November 27, 2017 at 6:30 PM - Regular

Description:  Demuth, Habben, Hesse, Humbert, Schurman, and Wesenberg. 

Student Members:  AnnaMaria Tomovic, Grace Sauer, Emily Haus

Description:  The School Board Chair will lead the board and attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Description:  Board action to approve the agenda for the meeting is expected.

Description:  The agenda is open to visitors of the meeting to offer comments to and/or requests of the school board. The comments and requests should follow the adopted district guidelines which are printed and available at the meeting.  As a general rule, items introduced in the opportunity for comments and requests do not receive action from the School Board, but are taken under advisement or consideration for future action.

Description:  Opportunity is extended to the Student Representatives to share information from the High School Student Senate.  Student Representatives may share information about Student Senate activities, feedback on School Board actions or agenda items, or general information about the ROCORI District for which they are concerned.  No formal action is required.

Description:  Opportunity is extended, consistent with district guidelines, for any member of the general public to share information with the School Board .

Description:  Action is requested on the following items of the consent agenda. Consent agenda items are typically adopted without discussion of the individual items because they are routine or ordinary in action.  Any consent agenda item may be removed for further discussion and deliberation by any member of the board.

Description:  The minutes from the Regular meeting of November 13, 2017 are included in the exhibits.

Recommend approval of the minutes from the meetings.

Description:  Board Treasurer Jason Wesenberg will have reviewed financial information for the board.  This information is included in the Treasurer's Report.  

Approval of Treasurer’s Report is recommended.

Description:  Treasurer Wesenberg will have been at the school site to review bills, ask questions, and confirm information prior to the meeting. 

Recommendation is to approve bill payment subject to any adjustments or direction offered by the Treasurer.

Description:  Community Ed Director Hillman is recommending Carolyn Kroska as a Kid Care Assistant.  This it to fill a spot opened by another assistant returning to school.

Recommend approval of the assignment as outlined.

Description:  Several policies are at the stage of third and final reading.  The policies ready for the third and final reading are #7-14 Harassment and #7-5 Tobacco Free Policy.

Recommendation:  Adoption of the policies as final reading.

Description:  The Department of Education informs the district of the expected charge for meal prices with the district expected to set the charge at the appropriate level.  The guidance ROCORI has received is that the price for the adult lunch for 2017-2018 should be $3.65.  Currently we are charging $3.60.  The District Office and Food Service program would like to make the update of price effective with the return to school from the holiday break in January of 2018.

Recommendation:  Set the adult lunch price at $3.65 effective January 1, 2018.

Description:  Action items receive individual attention because of the nature of the issues, the need to discuss or review the information prior to taking action, or the specific kind of action required for the item.

Description:  Check #96893  in the amount of $155.10.

Description:  Check #96880 in the amount of $300.00.

Description:  Approve check #97001 in the amount of $2,054.35.

Description:  During the Business Cabinet meeting this morning, a discussion was held on the need for building coverage during the weekends in order to accommodate the requests for building use by outside groups.  By our practices and procedures, in order for a building to be used, there must be an authorized representative of the district available to open and close the buildings as well as to monitor the spaces being used.  As the discussion unfolded, several different ideas and options were discussed along with some of the history of staffing, building use, and agreements in the district.  It was determined to bring forward a proposal to provide building supervision to help cover that needs from outside groups..

Recommend authorization of a weekend custodial position for the primary purpose of allowing access to the buildings.

Description:  Discussion items receive individual attention because of the nature of the issues and the need for introductory or other discussion in order to review the information prior to taking action.  This is also the agenda location for items which simply need school board review, but no formal action on the item is required.  Discussion items will typically return to the agenda at a future point for more specific action.

Description:  The Policy Review Committee continues its work with District policies.   District policy and procedure expects that each policy will be afforded three readings before the School Board in order to be formally adopted.  

The items placed on the agenda for first reading are offered so that the Policy Review Committee initiates its work.  Policies placed as a second reading have received more detailed review and return for full School Board consideration. Third, and final readings, are placed under the Consent Agenda for formal action to endorse the policy.

Description:  The items placed on the agenda for first reading are offered so that the Policy Review Committee initiates its work.  As the first reading comes before the full School Board, the Board is asked to direct the path of each policy.  Options for the School Board include a simple review of the policy, referral of the policy to committee, additional work by the full board, referral for administrative action, or other direction from the board.

Description:  The Policy Review Committee has completed work on several policies.  These policies were given first readings at a previous meeting . Policies placed as a second reading have received more detailed review and return for full School Board consideration.

The following policies are submitted for a second reading: #7-12 Violence Prevention Policy.  

Desired Outcome:  Second reading of the new policy.  The policy is based on MSBA model policy.

Recommendation:  This is the second reading; no formal action is required.  The policy is expected to return in final form under the consent agenda at the next meeting.

Description:  As part of the School Board goal related to budget development discussions, initial elements related to the FY19 district budget should be introduced at this time.  Three particular elements of consideration are brought to the full Board for feedback and direction.  

In the past, the District has used an assumptions worksheet to establish broad guidelines for budget development.  For FY19, the District Office administration has placed some concepts into the assumptions worksheet (based on previous history and current discussions).  The broad assumptions are shared with the board for revision, confirmation or redirection.

A key element to budget development includes district projection of enrollment.  A series of enrollment projections is included in the exhibits, with a moderate projection offered as the recommended projection.  Board discussion regarding the projections is desired.

The administrative team is in the process of reviewing the priority improvement list.  The initial update is included for School Board review and feedback prior to returning the list to the administrative team.

Desired Outcome:  Board conversation on each element.  Consensus on the assumptions worksheet and enrollment projections.  Feedback on the list of priority items in order to return the information to the administrative team.

Recommendation:  No formal action is required, but direction on the items is desired.

Description:  During the past week, statewide news items included reports on food service practices at various schools in Minnesota as well as statements from the Department of Education Commissioner Cassellius regarding meal charge policies.  The ROCORI District, as directed under food service guidelines, adopted a revised Meal Charge policy at the start of the school year.  The news reports have prompted a request to review ROCORI procedures related to the meal charge policy.

Desired Outcome:  Common understanding of the district practices related to the meal charge policy.

Recommendation:  No formal action is required as this is informational in nature.

Description:  A broad overview of the ROCORI results from the 2017 state MCA testing process is included in the exhibits for School Board review.  The information comes from the MDE "Report Card" page and reflects student performance in the spring of 2017.  This information is used by RtI and building committees, along with additional detail, to help set goals and drive academic decisions.

Desired Outcome:  Board awareness of student performance on state assessment tools.

Recommendation:  No formal action is required as the items are informational in nature.

Description:  Administrative reports are requested of each administrator for update purposes. For the second meeting, the reports are offered by the Business Cabinet members.  The Business Cabinet includes the Director of Business Services, Buildings and Grounds Director, Technology Director, Community Education Director, Food Service Director, and Activities Director.

Description:  The business office provides an update of district expenditures and revenues through the Budget Comparison Report.The report is intended to provide a financial picture of the district in a couple ways.One is to compare current year expenditures to the previous year.The second is to simply give a report on the current financial status.In addition to the report, special items of note are highlighted in the explanations offered. This report does not require formal action but is provided as an informational item.

Description:  Superintendent Staska is expected to have a report for the board regarding district activities and information.

Description:  Board members will report on activities within their portfolio of committee and representative assignments.

Description:  The negotiation process with Education Minnesota-ROCORI has gone into mediation.  A mediation session has been set for Friday, December 8.  Prior to the mediation session, the Board Negotiations team would like to review the negotiation status with the full board and determine appropriate direction and parameters for the mediation process.  This strategy session will be closed according to Minnesota Statute 13D.03 by which "a school board may, by majority vote in a public meeting, decide to close a meeting to consider strategy for labor negotiations."  (MSBA Open Meeting Law Summary; Learning to Lead--School Board Basics:  Phase I)

Description:  A calendar of upcoming issues of concern to the school board is included as part of the agenda.