Okay. We’re going to. Right. Fantastic. It is 4:02 p.m. on Monday, December 4th, 2023 and I will call to order this organizational work session of the ways that a public schools school board. Of course, in a second will go around the room and do some introductions.
Of course, we know that we indeed have a quorum of the board here. Right. Which is why it is a posted meeting. And then we have our new assembling 2024 board in addition to that. And so and we’ll go over the agenda right after this.
But we’ll start with some introductions and I’ll go to my roommate, Amy Garrison, the district’s administrative assistant, or one participant, newly elected Gordon Williams, on the incoming board, Canada’s newly elected, and Heidi Kater, current board member of the board. Sheila Prior. Current board member. Chase Anderson Superintendent. Nathan Lansberg Associate Superintendent.
And I’m Sarah Johansen and I am also a current board member. How are we with volume and recording? I remember some of this was identifying who was in the room because this meeting is being recorded. Do we think that we’re loud enough and we’re good? We’re good. Okay. Yes. All right. Good speaker.
So it’ll pick you up. Okay, perfect. So you so I want to welcome at this meeting Dr. Anderson, Dr. Plattsburgh and Amy Geiss. And this board work session is in typical organizational meetings. It will be the board mostly for most of our for most of our meeting.
But something that we decided to add last year were some resorts from reports from our administrative liaison. And so Amy will give some updates about some things to look forward to. And then as I was doing some consulting with MBA, that’s the Minnesota School Boards Association and just sort of thinking about ways
In which we can set ourselves up for success in 2024. One of the things that keeps resonating sort of at the center in the core is around relationship building and about getting to know one another and about making connections. And so there’s a bit of an add on this year in that process.
We’ve invited Dr. Anderson, Dr. Plattsburgh and Amy. Dr. Anderson is an official ex-officio member of the school board, and Dr. Plattsburgh and Amy are here along, and we thought it’d be best to just join us for dinner. So as we start to have some of our introductory
Kind of getting to know one another, we always have dinner. We will have them join us for some conversation as we get to know one another. And then once that happens, we will they will go and enjoy their Monday evening and we will continue with the work of the board.
So if that’s okay, the process will be we’ll have Amy do some announcements. People should be thinking about these questions that we’re going to be asking. Once Amy makes her announcements. We’ll get some food if we want to, and we’ll have some conversation things. All right. So welcome, everyone.
This is my second year at this meeting, but I did just start last Halloween, so still fairly new. I got a year under my belt. And you happened to be my first election that I got to run. So thank you for being the guinea pig. Y’all did amazing.
Yes, you had some great questions, but the county was happy to help me with. But that was first experience for several of us. So we made it through just a couple things. I well, I am the district administrative assistant. I do double as the assistant to the school board.
So I help in a lot of ways that kind of will become more apparent as you start your service in January. But I’m definitely one of your first points of contact with the district, so I’m happy to help with questions. I will just caveat that by when you do.
Email me or if you have a quick question you need to call, please run it through the chair. So if you’re going to send me an email, please just CC the chair. It just makes it a lot easier so that we’re all on the same page.
I’m more than happy to answer questions, but that just keeps things rolling. Sometimes it’s a more board specific question. Sometimes it’s a district level question. It’s just keeping everyone informed and you’ll go over email communications as part of this process as well.
But maybe it’s just a one off that you just need answered. Please just include the chair and for your board meetings. This is the first and last time that I will be printing you the packet. So please, you have we’ll talk about your iPads
In a minute, but you will have a district issued iPad mini board members use them during the meetings. Completely your prerogative, but I will only print out the agenda for everyone for the clerk. I do print out all the agenda sheets because I need that
Recording to record minutes for the chair I print out. Sometimes the whole packet just depends Some of some things I exclude just for attempting to save paper. There is a public copy of the full packet that’s left outside the board room. Please leave that there for the public.
If you wanted anything else, please print it at home. If you have issues with printing at home, if it’s a one off, we don’t mind. Is that just keep that in mind. As a general rule, I do email you all on Thursday when the agenda is posted
So you don’t have your board book account yet for the new members. As soon as you have the size of the email, you will have your own account as a board member with your log in access. So it just changes the way you view attachments.
Sometimes attachments are not for all of the public. For the most part they are, but sometimes they’re not, and they’ll just be board level attachments. But I’ll set up those accounts for you. I set up your registration for pretty much anything. Anything school board related should not be come out of your pocket
And I’ll be putting on your credit card. I will take care of those things. So just let me know when those come up. And again, whenever you are requesting to sign up for things again in your time, even training or training my space conferences,
What I’m trying to think of other things that have come up that I’ve signed you guys up for. There’s been a few things, so just, you know, usually you’ll hear about it either through the district or through the chair, you know, and it’s generally reach out to Amy, have her signed you.
You’re more than happy to take care of it. Amnesty. Amnesty. Yeah. There’s several things that are happening at the Capitol. Get I iPads. So kind of the process is they need to get turned over from the outgoing numbers cleared and then turned over to you.
The goal for that is the first week in January, I will be reaching out to outgoing board members and requesting that at the end of the last work session that I get them that I don’t see that being a problem. But if it is, I’ll let you know.
And your iPad will I’ll let you I’ll just email everyone I think is probably the easiest to let you know that it’s here to pick up and then your email account will be set up also January 2nd, or we’ve got the second or third. The first week in January,
You’ll get your email account set up once you have your. Why is that a school board email account? That’s the only one you should be communicating with for our school board business. So just as a reminder, don’t use your personal email accounts for school board business. So I know
Again, we’ll go over some rules, but be careful about sending maps emails to the whole board because that becomes a meeting of the rules around it. That was kind of the gist of what I had aside from getting to know you things. So yes, other than formal communication, what’s
Your initial when many most ex email? email. Please don’t text my personal cell phone. You’ll have that and we’ll go over contact information. And for me, if you have a preference, we’ve had some board members that do prefer they just don’t check their school accounts as much.
So I don’t mind if we need to get hold of you quickly if you would prefer I text to you, but I would not prefer you text me. And email is the quickest and easiest way to get in touch with me. So I check it all the time.
I try really hard to balance work life, so I try not to do things on the weekends, but I don’t know if you checked my badge security if I haven’t been here every weekend since the election started. So I’m working on it.
But yes, but I will get back to you in a timely manner. If it is time sensitive, I will get back to the especially the weekends leading into a board meeting, some even some access a little more. You have to be logging on to. They are accessible. Yeah. Yeah, I check mine.
They’re mine as well. So the notes, the documents that we gave personally over you supposed to put it on the school shared, right? Is it okay to put it on the personal level? You want to take notes? yes, You can put it on your. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely.
Some things about so the school email you can access through a Gmail account. So I toggle in between my personal Gmail and my school email. Right. And so on and an answer about notes and things. Just know anything you take can theoretically be subpoenaed or taken.
You can be seen if needed or necessary. That’s followed with open meeting law. So but you’re allowed to keep your own personal notes and other things. So any other questions about that? Thank you. There’s a lot, Amy, that you do for us and keeping us organized and steady and such.
And so just thank you for for all that you did. And it was so lovely and flawless how you all of our elected people got here. So what a breeze for an election season. So thank you to you for your leadership. Thanks to each of you and your candidacy for for making that
Seamless and professional and just really great. Okay. So if you can so we can we’ll eat in a minute. And this sheet of paper and something that will just kind of go over this so we can stuffing it. So if you want to jot down some notes, these five words,
I do want to tell you the five words that describe what I ran for the school board. We’re going to make a word cloud with those. So they really are five specific words. So not like I love kids a lot. Right.
But just, you know, like whatever the son of five descriptor words are. And Amy’s going to take those to make a word cloud. And so you so if you want to jot down notes of this or whatever, I’ll open up our dinner and then we’ll just kind of popcorn around with our conversation.
Okay? All right. And with all of those words, you can think where and there’s no one’s going to find words. And so, you know, in case anything you want the word cloud before, right. You know, they when that looks like you know, we familiar with that in the photo you’ll fill out.
Yeah. So you’ll know everything. I’ll be the only one to collect feedback. Those kinds of ideas. And then if you build your own label really at all the opening, what I’m going to do, the whole thing was I did everything. I was thinking,
I don’t know if I’m going to have all the way that the ones the wrong information, but I don’t think use it all the way. And I know we’re going to do my one time. All my kids like so you know it’s always I think they’re going right two more minutes
That’s like one minute to window one. You see everything that you’re posted a couple of it’s like I think it will skip into one, right. Read it again and compare your notes, which are not the same thing, Coca-Cola. But we’re going to get. Yeah.
Does anyone want to eat something before we get going? Have some dinner and animal feeds and did you. shoot. Right. Yeah. There you go. Have kids, have some blue and blue. The way you can do whatever you want. You’re not, you’re not getting there’s no there’s no rules to this whole thing.
You need to eat immediately and be done by 430. Yeah. You’re not going to say that. 9 minutes on similarly, it will not stop you. And I think so I it says something like we didn’t create the impossible meets they brought it up to point with no longer is that good. Yeah.
So this got a nice flavor to it when I was like if you like if you just want to give that my Charlotte’s a vegetarian so you end up so like she does chain and gluten free. And so there are some times I’m tired of meeting
Like all three different things going on, like the insides made of impossible burger or other things to end. And if my family doesn’t know what they’re eating, they’re like, This is the question. And if they know, I’m usually getting this thing. But then if they like made I started eating with their body.
Man. And there layer is such a normal eat a hamburger. We went out for dinner last night. Seriously. And what does she ordered the chicken fingers on when she’s like and she goes I can’t go wrong chicken fingers, but she loves chicken. There is no to hysterical
Because she has a cane’s versus Chick fil A. She’s a chick, I think. Yeah, but I will say she gave me a little bites of hers at right was really good. I like the really Well which one did you go for
The one that of solving the same problem because we were at the European high market where the other notes say, Well, that wasn’t my idea. I think it was going to be something more than it was just because it is, you know. And so I think she didn’t know that.
And so we took her parents along, and I think they were disappointed, really. That’s why we were really very you got just make it up to them because they’re not that’s not their time. And it was done by she looked around and she’s like, this is it.
But I don’t want any of this. I don’t believe you were here with her grandma, so get ready to hang out for it. But yeah, I first we we were there a few years ago, a little story thing.
So I read the other day, but it was like five degrees or something like that. And we quickly pivoted and went to the yard and played and had our ice skates in the back the day before. So then they had a little ice rink.
And so then we did some ice hockey or whatever. So yeah. well, I knew I couldn’t go wrong with hamburgers very, very slowly. That’s how it’s supposed to end all my. It’s red and blue door popper, my favorite burger joint standing. I remember in a blue Utah pub is uptown.
I mean, they’ve got one in Saint Paul as well. It’s where Joe Mauer used to hang out. Actually, I was there one time and he came in. He knows the owners. He came in the back door with his wife and family and they sat in the back
And I was literally a table right next to them. So I’m like, Hey, Joe Mauer, but no Slider. Paul is sort of not kind of I think she was just like, Is that red or not? It’s kind of because But it’s true. But, but and reptiles were, in my opinion,
The two best hamburgers in the metro area were amazing. They’ve got one separately, but I don’t know why. But you remember the second I thought they’re both at the same. Do. Well, there’s a red cow in my hotel. Yeah. So I haven’t been to that and no, we have not either.
But I was told to tell him one has gone out full on Christmas decorations. Three that you telling me that? I didn’t tell you that, but I saw it. Somebody was telling me. They’re like, You have to go see it.
They’re like, It is about a schlocky or schlocky and be every inch and quarter. And they’re in a competition I guess with a couple other I so we seen it that there’s a few places that are producing that so that’s a term that I grew up with and it just
Means tic tacky type of like it could be, you know, it’s like that’s the southern kind or it could be German. My dad was just, I think his German because my dad was German, Dutch. And so I think it’s him who, you know, he would always use that term.
But it was really describing kind of a small tick, tacky, kind of obnoxious types of things that you normally wouldn’t go out on in life. So you used the term schlocky. Okay. Speaking of his upbringing in the house, there’s a house right next
To Saintfield, the deacon on Highway six, that sort of catty corner from. Yeah, I love it. I mean, there’s not an inch of that house that does not have blinking lights on it. But it is. Yes, yes. Like right next door to Saint Philip. I mean, it’s just like, ready?
Wow. Is that they just see their electrical well and they kind of did it for Halloween this year. No, they haven’t turned them off. I mean, I would hate to be across the street with that swimming in the winter. Well, it’s fine, like every Wednesday because we’re at Saint Phillip. Right.
And so every Wednesday, it’s like it’s like you don’t need the lights in the parking lot. But it brings me joy every time I see it. Like, it’s just it’s just somebody did a lot of work and they’re really proud of their work. And it’s amazing.
I like for Halloween the house that puts up the pirate ship as you’re heading down the road towards Central. Yeah. that’s all year long, though. is it your. It’s not the pirate ship all year long though, like right now or. Sorry, they had like a blow up turkey with all the skeletons.
It’s always the skeletons, but they clean them out. Charlotte the is right up there. So I saw it was like, well we’re going up to Halloween. It was like the ten foot tall skeleton. Yeah, great. I’ve seen. They’re amazing. I think they’re so, like, they couldn’t get one in a triumph. Yeah. Yeah.
Well, you keep them in your yard all year long, right? You saw him? We had nothing for Halloween. Somebody in the neighborhood who took one of the skeletons, and they had it set up so that a lot of more was running it over.
And it looked like it was like trying to reach out. They literally set it up and I’m like, my word, that was hysterical. That seems like the thing I mean, there’s a lot of people out there and I’m like, Do you have the time when I’ll see, you know,
Something else to think about? Yeah, apparently so, yeah. So we can kind of as people are eating and doing other things go through again, this is the goal of the intense right. Hopefully the impact will match. The intent is really to get to know one another, get to know kind of
What each of us are are really incredible people with a lot going on outside of the school board. And we’re coming together to work together on the school board. And so our goal is to just with every meeting and relationship building, we just kind of to get to know all the different
Really important pieces of ourselves that we bring into this room this time. And so there’s no sort of rule about how to do it if we want to. Someone wants to start if we want to take one question, then the next and the next. However we want to do it.
If anyone has any preference, I like the one. I like the one. So why don’t we lump them? So we’ll do like who you are, who’s in. You’re like, Who are your people and something cool about you. So that’s what we’ll do first.
Like and maybe you can add to will tend to do for like who are you? Who are your people, What’s something about you? And if you have any sort of sense of like, you know, like in talking about our employment.
So we’ll start with us and then we’ll move on to some of the other questions right. Who wants to start? Yeah. Hi, my name is Lisa O’Neill, a 21 year old girl, which is on the one side of the room is my I mean, that’s put your hands.
And what are all their names? My my name is Omega, which was his wife, grandchildren and my mother and my father is unfortunately somebody they really the one used to work that we many times that we are not going to them most of the time people about me and we
Read on the back cricket and some I think that was one of the first. So I mean that. well, what’s it about? After we got married now this November, we always thought it was either about might not be or 30 something years of marriage and also
Was going to be wedding two years ago. And how do you stand up? And my guru was wondering Jen has a cavity. Stevie Ray. He just did the Bloom fundraiser. I just saw him a month ago. I’m going to be talking. Never come Bass.
And do you want to jump down to my current job or previous job? An area of professional interest that those four just seemed to work together. But a job. I’m going to be as busy as my own job. We knew there was a small business on the street involved with this.
You know, that’s it. Know that was just a thank you. I have no idea. I have four other people that live in my house and my husband that month. And then I have three boys are with the ninth grade. This high school is kind of just been very nice leading up to it
That I’ve got Katie, who is in seventh grade at Central and Norm, who is in second grade, and we are a family of tennis and baseball and downhill skiing and lacrosse and catcher. So it is the baseball player and he does a little tennis on the side and part as a tennis player
And he does a little basketball on the side and the nor does all of it so that he can actually believe in brothers And then I do the shoveling so but in my professional job, I do clinical research management for medical device companies.
I I’m also an adjunct professor of medical and public health at Saint Kate. Some families and I do a lot of I do a lot of volunteer work. So I sit on my children’s hospital, the other community I sit on as a board of trustees, member of Community Center in
North Minneapolis, called the Family Games and they do just that. I see where they take care of the really. And that’s that’s kind of what I do in my my time. Something to know about me. I don’t have anything interesting. I am a mom. So what I said is I’m transparent and direct.
And if you’re wondering or concerned about something, just ask. And I very much value working on a team with a lot of trust that’s really, really important. So I know you’re all good. Thank you. And I think we all go nuts. Amy Guys, my husband, Andy three kids.
Aiden is in eighth grade at Central Henry in seventh grade at Central and Charlotte or Charlie. You’ll frequently see crash meetings. She is in fourth grade at Mount Everest. Something to know about me. I served in the Navy for 12 years. I was a stay at home mom for 12 years.
The stay at home mom part was harder than just saying, I’ve been to war and back in that way. I’m originally from San Diego and if you haven’t noticed by visiting my desk, I went to USC as I have every intention of meeting Minnesota on October respectively. The first so previous jobs covered.
I also, in addition to the administrative assistant role, I kind of got to know, I don’t know if, say, strong armed or talked into this gig as I was substituting, but sweet talking to that. I was taught that working in the district didn’t work for three years,
So I substituted it every K-through-12 and special ed throughout the district. So to have done a little bit of everything around here and just before my husband proposed, I was actually negotiating a job with Carnival Cruise Lines. I was going to be driving cruise ships in and out of San Diego to Mexico.
And then I got married and now I’m here. So and I’m totally happy about it. I actually thank you. What was your specialty in the Navy? I was a surface water officer, so she was there in your watering when I got out as Lieutenant commander. That’s it. You good? Yeah.
Lots of fun stories from the stay at home parenting of the Navy. Captain Promise. That was hard. Continues. But it’s been really, really hard on my wife. Chip. We’ve been married for like, 18 years, but really, this. And I was all over the fact that we got married for you.
So instead of going north, she and I, we went to say she was one year junior to me, and that’s when it played. So we actually got Monica, who’s 11, and then she’s the same I, I think I’m not going to get any sympathy from you. You’re in your own little business.
So hopefully she she got it. So she has been going for Gibby and me for the last couple of years and the last year or 15. So we are really hoping this time she meets one of them and they play lacrosse. True love as well. And younger one.
I don’t know where she does hockey and she’s been playing for the last two years, so I’m a big fan, but I have people, you know, for years. So I was I mean, I played for my college back in India. I was in college, in junior in college.
But then when I got here, sorry, when the cricket to long and I got pretty much transforming to basketball, baseball, hockey and if and when and if my body double straight right And of course now that you watch hockey along with my daughter,
So now I’m getting to be a hockey player and then for the so far less that means that I do watch like the World Cup cricket and so on. But not everything is. I’m glad you said that there is nothing interesting about you because it’s the same with me.
And it’s very funny because I’ve been engaged in so many activities. I’ve done that community all my life. I’ve participated in different programs or leaderboards, but very when somebody asks like, okay, tell me something special about you, or, you know, one fact I can’t come up with.
So believe it or not, actually, I made my name. So all of my readers, this question out, all I’m I’m social historical history readers and all I’m someone who will say, you know, I’m I plays an instrument, I do this, and then I’m like, okay, I’m doing everything across different things,
But I can’t be one thing and say, okay, this is the one letter. I’m like, So this is really So when when I told my current law school board is like, Hey, this is probably something you can start saying, you get problems. So I’m glad it worked. Well, it certainly worked out really.
I mean, I’m this is what everyone in school would be. I’m really friendly. I truly believe an awesome relationship, even or professionally. I think people remember you by where you are not you know what I mean? Yes. You have to show the outcome in beyond the point.
I wouldn’t have a job if I only show the results. But I mean, I always look at like, Hey, am I going the right thing my way, building relationships. And so far in my life, it does tremendously. And so that’s really kind of my number one in everything I do.
I am currently Regional Director Blue Cross Blue Shield, Pennsylvania, and so I work with Neutrals Blue in Minnesota, Wyoming and North Dakota. And previously I was about 14 and a half years as a consultant, so predominantly in the health care space and technology space, but literally with the exception of
Maybe a year and a half out of college the entire career, it’s always client facing role program management and stakeholder management and financial management. So because we want all of these client facing older and again, they’re contract management comes with the territory because
We negotiated contracts with clients for different windows and so on. So yeah, I mean that’s pretty much all of our reading. I and then I was just looking and I’m wondering what do you should do in the excellent quality that’s so Hollywood that the guy that you have. Yeah I can honestly
Know but like I said I’ve participated in various programs law school, college, humor, professional, even some things like that. So yeah, I have a million things. Thank you. I can go next. It’s funny. What a small world I was. Your name is back. I can say is,
You know, it’s funny because my dad was on I don’t know when you were at optimum with career. Also, my sister is a special education teacher, so perhaps you guys have some way if you haven’t already. So that was my intention. And so I remember the board, you know, starting 18 months ago,
You know a little bit about me. I’m up in Maple Grove. My backyard is actually has Maple Grove schools. So that’s what we do. Yeah. My, my parents know the land for better or worse. And my sister and her name’s Scott. Raise sure hands and say I was right. And her.
And then you actually know what I’m saying. Corner with. All right. So I didn’t really know what to say because you know you want to say or special anything like that. So I put down you know I, I like making math coaching. I like doing what I’m talking about.
So I also little watching over the big part of it. So but yeah and yeah area of interest are great job on your strategy to research for global campaign. So diving into the numbers and maps of course and all that I really love doing
I want to do a nose go essentially thinking can go ahead no I will be very honest. Well between the two of us. Yeah. So my name is Chase and so many in my 16 years as a superintendent here in Wayzata, my 41st year in education,
My wife, Barb and I have been married for 32 years and counting. We have two kids, Paul and Emily. Paul’s 29 and is the assistant equipment manager for the Gopher football team and is has a fancy Molly who is an eighth grade English teacher at Minnetonka West Middle School.
Is that reason I feel like this? It is new as well as large. So they get engaged in things. So it’s about time and six or seven years of living. And our daughter Emily is 25. She’s a kindergarten teacher in Spring Lake Park, and her boyfriend,
Ryan, is an engineer at Medtronic and they met at St Thomas and now they’re both great kids are both boys out of four loans. So we’re real proud of that. Paul graduated in 2013 and Emily in 2017 when we moved here. When I took this position of sitting in the eighth grade
At Central Middle School and Emily in the fourth grade and Kimberly Lane. So it was really fun during that time to be a parent in the district, along with being the superintendent. So it was a great dual role. I have two older brothers, one deceased, my brother Warren has cerebral
Palsy and is a huge inspiration to me and unfortunately passed away aged seven to young of an age back in 1988 at the age of 32. So there’s a big driver in my life and I grew up on a farm in northwest Iowa, which my grandpa died in 1919.
So we have an Iowa century farm. And so an important part of our life, and it’s been really, really fun to have grown up there. So that’s a few tidbits about me. And still at the farm, we do have a brother and I,
So I’m dying to know, are the Gophers going to Detroit or Phenix? Try to play in Bowling Green at 1 p.m. on December 26. So then the Gophers get into the bowl game as a result of their academic achievements was the tiebreaker.
So it’s kind of cool that it’s cool that it was really cool. Okay, I can go announce my shoe and prior. I live with my husband of 18 years, same as you. But I’m older than you and I have three kids, a 13 year old and a 14 year old.
And, you know, seventh and eighth grade. It was at a West. And I have a 17 year old daughter in 11th grade at the high school. And yeah, there some of them are into sports. We’re a big mountain bike family. Luckily, my husband helps coach because they need
Like coaches or something, so he has to do all the driving anyway. So I go to some of the races and I think we don’t have to do any other driving our strategy highways that her and my 13 year old is in martial arts and my daughter.
I would like to for her to do something and she doesn’t have time so you know, I try something to know about me. Back in the day, I used to do dabble in painting and other kind of multimedia artwork. And, you know, in college actually sold a few things and then
Decided that biology was really my where I was going to get a better paying job. And something else that many of you know already is that I’m on the Minnesota task force because I have a search and rescue dog, which unfortunately he is no longer a search and rescue dog. We had retired.
He failed his last certification test. Right. So until I can convince my husband that we need another dog and I am now just in the role of trainer, I help with the other dogs on the team, so I won’t need to be deployed anytime soon.
But I’m still part of it and we are going to get another dog eventually. So my background is I have a Bachelor of Science in biology. You know, my past has taken me in a lot of eclectic and kind of unrelated directions.
I was, you know, I worked in a research lab for many years, then became a stay at home parent for 16 years, which was harder than any of my other jobs, which is you can always a way to and after being a stay at home parent, I now work as an administrative assistant
For a local distribution company and I’m on the school board. And the other interesting thing about me is martial arts or any word. It’s what you probably never heard of. It is you know, it’s it’s like a mishmash of a lot of them. It’s actually Goshen. Yeah.
55. And they incorporate jujitsu in a lot of things. So it’s almost a combo. Yeah, you. How do you know the. Well, yeah, it was a pretty fabulous thing. You know, I will. I’ve noticed a lot of the kids say that they’re like, Well, I think that’s a lot of sports.
So I’ve done. My name is Bones and I was doing my own mail, but sometimes my dog is like the point of trying to plan and my one time you want to call the four corners of a little bit ways that I’m busy. You need to find more of goods.
So I’m here to save up my recycling is one of them calls in the laundry and all kinds of things. And actually also I just want to what my boys interested and they would love to do things. I was involved in some of my two boys are in scouts
And they help support themselves, you know, with especially younger scouts. They were apparently parents and and then also they came in and my mom signed him up on eBay. And apparently for them to volunteer for him because he’s a no,
I want to participate in something else and the one to cry saying this. So my sister was my mom’s local, so I just took my kids to do well. So my husband is I feel like I mean, I’m struggling. Well, it is wasn’t me. And to be honest,
I actually believe it’s sometimes accidental. People would not see them. They’re very smart, very honest, very involved. And I’m so glad we met each other because he is so outgoing, was wonderful, really so and single family. So he’s kind of both feel good. My songs.
I lost my mom quite early and then poverty also kind of disappeared. So it’s kind of it was. It was it is very nice and it is 18 years. So we all are young. Before I married before I was. But that was my boy. So quite different.
Even though we are all biologically mine and they will be friends to the point that I remember, I heard about one of them and you know him, you know, it’s like I mean, I did not give a single one actually did not look like me to be able to think of
This is mine and I want to look like maybe he was thinking that I adopted or was about my family. They were involved, still involved in scouts. My husband had been pretty busy for these two weeks. And so in Greece, if anybody needs to know something was selling them as a base price
Because, I mean, it’s better to sell what we have and they were involving type on my orders on guns. If you reached 7.5 and it was good enough to you went to basketball last year because they didn’t have enough volunteers, finally I volunteered to work and there’s a system.
It was my dream actually was in basketball. My grandma getting along is because it was two kilometers walking. I walk into this mountain, but finally I kind of fulfilled that training. I tried to push him. He started giving. I could begin and he was thinking, I am shooting. I better.
My youngest son is too in search they want and I can show him where the family. So maybe being reasonable follow without belief or we we don’t have TV. I mean we have a TV, but it is not from my kids.
I will know when you go the way you for us they will be able to the house. So they are like we also within my second grade from all about me, I speak three languages. Yes, I’m from Russia, but I am not Russian. I love learning this year.
I mean, they knew how to fish, but I was lately only felt like I was not successful. But this past summer, because of saw that I was frustrated. Some families, she felt that I don’t know where we’re living. So come to more awareness. What’s going to happen tomorrow?
Short going. I got my well, I in the morning I and I and I told him do you know whether you need right now I will I want to call every day because I don’t know I feel like some people maybe like to play gold casino for me is
Special fishing you never know where this mean. Somebody said well, yes. You don’t know if you are going to catch our will be called catching This is fishing you never are with them and by that I enjoy sort of enjoy I guess it maybe because I grew up with Grandma
And I got used to taking care of whatever household things brings. I it became my second nature. I injury DIY projects. I learned once of a strong future and maybe so when I can tackle it, when I feel like I can do that, I typically try to do, which I’m curious to ice
My native languages to wash. Is that gardening? I was surprised myself. 1.5 million only. And where geographically is that still get it all the political didn’t sound easy for almost 100 kilometers away from Moscow. Okay. Is located on the banks of the Volga River. Now my background is well known.
Unfortunately, once big old cities, large. So they are very it’s not the shape of bearing. And then, well, we were supposed to start by all our. But I just my background was not they were, they were not warriors. So Ivan the Terrible was able to capture them. My second
Time is the Russian and my one we were taught all three simultaneously or I mean both simultaneously. You will be. I ended up in a rural area. In rural area, and they would be for the first four years you would be learning in the age of five, which then grew as some
I think at the one hour the Russian and then by the fourth grade English. And then it comes. And why? Because I have also to so we were kind of some teacher people they learn English because of us because we were they all come from all of it.
And going to New York, you have a current job. You’re teaching at a school where it tells about your job and your professional background. I mean, I’m working for one charter school, which is predominantly I mean, a majority of them are from Slavic relations, mainly think now right away it’s Russian. No interesting.
In fact, the majority of the kids are from we have something to do with Ukraine and Russia. Then for the Russian I work with ESL students. We’re very well, very small school, but at the same time our challenges are quite interesting because we have a very small budget. We’re very heavy on it.
So about, I believe, 65,000 because you parents will will sign that. Yes, it’s called if they undecided not doesn’t count even though you have on heavy load. So it’s about and then I work on a reading and I have right now we’re very family spread is very great me in the area
We’re having trouble finding substitutes for example know obviously back in Russia I I’ve done many jobs too because back in Russia I love with my teachers. So I believe all in my right now it’s because of my teachers binding of English right now. And so and the school where I ended up
There, I’ve got quite a nice I feel like the teacher who dealt with me, she really she dealt with my problems, all my handwriting and everything. And that kind of gave me the most. And I felt like, okay, I can do as you confidence. Yep. Actually, when we arrived, Grandma I a neighbor,
She probably doesn’t remember, but I remember Beryl says, your brother started calling the universities and you’ll be. And I was standing outside. So I mean, she said probably jokingly she forgot, but I decided I will go in Wildwood, I will. So that school, I don’t know I to only when I started working
And kind of comparing, I realized how much it was. We weren’t teachers do they have all great teachers do Probably not. But the majority were wonderful. They were my mentors to the degree one. As a teenager, I started acting out. Some teachers will kind of broken me and then later
I tend to be able to be kind of hold in college degree. So bog back in Russia. That’s why I decided to be a teacher. I went to teach training college that one, and I did two specialties at the same time as I got not too many sorry too long.
I was to get some assistance because I was considered as an orphan for South Korea was very tough. But because of that. And what are you going to use that money to get my second education finally in in English? So that was I feel also I’m very fortunate in that part. Thank you.
Thanks so much. We’ve got a couple more introductions and then we’ll go through soon. So paper, scissors, you want to go? Go for it? Are you sure? Yeah. Okay. So I’m Sarah Johansen. The people that live in my house are Kurds. My husband. We’ve been married 22 years.
Means I got married at the age of ten. And it was a week ago in Minnesota. Right. So I’m originally from Michigan. Kurds from a from southwest Minnesota. So he came to Michigan. That’s where I met him. And then a day after he proposed, he said, and by the way,
I got a call from a firm in Minneapolis. And so I think about interviewing, and I said, okay, so so we’ve been in Minnesota since 2001, also at my house. Gosh This feels weird is Emma, who’s a senior this year. So she’s not going to be in my house
For too much longer, but she will always be there. And then Charlotte is in 11th grade and Quinn is in seventh grade. So I have two drivers in my house which makes the carpooling so, so so the pros and cons, the benefits are the carpooling.
The downsides are it’s a good thing my husband didn’t listen to me and buy me a new car because you know, there is that impact of teenagers on cars. So it’s always a fun adventure, my blood pressure. So, hey, I just yeah, it’s my car just gets decorated all the time.
And so, you know, you just whatever. So lovely to have teenagers in the house and they do get themselves around, although we don’t have four cars. So that makes it a little challenging, too. So I might be bombing some rockets on Monday night. So I have to say plays a lot of tennis.
My girls are swimmers and synchronized swimmers. Quinn swims, too, kind of plays lots of chess and kind of keeps us on our toes. Person that demands most of my time is Leo. He’s at 14 and a half, almost 15 year old labradoodle, very entitled and adorable
And sees me as his primary source of all things, all hours of the day. So let’s see here. I am currently working in interfaith outreach on the Caring for Kids manager, which is a 0 to 5 program. I got my feet in this community from early childhood.
We moved from Minneapolis when Emma when I was pregnant for no one. I had just had a Charlotte and so we were brand new. I got a hug visit from Mary Ekberg and was welcomed to the Early Learning School and essentially to Wayzata, and I immediately jumped in and did
A lot of work with early childhood advocacy and and got to know the district in that way and and have not gone away ever since. And it’s been it’s been lovely. So other things growing up on Lake Michigan, I love the water
And my family will say that I love to celebrate little things. I’m kind of saying like today is or it’s really just about connections and just finding ways to embrace the gifts of everyday. So I hope to bring that in my work as well.
My background is social work, by the way. I went to the University of Michigan. I have a dual clinical work with children and families as well as an administrative work. So I’ve done lots of nonprofit management and clinical work and community organizing and homelessness, but it’s on the visit, right, helping us grow.
So it was and they still happen. It was a federal thing, but you had a new baby and she knocked on my and she said, Hello, how can I help you? And and here’s some resources for you and how are things going with your child
And then how are things going with you and what do you need? And it’s just really a Yeah, yeah, it’s really, it was really amazing. Yeah. There is a person at the early school, it’s sort of what I don’t Yeah. So sure
Did not realize it was like I thought it was literally like a hug. Is it. Right. Yeah. Right. Well and anybody who knows Mary Ekberg also knows that I got one of those too. Probably at the beginning and at the end and in all the things.
And I could have used as many as I could write two little ones that one. I also have a number of years of mostly stay at home parenting and yeah, there’s that. So yeah. All right. Well, I’m Nathan Flansburgh and I think pretty much everybody in the district calls me Nate.
I was Nathan until I met my wife, and then I became Nate very quickly there and she started introducing me as Nate to everyone. So I don’t have a preference. I realize around here it’s pretty much Nate. So I just had my 20th anniversary with my wife Jenn,
And we got to go out to Boston to able to celebrate a very long weekend. And I’m a baseball fan, so we get to go to the Red Sox game and it’s, you know, connections in life. I happen to be picking up lawn my eldest I’ve got two daughters,
Lauren, who’s in college, Claire who’s in high school. Lauren is at Southeastern University in Florida. And we were picking her up in the spring. And as we were staying overnight at one of the hotels, I happened to run into a gentleman who ended up being a former red Sox backup center fielder.
And he was there on a fishing trip with family. And we got chatting. I said, I’m going to be going to Boston. He said, I know how to get your name on the board. And so they got this cool picture of John and I kind of taken the selfie
And then the big board saying, Happy 20th anniversary named Jim. So that was kind of a fun moment. And so I’ve got a picture of myself with this gentleman. And it’s fun because he’s holding up his phone and his coach, when he was with the Red Sox was Ted Williams.
And so it’s he and Ted and it’s just kind of some of those fun stories along the way. So I didn’t get married quite young. My wife was a teacher in Spring Lake Park, actually, just where Jaycee’s daughter now is for 25 years. She is now a preschool teacher.
She’s gone down to part time. We both have family members who are starting to age a little bit. My mom is getting along in years and my dad passed away a number of years ago. And Jen’s parents are slowly aging as well.
And she said, I’d like to be able to find a way to go if time to be able to help out our family members and try to take care of them is the best that we can. And when we picked where we live, I live in Andover,
So I have a little bit of all. But when we bought our house over a decade ago and we were looking, it’s interesting because I wanted to move actually to Maple Grove throughout the Plymouth area and she she said, no, we’re not going to be doing that. Said, why? Why is that?
She goes, Because my parents live here and your mom lives here and we’re going to live here. And she was very clear about that. She said family will be coming first on this process. And I said, understood. And I know what it means to, you know, keep the happy household and
Anyway, I was this is my third year in the district, and I think Chase has described it as a little bit of a serendipitous arrival when I applied for the position three years ago because I, I was 24 years in Mountain View and really had any intention on leaving much.
I loved my job there. I started as a middle school teacher, I finished as a middle school principal and I did a whole lot of elementary in between. But loved my job and somebody from central office was over and we were doing some interviews
And they gave me the nudge and they said, Hey, did you see what was that? A Post-it said, Nope. And I couldn’t stop thinking about the position and applied. And here I am, things to know about me. You know, in this role, for those who have worked with me
Already, you’ll know I’m very outcome driven. I like to see results as a principal. That’s what drove me. I was able to see lots of results. I was kind of the turnaround principal when I was a principal and I was able to move schools
And really improve academic outcomes and that was my driver. I want every student who walks into our buildings to make sure that they know that they belong. And so you’ll hear me use the phrase it used to be happy and proud, and we’ve really changed it to success and belonging.
And the happy and proud really comes out of the work we’ve done with the University of Washington, the Center for Educational Leadership. They did a huge research study and they asked kids across the nation, what is it that you want from school? When you go to school? What do you want?
And they were able to narrow down tens of thousands of results to two words happy and proud. And the happy means I know that if I go to school, people care about me and I belong there. That’s my space crowd Academic success.
And they were able to say those were the two primary things kids are looking for when they come into our spaces. So when when you, you know, the work that we do is really driven by primary role, is working with the principals to help improve their job, to help improve their instructional lens.
So a lot of the work is very strategic, very systems driven work. We’ve started the building instructional leadership teams. You’ll hear me talk about as we go through, we talk about a lot of the people see work, but there are things that are focused on student academics
But also on how do you get there building on those relationships and that sense of belonging when kids come into the building. So it’s multifaceted as you look at those pieces. What I mean, I could share probably a lot of different things, but I’m going to know that we’ve already kind of gone
A little bit deeper into them evening already and I’ll leave it there and hopefully this is just the start and we’re going to do the next half minute, but we’re going to speed around it, right? And so because we are otherwise we’re going to be here for a long time.
So but hopefully that this is the start of the conversations. Right. And so each one of us kind of we set the stage of figuring out of who we bring into our into this room and into this space.
But I do invite us, hopefully as a board to commit to this level of relationship building and getting to know one another in bridge building and trust building as we work through this year. So as we do the next, the next, we have three. We have three categories left.
One, the five words that describe why I ran for the school board. The next is my hopes and dreams for ways that of this year. And again, that in sort of a funnel and then my goals for our organizational meeting maybe what we’ll do is we’ll kind of so we can take notes.
We’ll start with kind of lightning round of say, your words not to lightning. And Amy is going to write them down. We’ll go Will, and then we’ll go through. If you want to share what your words are, I can if you want me to model some things and then we’ll go there.
So my five words that describe why I ran for the school board, our passion, lifelong learning, the hyphenated phrase contribute. I got another one. Common good. Just posted Choose love will go. A lot of everyone. So my first word was passion. Second was again three simple areas away
From the rhythm board this community. And fourth is education. So we had giving back from the first excellence environment and knowledge family skills, learning, future dedication, help, intersectionality, nonpartizanship, education and service, community giving back others. The learning and training role service, community conduit and vesting and future.
You guys, did you think of these? I thought a couple of things. Sorry. All right. School boards. I didn’t get elected. Well, we’ll take the other. I think we take the other two. And if you come up with some you can. And if not, you don’t have to.
You heard them use these again. Student belonging, Academic Success Partnership. I hyphenated this one. My kids. So then I was like one word or insights, influence, respect and joy. You can’t think of any change going to say one respectful on the third. That’s Kimberly is a person
There’s a lot of all right I have a speed of five service partnership collaboration, competence, excellence. Stay tuned. Love it. This will come in a word, cloud speed. It’s so good. We’re going to do it again. Right. I’ll Write this time so that you can take a break. And let’s talk about
You can share a little bit of both, but both the questions of my hopes and dreams for why to this year, maybe one or two things and my goals for our organizational meeting on Sunday, should I take in my hopes and dreams for my friends here
Are that we role as a proactive entity, that we bring voices to the table that are not typically at the table, and that we remove barriers. Words. The second she needs to do goes for organizational meeting. I think we’re doing really great because we’re getting to know one another person.
I was and then I would like to and we need to have a very good understanding of the work ahead through our companies so that I know what the schedule looks like. Thank you. Know, some people, whether I think you did over the phone increase enrollment and not have to worry about okay
I recently been given very terrible how are you going to do it. I hey are you gonna my hopes that we can work together. We’re we’re willing to engage our teachers, parents and students those organizational meetings because I hope that I will in our understanding because there are a lot of
So the information and some of my favorite is children’s of all I would like to hear more and learn want to be able to to be in communities. I can be useful or I can mean. And in order to understand our work. Thank you guys.
Sarah, would you like which one you want for hopes and dreams and dreams, giving back to the community is going to be so much fun. It’s really valuable. It’s been. Yeah. And then just go through organizational meeting, meet everyone and borrowing Leonard Cohen’s phrase and having okay, so we recently went through
Our corporate strategies, so I’m stealing some of the sentences from there. But really we want to be the leader in education. I’m not a leader, the leader. And then most importantly, build character in our next generation. So that is really the hopes and dreams as far as this meeting is concerned.
We’re going to get to know each other. Most importantly, exchange ideas as we look at different communities. And I talked to Sarah on the air today, definitely looking for your guys who have been here before. So we’ve been invited say, hey, I’m interested in next to committee,
But if you have any ideas that, hey, maybe you want to think about this so we can provide that support and how to each other and have better coverage. So just looking for ideas and how do we help each other? Understood. You can go. My hopes for wiser out this year continued excellence
And also continue striving for improvement and strengthening relationships at all levels of administration within the board and with the community. My goals for our meeting tonight was getting to know everyone and building those relationships and really just preparing ourselves to hit the ground running in January. So just to have anything for these.
Dr. Anderson So for the hopes and dreams, establish and strengthen the strong relationships, learn from each other, strive to bring out the best in each other and in the second. But the goals for the meeting of the nation with focus and will establish a spirit of teamwork. This right continuous improvement.
So when you think about hopes and dreams, really being able to take our strategic directions and start finding ways to implement them into the district operational plan, which we have been chatting a little bit about and, really starting to translate that into actionable processes throughout the system.
But and my goal for the organizational meeting would be that we become a team that sets the conditions, organizational success, which translates to the instructional through line. Big words that I can’t abbreviate. I know not short answer those shorthand for those, none of them in my mind. 27 is a foundation and semester.
So yeah, I would think, I hope, surmise that hopes and dreams rise out this year to continue to find stability in our pursuit of excellence and high achievement, to move from sort of digging to growth and and to exhale a little bit. It’s been pretty intense for a number of years.
And we just need to exhale a little bit as a district. My goals for this organizational meeting are to establish some norms and practices. So we hit the ground running in 2024 to organize for next year. So we are ready on January 3rd
To have honest and open communication and to have respectful dialog. So I will add mine to this and we will try to get those to everyone as well. I will not ask you to transcribe these because you’re not getting any of that. Sometimes I can reword much and not so much.
Right now I don’t even know if I’ll be able to read me, but we’re all good. Okay. Wow. So we are one. We’re actually not as bad as I thought we would be. It is 523. What I think we’ll do is we’ll take a five minute break.
Everyone can stretch, get some chocolate, get some more food. Thank you, Dr. Anderson, Dr. Lansberg and Amy for for being here and for joining us. And we look forward to continuing relationship building while people break. You can give me instructions about that and locking up and all of the things. Okay.
I will mute recording during this. Now. There we go. Okay. Well, thanks again, everyone, for. Okay. I want to thank you all for for engaging and dinner and I hope that was was helpful and a good use of your time. I think it it I think it was as well
And just really awesome to get to know one another a little bit so to cover some things. So just a reminder, as we said. So this organizational work session has happened on the first Monday in December since, I don’t know, 24, 25 years. So I mean, like a very, very, very long time
Since the history of the board, like work sessions, you know, and even lighter than work sessions, the goal of this is not there. There’s no votes taken. We understand that our three board member elects are not even officially sworn in yet. We’ll talk about that in a minute. And what that looks like.
It’s a conversation, the way that we’ve organized or the way that it’s been described before is it’s a little bit like a staff meeting right? It says we all get together and think about our work ahead. We do a little bit of professional development,
Are grounding ourselves in our work and in our mission and the things that we do. We talk about the policies and the procedures that that that that carry us through. The bulk of the work will be done around committees. Right. And setting that up. And there’s certainly conversations around officers and committees.
And so and the role of that, again, everything happens in January. Our first in January, which we don’t change the date to the first Monday in January. We keep it at our regular meeting date, but that is called the organizational regular meeting. And so the document, the agenda for that organizational regular
Meeting in January is to go through our organizational practices as well as our as well as our regular meeting practices. What this meeting does is it starts to get us planning for that right. And it helps us to know where we are going for committees.
That’s really important because the at least the h.r. And the finance committee both meet in advance of the regular meeting. And so we need to have that membership for those committees for that first meeting of the of the year before that meeting in terms of the officers and how that moves forward.
The reason why and this is this was something that was passed on to me when I joined the board ten years ago. And that process is it’s just that because that meeting starts and where we need someone to, we have a process for who convenes the meeting
Before the office, before the chair takes place. And so there is that process. But there’s a number of things that happen in the meeting to be able to start to plan who the person is that’s going to lead that, who the person is, that’s going to record it as clerk,
Who is going to facilitate the facilities or the Finance committee, which is the treasure. That is why we put together and to have the conversations, which some years are very easy conversations where people say, I am really interested in this or that. And it and it seems very collegial and and and smooth.
Other years this year, probably being one of those years, there might be deeper conversations. And and so the importance I think the important piece is to try to work that out in this space in this place, and then hopefully have a plan moving forward in January
So that we can do the most important work in the district. If we think back to and I think each one of you would align with that as we think about the reasons, our hopes and dreams for the board this year. Right. And so having ourselves organized and collected January is,
I think, in alignment. I won’t pull them out with with a number of things that we talked about the board this year in what’s right here. So that is the process for the new board members. I told I, I think I told you this each individually, but just so that we all know
What has historically happened in our district is after the work session after the work session in December, which is officially kind of the last posted meeting of the ways that a school board, Amy, will probably invite you in if you’re at that meeting
Or some time in between that meeting in the next to come in to sort of officially take your oath of office and to sign your piece of paper. So what that does is that sits a board for when you are eligible to be seated,
Which is June, which is the first Monday in January. The reason that we do that is again, so one, you can attend the committee meetings and start the work in that first week. Second of all, God forbid we hope that this would never happen,
But if there were something that had to happen with the school board that first week in January, we would have a fully seated board. We still the ceremonious and sort of fun swearing in that happens at our January meeting. So the January meeting is called to order by either the previous year’s
Chair or an acting person. If the previous year’s chair is not there, the First thing that happens in that meeting in January is the swearing in. We encourage you to invite your family to come and you can take pictures and you know,
The whole thing the second thing would be the election of officers. So we know who’s going to convene and process the meeting for the rest of the time. Once that happens, then if there’s any moving of seats that need to happen, that can happen or not. And then we move to
And we and then we into the regular work of the meeting. So you’re covered to be on the board at the start of January. But you’re but we do have that official. Any questions about that process you have to say that we will remove official names for them
From the Wall Street Journal this morning because there was a reunion on that day in January when they’re swimming in again. Right. So, okay. So I think you and Heidi went through this, too. Right. And so do you want to say it and why don’t you answer it?
I think the way that we did it is we just it was just friends at the time. And she we finished our financial right. Everybody had the financial framework then she was in. But you still need to do it in public.
There’s a good and the reason that she did it at that time was because there were going to be committee meetings that happened in preparation for that one meeting. But you still want to have that ceremonial right. And like Sarah was saying, if there’s some emergency
That happens in those four or five days between when our current board is no longer a board and the new board is coming on, we need to have coverage. So if there’s some, God forbid, they’ll be hearing about, you know, the first
Year was when in January next year happens to be New Year. So we probably probably won’t have that meeting. We won’t have a meeting that day. So the next meeting after that is there’s something in between. No, there’s nothing in between that Our organizational meeting. We don’t hold a special meeting in January.
The new board members are seated. The new board members take effect on the first Monday in January. And we have our first meeting at our regular meeting time, which is the second Monday in January, within our normal process. And so, so like Linda, Cheryl and Bonita, as of the first are no longer
Board members, everybody else, maybe you get in their email number. So it’s yeah, it’s technically official on January 1st. Three of them. Okay. So let’s say in my two years that I’ve been on the board of having more relations on, on the first one during the course of the year
When the nominations would call for an individual that just Well, we had Sheila right about that she was was different November So the question then is if there is a vote required because there are two people or three people, everybody is interested in this position,
Then then does that election happen on the eighth? Yeah, it happens at the regular meeting. And that happened last year. It happened last year at the regular meeting you the nominations last last year we did that with the people that we that I don’t know there is
But we do so how those elections happen right And this is what happens the first year so it’s happened twice since you’ve been on the board. Right. And so we call for an election for the chair and we say and someone says, I nominate.
Yes for the chair, and then someone says, I second that. And then and then you say, Are there any more nominations? Are there any more nominations? Are there any more nominations? And then we move forward. And so that has happened the last two years and that will happen again.
Last December, I wanted to be complete with an admission reading. So what? What was that? Right. So remember, Millan, we I’m going to answer it because what happened? And then we’re there. So so remember, and I can show you the document.
So we had a so we had a conversation at this meeting last year about. Right. About who wanted to be was and we talked about all the things and you had said I want to be treasurer and Cheryl said that I wanted to be Treasurer and we sat at that meeting and.
I said to you after the meeting and we said, moving forward that you can still nominate you in that thing. And so we just said and what we talked about in this meeting and this is let’s be honest, this is sort of this is also a
When we talk about needing us to look like we’re moving together, right? And so when we take a straw poll to say, what are people thinking in this room, which, you know, which is when we take a straw poll, it’s
It’s so, you know, and then you can decide if or I can decide. Right? So let’s be really honest. I can decide. So let’s sit tonight. Right. You want to be chair of the board and I want to be chair of the board. So tonight we’re going to have a conversation.
Or maybe someone else wants to be chair of the board, too, Right? So there might be more people. We’ll talk in reals. So tonight, you and I so tonight will have a conversation about that, right. And so we’ll say you might say this is all the reasons why I want to be chair.
And I will say these are all the reasons why I would like to be chair. And we’ll have a conversation what we might want to do and maybe we don’t. Again, this isn’t Sarah’s role. This is our board role. But what we might want to do
Is have a conversation about what we think about that. Right. And so and if I out like and honestly, if I find out that everyone in here says I want Midland to be chair, I don’t want you, Sarah, to be chair, then I’m going to decide do I still want to self
Nominate myself and have a public vote where I lose? Or do I want to say, okay, I accept the will of the board and I’m going to move forward? And that’s the choice. This is the last thing I’ll say about this. That’s the choice that we gave you last year.
You can and I had in my plan, I fully expected you to nominate yourself for Treasurer last year, and I can show you the documents that I get ready for that. And we had a whole process and a plan. My opponent is the statute in cannot in on this committee, the First Amendment.
That doesn’t just apply for woman. I’m not saying that’s what I hope. I’m just very concerned that you are going beyond statutory requirements and avoiding that election, even if it is properly when we are supposed to inquiry. So January 8th is when we should actually be thinking about who we more than anybody,
We should not just want to just look at the statute and require us to have advised you why this decision and why should we try this tactic. So I’m just saying, you know, I don’t want to be responsible or you already doing something that is not allowed.
I’m just I’m just sticking it out there. So I think the rules and I think there’s a lot that happens on the 10th. That’s our organizational meeting. And then the first second Monday in the regular meeting. Yeah, it’s and I think there’s that vote happens, right?
So there’s a nomination, there’s a second and then the board votes. Yeah, Yeah. What am I missing? I think what you’re missing is you’re going to make for all of an related why the argument that women’s or somebody is making is that
If you look at the state statutes in the Minnesota School Board associations, biologic goals, having a meeting of this form is not in there. And they say we’re going to have officer elections. You must do so on the second Good Monday open to the public Republican branch.
And this is not right, which we will which I know we’re going to let Dan but let’s let Dan finish and then you can talk and really and again, this has been a contentious issue for for a little bit here. And I get that you’re violence and psychiatrist, whatnot.
My point would basically be to say that, if I have a straight answer, I would like to talk about this while we go and look at our committees and put our process where we laid to be better. I also was taking up for that for the audio recording. So that is citizens listening.
And so they were requests recording. This has been a conversation we’ve been having for a long time, and my understanding is the reason why we have this meeting in this area, which I support, is because we want to make sure that we have forward and we avoid any unnecessary surprises in January.
And so this is really to get a consensus not only on doctrine, I understand you’re talking about a strong board, as they had known. Well, as you don’t have anymore. But it really is just to build consensus. We push forward into the new year.
So I think it is present for our stand alone. What you’re trying to say we have is because of tradition, 25 years, and because we find that it helps us mediate disputes before they go before the public, let’s say, and also because they always plan for the new year.
So I think that while I understand your ways, you might say no, I think that we probably should have an open, honest discussion. Sarah raised, you know, what that might be about and, you know, really take advantage of what is to do and then I will stop talking.
So I’m going to going on for a while to comment and then show you what she’ll say, what you want to say. And then I want to say I want my colleagues to be smart. I’m one of seven. So you think, okay, no, that would be no problems. That’s fine.
I’m just letting you know that I don’t want to get in trouble because the public is listening to this. What they might be watching, They might Oskaloosa might talk to us. I want us to be safe. And that’s why they’re always, you know, I’m open to not having a public discussion.
That’s okay to I yeah, I don’t want us to get in trouble either. But I think it depends on whether we consider what we talk about tonight as an officer election. And I personally have never seen it as an officer election. I see it more as gauging interest and support.
And there is nothing binding about what goes on tonight. What happens on the eighth is binding. So to me, that is the official vote. So I don’t I don’t know that it puts us in and if I’m asked so we’re going to get to do that is the official
Wording is very important what we’re doing here. So on January 8th, that’s a general word, meaning it’s the organizational and it’s the organized and regular meeting. Yeah. Yep. It’s a working it’s a work session. Work session. So it’s a very differing, you know, so during sessions there are no votes. Right? Exactly.
So I think maybe that can be kind of for constituents might be concerned to say, well, we had different terminology for different arrangements. And I will say two and we’ll hear what other people say. Right. We can remove we have an agenda. We can’t talk about anything that’s not on the agenda,
But we can certainly take stuff off agendas. Right. And so the way so there is there I can see that I had a conversation with maybe two weeks ago. I sat down and I outlined everything. I said, here’s a reminder. And we have conversations with them. SBA Every every year.
Right. Joel, it was great to see you. All right. So I had a conversation with them. I said, and they know what we do, right? And I say, this is what way that it does. This is what we’ve been doing. And then I said, and this is what’s happening this year.
And I even said, and there are board members that are concerned with that and there’s community is asking and this is why we do it. And And Kirk said, you are just fine in what you’re doing. We understand it. It’s good to have those conversations.
Kirk Schneider When is the executive director of RMS VA? And he did say to in all honesty, right, he’s like, Sarah, your community needs to see you as cohesive and your community needs to see that you’re ready to hit the ground running. And what I see you doing is having conversations around cohesion
And hitting the ground running. And so I guess I will say that anyone that hasn’t spoken can share some things and then maybe we’ll just have a conversation to say, Do we take this conversation off or are we ready to move forward? Personal information not just what specifically we call enable it.
Just in a minute, we’ll talk about do you want to just strike the whole officer conversation from the agenda? Yeah, Do you want to I mean, really, we can talk about point. I’m sorry. I’ll do that. We can talk about Melanie’s point.
If we don’t think we need to meet at all tonight, we can do that too, Right? And so. So I just want to respect Milan’s requests and concerns and validate them and honor them. And my request. I just want to make sure that I’m and that.
Okay, Can you maybe I did misunderstand it. So tell me again my request is for that. We want to understand that the Standing Committee on Global Capital will be a board on January eight. But I think risk is now, if we have a problem, what are you going to do right now?
I would like on what the statute does not allow, as all I’m saying. And so Sara talked to somebody in my VA and so the the organizational meeting where we vote has to be on that. This is an organizational meeting where we do not vote, where it’s in, it’s not binding.
There’s no binding vote and engaging. It’s a little bit more I don’t know, we didn’t we asked who would support you and who was harassed or so on. So I think so sorry. I was just going to say like again, if there are more number of participants, global position, how do we work?
And when I say how do we would and probably speaking on behalf of your members, let’s say Milan because I have written before, I’m at least some buyer right now, I’m sure maybe departed from community doing on account. But if there are, should I you are running for the same position.
How does it work then? We literally like talk to, you know. Yep. No. So that’s a great question. So that’s what I was going to report. So at the at the meeting in January and you can go on YouTube and watch the last as many meetings as you want to right now.
We haven’t been videotaping since COVID. So at like whatever, right. You can say that. We say, okay, now we will move into board elections. The first position open is for treasurer, is there any nominations for treasurer? And then that’s open, right? And so then at that, then someone is responsible for saying, I
Whatever on, then you can nominate yourself. Yep, you can say No, no. And then we are statutory required to call for nominations 3 to 3 months. So then we say and then so in that way and so, and then we have it
And there’s a practice and I know then we can like let’s maybe we’ll have three people nominated for chair, right? Okay. Okay, all those. Then we take a roll call vote in favor of PAs, as you say, I wasn’t opposing nay and then you do it for. Yeah. you’re right. You’re right.
Then you say yes, then you say to the prior yes or no. Sorry, I you’re right and I don’t. I knew that I will read up on all of that to make sure that I know with multiple people. So yeah, on a roll call vote or something
And I have never got the most votes would really answers that so that is all that I’m not I’m not going to speak from memory. That is certainly something that we can do. The answer to your question is now how do we do it?
We Call for nominations, as many people can be now even. I mean, the reality is, is that let’s say and then I will get to you. Let’s say that we have a conversation, right? And we and we talk about things and then let’s say between now
And January, you know, you’re like, I want to run for clerk, right? Like, I want to do it. And so I’m going to do that. And you haven’t talked to anyone and you just decide to self nominate for clerk, you know, more power to you. So it’s so there is there is
Abs, but I want to be super transparent before I go to Valentino. Right. The purpose of this conversation. Right. And and if and if says you talk to Terry and I talk to Kirk and then we can talk to Terry and Kirk about getting their act together, we certainly don’t want to do
About do anything. But the purpose of this is really around professional communication, continuity, productivity and what we have defined for decades as our. Why is that a model of excellence? We’re not, as far as I know, and people have known
That we were doing for decades, and no one told us to cease and desist. No one’s even said, Gosh, that doesn’t feel right. It’s been something that we’ve talked about, but it will be the will of this group with this and all things to decide how we want to move forward.
Tina, I’m sorry to keep you waiting for this. That is. Yes, this is everything is fine. All right. So that gathers them both on. The one part is going to be shorter and moving, but we’ve always been quite difficult. And so let’s say, based on what I’m hearing in person, changed my mind
And decided not many out of the blue one must be official. Then it can be also kind of weird. You know, I leave here right now, kind of with these saying, Well, I think this person should be doing that job.
And I was going to be in the position that somebody of a sudden on Monday changed that person to be supportive. That’s going to leave you kind of weird aftertaste. I mean, that’s that’s exactly why we do what we do. Yeah, you’re right. You’re exactly right.
We had the opportunity to talk about it every day, right. Because this mindset is so it’s not like I can’t have several conversations. So we have them in this forum so that we’re not having the conversations outside of that was more honest. And if my point is, let’s grab
You can use me as you you can use me as an example to statement from I would like to grab any other names. I don’t know, Mary. Mary, I say I am for Mary Louise position. And then all of a sudden on Monday I say I’m disappointed in myself.
I said, no, I am actually for this person. Do you hope? But we will not be in that position. So you kind of like I think if somebody did decide to change your mind from now to then, it would. When I’m talking, what would you get for the relationship? It would.
So you have to wait. Who did that? You have to weigh your relationship with everyone else and changing your mind. But it’s still possible. Nothing that’s decided at this meeting is binding, so you just have to mess around. Yes, She’s married. Well, he didn’t think you’re going to change, you know.
Well, I think that’s got to be. I’m just saying. But. But yeah, my, my, my understand day is so bad. If we’re reading today, we might spend time, you know, on Monday, hopefully focused on it. But it’s not that that’s the goal. You know, I understand everyone gets when they go
Full time, what happens is right Everyone right. Well, you know, I think I think the purpose hopefully would be the only way to change our minds as individuals who are voting for who might be seeking an office that is more or less said that out based on this degree.
And so, you know, I think I mean, what happens is what we make happen and we all have to understand our actions will affect on other people’s lives. So I mean, so I think we’re all kind of but I’m hoping that it never happens
Again, like you said, that we want to put it out there. So we have. Yes. So that’s we get to I hope that that never happens either. I think that that is and I think we but this is how we come together. So I have a question. It looks like you’re interested in.
I knew or came over before we do that. Are we okay moving forward with the conversation? Yeah. Yeah. First of all. Yeah, but they put it on the table. Can that. Yes, very mildly. Related question. Yes. How does the order go? You, you ask for chair nominations first
And then you go down to Treasurer so right here is next maximum because there might be some people who, you know, knowing that maybe they’re not going to be supported for one office, might then something else again, another reason to hash things out ahead of time.
Would it make sense to go to the committees and nominations first before we go to draw? I feel like it will be much, much more down on because I feel very sad for the interest of the who will solve this problem. I don’t know if and maybe reasoning
Is a there we are, we all like to say and we all want to say approve it. Really, it’s a very good thing to have. And I do agree with you. I think that perhaps it could be said that who we see is kind of leading the race
For a certain position that will help us kind of settle that. Who should be on those committees based on who’s going to have those? Yeah, and there’s a very tangible one. The chair of the Finance Committee is the Treasurer. So as you think about who’s going to pick, you know, who’s
Going to pick a finance committee is sort of is that is that what I think a lot of people appreciate, some kind of informally discussed kind of agreed upon and I don’t about what I’m thinking the plan is worth one is exciting. Yeah. So okay so on the table right now
Is what are we going to do about the officer conversation? I personally would like to have the officer conversations and I second that and we’re not voting. Don’t second that, get that out of there. That is not what we’re doing. I speaking for her that she wants to do that
And I do not think that it is in conflict with the statutes. That’s how I feel. There’s nothing to know what about these guys over coffees. Well, I mean, I would like to know going into the aides who is interested in what and what kind of support they can expect. And I don’t
Want to just we’re doing it now in a public meeting. I don’t want have those conversations seriously, because then then you’re out of then we’re out of compliance compliant for sure. And I think I don’t know. I me as a newbie involved here because it was kind of a little bit
Right right agree versus in January like all these so I am still on top of that. We still kind of celebrate. I just it’ll give me a little the time because we are blowing the new word member straight and we are not so immediate. So I’m assuming, but not really whole
Lot are articulate. Yeah. Yes it is. Lord, I like it. I think from a C wise standpoint, act like it is the only reason I was saying and again, going back to the question, they don’t want people the nominations. There are a few folks that we know
That say, hey, I want to run because I work with them. I have the all right, I’m in more of a negotiation. So now when I try to learn more about her, can I approach or that prohibits us from doing anything like that? You can, yes.
And then let me here one on one canvas stations can be so, so on that we’ll talk about that like one to like you going to Sheila and saying, tell me about yourself and what do you want to know? That’s always okay.
Now you going to Sheila and saying, I talked to Dan who said that he thinks we should do this and Valentino supports it and Sarah doesn’t support it. And Heidi, once if you start talking about multiple people doing, you are always you can always talk your voice
To you can talk about your voice to another person. And it’s it’s four people at once. That’s right. Right. Because all right, I’ll be sorry. That’s why we are videotaping and people invited and it’s posted and all of those things that you had changed that Sheila’s okay and I think you’re okay
Talking about it, too. Are you okay with having the officer conversation? Sorry, I’m still looking at having the other two related hands. Okay. With having the officer conversation is okay with having the officer conversation 19 is okay with having to go observe one’s okay and then the conversation passes. Okay.
With every conversation, Sarah is okay with having a conversation. Let’s do it. 607i want to do a couple of things before we get into that. All right. So, so some some coverage. So if think about what’s in your if you look at what’s in your packet. All right.
Here’s the other thing I want to say. And I think I said that in an ideal world, this meeting would feel really easy and really understandable and really smooth to the board members. This is a heavy meeting, especially this year with some of this is some things and it’s always overwhelming.
I mean, I don’t think there’s any organizational meeting that doesn’t feel a bit like a firehose, but I just want to acknowledge it that that that it is that it is a lot and a lot of your packet information is background information. I also
Want to set a stage because I like to bring this in a lot and Amy was going to copy the story and she forgot. But it’s okay and it’s why is it why? Effective communication is tricky between what I think what I want to say, what I believe I’m saying
What I actually say, what you want to hear, what you actually hear, what you believe you understand and what you want to understand and what you understood. There are at least nine possibilities for understanding. And I just bring this up in this conversation and as we are there. Right.
And so just this sort of framework like we’re hearing that we’re all wearing different lenses, we’re all hearing different things. And so as we think about it, and I think that goes back to what we I think we just did really naturally is speaking understanding.
Right. And let me tell me tell me if this is right. And so just really an invitation around communication to center stage in your packet. And we’re going to depending on how we’re feeling, we might skip over some things and move forward. We did our the packet had some background information,
We did our relationship building activity. I ask everyone to think about the governance core in chapters one and two is that we’re not going to spend a lot of time on it because we were excited to get to work and we can maybe do that.
Is there anything because I asked for it and the teacher in me for 15 years know that I didn’t ask for homework. If you ask people to do homework and then you don’t follow up on the homework, they’re never going to do your homework again and I need you to be home.
So I’m gonna follow up on it. Is there anything from the governance score that stood out to you or that you want to bring to put into this room this evening? Agree on is that we are the trustees, right? Yes. Okay. Yeah. So fallen and fallen.
It’s interesting because because Flynn and Campbell are from Khan, Canada. So they write about trustees. But we’re in the trust with the trustees and it looks like that’s different for it. So that’s confusing to me. The learning is based on these chairs. Yeah. So yeah, yeah. It was surprising to see examples
About California. Maybe I’m reading from them from as far as I was in California and something that could be an indication and of the hallway biases. And so I think they use little anecdotes I think is kind of what I would at least say was that when they had the little blue squares,
I did wonder if those were just kind of like faux scenarios or if they were actually some of them, I think, were actually kind of trends. For example, if a member did this. So and as for California, I think what was interesting is that the copyright on the book is 29.
So a lot sort of an education. So yep, it’s great. And so it’s a very different picture from what we might see. Not even that that’s what you said and full in has a new has a new book out so you can have a post-pandemic.
I, i it was a while ago when I read it but if I recall the examples were used more to demonstrate governance versus management and not necessarily that we should be following whatever they were about. Just because somebody has made a mistake like that
Since the point in governance, the boundary of schools should be. I think it was just a copy. I have said probably because it’s going to help resolve if I doesn’t, sorry, I couldn’t do it. Well, okay. So the governance versus management thing, you know, I’m still fairly new.
This took it’s a very gray area and it’s having so maybe just as an example from ways that are and so you know this the school board agrees that as you know the high school recently was talking about changing the supervisor schedule. That is not the school board’s decision.
We don’t go on what we want or anything like that is Chase Anderson’s decision. It’s the principal’s decision. That’s the management portion. However, because that decision would ultimately affect ways that it as a whole, you know, like it’s if it was something
That was really integral to our districts, we don’t vote on the schedule. But Chase asked for our, you know, input on that. So that’s where we were. We were led a little bit into the management sphere at that time when we said, here is what we do. We recommend.
It’s not a decision that is on management. The governance part of it comes where we help make the roadmap. We go, we set policy, but we don’t do any of the nitty gritty stuff except occasionally when we’re asked. And it’s it’s a very it can be a very gray area.
We’ll talk about the committees to which I think I only recently really appreciated where you get to talk about more of the nitty gritty stuff on the committees and you’re not giving advice, but you’re asking questions like why was why was it done this way? Or were there other options
Where, for instance, is this where your influence is? Because when you get on the board, you’re first thinking like, I’m going to have a ton of influence and I want to be able to do a bunch of stuff. But really that’s that’s more management stuff. So can I go back to other examples?
Yeah. So part of why we were asked you can chime in here, but part of the reason we were asked to leave our building temperature is because the reason of the driver was our budget. The board is the one who, who’s financing the budgets, right?
And so that was the only reason that that was going up for consideration. And so it was a question about investments, how are we going to invest our dollars? And so that’s a big reason why they came back to us, because if the money is okay, well, maybe we can continue
Or how do we make it sustainable or those are the questions that that’s that’s part of the reason why I sort of I think, let’s be honest, that I’m satisfied with you, that you wanted to go out and get it the last 20 your own way ownership interest and made and the principals
The board is saying this is where we want to go. And then we told the administration there was right right in that you know and yeah and so in you are aligning with that the book says is simply put governance is steering and management is rowing. Right.
And so natal bring up also on page 37 about the dance in the balcony. Right. And so it’s that same thing and the reason why the reason why that’s so important for us to talk about that they talk about is that it’s the governance mindset, right?
And so and board members are elected to governance that manager teach. And to complicate even more boards, governance, not individual trustees. And so one of the reasons why we’ve been doing so much leaning into this book, in this mindset is because kind of what Sheila was saying, each one of us,
You know, and at different times, it’s more ways where we come in and we’re like, I was elected, I was just doing all this stuff on the campaign trail. I want to make a difference. I’ve got ideas, I want to do that.
And then you come in and people are like, Well, you’re just want to step seven. Your voice doesn’t really mean anything. You have to do it together. But by the way, don’t talk to one another about it, because then you break up. I mean, like, think about it’s sort of ridiculous.
Like you’re one of seven. You have to act as a group, but don’t talk as a group because then you’re breaking open meeting law and then that’s against the thing, but somehow come with a way. Right? And so in our committees tonight and how we use that is one of so
Our committees, how we talk about them tonight, is one of those ways that we’re that we do that a little bit more. IT committees really are kind of our invitation to the dance floor sometimes and then we can do that and the reason that we spend so much time
Digging into this and we do it in phases is because how that looks like is, you know, like we each come in governance management challenges at different times based on the issue. Right. And based on the thing. And so these kind of professional development conversations, each one of
You had it in a one on one conversation with Dan Huberman last week. So we don’t necessarily have to take the board. This has it. We’ll talk more about our self-evaluation. I think, at the work session in a couple of weeks and then all through next year.
And so we don’t necessarily have to dig into a lot of that tonight, but wanted to to have that. So another thing that I’m just going to say one more time that we talk a lot about is this handshake, that there’s a governance management handshake that allows us
Where the board sort of says to the superintendent, okay, we’re going to do our thing, you’re going to do our thing, and we’re going to you know, and we’re going to trust and and we talked a lot about trust tonight. And that’s there. Okay. So next we in your packet
There, we’ll get to things. So the next thing in your packet is a review of so we have our our strategic roadmap and our equity commitment. These two things that we’ll continue to reference. Right. And I would like us to think about this transparency and opacity
And interdependency and interdependency as we go through our conversation this evening and the through line that is there. This eight characteristics of a school board, right, that is in here, that is in your packet. Again, I mean, if there’s anything that stood out to you in that conversation, we can talk about it.
I think I can. This continues to go in because I think it sort of summarizes what we do in one and a half pages and it goes through any comments about that or question. I have more on from the Williamson board. Yeah. So based on what you guys have seen by
How much you really need to know the revisions, what I mean by that is let’s say you’re talking about, you know, children in captivity. It’s just easy to discuss. But has actually has anyone actually gone in cafeteria with better desperate search for the closest words where the handshake happens?
So just let them sort of grasp how everything works? Do we actually go and visit as mom? Yes. Okay. Yeah, that is what I did last night. So and that’s, you know, in the role of the board And again, that governance versus management, right.
Like our job is to say we’ve heard a lot of people talking about that. Right. And maybe we’ll say something like, gosh, it seems like the lines that East are really, really long, what is going on? And so then the expectation is
That the administration is going to come back to us and be like, Michelle was there. Right. And she is working on and, you know, and this is what we found and this is our action step in, whatever. So so that’s our role.
And if you think about, you know, I mean, that we’ve said this if you think about it, each one of us, right, as we learn to work together, are going to start to kind of work in gel together. But you could walk into the East Middle school cafeteria
And have a very different set of expectations then then I might have then Sheila might have been, you know, and one of the last things that we want is each one of us giving directions to someone to say, you need to fix that. And so it’s it’s more of accountability driving.
Right. And so do you know, what are the wait times? What are you doing about it? What the weight you know, what do other buildings what are their wait times, what are the averages? What are the things that are facing? Sure. And and the other piece of that, Sarah, is
I personally, the way that I like to do that is I like to bring those questions to committee meetings. So if I’m not on the facilities meeting, if I’m not on the facilities committee, I email the chair of the facilities committee and I say, Hey,
Can you make sure to follow up on this because I’ve been hearing a lot about it, and then they get back to you on how that goes. So there are you know, I know we don’t like when we compare ourselves to other school boards
Because this is our school board and we work within this one. It is the common practice for school board members sometimes to go into schools. I guess if we trust each other, you know, to have the government management mindset knowing what our role is, I guess I would like to evaluate possibly
In the future as a making it a more acceptable practice for us to go in only just because we do set priorities And, you know, it helps to know what should maybe be the priority that you feel most personally, you know, should be the priority
If you know how our decisions affected things in the schools, which there are many ways to find out which is asking questions in committees, but also you want to community unity, relationship. I think it looks the optics are really good
If we are seen in the school right and something yeah I you know yes I am allowed to be chair of the stakeholders committee. I think that’s a really good place to take that out. I have it absolutely started on that. It absolutely is a good to take it up.
That was a suggestion. I have a proposal that was brought to the stakeholders Committee five years ago about adaptive school and things that we could do in whatever. So it’s so it should be edited and updated, but it’s there. Yeah. And it was the one wrote for personal. But generally
What happens is, okay, I’m going to hear from experts. Our community is asking me on this. I’m sorry, I can’t convince them, right. I don’t want to be a postman. So if I’m just looking here and passing that information, I’m hiding anybody.
But when I actually look at it, then I look at what is doing and I know that what they’re doing is the best that I can be more confident when I talk to my state workers. Right? So it wasn’t really a challenge, right? Nope. That’s nope. Was
Like, I understand what is being really done. We are really attacking the problem. Like all my questions answer now, I can articulate very well to communicate if there are any doubts, because I suppose not everybody joins them. But one always, you know, the attitude we bring in would be extremely important
If we were to do and I have one community also that wants to do something. And I think we all know that the average wants to go would have to be the outcomes of what lines, what they’re struggling with, what’s happening, how will be what can we go in employment do.
This is going to call a an obstacle and that was the same thing in the Kimberley region in Alaska associated with it. And I think I sent you an email to the ministry for a couple of reasons. One was my children went to obviously and it was important
In what the community said, go and look for yourself out of this. I Understand there’s a policy that you want to be restoring sort of learning, but there can be ways around that. They don’t, you know, they’re not doing well in. They’re going to know that you’re there.
And another thing to bring up and then I’ll go to Heidi’s is to is that we need to remember that our community is now all 70,000 residents. So there may be a portion of, the community that says board members go into the classroom and look at this.
And there’s another portion of the board member that’s like, my gosh, my kid’s classroom is too big. I don’t want board members. They’re disrupting everything else. I don’t want my child to be a guinea pig and watching. I want my kid to learn and I don’t want you in there disrupting the teacher.
And so it’s important to be thinking about what community means, right? And in the end, and with that one and that was, you know, a conversation with Dr. Westman and what is and we need to the handshake is we say to and the teacher should have gone to her principal
And asked if she, before she invited board members and candidates, did then go to the principal and say, this is your building, this is you are responsible for that. What is that process, Heidi, in the building? And I would like to close because I think these are all good ideas,
But I would like to propose that we create a strategy around some of these things. So that, too, as we go in as board members to some of these interactions, we have a really clear understanding of what we’re what information we are expected to come back on to our board colleagues
So that it’s not just like this feel good, kind of like I’m doing the things that everybody wants me to do, but that there’s an actual purpose. And so that’s why I’m saying I would like to take it to the community so that we can create with in alignment with our district administration.
How could this actually be really effective, including our current, our communication with the community so that maybe managing their expectations too, about what they expect when we go in, what what we’re there for, and the person, the people that know that. And I would say just from a process standpoint,
Sorry, I know I said I would get to, but from a process standpoint, it it absolutely makes sense that this would start from a stakeholders because it’s a stakeholders issue. What would probably then happen and what I would say is that I would probably invite me
To come in to that stakeholders meeting as you’re talking about it, because then it would probably go to the principals meeting, right? And so this handshake then is about that setting of goals. This is what the board would like to do or what
Or this is what the board is thinking and why principals can say, okay, this is what we’re thinking, and then the board can take that say, okay, this is how this fits with what we’re thinking or not. And then, you know, it’s a dialog. So that’s a process. But in this situation, teacher
Ensure that the board is simultaneously. So I don’t I still never pleaded with the principal to have people from outside the building into the classroom. And so teachers need to there’s a process if the teacher is going to invite someone in a classroom, if it’s outside of a parent volunteer,
You got to run it through your principal first. I have to say, if I had a child in that classroom and just, you know, candidates were being allowed in without clearance, I would be upset that that was my kid’s classroom. Yeah. I mean, as a school board member,
It’s is still iffy, but we’re at least board members. We have more official titles to be allowed into a classroom again. And assuming gone through the proper channels, I would not want strangers coming into my kid’s classroom just out of the blue. We wouldn’t be trained for that kind of.
We can have board members. Yeah, but I, I would want the proper channels followed and we’ve been. And for me, that that was actually very personal because Mrs. POCHOWSKI was my first chair. Teacher Yep, Yep. So I’m going to go and see your class and how it’s changed
And what I was going to be very valuable. So, you know, going forward, you, I would like to make that visit again, just to observe kind of what she’s talking about, what that means. It is very personal to me. And so, you know, now that come January I will be a board member,
Would there be an avenue for me to do that? Would that be something that could be that would be something that would be negotiated through the superintendent and the principal? Again? Again, there there is that process. Right. And so there is there we in the handshake. Right.
The principal, we put a lot of expectations on our principal to run their buildings and to do it in a way. There’s a number of practices and protocols that our teachers are asked to do and in a variety of ways. And so that’s that’s where that is comment on opportunity small
That reminded me of a former colleague of mine on at least two occasions used to march on anybody who said, Sir, in this small number of community members, go and try to micromanage his creation or something like that, like I’m all from a group of people, from the healthy and healthy
Like myself or Heidi, another member, and that we should try to do all that and you to get people to do. And lots of people are telling me that you are representing them. But I don’t know if I like those kinds of comments on the board that I’m sitting on.
But you also remember that when people were only 3600 people work on 600 people on the community, what difference does that mean? Why not important for me and it for the virtual crowd. So so there’s the problem of trying to just because a few it’s only
A few community members that are local take the time to respond and get involved. Doesn’t mean that they are a minority. And we go to the them saying, I think that often you are you are exactly right. Everyone, all people’s voices and inputs count. I think what we think about as board members
And what our challenges as we think about it is this is an a question that we often ask, right? This is who I’m hearing from and this is what they’re saying. Who am I not hearing from and why? Right. And so that’s not to say that just because the people come to us
That, they are discredited because other people don’t. But it is important to hear I mean, to think about, yeah, this is what I’m hearing. But not everybody thinks like how I here and as are representing Asian of representing everybody, that means we represent people that think like us.
We represent people that don’t think like us, where we represent people that you know, and that is that. And so the questions, just as a board that I think we’re invited to say is, what am I hearing? What are the grains of truth? And what what’s important in that in communication
And all communication is important in any communication. We get pretty members important. And then when my not hearing right and what does what do I take from that? Right. Okay. The top so we had a little bit of conversation. I think we’ll talk about these a little bit more, but it’s to know.
So you got a long thing. We put in the whole statute around the open meeting law right in your packet and we can talk about that. My thought is, is that we don’t necessarily spend it. We can spend some time talking about open meeting lots. And I remember that open meeting law happens
That the violation of the meeting happens when there’s more than a quorum of the board. Right. And so three of the more than three members of the board is open meeting or open meeting can take. And it takes place when you are doing
The work of the board of the wise at a school board. Right. So it doesn’t mean that we can’t out for appetizers after graduation. It doesn’t mean that we cannot all attend a retirement party. It doesn’t mean that we can’t all of that
Because we can all be together for not doing the work of the board. Now, for sitting at happy hour having appetizers, and we start to talk about how to send people into classrooms. Then we’re the work at the board open meeting, what violations can also happen in serial emails.
And that means and again, that’s more than quorum. And it doesn’t mean if you are collecting information. Right. And so I’m going to give you an example. You get a you we know that at least past practice and I know this is up for conversation as it should be,
You get an email from a community member and it’s addressed to you and you’re not certain if it’s just to you or if it goes to everyone else. So you can send a note to the whole board to say, Did anyone else get this right?
And then people can respond to you and to everyone. You can reply all, I got it. I didn’t get it right. That works if you reply and say I didn’t get it. But I think that we need to do this, that or the other thing right, then you don’t want to do that.
You don’t want to add any work related to it. You it’s a communication piece. Additionally, as you do work, you can copy the chair right in your process because you can say this is that if you’re sending it out to the whole committee, you don’t necessarily if you’re sending
Something out to the whole committee that you need to have them know, you send it out to the committee, you do the work of the committee. If there’s something from the but when there’s work of the committee, you can then forward in a non serial chain to the chair and just say f
Y the chair can have some of that organizing stuff as an F, why not to rein on the work of the board. Right. So in general hitting reply all, if it’s not a organizational or structure or kind of planning thing is probably something you don’t want to do
Because you just want to, you just want to respond to the person. At times the chair will be tasked with saying, I’m going to call every board member like, we’ve got something big coming up, right? And there’s some information that we to get out or we need to, whatever
The chair may call every board member and say, Hey, I just want you to know that we’re doing this. The job of the chair is to communicate that information. It’s a one way delivery and your way to ask a question, not a
And by the way, you should know that X, Y, Z, or whatever it is that makes sense. It’s a lot, but does that make sense? Any concerns about that? I want to be, yeah. And so we do intend to do that and of curiosity. So if we message our board,
That is you receive this. So if we receive it so someone sent an e-mail to let’s say she’s listening and, and she said, well, you know, I got to see all the emails, get it. If I did receive that email and I that then I’d inquire to see it.
Or is that just out there. Well, you’ll get it right because she’ll well, you’ll get it right and so right. Yeah. Right. Yes. Sometimes. Now you could also do and sometimes we do like did anyone else get an email from Sara about the lunch prices. Right.
And so if you’re not, you know sometimes you might get her. Did anyone else a phone call from you know like you could say. But in general it works really well to just forward the email and say, did anyone else get this? And then all you say back is, yes or no.
I thought it was it was an email from. And then the first thing we actually for the Yeah, yeah yeah. Again but it can happen to do a phone call or Yeah. All the way conversation and then you may someone to send it to and just hey have you heard about this.
So I don’t know if you got it but you can actually read an article on CNN on The New York Times. You can send out a no fly report and nobody nobody can go to their conversation. Obviously, they can do whatever they want to do with it. So, yeah,
Maybe they’re not sharing information Card or Paterson was a great one with that. She would share things all the time. You can say things like, Hey guys, you know, like you can say like there’s a there’s a event that you can share a thing that says there’s a event
At the Plymouth City Hall on Tuesday the 27th about fill in the blank. You can give information, right? You can’t begin to you can’t engage in the work of the board in engaging in the work of the board is to start to share is to start to share your leanings,
Inputs or feelings around an issue. So it has to be done in a public meeting. That’s a of right if it’s if it’s the work of the board, I mean the committees and again the committee is talk about things, right. And we’ll talk about that.
But for the full board, if we’re going to talk about if we’re going to do any board work, which is decision making work right, we have to do it in a posted meeting thinking of probably the company picture is going to be sent out for meeting the whole board. I believe,
About a conversation based on that. No, you can app, you can ask. And that’s the whole point of posting. The minutes is like. And so if Heidi when Heidi post the stakeholders so I can seek information. Absolutely And you need to do that that’s the whole point a minute.
So I’m not seeking information. I’m just saying that this one part of this question, you cannot go back and say, you know what, I don’t think I think it’s it. But you could what you could do, for example, is say, can you get more information from your next meeting?
Then it gets and then it goes to judgment that. So that’s would be very careful. Yeah. But then can I, for example, in the same case, respond to you coffee chairs, Would that be okay? Because between three of us, let’s say if I, if I, if I personally would
Just speak to the chair of the committee or just respond to the chair because then you get away from breaking rules. Sure. Right, guys. And you can and again, if you’re not doing action, right, I mean, like if you if you have a concern about something that’s being talked
About in teaching and learning. Right. Like, let’s see, someone’s in there, you have a concern about it, go to that chair and say, I have a concern about this. Like, this is what I don’t understand I need to know. And as long as you are one way communicating with the chair,
Just because the conversation happened with more people, you’re one way communicating with the chair. You you can do that, right? And you can even you can even do Heidi’s the stakeholder chair. Milne’s the board chair, right? And you can go to Heidi and say, I have a concern about what’s happening at stakeholders.
And you can say to Millen, Hey, board chair, I concerned about what’s happening at stakeholders and the chair doesn’t respond and say, you’re right, and so does Heidi and so does Dan. And Sheila thinks this and whatever, right? Like we’re not talking about other people.
Yes, but you need to we need to be able to open meeting. What does it mean that boards can’t communicate and work and problem solve together? What it means is that you can’t start to for other people or say and really where you’re going to get into it.
If you’re like, yeah, you know what? Sheila and Dan and Heidi all disagree too. So we’re all going to vote no next week, right? Like If you start doing that, that’s coalition that’s breaking open meeting, right, Because you’re making when you get to. So if you’re seeking information, help me to understand.
I’m concerned about it. I want to know more. That’s learning saying I need you to vote no on this, that or the other thing because I don’t like it. Are you going to promise me that you’re going to vote no? That’s breaking open meeting law. That’s the problem.
Campaigning for people to get in your is breaking up in meeting one seeking understanding is doing your job. And I know from the sitting so let’s say you are on the seeker you will have to in a box switch right so let’s say we have an equations conference. Usually
I will go to you and let’s say to Amy or just just to the chair, just to the chest. I don’t have to talk to Amy directly. Okay. Now Amy, guys, those are organizing that you will be accountable for. Me accountable next month if I don’t get the follow up with Rachel.
All right, There is a little bit, but it is important for chairs, like if Heidi’s hearing a bunch of things right as the chair, Heidi, kind of needs to come to the board, to the board chair, to the administrator and say, hey, the board is doing this right.
Like we don’t want any one person being. That’s the only thing you don’t you don’t want any one person being the keeper of the information. Right I mean, again, we have to be able to work together in the way that we work together is by dialoging conversation.
What we can’t do is try to take votes outside of meetings. Okay. Point of hopefully simplification. If if I’m going to talk to somebody outside of a public meeting and I don’t talk about anybody else but we discuss a topic and I say no.
And how do you feel about the high school schedule? What are you really? And I say, I’m leaning towards this not violation of open meeting law. Can I then only talk to one other person about that? Or I can individually say, What are you thinking as I’m thinking this mountain?
And what are you thinking? I’m thinking is I could do that each member of the board. So what I do is I don’t bring other people in. So what I think you want to do in that like I mean, yes, you can seek information, but what my only tweak of that right, is
Keep it less about what are you thinking as it relates to your vote. Yeah. And more about tell me what you understand about this. Right. So tell me what you what you know about this or what are your concerns about it or what are your things.
And so again, think of it less about the work, like collecting votes and more about help me understand this. I’m really chewing on this on this idea. What am I thinking of? Or help me understand it better. If you start getting into a vote mindset, then you’re really in danger.
That’s when you’re wading into open meeting. Well, if you’re in a give me your perspective, right pers from your finance Shohat You know, and whatever. How does this sit with you? Right. Like, what do you or Heidi I heard Deedee
Say at the meeting the other day this what did how did you take that? Like, what was that that’s seeking understanding that’s less of, gosh, I hate it when I always does that. We got a voter down this time, you guys, right. Does that make sense?
And I and you know I mean and so yeah so but I’m going to give another active example, right? When we were doing this high school thing, the high school schedule, that was very much dipping into management. Right. We we were on the dance floor cutting a rock at that moment.
And then we kind of got back up when I made the phone. And I’m guessing each of you had phone calls to other colleagues to say that right? When we made those phone calls, it was more about, here’s what we know
When made the phone calls, here’s what we know, what are the questions? You know, what are the things? Right. And we got all of that. And then another fundamental piece, what we do as a board and this is connected to high functioning boards is a no surprises rule.
So we want no surprises at the board table so that means if you are feeling very different than something that’s moving forward, if you think you’re going to vote no on something that’s moving forward, if got questions right, we ask to submit questions in advance.
So as we were having that high school conversation after all of that, because I knew we were the before the vote, because I knew very strongly what I was going to what I was going to do, and I didn’t want any surprises at the board table.
I said, okay, are we done with all of questions? Is everyone good? Have we closed it up? Yes. And then I said, and I want you to know for a no surprises, I am feeling this way. I didn’t say I’m feeling this way. What are you feeling?
I didn’t say I’m collecting things as a chair. I have little more. I mean, as a chair. I can do that because I got to know kind of where we are as a chair. You do kind of want to collect votes at the end if it’s controversial because,
You want to go back to your administration because of the administration’s putting something forward and the board’s going to vote it down, then we might back to the administration and say we’re going to remove that vote from the agenda because you don’t necessarily want to feel something at the table. Right.
So there’s a few chair things that are different, right And if you are feeling a certain way or if that is there, you need to communicate with the chair and say this, that I’m not in support of that or something like that, or I’m not with the group in some way.
Does that make the chair offer you the information that you’re missing? So what might look like it might take you to that level of support or you might still be in that. I can’t support it, but at least we get the information from, for instance, we had a practices.
Anything that you send on behalf of the school board can be for you. It can be part of a Freedom of Information Act, the things that you want to talk about that first of all, don’t put anything in in an email that you don’t want on the front page of the Star Tribune,
Because at any given time what you write an email can be put on the front of the Star Tribune. Second of all, don’t do any district business. Once you get your district email with outside of your district, email, because if you were using your personal laptop
And you were doing things and that is voided, your personal laptop can be taken from the attorneys while they get all that stuff down. So nothing should ever, nothing ever district level should ever be done in anything other than your district. Email Now your emails, not your campaign emails or your two
It says over any questions. We’ve already taken the website, but you can do an auto reply. So even hundreds of emails, right? If you have a group, please do not do that. This is unwanted million Monitor questions about the school board. Please email me at your address. And that way it’s not.
Any questions will go in front of you. I think I’m going to just take it down. So we just the text messages are a little dicey, right? Because we are doing text messages. You sort of text at your own risk. Again, don’t do it.
Don’t do a lot of district business over text like we know we do sometimes. But just but just know that you’ll know this that anything all of our packets and anything that’s in a packet is available for public record at the meetings if you happen to again
If you’re going to bring something to a board meeting as a supporting document or something else, please give it to Amy. She can submit it as part of the packet. Anything that’s passed around at a board meeting are used at a board meeting needs to be available.
There are times that we will that board members, I should add, there are times that board members might receive information about something before it goes into the packet. So teaching and learning might be presenting on something and they might send it to board members in advance to review
And it might not be uploaded to board book until the board meeting. And part of that reason is because there could be a lot of context that goes along with it. So it’ll be given to board meetings to review. Any community member will have access to it once the meeting starts,
Which is at the time the community needs to have access to documents. Once we have the meeting about the document. But you just don’t be surprised that some you might get an email on occasion if it’s something that’s highly sensitive or something that has a lot of detail
Where the administration will say this is for your review in advance of the meeting, please do not share it until the meeting. And if you have concerns about that, then you need to follow up around that specific idea. We can talk about why that is. Again. So yeah, makes sense.
Okay, we talked about email already. So policies, we’ll talk about some of our governing policies and but not in a lot of detail. Five that’s in this note that it is really important to ask first then vote, not the other way around.
What’s super important is you want to be able to ask all of your questions. One of the things that a no surprises in you want to ask questions at board meetings that get answered, right? Nobody wants to gotcha an administrator from the board table. Nobody wants to be captured at the board table
And you don’t want to ask questions and then have someone say, I’ll get back to you on that. Right. You want your questions answered. So sometimes in board, discussions, questions come up as you’re listening to things, this is not a way to police that you can ask any questions that come up.
But as you’re reviewing the information, as you’re considering about what’s an agenda, send questions. You send it to the administrator in the board chair so that people kind of know what that I mean. You said it actually technically we’ve been doing that wrong.
Technically, you’re supposed to send it to the superintendent and the board chair, and then the superintendent will make sure that he directs it to his appropriate SLT person. One of the reasons is, is because Didi could get seven different finance questions that are all the same question.
And then she’s like, Who do I respond to and who do I don’t I can’t answer seven questions before 4:00 today. Who do I ask? But if you send them all to Chase, he compiles them. He says, This is the thing. And then Didi answers that question.
So in an effort of no surprises and making sure that everyone is as effective and as efficient as they can, if you have questions, submit them in advance. Sometimes most of the time the administrator is going to respond to your question in the email.
So if I send something to Didi, she’s going to send me a response. But before the board meeting, Didi knows I might still ask that question because. I’m not just asking it for my knowledge. I’m asking it for the community to know.
So just because I get an answer doesn’t mean I don’t ask the question. It’s just that she’s had the time to ask the people and to collect the stuff and get you a good, solid answer. No. Yeah. Where is the expenditure? Racism supply. I was on Thursday. Yep. Meeting ends on Monday.
By happenstance it’s like we keep on saying something else. It is very hard, especially at the beginning, to focus on that and lots material. And with let’s say I came up with a question whether they said that I was saying that question is going to be answering.
You’ll be amazed that who do so you’ll be amazed at what you’ll get or they’ll get it Monday morning and they will send that. So a helpful thing to do is to I mean, you are expected to read the board.
So so some of the maybe the not so glamorous parts of this job. You are expected to read the board packet in advance of the board meeting and you’re not going to get your board packet materials until Thursday or Friday. And so that is it’s a weekend work.
Each one of us have found a way to do that. Right. Like I remember Chris McCullough always read it on Sunday morning and you knew you you’re going to get all the Christmas questions, some time before 10 a.m. on Sunday morning because that’s when he read it. Other people read it
Sunday night, or if people read it sporadically throughout the things. So and you submit your questions our administrators are good and bad in that one. They’re doing especially on board meeting weekends chase and they are working a lot. I can remember Super Bowl Sundays Nate’s first year
We had a board meeting after Super Bowl Sunday. It was a big agenda. Both of them were watching the Super Bowl and responding to emails because. That’s just who they are. I always in my emails, if I’m sending them over the weekend, I say, This is the time that I’m working.
I’m not expecting a response right now. I always get one most of the time, but I don’t expect it. But yeah, I mean, the weekend before a board meeting, you’re going to get a packet, you’re supposed to read it and submit the questions. If you have them.
That’s kind of part of our work. Okay. Social media. This is another stakeholder topic. The board does not speak for the district on social media. We ask board. Board members are expected to not respond on behalf of the district on social media.
This our district has a lot of people that are monitoring social media. If you think that there’s something on social media that the district should respond to, you should send it to the communications department and they will follow that up.
But and please watch how much you do on your own personal social media. I’m going to tell you that our community is watching what you do on social media. And it’s not necessarily the people that love and adore you and want you to be successful that are watching your social media.
So if we get in trouble with over meeting law, Yes. Again, if you make somebody’s comments, people violated. So don’t write or comment on your board, colleagues, social media, communities in your will if make a Facebook post about a school board issue and the other board member comments.
Another board member likes to comment. Right. One another comment then got four people on board that already has board numbers. Not that I know it’s about individual cakes. Yeah, I know it’s now, but what would it be on a plan?
And let’s say we met with the Nestle team member, just the two of us let’s say, and we took a picture and say, I want to say thank you to so-and-so for your time. And we post that I wouldn’t. you wouldn’t know they’re doing their job.
I mean, like you’re going to transition into you need to transition into governance mode and not campaign mode. It’s you’re not campaigning anymore. You’re doing the work of the district. And so, yeah, we don’t our don’t want our team members don’t want to be all over
Social media they all have very different thoughts and feelings about that. Yeah. If you’re going to if you want to have them in a top position that do it, you know it really the truth is, is that the longer you serve on the board, the more that you just kind of
Stay away from a lot of that and just but not that you don’t monitor and listen and watch. It’s a great and it’s a great data input. Right. But but watch what you do. Okay. This open meeting on things. So we’re not going to go over all of that.
But this is all that you need to know. Open meeting law. Right? And so and if there are specific questions you can ask your mentor, you can ask the board, you can ask other people about that. We included all of the 200 pilot school board policies are organized in numbers.
100 is the work of the district. 200 is the work of the board, 300 is the superintendents office 400 is h.r. Five and 600 are teaching and learning. Seven and 800 are finance and operations and community and 900 are community engagement.
And so as you go through the policies, these are a lot of our two hundreds. They were just updated a couple or in 2022. But this just sort of tells us what we do. We’re not going to talk about them this evening unless there’s something,
But just know that most of the work that we do are governed by policies okay, it was my goal to make sure that, okay, we’re okay cause we were supposed to be done by 7:00. This meeting never goes on time. We’re going to keep on going.
But I’m hoping that we get to committees and conversations about officers by 715 that work. Is everyone okay? From child care and life and work and whatever? Go to the bathroom if you need to. But we are over time our standard operating procedures. Returning board members.
We just spent a lot of time talking about these. A question is, do we I’m going to put this on in our standard operating procedures we use. We’ve gone through and kind of looked at we highlighted as part of our board self-evaluation that maybe there are some practices
That we have that are not outlined in our standard operating procedures. Other boards have a board handbook. There are some boards that have worked a lot on creating, excuse me, a school board handbook, which work hand in hand with the standard operating procedures
I will throw out not as the person speaking as chair right now, but as a board member, but maybe even as a chair to that. We consider creating an ad hoc committee to look at our standard operating procedures and possibly explore the creation of a board handbook,
Because there are some things that we could do and get ready for that. So if anyone else is amenable to that, we won’t spend a lot of time digging into our standard operating procedures right now, even if we don’t do even if we don’t do
A an ad hoc committee on it, we can have sort of a working committee. That’s probably really what we would do is create a working committee just sort of looking at our standard operating procedures that how does that sound? So we have to decide
On having a committee either ad hoc or working committee that’s been discussed this now, or the committee could say What I want to talk about now is the current standard operating procedures that we have need to be affirmed in January. So do we have anything around
The standard operating procedures that you feel like you have to talk about? my gosh, you’re the best. my gosh. I word bubble. You don’t it now. It’ll be your present at the end of the night. Small celebrations. We can talk about if there’s anything in the standard operating procedures
Right now that we need to put on. It’s a good of the group. That’s what we do right now. Do you have anything? Right. Okay. Okay. What if we go in line, these things that come out right? Yeah. Yeah. So and what I might suggest in that process, right,
Is that if we that if we think that’s something we want to do and because these kind of came up is also part of our board self-evaluation, what I might say is because hopefully the board’s self-evaluation up conversation is going to happen in two weeks at our December work session.
So let’s sort of put that on maybe in this room. Let’s go have board self-evaluation conversation, right, and kind of talk about that and do our prioritizing and kind of go through that process. And then we’ll see what comes from that. That ties our to work. Okay, perfect. Guidelines for interaction
And respectful guidelines. A couple things. What I need to stop talking at all, y’all. I’m sorry. What’s it in? Everyone, pull up the guidelines for what stands out to you or what would you lift up in this room? Respectful guidelines as well as guidelines for interaction. First, I guess
Because that in a page number comes before that guidelines for interactions and then PARTIZAN guidelines. But actions. Let’s start with that, guidelines for interactions. What stands out to It’s page 57 in your packet. Balancing that they’re all important issues. They really are all six points.
I think what it speaks to to me is it just it’s a way to create alignment and to keep to keep especially the superintendent aware of what’s going on. I think that’s so important and building a good relationship with them because if we don’t, if we all the same communication,
You don’t want things to be disconnected and it’s also about respecting the rules. I mean, we all operate as a team where everybody has a hundred rules skill set. So you have to rely on each other and each of them will have to support, among others. Yeah, this is number. It is.
I like number four, a lot more members committed to one another that they will discuss directly with specific members any problems or issues with the person, because that’s really critical. Because unless I know that I need to do something rubbed you the wrong way, I don’t know until you tell me.
And I hope we go into things with the intention that that I want to work on something and I want us to be all on the same page. If I do something that is not that you’re like, maybe that came off completely the wrong way.
I view this as an opportunity for us to also help each other grow and it’s important. It’s important to have those times and those tough conversations so that we all can relate to I of cold shoulder in front of the girls in our 20 minutes
Because we are making copies of I have a problem with you. I will try something new. I don’t want to law school. That’s right. That is exactly right. You want to be talked about? Yes. Go to Heidi for sure. You have a problem with Heidi. Go, Daddy. I have a problem with you.
I go to you like we’re all one, then communicate with one another because we can agree on this knowledge, not all of this. One problem I have here is you didn’t even know that you did something. And all of a sudden somebody was offended. And I mean, that was very simple.
People ask me, we were just talking during the break, too. It’s always, always good to know because your intentions may not be there could be the way you communicate. Everybody has different side. And so it may come out differently, but that’s not what you really might expect. That was incorrect.
That’s the expectation, because what I really don’t like in this culture is that you learn from else and I don’t know for sure. That’s right. And can we all I mean this is these these guidelines for interaction are sort of we’re collectively talking about like are we
Is there anything on these guidelines we’re interaction that we don’t feel like we can adhere to, that we are that we are not aligned with this. We think about again, we act as a body. We are individuals that act as a body.
So anything in relation to that is not something that you can do. And then you have an issue. Let’s say I talked to you and I still have to go to some friends. And so I’m looking at number one board members will keep one another and the superintendent informed about issues that arise.
There will be no surprises board meetings or work sessions. So that’s, for example, if like one really hot meeting that we had was about masks, are we going to keep masks or not? And it was important that Dr. Anderson knew ahead of time is this going to move forward?
And so when I was feeling uncomfortable about it, I spoke with Sara. She took my concerns to him and he communicated directly with me and what information is it that you’re missing? What would get you more comfort with this, with the recommendation that he has coming forth to us? So it’s, A, he
He shouldn’t be hearing about it for the first time at the board table. He should know that I’m uncomfortable. I may not tell him how I’m going to vote. I may say I’m still up my mind, but he should know how how our board members are feeling about it
Because we’re a reflection of the community. So we’re not talking about interpersonal issues. We’re talking about topical issues and things that are happening in the community. So that first one is not about you. If you are annoyed with Sara, you have to tell Chase, right?
It’s more about, Hey, I’m really concerned about this masking policy or, Hey, I heard that there’s going to be a, you know, a budget, that there’s a large portion of our community that’s really upset about fill in the blank and they might come to the board meeting
Or they just came to me as a board member and said that they really, really don’t like that. Right. So, you know, those kinds of things. So it’s about it’s topical issues that relate to our work or even if I’m going to a public event. Yes, speaking.
And I always feel and whenever I go to a speaking engagement, I say, I’m Heidi, I’m one of seven. I’m speaking on behalf of me, not on the school board, not on absolutes. I am absolutely I do that every single time because don’t represent the voice of all of us.
Whenever that happens, I just shoot email and Sarah and Chase and Sara email and I say, Hey, I’m attending this event, it just so you know, make and that’s really important in that communication And you and if we talk about intent versus impact
Like you might like I might say I’m just Sara I’m going to speak to the ways that a chamber of commerce. Right. And I’m just going to all thing the ways that a Chamber of Commerce doesn’t see me as just Sara, the ways that a Chamber of Commerce
Sees, me as a board member, and I can say all I want, I’m just. Sara But they don’t see it that way and that doesn’t. And again, it’s not meant to be restore active or, you know, kind of micromanaging. It’s just, hey, here’s a heads up,
Here’s a heads up that I am going to speak to this time. You are going out and now that you are a board member or will be a board member in three weeks, any time you are going, any time you are invited into the community,
That has sort of things as it relates to where you are, you need to give someone a heads up to say that you’re doing it. I don’t have to give the administration A heads up to say, by the way, I’m reading the lesson at church on Sunday. Right.
Like that has nothing to do with that. Or hey, I’m teaching this. I’m, I’m the parent for my daughters. You know, I’m I’m the captain’s parent for my daughters swim team or something like that. Like, not that. But if I’m going if I’ve been invited to go to the Rotary,
The Rotary is having a meeting and they invited me to come. I’m just going to send a note to the chair and the superintendent and say, I just want you to know I’m going to the Rotary or some other board. So you get a note from the RCO
School board that says someone from the ICAO school board that says, We’re having a meeting at the Hammel City Hall on Thursday to talk about math standards. Will you come from Wayzata? You need to send a note. Hey, just so you know, I CEO’s invited me
To talk about math standards at the US at the Hammel City Hall. Again, it’s not permission seeking. But then in that case in particular, want to present to them well then that’s the problem right. And that and that is exactly why you have to do it, because you shouldn’t be in situation.
You are representing the district. So first of all, the district needs to know. And second of all, then we need to have a conversation that says if you’re representing the district, what are you representing? Right. Because I can represent the district all I want.
I mean, the district just has to know that information. And sometimes you find out and you say, gosh, a board member is not the right person to go to that. Right. Like it should be the chair of teaching and learning or Abby, who’s doing the math
Standards or, you know, then we start to talk about who is the best person to have in the room, which is often not us as we talk about governance versus management. And a lot of times the people invite don’t know what the best person is.
And half of my job has been saying, you know what, this other person in the district is going to get you all the correct information. So we also need to learn what is our function like or anything. So I mean, sometimes or I send an email and I say,
Is there somebody who can answer this question? All you need to know I mean, our one employee is Chase, and Chase is the boss of everyone else, right? And so all you need to know that you go to Chase and you say, who is best for that? So how many emails per day?
It’s not it’s not depends on the season. Sometimes it’s a lot. A lot of times it’s I mean, we’re talking about all these scenarios. This things really the truth is, is that it’s quiet a lot of times. Right.
The good news is, is that you to know, you go to your superintendent in your chair and then the superintendent will tell you who to go to. The longer you’re here, you’ll start to understand. And it might be something like instead of you still I still go to chase, right?
I still say, I got this, you know, But I now instead of it, I might just instead of saying, Chase, what do I do with this? I might say, Chase I got that. Does this look like something for Jenny Ebert and community education? And then he’ll be like, yes or no, Right?
But he’ll own that. Like he should be the wonder that’s the other thing is that sort of it seems pretty simple, but it’s hard to remember sometimes. The superintendent should be directing his employees. We should never be the board should never be giving work to employees. That’s not our job.
We don’t give employees work. We give Chase. When he’s our employee, he gives work to everyone else. Let’s say one, two, four or five. I found one person or some competition and that person is knowledgeable. So I can approach a person as a just person. You know, I think I’m no, no media
Are important to know, if you like, if you have a question about so your neighbor is, an expert, it’s like there’s an issue when your neighbor knows some things about it. Are you saying, can I talk to my neighbor about about this issue? It’s so school related. Yeah.
If you are going to here’s the difference. If you are talking to a person, right, like I what’s an example? I might be I’m sitting on the OPEB committee. We’re talking about investments. Right. And we’re talking about our district financial investments. I know that my husband works
With someone who specializes in employee stuff. Right? And so I say I want to learn more about employee investments. And I want to go to, you know, Steve, who works down the hall from Kurt to ask him about these investments. I can say, Steve, that, but because I personally now conversely,
If I, I can’t call Ameriprise Financial and say I’m Sarah Johansen from the wise at a school board and I’m seeking information about fill in the blank or give me some options around other retirement or something like that. Does that you know, like does that make sense? Like, yeah, yeah
In it when in doubt. So one you can use a mentoring relationship to when in doubt send a note to the chair and just in again not permission seeking but just hey I’m really curious about this. I’m thinking about doing it. What do you think? Right.
Because sometimes that I’m sorry I keep adding things, but something that I learned on board is sometimes you don’t know everything that’s under that iceberg. Like we are not in this building every day or in the schools every day. We know even what we don’t know.
So you got to kind of dig into that. Okay. Anything else from the guidelines for interaction on the back of the guidelines for interaction, it’s important to say it’s important to talk about partizan politics. And we know that being a school board member is meant to be nonpartisan.
That doesn’t mean you’re not a person with your own beliefs, with your own feelings, and by goodness, you need to vote, right? So we all get to vote and we all get to vote in our way. But once are elected to the board, you are now representing an entire community.
And when we boil down partizan politics, the thing that sort of lands at the bottom is we never want to be sitting at the board table and have someone in our community say, when somebody speaks, they’re not speaking for my child because, they’re on this side or this side, right? We are now.
They’re representing everyone and we are a nonpartisan body. There are then some guidelines around what school board members can do and not active party membership. Active campaigning for people is something that school board members and that we have taken on
From a ways that a school board is something that we pledge not to do. The respectful guidelines. Cool. I’m 2 minutes over the respectful guidelines I think are talking about how to play nice in the sandbox to a bunch of adults. So I’m not going to go through and say that.
But again, please read them and, take them seriously. If there’s anything in those respectful guidelines that you don’t think you can adhere to, please have a conversation. Okay. Responsibilities of a school board and look at that. Are that let’s take a five minute break, get some chocolate,
Because we’re going to come back and talk about us. Yeah. I will. Listen. Okay, We are back. Here we go. We’re going over the officer positions. So the vice chair does that. The clerk is in charge of tasks at the board meeting, so records the roles and takes kind of the minutes.
Many of the things that the clerk does is also by Amy. So if you see some of those things that they are, they’re the Treasurer chairs the Finance Committee and the stuff at committee is of the go to person for the Finance department as we move forward.
It’s a really brief summary of each of the roles. And so the conversation I guess is just around. I don’t know how we want to proceed in this and our emails is this is an interest. I mean, my sense of one position or the is of it and it would be interesting
What is your question but know when I go through Central Committee. So from committee standpoint there was industry requirements but my biggest constraint is that I’m really to anything during the time one supporter yes but some people also word I just on so when I was looking at the different timings
Some of them they felt like we are doing the design things but the committee is are our but yeah. So my question to Sarah was okay, if I wanted to be like so is that going to be significantly different than the finance Committee or and then she explained, you know,
Agenda setting is the one which is going to be on the committee. But again, to your point, I mean, I was exploring and like I said, this is where I look for your guys as input because if you tell me that a being lost time on the war,
This is your tier one, your needs to two committees, we recommend not to apply because that’s going to be a long time coming line. So I’m not even just from the learning standpoint right? I mean that that’s what I really moving forward. But again,
From the interest standpoint, naturally, I mean, I’m interested in my mind. So I was thinking from Finance Committee, American treasurer, but again, like I said, I’m not open to it. I’ll look for you, a guy who’s been the Pentagon’s and I haven’t seen my $0.02.
So I think that anybody working on the board can do any one of these role. No, I’m just was looking into the financial side of things and I know, I know. I think that is the first year that you’re on. There is a lot of learning, like I can’t even express to you
The things that you learn and just going through wonderful school year and seeing how all of the things play out, I was given the benefit and I see it as a benefit just sitting in my chair and learning and I
If I could get something to a new school board member, that’s what I would. I will say I have an interest in my chair, but I just want to anticipate that laser could have an interesting or I have an interest in quirk, mainly because I’ve been on the board for one year.
So again, to give people an opportunity to learn before jumping into that, I’m not wedded to being clear, but I will happily on the role if nobody else wanted to serve in particular of this, or I would not have time for anything else on this.
So if I can ask for it, hopefully we can stop moving. You have a I mean, I’ll be honest. I can I mean, there is no way. I mean, I need to be so serious about myself. I personally feel as far as I can do it.
But you do have an experience I think can handle it based on 30 year old. So can I. A first year as one of those clients that we’ve had a board practice that first year people that you can’t be. We’ve had a practice that says you are not chair of anything
Until you’ve been until you. But Treasurer, as chair of the Finance, we are certainly in a very, very odd place. But I have so many open and then Maryland was on the Finance Committee last year and I don’t I don’t know if there’s still an interest for you
Because I know last year you really wanted to be treasurer and so, and he was kind of training into that and so but right now I going change over and I think, you know, this has been a conversation
That a lot of folks have said, you know, we’re in a very odd situation as a board. You know, we have you know, Cheryl Guinier and Linda Cohen, who have between the 46 years of experience, the average age of a board member or junior is truly the still in 11 years.
You know, so in terms of seniority, we’re kind of in a strange place where it’s not immediately clear who should take each role is because, well, three of us are absolutely no and she has no one year. So it’s a very different picture.
You know, losing someone who’s been on the work for 24 years. Linda, And then, you’re know, Benita, serve in 80 or so is very different situation. So we keep doing this thing. But and to to to make my question very clear during their time,
What else would there be in Valentino, if I may ask, is that would you know, I’m just asking in such a way that, for example, you treasure let’s say there is one person who is interested in what’s been. He’s asking you since he doesn’t know what kind of workload to expect,
He’s asking from you what is important, important from people who have been. So if you would say to him, well, based on business about you can handle this kind of thing, and she has an interest, then to be honest, it looks like so far only the first position is
A chair is about I mean, two people are asking, is it my right? I don’t know. And I think and both Melanie and I. Valentino Sorry. Melanie, I just want to say something really, both Melinda and I, if the goal to be the chair of the committee and again
Treasurer is the chair of the Finance Committee is to have someone that’s been on the committee the year before to be the chair because they understand the continuity of the moving forward. Melinda and I were both on the Finance Committee last year, so we have experience on the Finance Committee,
But it’s planning on promoting your I don’t lawyer a I would agree to this, but I would say is that one person, one board member can have groups can have their look different. You know the chair and the position who becomes chair. But moving forward, I think they’ll get very token.
Can I say something else? I can I lay some groundwork for my perspective for an exciting strategy and this is really important. We are in the middle of like massive cost containment and things are really big right now. And I would really love somebody who is already on the finance team
To chair that committee this year because I think it falls line with allowing board members to learn the role and me because it’s like cost containment and we want to be honest, are really good at the money. You’re really, really good at it. Of course you are. Of course.
I just think like this is the Treasurer position and finance right now. Is it half of our job? And I, I feel like you have a lot of that may well we’ll talk about you. And so Millan you get to talk about
Why you want to be chair and if you want to be treasurer or not. And I can talk about why I want to be chair and if I want to be treasurer and that I’m going to let Heidi finish and then Ken and then I have something to say.
But I also want us all to go into this. So my mentor is Linda and I want to go into this integrity and this portion of the meeting thinking about how we all as a unit best serve the district because 150% of what we do and how we decide for every single teacher
And student, absolute without question and go, I think we need to be really good this year and next year, especially in figuring out how our skill can really serve. Yes, I am like I will go. Like I said, I’m interested in.
Sure, I’m willing to go anywhere to best our students, but my interest is only. Vice-Chair That’s very good point, and I think that that’s what we should pick up on. I mean, as we have our conversations, how do our skill sets fit things? I think that’s great and sorry, that was unfair.
I need a budget to budget my way to a little better. You know, I think perhaps I think the next step is really a citizen of reform to the chair. But as we work that out, that makes all the other pieces fit in a lot.
I think that is true that so if we if anyone I can I be a historian a minute so I can’t believe on the historian in this process. But I am. And one of the things that when you say we have no precedent for certain,
We have no precedent losing 46 years, we do. No, no, no, no, no. I didn’t no offense was taken at all. No offense taking it all. We have a precedent. So ten years ago when I was elected, Chris, Andrea and I were brand new and the school board, Sheryl had two years
And Sheryl had two years. And then we had Linda and J and Carter. And so one of the things that we were gifted as new board members, I will say, and kind of speaking to what Heidi said, one of the things that we were gifted
Is that we went into that meeting and they said, okay, the returning board members are going to be the officers. And they had worked it out in and of themselves. And the new board members are going to come on and learn and to have that ability.
I’ve said before I could be wrong, but I’ve said before, your first year is you’re experiencing everything for the first time. Your second year is your remembering and you’re remembering everything for the second time. So you’re learning and then your third year,
You know, you really are ready to fly because you’ve had those two things. So that’s the historian piece. Was that a hand? Okay. Yeah, I just to you know, as we think about it as moving forward, we do have a lot of new people on the board
And we haven’t really thought about succession planning. Maybe we should have done that a little better when we had the experience. So I think we’re in new territory. Even when we think about committees, we shouldn’t overvalue experience. It is important. But I you know,
I think some of us would just have to in I don’t feel comfortable being chair of any committee, but I think I’m going to have to because we’re you know, we’re all new. So here we are. I guess I don’t want to overvalue
Experience because of the unique situation we’re in and we all need to learn. We have a great resource. And Sarah, with her experience known and then Heidi with their experience, and we should probably think about just training everybody as much as we can,
Whether that means I think it will be a lot of work in many parts and but with other people to help me, maybe a little more flexibility to an infrastructure that we come up with where there’s I don’t know, I’m just throwing stuff out there like co-chair or again
To people that are doing something just so we get people trained up and a culture which is actually a lot more than okay. I think there are lots of ways, just as I think we were doing this year with Midland, right? If you are interested in anyone
Who is interested in doing right, like important to say one, get on the committee to engage in those conversations. Three sort of begin to have those conversations about what that means and kind of bringing those together. And. Tina Yeah, so far, based on what I’m hearing is one position to be more interested
And everything else may be can be solved. Like I have a report she was saying recently or memories that you are not good. I mean, one of you is not going to give what is the second choice for you. So that is important because you have know I mean, I agree
I’ve experienced and also that and then we are sitting right. And I agree. It looks like right now we are all about this chair position. Okay. But two people still really. Yep. So why don’t we just go through. So I will just answer your question. Milne said he wasn’t sure mine is.
I’m sort of aligned with Heidi, right? I mean, the work that we on the board is around supporting our administrators and supporting our district and having our board function as as much as possible. I think I have the ability and then the interest in doing whatever
I need to do to make sure that the board functions well. So but instead of dancing around it, Melinda, why don’t you start by saying why you want to be chair in that process, and I will do the same for sure. You can do what you want. Bring community members.
So I view the role of the water as a facilitator to ensure transparency and interest on the part of the Ambrosi and are the most important aspects of that. The two potential agenda with the superintendent and collaboration with board members who want to bring forward certain issues.
I will facilitate meetings in a way that allows each board member the opportunity to be heard no matter what or what they have to say. I would like the board through our annual vetting process and ensure we get to making progress toward those goals.
So when you talk about experience, they ask me what experience I have. So what I did was I collected all the stuff, the ones that are highlighted experimentally, but it also has to be so maybe a little while. Experience is an asset. It is not a requirement or leadership role.
I’m December 18 year old Dylan’s a freshman at the University of Arkansas, became youngest mayor of the city council this November. A young gentleman named Anjanette Strong, fresh out of college, was elected to the school board. The Booker certainly saw in him some things that I do like
In addition to my experience on several boards. So as President of Institute, I will bring fresh ideas to the work that within the board have been on the finance and the the facilities and a lot of the planning and policy committees. The last one is chair. In January of this year, I
Was elected for a three year term as Board Director District four. I’m doing this year representing over a dozen groups, releasing being one of my board colleagues talked about the forces of a good public servant, and that is exactly what we are.
We serve at the pleasure of a lot of voters and really work with them to talk about compassion, communication, collaboration and commitment. I strongly believe in all of them promise that they will in the leadership, being on the board has been the best job I will have.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to respond up. Chair and so the way that the school board in that capacity together, let’s make it the most notable view support. Do you want any change to see anything outside of your statement? If anyone want ask, I want to ask any questions.
So I have had the great privilege of being chair for the last two years in it. Had I done differently, I might. We might have done things differently so that this conversation wasn’t meaning to happen. When I come to say I would like to be chair,
It is not because I chair for forever, because I’m looking to hold tight to this position or because I don’t think anyone else is capable of Chair Because I don’t believe any of those things. I go about my work in a lot of ways, of trying to work myself
Out of a job and that’s what social workers like to do. Right. And and and I see this. My request to being chair as one of those pieces is as we look at where our district is with three new board members, we’re in the middle of where
We a superintendent contract that is in process. We have a cost containment second year of a cost containment measure that we are implementing. We’re really trying to level playing field in all the things that we’re doing. We just got our audit and other things.
There is a high value of continuity, I think in one of these positions, being chair is a lot and at the same time it’s learnable, but it’s learnable so in, in sort of an intentional ways. And so I do think that as bringing the experience I think having some of that,
Having that experience will be helpful, then I think I have a strong commitment to making sure that someone else as chair, as we move forward in whatever that time feels appropriate as we think about relationships with this, with the superintend Denton, with the executive director.
And one of the things that the chair does is that the chair is the number one conduit and connector to the school board. Dr. Anderson is a highly and Dr. Flensburg are highly committed to building really strong relationships with each of you and creating those trusting relationships
To have a chair that that you don’t have to have a chair where you have that existing relationship so that you can work to dig deeper into those other relationships is a helpful tool for. Our superintendent and again, it’s a continue to build the relationships.
Well, it’s not something that I’m holding for a long period of time. It’s really something in terms of continuity for this year, it goes the same with the executive directors. So that is my that is why I that is the so I feel like for the stability of the district,
For the growth for this board, and to be able to start that and move it forward for the implementation of some of our board self-evaluation and that professional development that we’ve been moving forward that there’s a high value of being chair. For me, being chair this
The most important piece for me is the professional piece, and that’s what it is. And I will say that. But I’m going to tell you, I also have a personal reason and this is why this is feeling harder to say than I thought it would be.
But I want to say it and because it’s really important. So as I think about this and I and I knew that there is a I knew that this was not going to be a pleasant conversation. I knew it was going to be a different conversation
And I knew that there are some people that that did not want me to be chair this year and maybe are not comfortable with that. Didn’t want me to be chair next year and and I thought seriously about should I just not do this right?
Should I just not should I just not choose to be chair again? I strongly believe that other people can. So as a school board, we don’t have a lot of perks in our job. We do a lot of work and we don’t have a lot of perks, but we do have one.
And that is not a perk. But we do have a thing and that is that the chair’s signature and the clerk’s signature on the diplomas. Additionally, the chair accepts the diplomas on behalf of the school board. My kids have been on this board journey with me
Since I started, and they’ve given up a lot for me. They’ve been told they can’t do a lot of things as they’ve kept me in mind and they’ve been my number one fan and biggest supporter. And my when I was talking about it with my husband
And I was going over it and I was like, you know, maybe I should just it’s fine. I, I believe in this from a professional standpoint and I believe in the good of the group, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do. And my daughter said to me, Mom, you’re not
Going to be chair when I graduate. I really want your name on my diploma. And I was like, Emma, it’s not about my name on your diploma, you know, I’m going to be there. And she looked at me and she goes, Mom, it is for me.
And I’m not asking to be chair because my daughter, who’s had it, who’s worked her ass off and had a really hard year, wants her mom to accept her diploma in June. But knowing that I could do that kind of makes all the hard stuff just a little easier.
So when I ask to be chair, it’s not about power and it’s not about taking out people’s voices and it’s not because I’m not committed to learning and integrating this board is different than it was in years past. I get that and we can grow and learn together.
But I believe for the district and I believe for me that it’s really important that I’m chair next year and if I’m not of up, I’ll put on my big girl pants and I’ll work really questions for me. Yes, you and I spoke on Friday about this,
And I can tell you how we still had some draft board that I had nobody I would have probably the most comprehensive agreement. And you sort of want to I would imagine I would. I feel absolutely horrible, if you will, obviously would never say which one. But if you don’t,
Then you won’t is I believe that things can be done, something can be done about it. And I really if I hope people will have the honor of becoming chair, I will go to the end of the world to see that I had compassion. I am not a group, so I’m.
But what I do for you, I don’t need your sympathy. I’m sorry. I don’t. I don’t need your sympathy or sympathizing with. Okay. And I have compassion might be accomplished. So thank you all. You want to reject that? That’s fine. That’s a for you know, I’m just saying.
I’m just saying I’m not. I didn’t say that because I wanted to. I mean, I’m saying it because it’s my authentic story. I’m Not saying that for I’m not saying that for that. I just want to be clear about that. It wasn’t meant to be an emotional appeals.
It’s my story I’ve been to. Thanks. I like to kind of a two piece thing. So you’ve all made very compelling case. And my advice is you should be the chair of the board going into next year. So there are two things I was obviously this is not a decision
We can take lightly. I want emphasize that there are certain stakeholders in our community for 9 hours a week for Mrs. Johanson. So we consider that as we vote and that there are two things that I wanted to do. The first is to pose the question and the one kind of said, I’m
Not sure this being a co-chair situation and perhaps there’s an avenue to explore for, is there that that is not what it would be. Chair and vice chair. Yeah, it’s a chair and vice chair, a piece of that. And I can’t because it can’t be that and I just read that, but okay.
All right. Well then that’s all that. And so to avoid kind of a highly contentious situation where it tends to get frightening, we want to set the conditions where we can enter January. All of us are a new we’re all friends here. And so we see, you know, contention. We don’t want that.
I want everyone to get along and make a difference. So what I would want to do is perhaps to just say, well, we could take a recess or something like that and talk this all we can, all a million and zero letter approaches or something.
You just say this way, we’re not going to campaign in that not going to be a light or like a reasonable we to think over our decision, talk as we might or something like that. Because of that. Obviously, a lot of this vote is not binding.
Everything seen as proper that we can discuss it without campaigning it. We want to discuss those individual. We can, but without the carrying on, as you point out. So if that would be in order, I do do want to assure you that not just rushing to the voters.
Can I ask the question? Yes, you said something and I think I feel missing something. So you said something about there are certain community stakeholders that prefer blend and certain community members who once said, well, I can I can only imagine that there there’s some individuals that, you know,
We’re aware that, you know, every year we want a new chair. And they say, well, you know, I look at that person, I like your island. So, you know, just just a general postulation when all is riding on this decision, it’s done to bring certain individuals to light
Or shall I call someone out of order or anything like that. You know, this is a very important decision. We want to make sure that we all duty and responsibility, make sure that someone is not. I was actually going to highlight what you said and again, two things during the campaign.
What I thought and again before get into that, like I think for most of you, all right, 16 years we didn’t have any issues or concerns with school board. The things I learned and things I heard and I felt like I was living my life.
I mean, I told my wife so because I didn’t even know the things that I learned as a part of. But those things that came consistently across all groups, all individuals, emails, everyone who reached out, they talked about communication and transparency. And obviously, you know, because we were campaigning when I asked,
You know, sometimes I ask you to learn something, I was like, Hey, again, the perfect example is I think you know the building, right? So you’re on the cost and why are you buying? You know, your property, right? And she explained like, hey, this is like use it or lose it money.
It has nothing to do with, Hey, can I take this money and put that aside? So and my question was like, if people are more concerned about it, did we not see that correctly? And I know that, right? I mean because she was there
And I ask honestly, Yeah, this is like kind of go situations. So what about team was constantly coming in and people were happy with the school district but the one concern that everyone was on like, hey, are we getting to a point where we think we are at and we just stop being?
So they wanted to sort of challenge the status quo and they’re like, Hey, we are pre totally acceptable, but are we going to be grade five year, ten years down the line? Right. And if not, why do we don’t challenging ourselves? So those were kind of questions And again, for all of you
Yeah sure so I don’t know if it was it was just you know at least seven or eight groups, different individuals on one night was being like, hey, you guys need to shake up things and not because somebody is not doing a great job.
Well, look at where the high where the schools are winning all kinds of awards and things like that. But it’s like the board started, you know, they’re like, no, you need to keep on shaking tree because then everybody is on their toes and nobody is getting comfortable in the position.
So, I mean, I don’t know. Okay, You guys have heard about it, but I’ve heard so many times and I think I don’t know if that’s what you want to hear what I heard so many times that people, some of them, they called out like, you guys need to change.
We need to change. And can I say something for you? So, yeah, I’m leaving SBA this weekend, so it must be a is statewide. Yes, right. There were like 250 people that were there. It’s a consistent theme across the state. It’s not. It’s not like that. A specific. Right. It is.
And I and so I think and this is something so our board just we just did a board self-evaluation and actually this was something that we identified as something that we need to improve on. I’ve thought about it a lot and I’m not sure
I’m always somebody who’s like, okay, is the action that we’re going to take to get us what we’re intent, what what we need to get out of it. I’m not sure. I’m not sure that changing the board chair is going to get us what we want.
I really think we’re leaning into stakeholders this year. I really think that’s where a lot of the community and stakeholder relationships are going to get built, because I don’t know. I don’t know what the chair does. I think and again, I’ve thought about this a lot is is a sliver of what relationships.
The whole relationships and engaging in the community does. So I don’t know. It’s just another consideration. And I’ll say one thing. Yeah. And Again, looking for your guys is the only thing that I would say again when so when you’re trying to build their trust,
I mean, it’s not going to happen. All right. So again, when we were talking politics, when I was talking to different goals, the constant thing was like, hey, you guys are interesting. We’ve we’ve done this one. And what again, people get elected, we give you the next board and that’s it.
Like nothing happens beyond that. And the the status quo continues. Right. So it’s not that you can call up like, hey, I want you to change. Right? They actually said that, hey, we did this last year or whenever the last election was too. And we didn’t see that.
I mean, we talked about the same thing. I mean, literally couple of groups or what you do, they’re like, Hey, this is the same material I’ve been using for 2018, 2019 nine, and nothing happened. So everybody’s excited. So and literally, I’m I’m being totally honest.
It got to a point I it because now that I’m sort of their standard face this time they’re basically saying, you know what guys like I’m just telling you I don’t we don’t want or you’re just going to get elected because you don’t know what to do. So
I mean, I would genuinely feel that they were concerned. They were about it over and over again, but nothing changed. And again, I’m not known for certain things like that, but it just the optics on the stakeholder side is that, well,
We went to the election we gave you was are you just going to be keeping the status quo in your mind, trying to change things or we tried different options, right? So again, hypothetically, we were to change your mind even within the Constitution. It may or may not be anywhere close. Right.
But will the politics from the stakeholders like here, at least if these guys are trying to do something that are constraints which are not getting us to the we’re spectrum of what they are trying, Will that help or in your experience, that is really the case? I’m just asking. Yeah.
So if I can just say something really fast straight, I think that there’s remember, we focus on one of seven. One of the things and I would assert to you that the that the way that we get things done is to continue to
I mean, each one of you coming in and have meetings that can run efficiently and then that we move forward to introduce new things, whether it’s new stakeholder pieces, whether it’s different people communicating to emails, whether it’s those things, I believe that there is a natural need to shake things up this year.
And I would probably assert to the extent and if we go back to relationships and trust and all of those things, if we want to start shaking things up a little bit, then we need to have some continuity, that administration relationship so that it can actually happen.
I mean, it’ll happen in other ways too, but there are different things. And so for sure we need to be responsive for sure. There’s a lot that’s happening for the community as to why things have happened and not. But for sure, this board needs to blessing us. The chair runs the meetings,
The chair does kind of the the pieces of getting things going. The rest of that is done as the board as a whole. So the chair is still one of seven. The chair doesn’t have any more input than anyone else. We’re still one of the Who did I see
Who was first with you to order some milling within here fiscal fight? I would say one is one person. Most obviously I can guarantee that I’m not going to be appointed to I to do what I promised do, and hopefully that resonates with you, but not just because the community said
Not what you said. Are you saying now that will shake up the things. But what I’m saying is that with membership going out now, the community is up in arms over stakeholder demands. It wants to do that for its own. And that’s not that’s not true. But anyway, that’s not true.
So I really answer to that. But I’m a historian. Sarah Yeah, I want to ask about this in general. It’s not to push any narrative, anything like that. So it’s kind of a series of questions. I love history and evangelicalism. So before you were. The Chair It was. Mrs. Cain Yep.
And so and how many years that she told me you were and how many years to you it was before that? Chris Christian How many years is two? And then Linda served three before that when illustrated four and it was part of that and it was part of that transition piece. Right.
And so then can I also that yeah because you know to to embrace the history a little bit you know before the 22nd movement in the U.S. Constitution, there was always expectation that a president would serve more than two years. But then President Obama’s speech amounted to a book.
Is there such a standard? Our bylaws and rules governing how long you’re to be. Is there any kind of a standard if it isn’t written in expectation? I was elected. Yeah. So? So there. So yes and no. So there’s nothing written. And there has been a practice
Since while the 12 years that I’ve been on. Right. So Linda so there is this process that Linda was chair when I came on. She was sort of three years in that process. Right? And it was again, around this there’s new board members continuity.
There’s this process, right, that the elections happen every year. And we want to make sure that there can be new leadership every year. And that’s in that’s really important. The two year piece of this that has happened since I’ve been on the board is around continuity of trust and relationship.
And so like so on. But it’s so one the job of chair takes a lot to learn, right? And so there’s been this piece of we’re going to keep a chair for two years, one in the same way that board members have said
It takes you a year to do it and then a year to remember it, right. And so there was that, but also in the building of relationships around like connections as the Treasurer and, and kind of the admin with the clerk, like we have people do them for two years so they,
Because they know their position and there’s less of an onboarding piece. So the board can kind of work, but that’s nothing is written, that’s part of that. We rewriting the bylaws and the whatever. It’s not set in stone. It can certainly change. So yeah, good message is this iteration.
I was prepared for it and it’s very old kind of situation. So I was trying to say, is there a third candidate so that don’t know because this is I, I don’t want this to filter into the business because I feel like this is all gone into.
But it will continue was very disappointed And and I guess what then brings up this know can we come to some kind of a compromise where everyone gets what they want? And I guess the question is to ask, for example, not to put you on the spot. So, you know, can we work?
Is are you willing to go into the next school board session when you get the finances to not be questioned? Is that something be okay, then do one instrument and do we need one? But my point is, is that if we want to do a situation where,
Let’s say we feel that and I think this this might be what, you know, hearing everyone what they had to say, this might be what we have. The feeling is that we say no. And, you know, would it be the chair? Okay.
And then Sarah as vice chair or something like that from be chair, the like the reason that I’m interested in vice chair is to become chair later, which is if we do worse that because I do or someone could say now
I don’t know how binding the commitments but someone could say Sarah could say, if you look, make sure I promise I won’t pursue another chair or something like that to make some kind of promise like that. It was, I do want to work this out.
It sounds like only one religion is for money. I think we’re going to have to work something out and it may go to add. I do want to be an amazing here, but it’s just say that, you know, that opens up the idea of okay there’s chair
And then there are other positions that are also available. How can we work out? That really helps some so we’re not looking over what let’s let’s see where you are. The group feel that I’m with you. I won’t get loose. If that’s why I would not want to handle it.
I would. I would have I would do well. My full support and 110% support ultimately for me is the total right that Sarah Johanson building membership. Well, I think I don’t want to your heart 24 okay. But that’s what it is all about. I realize that is not a reason
I you know, I don’t want to sort of look at any of the position. And I and I have said I want to work myself out of a job. Right. I mean, the reality is, is that I want to work, but I want to work myself
Out of a job again, had I have a clock back a long time ago, I probably would have done something two years ago in that process. So, you know, I mean, and so and so were there. So yeah, I would and this is probably going to get shut down very quickly.
But I was going to say anyway, because when we do conflict mediation but not say that, would it be okay in this financial shutdown is a lot busier than it would Sarah and Millen be willing to excuse themselves in this room? So we talk about us
As non candidates for the position so we could talk it over just with ABC that everyone would be okay with. You would have to do a review of a question. Yes, go ahead. you know, I was I was going ask then if you’re worried about relationships afterwards, the initial poll is anonymous
And then whoever wins, we all you know, I. you have Gary. Yeah, that was your concern. Know, it wasn’t that at all. I just think that, you know the two individuals there, I have probably made up their minds who they’re voting for or who they’re voting for. Some
Of us find out if I’ve seen a clear signal here. So that facility is negative. I think that being tested and again, if both are interested, unfortunately, we have to be involved. Yes. Yeah. Reason I’m asking is again, this where the unity doesn’t show up.
So there is nothing we can do to to scenes. No, no, that is exactly what we’re doing. So and that’s why that is why we when we talk about why we’re having this conversation, right, like sort of this this is this part of it. So so, you know, whatever comes out.
So in mind. Right. Whatever comes out of this evening is what we’re going with. Right. Like, I will not like again, kind of going back to that first thing. This is not vote. This is a sort of temperature taking. This is where it is.
So anyone can the first Monday and second Monday in January when we have our organizational meeting so it can go back in and say, no, actually I want to do this even though we haven’t taken this temperature, but this feeling of awkwardness that people are feeling, we don’t want,
If this is done in there, then our whole community is feeling this awkwardness. Right? And so that’s the point. The big picture from, let’s say, five of us and we come up with the mean, yeah, I’m not going to if you come up if you so I will say to you,
If you guys come in and we come back and you’re like, we think Milan once we think Milan should be chair, I’m not going to look to you to vote me down in January right. I mean, that’s that’s not good for our district, sure, but more common before we want to do so.
I hope this is a what should people come running at the same time, The same stories on the same spot, Heidi and I have. And it wasn’t, you and one of the white people. One of the things that I was I, I didn’t see any of that.
I don’t know why we haven’t never wanted to hear from political parties or candidates on the same party, sometimes on the same parties. I think the more people that are interested, I think the message that is sent out or having multiple people interested this time, that
It might make somebody here uncomfortable and say, I’m going to ruin my relationship with somebody is I be forced to say no it evoked in public what I feel like cohesiveness of the board would be nice to have some anonymity until we’re in the same way when to vote on a resolution.
No, because that person is not a person on the other side of that. That’s going to be mad at me. And I don’t know. It’s all okay. I think, you know, I’m I can promise you, I don’t want the kind of people I the president still do not think about whether it’s true.
What my main goal I want to maintain my relationship with both of you is that we had a childish backstage mindset. I mean, I don’t want to be bored with it. I’m sorry. Thank you. I have nothing but. Yeah, nothing. But all the. No, that’s okay. So this is recorded and recorded.
So there you go back and we go back and listen to what we say. It should not expire at the moment. Is it that there is a reason was and I mean, I was aware at the beginning I think most of us were that this was going to happen.
And Sheila went on television. So I was going to say it’s being recorded. If you still are uncomfortable, don’t say anything we can take an anonymous anonymous vote. Or is there anything is there anything that you, as somebody coming in, knew feel like you want to know? I will say right now,
I know what feels like a lot has not gotten shaken up because there was so much I was getting shaken up. Right. The elementary school model is I mean, the class sizes are up. The middle school model was completely overhauled. The math standards are getting changed.
There is a lot of shakeup that’s not visible necessarily. And so I don’t I don’t want you to feel like there is not a because of the work that’s happening. And so I struggle with this. You guys, we learned when he really wanted to be treasurer last year and the
The way the board has always again, this is meant to be like I guess right Like you’re never chair of a board supporting or committee until you serve on it for a full year. So then you get to learn the history. And so the idea was, okay, she really wants to be treasurer,
Have them serve right here on the finance Committee and then you can be treasurer the next year. And so to be honest with you, I was a little surprised that he didn’t want to take the Treasurer role. And I think because you really important role right now
And finance and containment and all the things and he was on the committee for four years actually for two years right. When You’re I don’t remember you but he’s, he’s got that information and he’s going to do it to members he’s really good at it. Sarah was good at the relationship
With Chase and that relationship was really important. And to respond to what you were saying is that stakeholder where you observe what goes on in your and it’s very clear that the housing strategy, you know, I think we know that there are some folks
Who would prefer to sustainable others who would prefer that it would be more. So it comes down to, you know, who we are, who we listen to. I am, I think, very burdened by a individual staying on a chair for more than two years. I understand these are special circumstances.
I also think that we can put together some kind of agreement that villains that we say, people will have no idea. But Things don’t go well. We kind of say, okay, then, Sarah, you know, we have the opportunity every year. We have the opportunity to give them now, even
For a group of at least to say, you know, we, we do have other option. It’s an important decision. But nonetheless, I think it’s one that we don’t. Let me ask you this, because I really want to learn the roles from somebody who’s experienced it.
So if I’m going to be vice chair and I like the idea of what’s going on. So let me ask. And that’s the really tough piece. So so another option being this makes me nervous. If I was chair and served as vice chair and I’m an for
A what I think, here’s what I think you know, and bias is time. And without bringing in my voices and you know, I said that I want to be an actor because I helped you in the holidays with Thanksgiving and had weddings before this.
Me, I would have encourage you to find the chairs and you, you of all the candidates and the I was the best person that you said, you know, that arrangement didn’t quite work. And I do think you it all. And so you know it’s a very tough deal because we want to it
You know, we want someone to be inclusive and or we want to move from place, chair to chair. And I do certainly see the perspective of Dr. Zerhouni saying, know, he’s a director going all the ways here that I think would hurt a lot of people.
And so I would name, yeah, you as chair as a fantastic idea and where I am, it just comes down to not like I don’t I don’t know. There isn’t a lot to take on. So we will help you if necessary. Know. I think and again, I’m just in the room right?
So now we introduce another area of world which I feel, you know, I mean, I could see the body language, you know, the reading the room sort, you know, again, I think if we leave them out of. Should we just. I think so.
I mean, again, the way I’m reading the room and joins us now with yet that you are very smart that’s England I just I want to say one one thing that I think when I’m thinking this isn’t difficult decision and I struggled a lot with it and the question I’m asking myself,
Do I want do I want to emphasize our relationship with the administration or our relationship with the community? I don’t think we can have both. And yeah, and I’m just going to say it is just plain personally, I fall in line, but not that what we heard in the supply wouldn’t surprise anyone.
Those who have made their voice campaigns clear do not want Sarah to stay on this chair. Those who really were integrated in the election, that is the common name of my husband and literally you guys to go. Or I could give you a really bad time.
And you guys, there’s this. When it gets interesting to hear a word about vaccination mask mandates, not everything that I was hearing about was business as usual, but that it is the finances or the budget cuts and things like that. And I get it. Thankfully, I had access to both she and I.
And and every time when I was talking to them, it was like, hey, this was always goes I mean, it was very clearly articulated and people either didn’t get it or they degraded, right? So it was always about like, hey, we just don’t get response like anything.
And I of I’m fortunate to be using the community, but I’m telling you it’s not it’s not usually you know the funeral was one of the what I heard usually from white communities which I know what I never anticipated like really Are you based on needles? Is this all it’s all about?
It’s probably 80. 80 was very interesting. I mean, it’s like we don’t get response or we don’t get it like in you’re not empathizing with because we are electing we don’t elect or we don’t pretend that we were good for you. You need to make neighborhoods more accountable to me.
They went to office so they would like you. I mean, during the campaign it was like we’ve been always had. We have and what were doing. So I will tell you, in our self evaluation, we identify a big time that email responses are an issue and communication is an issue.
If I as vice chair took on the communications piece, it, that would be you enough, I think. No, I’m so here’s my thing. I think one issue that really was taken a lot of people had was it was that when they would send you an email the response and you became
Known when an email was sent to the whole board, the whole you what I was telling you like different things. So there was kind of it before the email was sent to the whole board. She’s actually became more than us. She is, yes.
And so she has the responsibility to reply on behalf of the board. That’s actually what the response is. Okay, So like if somebody writes me Heidi directly, she never said, no, don’t respond to those emails. I the response meant when e-mails in conjunction with like I would
I would say, you guys like that I type of my response right Send to Chase and Sarah and say this is not what my intended supply exceeded. And it was not never I never an issue with it. Okay. Okay. So my only last thought students and again
I thought about saying it but then probably the timing was I tried the personal story mean it does it does make sense. I mean so again depending on Reddit or what it was, I think we should still if good all the way to getting no signature
By all means I was saving like for I mean so you know Andrikiene I went to school with your son or so Do you graduate same year? I can only imagine how special it was that his mom’s signature was on this phone. So I do think we should.
And that really, people who are on there, I think it’s it’s the superintendent and the clerk as well. The clerk as well. So do we then made her clerk. So that becomes really I don’t know that she wants I don’t
I don’t know that she would want to take on a different role other. Okay. First of all, that’s interesting, you know. You know what I mean? Yeah. How do we make this work without it being a. I know. Would you be open Treasurer From what I’m hearing, from what I read.
So from what I’m hearing, you know, it’s Arsalan’s, you know, my silver finally being directors, I think that’s what we’re for. The three of us are directors That works out just so you have an officer also know, okay, you want to get it. Exactly. I think
They’re being clerk and me being a I’m just I was just there. Yeah, I’m fine learning. I see. And I was thinking Treasurer, but, and I do think the Treasurer, I mean like, I don’t know, it just turns out that these position and I always look forward
And I do agree with, with ideas that yes, no one probably is better suited for their own treasury. And one of those questions I wasn’t asking about myself was just trying to this let’s say I understand that she has is a third party. Yeah. What’s happening here is we’re not happy
100% have with either choice and that’s why this is hard things that we just have to bite the bullet and choose one. It is it is very difficult to. Here, here’s what I’m just going to say something. Know we can have other options. Okay, So here’s what I’m going to say.
And you can offer answers. I mean, this is what we’re not going to do. Okay. Heidi, as chair and Sarah Anderson as vice chair, as and Sheila as Courtney, I don’t know if Melinda’s okay with treasurer. Yeah, because I think, you know, Tina asked him what would be your second choice,
And I said I yeah, I think I but it is another point for me. I mean, I hearing that personal stories and no, I am million looks like one that I didn’t know all these things wanted. I wish he got it and then everybody got to have two positions right
And maybe less than two are. It is good to load both positions overall, not to invent anything. I don’t know. I think it would be fine, right? No. David Cameron. Yes. It’s going to be very I think the worst case scenario is what can we do? I’m sorry, I totally forgot.
I do always want to make the point also that perhaps they might also say what we like to know is we still that way on those areas. Still to me is what we’re going. These are open to it. How do you want that good? It’s kind of a lot.
It’s a lot, but I think you’re fair. From what do you think? That it’s a lot. So why? I mean, I think because we can’t make that decision is that we we can. I think we should just move on a chair. Yeah.
Okay, then let’s just let them know, because I think the way I to I’m following it. Once they understand the temperature rise in person is going to back on, I don’t think they’re going to go for dinner and they’re both they’re both professionals and they will both support each other.
So I think we should just go work for the chair. Right. And the other business wasn’t my I, I mean, I think we do have kind of in our minds ideally how we can see that that’s not as, I guess, you know,
You just going through that we’re debating shows show everyone most of them by name just initial. Yeah and I think we still have we haven’t nominated them though. We really you know, if it’s not we don’t know your type. You know, when I when I was like in school in one, I
Didn’t both in the house to the first thing or you automatically everyone knows who do the expensive covers. Yeah. Have 100. Okay get both of them. Should we look at you know first of all that what we want is probably good. Sally Sara. All right, I’ll bear any on the unions and one
On the phones in London. Yeah. So we had all the rules of why you don’t have to. We’re getting word from when we said that after one of these words, somebody just crying. So if we can avoid that and I think the losing intentions this. All right.
So what we did the process because we had a short discussion, everybody had an opportunity to ask the questions. There was a certain perspective that was kind of being given to external stakeholders. And then we took a straw poll and the majority when it was a major.
And we should also and if each of you would like to listen to what was said in the audio, is this there? So on that set of years information stick a little sorry I think it’s big idea it’s really about I bet you interesting I don’t know the way you pay well, sir.
So just the other point that, you know, if you guys would like to hear what was said on the idea was right there for your information, you know, it’s not offensive to anyone. We don’t mean it as a personal insult. Everything like none of it. But that is the decision that we made.
And I suppose the both of you are free to reach out over, you know, if you have any further questions or anything like that that now we appreciate you as those, you know, throwing your hat in the ring as they say and it means a lot to me.
But when anyone else, if they wanted to say anything, it is highly marks. My my husband will be searching for me. So I enjoy working with both of both of you obviously have been in I mean, working. And I will tell you it is going to be hard to be one of.
But at the same time, it is very hard. And I think it’s really, you know, guys, I just so am appreciative of this process and I stand again, I, I, I feel bad that this is the the position that you were in as new board members
Because this is not an ideal position be in as new board members. And I recognize that it’s really hard. And ultimately, you know, it’s about having a high functioning quality board. We we talked about in our circle importance of excellence and partnership and lifelong learning.
And so the process is really around making that we do that. The person that sits in the chair role there were there are lots of reasons, and I stand by all of those reasons, and I’m one of seven right. And so there’s that process. So
Yeah, so I appreciate the the leaning in in the evening and we’ll make sure to to do what we need to do for the District of Columbia. But I give the full of engineers work so I’m reaching out to this to find out what the final word will be on
The would still be running right? Well, I’m just saying it could happen. But as of now, I would ask you either way, I’m not being modest. I seem be. And that’s one of the things that’s really good in their work on the on email. So I’m really asking
What makes Maryland of course is is on the board but what are you doing is although I’m very confident that I can do the job, I know I will not just you, everybody will still be waiting on without reservation notice, which is I want to ask a lot of questions during the recession.
I’m not aware of that. I okay, so I’m going to move this along. Fantastic. So we have a direction on share. Vice-Chair I, I have an interesting however, I am going to shake it up, shaking it up tonight. If anybody else would be interested in being Vice chair.
And Sarah, I am looking at here. Yes we since well then because you know said right now, why not so that you could be there is more to him as he rolls into this room. I’m just putting it out there because again, like I said, I have a deep interest in it.
And I think it’s important that we do what’s best for the district. So if that is something that you would be open to, I am open to step away from it. But likewise, if you want your signature on the diploma, if you’re interested in class as an alternative and that went
Into that in any way, I would like, yeah. So I won’t accept I won’t accept that comment on behalf of. But that is fine. Yeah, I can I, I can do so I am hearing loud and clear that there needs to be a shake up in different leadership.
And so I want to be very respectful of that. If you want to. So I’m willing to do I said in the beginning, I’m willing to do whatever we think is best for me to do in terms of running board meeting, right? I mean, and so excepting some, some clerking.
So I think all three of those things are fine. I can, I can do all three of those. So again, Emma’s a big girl. We can, we can sit up and put on our big girl pants and that everybody gets what’s meaningful to them and fine. So I will do.
If you are interested in being, I can do that. We have Treasurer. Sure. So yeah, I would I can do all I I’ll do any of the 300 or 500 interest or important things that would come to me. I am interested though. That’s why you said you want to be compliant. Yeah, absolutely.
I am interested, but it is. I do think that there is value in having somebody who’s done the job before and so maybe it’s a good support to you to have Sarah as vice chair because I’m not going to be any any better, you know what I mean?
I don’t buy that, but that’s okay. You know, I mean, technically, anybody, anybody on the board can help. And I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to imagine agenda planning, meeting. Well, she you know what I mean? Like those that’s a critical place. How do we make our decisions for vice chair clearance?
We have kind of legislated. Is there a way to build something out all right, or should we have obviously vice chair, treasurer, somebody? I mean, again, it would be nice to see within the delegation world and what is the Wisconsin, the university and also the following on coming to these things like
I or for a second what the person is feeling that wasn’t comfortable experience at all. And then if you for that reason, for example, I can sense, well, it’s good to learn this role. So because I am I have I am looking forward to there
So that we’re not breaking I was somebody else. You could see how that would be nice to do on the next you keep watching. It makes sense to have to at least work and but then again makes sense that we don’t. Maybe then students maybe are interacting
Between like I feel like it was fun. I’m not going into finances. Okay? I mean, I’m feeling like finances need to be taken care of, especially right now during these times. So we need to put somebody who is good, is good. How about we do this?
How about Mellon share how these vice chair you want to be Clark, and you’ll have a graduate too, and I will be treasurer by and you can help will help me Joe Right people most likely I think the discussion of how
To set the agenda and whatever it probably does makes that it’s fine. It’s perfect. Does I mean it is humorous how you have your apartment set up, you have your own sense and you can occasionally the city treasurer of the others by committee, you’ve done
How many years of you, I should just add, I was treasurer for two years. I’ve been on the Finance Committee about half the time that I’ve can remember. Okay, actually, how about we do this? How about we pause this conversation and we’ll give you a little chance to reflect, right?
Like, do want to be vice chair next year knowing what you know or not? Do you want to Do you want to I mean, like, do we do the let’s do the committees and sort of see where things are and then we’ll revisit this conversation at the end.
And I know I, I was asking questions about Treasurer rated, but the thing is I’m totally fine because obviously I’m going to want to stick in the Finance Committee for sure and I’m probably jumping ahead, but you can be my mentor. I’m totally fine because if you’re the Treasurer,
I can still be part of the committee has been and I might give them from you. So it’s kind of personal. Yeah, I’m totally okay. We rank her choices so. So the way. So let’s wait a minute. So one, two, three. What you do is you put your name so you put Sarah.
Sarah 102, three, three, three, four and a next to your ideas. And then you and then you go up and put your name on the committees that you. So you’ll you’re what, million. So what other one would be your first choice. Your second choice that you put.
Melinda one you put that on your first choice. Midland two, you put that on your second choice, and three, you put it on your third choice, and four, you put it on your voicemail. Three, you know, I run is not any different. We got, I have no effect on that meeting. And
So they bring it for every one of them. No, I don’t. So I mean, I would like us to get done in the next hour if legislative I mean, even less than that right. I mean, I’m going to manage expectations. So so as we look right.
So there are three people on a committee and I don’t have a four down. There are three people on a committee. You notice that we have the here’s my four people that to committee with 113 alternate. So the one so if they go through this process. Right.
And so if you see lots of people on the committee right. You might want to think about taking something off If you see three in one committee and you’re interested in putting as an alternate, you can do that by not sticking together, learning anything. But yeah, right. That’s right.
I know because I have to tape superintendent and I really want stakeholders. All three of those are my number. I should put number one on the menu. That looks like it. So it looks like it. Or does it have to be three? So with more that well, so an ideal.
So I would say four h.r. I think that’s a great learning committee. And so i think some are being interested in some anomalies that are it’s a really great way to learn about that. We don’t if you put four on there, we still are three people and you would just be an it.
So it be a bummer. So yeah eight. So before we had let me finish my sentence before we had the first, that’s all you know, third to the alternate sides of four and have in the threes. There doesn’t have to be an alternative.
We can just throw it out to the board and the two is. It would be nice if there was another. And remember the ad hoc we needed. Is this a good time to talk about the ad hoc? I can I can I can share with you that the note from survey.
Sorry for Bay and Benita sometimes for committees we go through. So the recommendation for Solvay and from Solvay and Benita is to keep the ad hoc committee to meet quarterly. The purpose is to assist board members in understanding what is and what is not the equity work in piece
So that they can be a support to the larger community. This means having board members regularly rotate on and off as the ad hoc committee from year to year. That was surveys and Bonitas suggestion, keeping it as so how we go through it now is typically we go through and say
There is a 100% range. She was the one for teaching and learning. Two We have a contest where typically returning new board members are teaching a learning or taking everything. So you all can decide that the way that this would go in the process would be Sarah and Sheila are learning
Stakeholders committee ideas to deal with and two can advance the three so that in that one we would say they then pass would be on the stakeholders committee. You could paper and decide who’s going to be the standing person and who’s going to be the alternate with you.
Then somebody from if it’s something where you would be like middle of the day or below aircraft that I have one for policy Valentinos three for pilot the idea banner or again you can sort of work on who wants to be the all argument and so I to list on all
Well let’s wait and see what Heidi has a charter needs a position there has to be on finance class three on finance and in Milan we can start to look behind my parents and see what the stability is. Danny’s a one. A one as it relates to Sheila in Milan.
In this side of that, in the Jessica northern part, I know it says in here 834 relating to stakeholders and leadership meetings. The day after a board meeting from the school in the middle of you guys over there. h.R. Finance facilities policy, section 40. The maybe those specific ones that are the stakeholders,
The superintendent review teaching and learning. So when you say parcel and i that ones that we may create in the future so actually specific know so the possible ad hoc was we had that conversation around reviewing the piece and what those are and so that was the only other thing
And then leaving it for the will of the board in terms of is there is outside that can also come out the superintendent review board committee. That’s a what. so PS could be done under the superintendent review right. Yeah. Now who’s got what. So in we will get one final you know what.
The only thing I would want you to look I can take of their actions by for political reasons but I don’t think know so we so brilliant brilliant. All right but okay so finance somebody is there will be what you know one thing I should add so you know I was down. Okay.
Okay. Okay. So are you supposed to be on one? It probably. No, it’s understood. Everything’s okay. It’s me. Sometimes it’s good to people. There’s two train thought because my name and facilities overlap just a little bit. They are Sometimes it’s sometimes helpful to be on both because. You hear things twice.
It sometimes feels if you’re looking at learning, it sometimes feels redundant to be on both it. And so you’re like, I want to have a different kind of mindset that you might want to swap it, but it’s not so much information on this morning. Learn as you go, she knows how
Really kind of. you guys been doing that? Yeah, I really think one of the same words I learned. okay. So she was spouting what we. You mean so. So in ideal world or in ideal world, we would have someone that is continuing and we have all new board members, right?
I mean, we have new. So this is exactly what you were referring to, that this is a that from the facilities perspective, we might have a committee where they’re all new people possible. But so so I don’t think that I don’t think you want by the committees.
So I do think that there’s a there’s a of in that sense. But how you feel about statement so persons interested in strongly do strongly feel about stakeholders. I mean only you’re an alternative there so you’re not okay so that statement is doing that they say it’s eight something 35 she
That are totally okay. Okay. Okay so here’s what we got. So Millan has one, two, three, four. I don’t think you want we hear an alternate that really has a three and an alternate. Sarah has 1 to 3 for superintendent. Review doesn’t meet every month, and so that’s a little flexible
Sheila has 1 to 3 and an alternate and pass has 1 to 3 and balance you know has 1 to 3 in an alternate and has 1 to 1 to. You only have two adults. three one, two, three, one three. And I don’t only say a 300, I can make it on that.
But you know, because you wanted to check to anyone else, now you’re anonymous as far as. Okay. 84 which that works. Yeah. They’re also alternate. It depends I mean as work shows and everybody should make sure they might be gossip or they talk to you any currently from. 1131 but
They get it like so it can wait an 8 seconds one. It’s the first week away so something to know if you are on fire as an HRT or you’re not in the first week of the month, they but I’m not. I’m not. Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
And the first week it also means our names. So we’re not opinionated because we blame the other ones that nine over them said that in order for the ability or the finance and that would drive it but I knew it was some of them do. That’s great. But then again it so
They are so yeah. So h.r. Agent currently rates from 1130 to 1 safety is once. Well, a lot of time like h.r. Can earlier in the morning. She’s tends to be in it that we know h.r. Maybe so the first week of the month.
And so that’s all you need to know is that is the first beginning, but the time is flexible for facilities. So urgent is somewhere. Your experience. And because i like looking at those options. So, you know, this is. Yeah, I just want to make sure everybody is all of the of receiving their
Because a lot of people facilities I think it’s 8099. Yeah so it isn’t that individual even I guess that’s why you were there as I was and then there is I looked at ones that were right 38 is not really. I will say that h.r.
Is a really good learning opportunity as you think about the district. And there is a lot as it relates to age in terms of class size ratio or sampling ratios or other kinds of things that come into h.r. That are an interesting process. And so so that is something to keep in mind.
So the people that i was doing that were some guy who was fired or maybe I was wrong for moving. No, I mean, so again, hrt and if you meet the first week of the month before, we had again, our finance committee meet before January.
And so in our admin, so so and so two reasons why this needs to be done right now is first of all, remember, this is our cycles, but it’s also the schedules of our association, right? And so they are setting their calendars so they can be available to us
And they need to move that forward. And so you need to think about that. And then the second reason is because, again, a couple of the committee needs in the first week of the month and so and so evening changed in time. She showed us that, you know, I just I know that.
And these people are using it from age 930 because that’s one date. And so but I mean, she also had asked so because I think it was mostly good, it needed to check over 84 and I was on a leave of absence for the month of December.
So I wasn’t able to get kind of that. I talked to her, so we didn’t have I think it was as if it was a little bit with Kelly meeting that she didn’t need to avoid early morning. So that is true. So honestly, there are a few things
In age are like about teacher contracts and requirements and state law and right. So maybe we’ll work on a couple things. So we talked, maybe we’ll talk about again the employment processes or we review the consent agenda. And I’ll say that we are doing a committee talks about
We do talk a little bit about kind of class size ratios and where we are and how sitting and working through that process, any kinds of kind of employment law things. There’s meet and confer processes that have to happen with the community around and that is meeting concerns
Our time as it relates to the future. Contract was an issue was brought up as something to talk about and then we had to get together with union representatives in there to kind of work through that process. We have a process right now and everyone’s feeling fine
About where they are, independent appointments, which are shows Wednesday, and we’re just really excited. So it’s been what I know about Anita is that Stacey has been willing to move meeting time. So the running, the Wednesday, the thing that it has to do
Is that it has to make the first meeting the first week of the month because it has to meet in preparation for the board meeting and second of all, Wednesday is a good time because it gives them time to create the consent agenda before we them correct. That’s what I mean.
I can’t say for a but I know that she’s been flexible in changing that time in the morning and modeling it. But we should not be holding one one. I mean what we need to do now, I’m thinking I’m looking at this one way that we chatted was getting well, right now
You’re considered adults in particular. So Heidi, Sarah, Sheila. So then you would go. But some of the things that you talk about in teaching and learning, if you want to be talking about questions and concerns and other kinds of things that I mean, not content,
I think it’s are is a way to delve into some of the work of the district in different ways that one of the things is you look at the executive director of the executive director, Finance operations and the executive director of teaching and Learning there on the session.
I’ll tell you what I of the first year and chart and it was very I didn’t learn a lot I don’t know you learn a lot of things so each hour meets the first week of the month. And so we need people needed for changing schedules.
Many go to that so we can pause a minute and let’s talk about what so the wellness so be we talked about. So two things that need to happen when we need to work. I think by the time they’re doing these readings, I can do this when they meet very often
That will make The Quarterly Yeah, they don’t meet quarterly. How many? Remind us how many appointments. Right. So something that we need. So other things that we need. So the negotiations, we need one board member and one alternate to be part of the negotiation. So negotiations are when we’re doing contract negotiations
And teachers and you should have your thing. We asked for one board member and one alternate for each of these of processes. Typically they happen between April and June, especially as they’re happening April and May. They’re going to happen after school because teachers sit on those committees.
So they’re in typically in the afternoon, they are somewhere between a full of ten and 30 hours, more than ten. So we expected to do we rank again, which is better names if you just want to put your name next to a negotiation category or two.
If you’re interested in doing a negotiation, we just do one. We don’t do all three. Why don’t we? Why don’t you do one to start seeing who else is Sarah? How many boards? how many things just carry your sticky notes and start to put stuff on.
I mean, it’s so the wellness committee, as Sheila and Heidi have been on a right, you guys continue to the wellness liaison. You continue. I mean, that’s not a monthly thing it’s kind of an as needed to get that to comp is also that is connected to this there can be I mean
There can be an alternate for each of those. Let me pause a minute and let me talk about so 87 right works. And so NFPA is not something that is necessary right now because this is M.A. director for a person and so that is millions the director for a person
And that’s a term and so we have that person there, right? Works is a consortium that used to be called Metro Exhale and it’s a curriculum thing and they have a board and so go to 87 and frameworks are a different elected board
With bright works like Donna is part of a district like ACA. We don’t have that guaranteed seat, but if someone from our board to put their name into that process for this year, there will be an election. And who knows of other people from the district? They’re going to want to do that.
The building is Arden Hills. It meets roughly monthly. There is a retreat in Brainerd that happens for a nice. John Schwartz is the former superintendent of Hopkins and he is the leader of that. So it’s not something we have to have an appointment for
And people are extended, but it is something that we could have. I know Cheryl sat on it and she found it very useful to 87 is another elected school board, but it’s another school board. It’s not elected. It’s a 13 member district.
And it is you need to be every member of the district sit on that school board. 287, of course, serves our students of high needs. So you are part of a board. You are you go to board meetings, you do superintendent evaluations. You you go through the whole process.
So you are a member. It is a two year term. And so I had been the 287 reps in my two year term has ended. So either I can re-up or someone else can do it. So yeah, so I mean, people can put their name on things. Yeah,
Caring for kids, that is quarterly meetings. That’s the program. I run an we have historically had a board member on it or no, does it send a board member to it? The superintendent attends it. I think it makes as much sense to have Nate attending
The Caring for Kids as it does a board member state high school leaders. And you’ve been on that morning talk about that. Well, not not not much. But you meet with the Megan who starts a year and she will tell you what they are going to take to board. That’s really
The high school. High school, you have to assume it’s not our well about that state. I’ve been on it. It means usually the day, the evening, our regular meetings, so many things that are real. Where are your families going to be mad at you? Is it is it education?
But that’s it’s a good it’s a great plan. Is there a recommendation for how many we know? I mean, I think it was a just start to put their stuff out and then see what they want to do. And you know what? And you have what you find me.
You might not want to take a lot of a point to. I have on to Oakland. Yeah. Yeah. Or you so my when you have a number how many companies do you have to you have an and you don’t have to put your name on anything that’s point I would suggest
That you’ve got all the negotiation I don’t think you should be the only board member to negotiate. That’s fine. So names would be a good learning opportunity for you as well. I want to know what those would happen in after school time because teachers are sitting at the table
And so they are happening at, I think for lots of reasons, working in a negotiation. They want to be wanted. They don’t are administrative professionals the way that it is. The principal is a lot of really good culinary. Yes, it’s about money, but you are not. It’s about contracts. It’s not about money.
And you have the h.r. Director With you, the executive director of. I mean, to be honest, i am very directly involved with is breakfast and lunch is right now. And i agree. So my options how much but that’s not what your it’s it’s contracts. It’s upper level.
Yeah it’s not you don’t think about the pieces don’t think about what’s actually getting put on the table. It’s about people who are working because that’s what negotiations are reporting. How many of them, when they get how much we’re going to get to the district, the districts, the financial parameters.
So let’s remember that when you sit in negotiations in these negotiations, unlike the teachers, is that you are sitting as a part the management team. The negotiations really happen between the director of h.r. And the union rep and the team is there.
And then you will go out and you will caucus and you will have conversations, but you are absolutely more of a listener. And so I sat in on the principals and I’m you can totally do it. I was I sat and listened like 99% of the time. Okay.
And if it was 100% of the time, probably be just want to say I’m gender getting, I’m not going to get tired of negotiation. I think it’s like what you said it it’s like, yeah, it’s very it’s not very often the negotiation. I have been somewhere between April and June.
It might go long depending on how negotiations go, but anything else? Because this one, I didn’t have a chance to go because it doesn’t. I want you this right here. I don’t want you to be in the middle of this negotiation is not going to happen in the middle of the school day
Because the teachers are on the table. Everything else. yeah, I didn’t put anything else. So 87, something that happened during the day. We can have an alternate with that. You’re in 24. I mean, we can do that. The other thing is balancing you. At one end. You probably have enough doing there.
You don’t have to put your name on anything else. Sheila doesn’t have her name on there. And you can but sit back or you on the Finance Committee sit back. It’s like buying somebody or AMS. There are meetings in the morning and so those are and you can attend online
There 730 to 9 once a month that you call in. We’ve had two people that actually all school board members going to lean into the amnesty meetings but because of listening and so it’s I apologize but what is it the Association of Metropolitan School Districts.
And so that’s a that is an advocacy group as it relates to the Metro district and Saint Cloud and Duluth and Rochester. I don’t think there’s anybody on a consultative committee. They it’s not on the document, but this one is meetings that are not necessarily so that it’s usually in the morning one
She her meetings to sort of the core and then there were all right words in little canisters this one makes yeah go where are you because then the amnesty debrief and they attend their on my name once a month And so it’s in Northern Ireland and you don’t need any once a month.
I have to go out you don’t have to go to little so you can just be again it’s it’s just talking about so this past it’s the amnesty meetings or the first Friday from of the month from 730 and nine this month the demographer came and so she was
Talking about the demographer trends of where and where enrollments are. They talk about issues related to the school. There’s a legislative opening. So it’s in the morning just so the first Friday, the first Friday of the 30th. And on any and of course, the whole what we’re doing.
But then I’m and we’re taking some of the kids no we can have two people go to amnesty we typically have our meetings but once we learn from this final and then it’s not it’s it’s more about participating in listening. There’s not a there’s not a single at my school.
We have early morning mornings, once a month, and it we don’t have anybody preparing for kids. That’s okay. And no, I think I think it is I think it makes sense. But I actually think it makes sense to have Jason do it at this point.
If there’s a need for a board member to do it moving forward, that’s fine. Number eight is that it looks like a no go, no, that’s not a justified what if I was sort of the technology for the board? Okay, so then we need to get back to officers
To wrap us up in 15 minutes. Okay. All right. So, you know, this will so now people are really concerned. So wait a, when do we of Valentina, do you what have you thought about? What do you need? Which ones? I’m on And so I can be done.
And I think that goes one way or another, doesn’t. Okay. And when you were the one who voted against so what I’m going change assignment. So again next year of next year that like when you’re coming to the same meeting. Okay but any special situations do we switch one member to another or.
Yeah there will be times when someone can’t show up and so they’re like, I can’t make it to my finance committee meeting. Does anyone want to does anyone want to do that? And if you find something really hard to do every time you want to change your mind, I don’t know.
That never happens. I’ve been on the board, but three, four, five, six. What am I missing? h.R. Finance facilities, teaching and learning policy. There’s a lot more than millett, who is purple fighting for your wellness, but it’s actually I’m not going to be home until 11:00, so they don’t know.
I would love to do community and I can. Or on your own. Yeah. Yeah, you can. I know that we’re going to enjoy. Yeah. Once I don’t think of the facility time so I think I’m in a meeting will send us invites or email me this not what if I want to leave.
I think that that eight hour meeting typically has been meeting from 1130 to 1 on the Wednesday on the first Wednesday of the month. So I think Stacy’s able to meet earlier in the day. That’s something to do.
Whether that would be on a Wednesday or yeah, it would have to be on Wednesday morning because Thursday morning’s finance because those are back to back. But those are two that’s typically when it is two three more things whose not here the three things we have to talk about
As we can as we conclude this meeting are the district liaison or the rotating commitments which will be coming up the board compensation really briefly and then get back to the officers conversation. So there are three just as an employee, there are three
Rotating opportunities that we ask all board members to attend at least once. One is the district liaison. That is a meeting that happens with PTO presidents and other people. That is on its Thursday evenings from 630 to 8 are in-person and Friday afternoons from 12 to 130 are virtual.
Then you should know that as a 287 rep, typically the district liaison happens at the exact same time as 287. So when you sign up for district liaison, I would sign up for a Friday and not a Thursday because that intersects with 287. The other one is Partners for Healthy Kids.
That happens on the second Wednesday from 3 to 430. It’s currently trying a hybrid of going virtual for December, January and February. That sign up will come up come out from Amy, the next one being in December. Which current board members.
Well I’ve been going because no board members have signed up nice to go for work and then in January we’ll send that up and then the agenda planning sessions will be set. Typically they’ve been from 3 to 430 on a Tuesday.
Those are sent by those are set by the Chair and the Vice-Chair. So those times will be set as we move forward and Amy will send out a list for that and then you’ll get Google Hint. We’re not going to do a sign up genius for that. She’ll just send up the times.
So we ask board members to sign up for an agenda planning kind of periodically. Typically we say you sign up for three and kind of spread yourself throughout the year, and then when the openings come, then you sign up for more. There’s that compensation, the school board.
So here is a packet of information as it relates to compensation. These are old because they are you can take this No, you take it. You keep that I take one of these and plastic down. I will ask anybody that is there there this is a whole bunch of information
At this meeting and it turns out I have an invitation. The truth is, is that as we are in cost containment in probably makes sense that we don’t recommend increasing our board compensation. If anyone else wants to weigh in on that. And you think that’s a bad idea
And you want to entertain that conversation, we can do it now. But I guess my recommendation would be that we say for this, for the purposes of this year, that we renew our compensation, that where they are and we look for a time when we are not tied
To cost containment for moving forward. Thoughts about that? I would agree. I would say not increase our conversation at this time. Providers and so but so okay so that works. I do think moving forward the Finance committee the Finance chair so duties department will make some recommendations around thinking about what to
Do with that moving forward. Chairs superintendent then review on facilities committee. I would be willing to do it and returning age are pretty. I would like to hear sure D.I. MILLIN and Sheila, you were both on it. I don’t have to you so wellness committee
Any and Sheila, you were doing it together this year just kind of I think Michelle was okay with two people. You just keep doing that you can I do you want to take the lead and on the alternate sidetrack far and Sheila Erskine who wants to be chair
Who wasn’t that chair who wants to be lead typically there’s just one more. And there have been two board members. My understanding was always that one board member attended. I’ve only been to one and because I was on it all year and I only got invited to one, I don’t know.
But you’re saying it. So you want to move one of us from just me. Those do will then be of seat back. And I think you have enough on your plate. Yeah, I think I’ve heard that through just my name and I won’t have any alternate, but you might have an alternative.
Sheila can’t make it, so you would hope you would do that. And the admin process will end with then alternate this 1 million put alternate. So Dan with Midland alternate negotiations. Prince who is a blank blue green negotiations principles so we shouldn’t become so Dan put his alternate here
So I guess admin pros you guys both put your name on it. How do you want to work that out? I can’t consider you in as a Why don’t you guys wait to see when they schedule it and we’ll
Put the two of them and you can decide who knows it when something is out. Indiana, I need to talk to you about. How about that process? So it’ll be quite a bit right where it’s we’re not going to send anyone to right now. I think that makes sense.
We can let’s hold it so that if there’s if so have so Andrew Keen is on as a community member at right works if they come back and say we need someone to fill our district, we may come back and say we need a was that a person
So that alternate Sarah and Valentina will do amnesty, We can both attend that person’s seat back. That’s a finance committee is the feedback that’s part of Sarah Dan can attend the feedback meetings. Randy and Heidi, let’s you and I talk about that as to who makes those things.
Like you said, again, for four key factors, you’ll you’ll notice in the in the board packet that the feedback committee is the Finance committee unless someone wants to in the finance said not all three Finance committee people need to attend those meetings, but they do.
And sometimes if a different board member says, I want go to see if they’re going to finance Committee person says I don’t want to go. That’s possible. Hers is the end fund. I’ll be safe. I truly that’s all of that. So we got each one of these.
Before we go back to the old officer’s conversation, the last things on our SO mentors that worked out really well. You’ll note you’ll remember that I asked everyone who would you like to work with and who do you want to get to know more? Everyone’s also fantastically orderly
And compliant and you just read each other’s minds. So we had a perfect alignment. Heidi will be Dan’s mentor, Millan will be Valentina’s mentor. I will be Persis mentor, and you get to double dip wherever you want to go. So you can just decide, do you, to go with Heidi and Dan
Millen and Valentina or Sarah and Paris joining so you can go or you can say, I’m Ed or even Sam. I’m so you want my advice? Ask any time or I ask you to work there. So Linda said that she would still be my friend so I’m sure that
You’ll help me and I’ll just. Yeah. As I have questions, I’ll reach out. I don’t know that I need to make it official. You know, And that’s a good point about Linda. We don’t have a practice of former board members being formal mentors because really
What your mentor needs to do is be helping you with issues of the board. And if you’re not sitting on the board, you are not there. At the same time, I would recommend to each of our new board members, to the extent that you feel comfortable to reach out to, to,
To past board members, to have coffee and have conversations, I know every single board member would want to do that. And we are they’re a last thing about possible hoc is it’s not an ad hoc committee. But I’ll just say as a as an activity of the board,
We are working to do some things for our outgoing board members and. So Heidi and I will be working with Amy, guys in the person in the communications that Goldman, Goldman who you know, Amy is. Assistant not who GOLDMAN Laurie Damon.
Laurie gaming and you need guys are going to be helping us do that. And so that’s the work of the board. And next Amy is going to be Amy guys is going to be talking to you. shoot. I have one more thing. I’m sorry, you guys.
Amy is going to be getting your contact information. We need that. And so please fill that out. Review upcoming board schedule. This is something I do need input on right now. If you go to the packet and we have our 2024 Board meeting, Board of Education, School Board meeting, there are three nights
March 11th, March 25th and, May 27th that have a conflict. We have board practice that moves our Memorial Day meeting. May 27th is a work session and it’s on Memorial Day. We have a board practice that the main meeting just gets moved up a week. So we typically meet we would meet on
May 20th instead of May 27th. Does that seem amenable to the group? That’s pretty good. Sure. So, I mean, it could also go to the 28th on a Tuesday, so it doesn’t have to be. There are three board meetings that we have a conflict with or potential conflicts.
So I’m working from the clearest to the non clearest. So May 27th be our normative every other week work session in May, that is Memorial Day. Our board practice has been instead of moving it to a Tuesday, because that’s just a busy time,
We just move it up a week and so sometimes we’ll have back to back. So you’ll have back to back board meetings in May. We would have the regular meeting on May 13th when we would have the board work session on May 20th. Okay.
That is one that we had to move and we have precedent for it. The next two, we don’t have to move, but is worth a board conversation because it may be the will of the board that we want to move it. The first is May is March 11,
Which is the first night of Ramadan, and the second is March 25th, which is Holly I for, I guess So that’s what’s written on your calendar. If you’re looking at your calendar, so is do we so for those days. So I so the question is as a board is that are these meetings
That we would like to move that we would need to move or is that not congruent with what or is it not necessary? Me It would be it would be a little bit for us. Said I’m second to Hollywood. Okay. So that could stay So, Heidi, March 11, right
So we so to move it so we could move it to a second night, is that a better than a first night? Or we could move it to and we can move it to the administration and the new leadership can figure it out next year.
We could move it to we could ask to either move it to the second night, so March 12th or we could look to. Yeah, because we need to have a march regular meeting. I was going to we could but we could do that. We could theoretically also move it to 40 or 40.
Well, I guess our three options are we typically we can move it to Tuesday. So March 12th, we could move it to March 4th. So the fourth, the 12th or the 18th, any of those. Okay. Okay. So we will move to the administration to sort of think about and again,
So administration can think about March 11, March 25th, we keep the Memorial Day. We move. We always met on Columbia. I guess we should ask. We’ve always met on Columbus slash indigenous Peoples Day. There’s that we can do that. We can take board action. Is everyone feeling okay with that?
Keeping our board schedule and then we’ve always met on the November 11th and the Veterans Day just wanting to make sure that we stay with that. Okay, we might have before March 11. One thing we did not picket yet. We’re going to go back to the administration
To see what other district conflicts there are. It will go the we recommended that the administration look at the fourth, the 12th of 18 and the admin. We’ll figure that out. I think probably. Yeah. Okay. So now we’re back to officers so we can so we I mean, so
That the will of the board is that there’s change in leadership. So to fully outline the change in leadership, that seems to make sense, to say that it’s Millen and Heidi and then, and then I guess Sheila as clerk and Sarah as treasurer. So that’s one option.
A second option is that I mean, as we talked about continuity in sitting at the table and understanding that process, but also the the will of the board could be that although this is going to change our committees a little bit.
But Heidi, maybe you and I can swap one or something like that would be to change it up so that we would have it. So Sarah as vice chair, to be at the table to work through that process and Heidi is treasurer and we engage in this conversation again next year.
I’m really going to step that’s option two. I’m, I’m okay. So I’m fine with either one as So again, I all need to say what you want. Quick question then. Would it make sense for her to be my mentor or you can still, but it doesn’t.
I mean, for me, the reason I’m saying I’m more comfortable with this is because I think the continuity is really important. I think that we have some continuity, especially in these days of high school and central high school program changing and everything that’s going on in the middle schools.
And I just I think that’s I’m so yeah. And then and then I becomes chair of finance. Yes. And then you’re the treasurer and then Midland State as chair of policy. Yeah. Okay. Make sure. Yeah. Yeah. That’s the only thing that switches. So okay. And I know we’ll talk about
That in the schedule and it comes pursuant to multichannel, by the way, when there was overlap. So and something to know about teaching and learning is teaching and learning meets from 12 to 2 on Wednesday and that won’t change because a number of people come in
It just I’m saying then so it is seven although digital learning for is going to be happening very readily. All right so you shouldn’t be getting calls like stuck and then where’s other can be? I kind of find what kind of negotiations. They’re not set yet. So what happens with negotiate
Because we don’t even know who’s going to be necessarily at the table. So those meetings are, Stacey will convene a group of people. Your negotiations are standing, like we say, this is the person that we think is going to do it. And if that is
And if it changes like you set your time. But it is evening. Yep. Yep, yep. I have an interest. If I am not on Finance Committee, I have an interest in being on facilities, but that’s fine. Okay. Anyone changes their minds. So given we don’t have any existing board member, I can. Yeah.
And then there is overlap between finance and facilities. Right? Right. So I can be automatic if you want to be a chair. I’m. And well then everyone’s already okay. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. That, that might be a thing that might shipping but it doesn’t anything. We can keep it as the other thing.
I want to hear something. Another one. You said you were on. The other thing I might suggest is that you intentionally do the superintendent review. That doesn’t mean monthly. That means on sort of a quarterly, but good learning potential. Good to have that in terms of and it’ll tie a lot to
Our job and our goals and outcomes and some of the things that we are doing. And so there’s also going to be for those of you. So if I think about the where’s the places where we are going to intersect with
Maybe some teaching and learning things to extent that we are starting to tie the superintendent evaluation to that doc and the things that we are doing, there are some really interesting things that stuff not necessarily. Okay. So probably within 24 hours, what are the thinking waiting period If you want to,
That this is going to be a lot more flexible meeting around your work. So this is going to be a standard meeting that people have. But so as I was thinking about what is going on in the statement of the meeting is not really that to. So what do you guys think?
I mean that it’s a great number obviously, because I’m in running. Yeah, that’s what I was wondering. So that in my opinion also I think an here is really it seemed like it was okay. All right. I’m really embarrassed. And when that was the order, if you need it, I’ll talk with politicians.
I mean, I can I can give you all the policy committee. I stayed on it before. That’s fine. You know, that’s a that’s. That’s non stop. I listed. Right. Right. That’s fine. All right that were they have some beautiful pictures and videos so useful.
Get me I wrote it all down and then we will connect with will also connect with Amy and that’ll go So this is our process. Okay. If you have not signed up for your member, please do it. Please let me know if you have not signed up for the new board members.
Officers, there will be a training for you. They typically happen in March. They’ll be a clerk, training a chair, training a treasurer training. And we strongly recommend that you do that. Probably. It’s really good. Okay, It is. The time is. 9:43 p.m.. Is there anything we’ve covered all options on our agenda.
Is there anything else? This work session on monday, December 4th, 2023, is adjourned.