November 18, 2014 at 6:30 PM - Education Committee - Regular School Board Meeting

1. Informational Items 

1.A. Informational Presentations

1.A.1) Minnesota PCAE (Perpich Center for Arts Education)

Minnesota PCAE Visual and Media Arts Coordinator, Jeremy Holien, presented information on the new Minnesota State Arts Standards.

1.A.2) Regulation 6095R - Curriculum (K-12)

Mike Cary, Director of Curriculum, will share revisions to Regulation 6095R - Curriclum K-12 for School Board review and information.

1.A.3) New Fab Lab Elective Course Proposal for the 2015-16 School Year

Mike Cary, Director of Curriculum, presented a proposal for adding Fab Lab (Fabrication Laboratory) as a new elective course for the 2015-16 school year. This new course will provide students with the knowledge base to take an idea into a prototype product using off-the-shelf, industrial-grade fabrication and electronics tools with open course software to create a product prototype. Students will be able to locally conceptualize, design, develop, fabricate, and evaluate almost anything.

1.A.4) Regulation 5040R Student Transfers

Mike Cary, Director of Curriculum, presented revisions to Regulation 5040R Student Transfers for School Board information and review.

2. Action Items

2.A. Presentation Items Requiring Approval

2.A.1) Duluth Head Start's Governing Board and Policy Council Governance Screening

Pam Rees, Director of Headstart, presented Information on the required Head Start Governing Board and Policy Council Governance Screening.

2.A.2) Results of Head Start's Health and Safety Screenings

Pam Rees, Director of Head Start, presented the results of the Health and Safety Screenings conducted by Head Start Nurse, Nancy Gangeness, and Pam Rees, which is required for all federal sites.

2.A.3) Policy 5040 Transfers Within the School District

Mike Cary, Director of Curriculum presented proposed revisions to Policy 5040 Transfers Within the School District for the first reading.

2.B. Extended Field Trip Requests

Piedmont Elementary fourth grade students will be traveling to the Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Finland, Minnesota from March 23 - 25, 2015.  Students will enjoy an experiential learning opportunity, which will help them meet the Minnesota State Standards in Science and Physical Education, and develop teamwork skills and personal growth.  The total cost of the trip is $11,755 and will be funded through fundraising activities, donations, and student fees.

Duluth Public Schools' FFA (Future Farmers of America) students will be traveling to the University of Minnesota in Crookston, Minnesota on December 4-5, 2014 to participate and compete in career development invitational events.  These students have prepared for this great team building event as an extension to their classroom experience.  The total costof the event is $1,811.34 and will be funded through fundraising activities, grant dollars, and student fees.

2.C. Access to Internet Student Data - Non-District Employees

It is requested that the following organization be granted access to the Student Information System to support District functions from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015:

YMCA

2.D. Resolution E-11-14-3210 - Acceptance of Grant Awards to Duluth Public Schools

Attached is Resolution E-11-14-3210 - Acceptance of Grant Awards to Duluth Public Schools, to accept and approve grant awards from the following organizations:

United States Department of Education
Minnesota Department of Education
Ordean Foundation
Minnesota State Arts Board

2.E. Approval of Independent Provider Requests

Attached for School Board approval are Independent Provider Requests from the Minnesota High School Cycling League and the G-Team Snowboarding League, which were both presented at the September and October Education Committee Meetings respectively as informational items.

2.F. Diploma Requests

The following students have completed all high school graduation requirements and should be awarded a diploma:

Maria Regnier - August 20, 2014
Alex Prince - August 20, 2014