consent agenda although board action is required it is generally unnecessary to have discussion on these items in the event a board member wishes to discuss an item that item will be moved for separate consideration are there any items that board members would like to separate hearing none I will take a motion to approve the agenda consent agenda so moved moved by director Chester second seconded by director Hume all those in favor of approving the consent agenda please signify by saying aye aye opposed nay and the motion carries all right I would like to open our new business portion by inviting Guillaume Peck to the podium we are being asked to approve the activities handbook welcome thank you Thank You Geralt yep so every year we we run through this and we put together the updated packaging of information for athletics and activities that we offer at the high school there was not a ton of language changes in this year's version aside from just updating contact information updating and being are using the language from our policy regarding attendance and our attendance policy which had a little bit of gray area in between what had previously been published all right I will take a motion to approve the handbook moved by director shot second second second it by director Miller I'll open it up for questions and comments I just had a couple Guillaume I know that you and J leopard put a lot of even even with the minor changes there's always a lot of review and confirmation so I want to thank both of you for for the time and effort that you've put into the handbook and i apprec appreciate it the change that brought language to the very first page letting students know that there are lots of there there's no reason for any student not to participate there's you know free if you qualify for free and reduced lunch there are options for you so I think that's a great way to make sure that our families and our students know that we want them to participate and given the breadth of the just the sheer breadth of activities that we offer our students I always go through every single Club activity and it just it grows it seems like it grows every single year I know we a couple drop-off but our students have a lot to choose from and that's just such a great way to keep them engaged so thank you for for everything that you do to help us with that thank you with that I will all those in favor of approving the handbook please signify by saying aye aye opposed nay and the motion carries thank you next I would like to invite Lisa Ryder executive director of business services to the podium we are being asked to approve on a first reading basis changes to policy 901 Community Education good evening welcome thank you policy 901 for community education the intent of this policy is to convey to the employees and to the general public the importance the important role of community education within the school district so it just the policy basically raised lays out the fact that there is an advisory council and the roles and responsibilities with it within that only two minor changes are recommended under section 3a we are asking that it read to the extent possible as not always is it possible for the community education Advisory Council to be the ones to promote the goals and objectives of the program we involve others as well and then in the 3d we are modifying that statement so that it's it's not actually adopting another policy but rather just stating the fact that we're looking to collaborate and make sure that we are reducing and eliminating any program duplication within the school district great thank you I will take a motion to approve policy 901 moved by director shots second second second ed by director Chester questions or comments hearing none all those in favor of approving policy 901 community education please signify by saying aye aye opposed nay and the motion carries next I'd like to invite Bryan Gorsuch assistant superintendent to the podium we are being asked to approve on a first reading basis a new policy policy 105 equity access and excellence in education welcome Brian thank you madam chair superintendent battle and board directors what I'm presenting to you tonight is our two policies both of which were actually facilitated for us by dr. Jenna Mitchell our prior to departure certainly as she has gone I'm trying to help with that transition and present these two policies for us the first one policy 105 equity and access was a big part of the vision that dr. Mitchell had had about finding a way to ensure that we state that commitment to access and equity in district policy to really formalize that commitment to the work something that I think we would agree is a big part of what we do in ist 191 but this is a way to truly formalize that and have that a part of the official board support dr. Mitchell who did go out and seek some samples for this policy put this together for ISD 191 and then also added a section in there about cultural adornments this was a question that came forward to the district's last spring actually as a part of our graduation ceremonies we haven't had an issue with us but this is another way to formalize our support of cultural adornment specifically through the graduation process yep I'm sorry that's it great I'll take a motion to approve new policy 105 equity access and excellence in education moved by director Humes second second seconded by director how eager comments or questions director courier I just want to comment that the definitions of separating out equal and equity I think is an important part to this policy and because sometimes it gets lost in our discussions in general so we have it in policy and I just wanted to point that out Thank You director courier any other comments or questions so as the policy committee was reviewing this and discussing it and a little curiously you know typically a policy highlights need and then addresses potential I hate the word repercussion would be strong but you know aligns the district to ensure that if someone's not following the policy what the next steps and reading this policy I don't really see that unless I'm missing it was already discussion around that at all during the all right because it as it stands it seems like this policy is more just a statement of the district's intention yep I would concur and I don't remember really any discussion that would have talked about her framed it in the way that you have within your question but I mean I would concur it is a statement of policy or commitment without necessarily a or what yes director shots Oh as a policy committee member and the only pieces about any sort of guidelines about what would not be acceptable would then fall under our other policies about discriminatory language and things like that and so we felt like this any guidelines for repercussions as you say or guidelines like that to fell under our other policies okay thank you anything else I just had a couple of comments I really appreciate this policy coming forward it's it's an important statement for this board to make for our students and for our families and dr. Currie are I concur with highlighting equal and equity because we all need to be clear on that and having that in policy certainly makes it simple and it's a it's a simply stated policy and yet it has broad impact and thank you very much for bringing this forward to us with that I will all those in favor of approving the policy please signify by saying aye aye opposed nay and the motion carries staying with assistant superintendent Garces we're being asked to approve on a first reading basis changes to policy 616 system accountability yep so this one also had a couple of minor changes recommended by dr. Mitchell er the first one is kind of more of a stylistic change to basically earlier in the document define Sasi AK as the Advisory Committee that is utilized per this policy and the rest of it referred to it at the committee I think part of that is the long range if the team if the committee itself changes a name it's a similar change to find it in the introductory comments and leave the committee more broad throughout and then the second change was towards the bottom was just to add some language to make sure it's consistent with practice about how selection is made for the committee as well as offering some colored term limits if you will to ensure that we have a broad ability of others to offer advice and feedback as a part of that committee and encourage some additional engagement within those from our families thank you I'll take a motion to approve policy 616 system accountability moved by director shot second second second did by director Chester questions or comments yes director Miller so I'm looking at the section C point for the committee shall when possible be comprised of 230 community members and shall reflect the diversity committee included in its members should be and I see on their school board member so to date that we had we have I am okay just making sure I remember that rolls okay because this would mean that we are obligated to have somebody on great yes that's a good point so now we're okay all right that's good thank you definitely an important committee for a parent engagement particularly at the district level any other comments all those in favor of approving policy 616 please signify by saying aye aye opposed nay and the motion carries next we will adjourn to a facility study workshop before we adjourn I'll say let's take five minutes to allow for paperwork being signed and all of that take a motion to adjourn moved by director Hume second seconded by director Hall wicker all those in favor signify by saying aye aye and we are adjourned we'll come back in five men