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MINNESOTA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION
July-August 2010 Volume 63, No. 1
Keeping Kids First: Our Legacy for the Future At-Risk or At-Resilient: How Do We See Our Students?
Two Student School Board Members Riseto the Top to Earn MSBA Scholarship 201
0 Summer Seminar Edition
DESIGNERS OF MINN
ESOTA’S FUTURE:
Keeping Kid
s Firs
t
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2 MSBA JOURNAL
Our significant knowledge base and experience makes us wellversed in all facets of education law: public employment
and employee relations, student matters, school finance, elections, bond counsel services, construction, real estate,
school board matters, contracts, discrimination and harassment, data privacy, special education, constitutional issues and more.
on Education Law.
KNUTSON FLYNN & DEANS P.A.1155 Centre Pointe Drive, Suite 10
Mendota Heights, MN 55120651-222-2811 (office) 651-225-0600 (fax) www.kfdmn.com
We write the book
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School Leaders’ Legal LiabilityAutomobile
Group Term LifeLong-Term Disability
General LiabilityExcess Liability
The purpose of the MSBA Insurance Trust(MSBAIT) is “to provide for its members and their employees and officials various forms of insurance, including any forms of permittedgroup insurance, for the benefit of school districts which are members of the MSBAand to effectuate cost savings in the procurementand administration of such programs.” For more information about MSBAIT, visit
www.msbait.org.
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Denise [email protected]
John [email protected]
Contact:
394202_JulAug_10:_ 6/16/10 5:13 PM Page 2
CONTENTS JULY/AUGUST 2010 VOLUME 63, NUMBER 1
Calendar
Articles
Divisions
KEEPING KIDS FIRST: OUR LEGACY FOR THE FUTURE
Renée Rongen
AT-RISK OR AT-RESILIENT: HOW DO WE SEE OUR STUDENTS?
Tommy Watson
TWO STUDENT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS RISE TO THE TOP TO EARN MSBA SCHOLARSHIP
Bruce Lombard
12MSBA TO OFFER SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH SERVICES
Sandy Gundlach
16YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS
Bruce Lombard18
10
8
STRAIGHT TALK
Bob Meeks, MSBA Executive Director
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
Jackie Magnuson, MSBA President
MSBA VENDOR DIRECTORY24ASK MSBA
Greg Abbott, MSBA Director of Communications31
6
5
J U LY 2 0 1 04 .............Independence Day (no meetings)5 .............Independence Day Observed
(no meetings)
AU G U S T 2 0 1 04 .............MSBA Board of Directors’ Meeting4 .............MSBA Insurance Trust Meeting4 .............MSBA School District Liquid Asset
Fund Plus Meeting4 .............MSBA Phase I & II Combination4 .............MSBA Summer Seminar Early Birds5-6 ..........MSBA Summer Seminar10 ...........Primary Election Day (if required – no
meetings or activities 6 p.m.- 8 p.m.)
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 06 .............Labor Day (no meetings)
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 01 .............Last Day for Submitting Legislative
Resolutions3-5 ..........MASA Fall Conference7 .............MSBA Insurance Trust Annual Meeting7-8 ..........MSBA Board of Directors’ Meeting7-8 ..........MAEOP Conference11 ...........Columbus Day Observed (no meetings
unless declared not a school holiday)21-22 ......Education Minnesota Conference
The MSBA Journalthanks the students ofWaseca Public Schools forsharing their art with usin this issue.
COVER ART: Janae Spies
JULY/AUGUST 2010 3
PARENT CHATS STRENGTHEN THE MARRIAGEBETWEEN THE PUBLIC AND THE SCHOOL
Greg Abbott
22
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4 MSBA JOURNAL
Quotes of Note captures some of the more interesting statements MSBA staff have read in local, state and national publications.
Turn-aroundSchools List“My board said ourreputation is worthmore than a milliondollars. [We were]willing to forego it tosay, ‘Hey, we are not apersistently low-performing school.’”Butterfield-OdinSuperintendent Lisa Shellum
Getting Help toWork Together as a Board“It’s long overdue. Myhope is we can worktoward getting alongbetter and reducesome tension, and findwhere our commonground lies. I lookforward to it.”Duluth School BoardMember Tom Kasper
One issue behindthe racialachievement gap“Some of it is notseeing themselves inthe literature, or notreading literature andexperiencing mathsituations common totheir living experiences.So we try to gothrough curriculum witha different lens.”Minnesota Teacher of the Year Ryan Vernosh
Race to the Top proposal turned down“Look at what’s gone on—is there a need for reform inthe teaching profession? I think the answer isabsolutely yes. Minnesota has a long history of highachievement, but has also had a history of an ongoingand pervasive achievement gap. And we need to, as astate, address that achievement gap—what we identifyas more traditional students and those that may be ofa different race or color. There has to be a commonagreement on how we’re going to address that. I hopethe leaders in this state put together an agenda thathelps Minnesota advance teacher quality as opposedto becoming too political about it.” Marshall Superintendent Klint Willert
Test scores for ranking schools“Ironically the same year our school was declared afailing school as a result of not making AYP on theMCAs, we were recognized nationally by Standard andPoors for significantly closing the achievement gap. Weeven received a visit from NBC Nightly News.
“This story is not unique. Drilling deeper into studentachievement data, we have learned that state testscores don’t always provide the whole story about whatis going on in a school.” Michelle Langenfeld, Associate Superintendent with theAnoka-Hennepin School District
Going to a four-day school week“It was either save money going to a four-day week, orstart cutting those very important electives that make ahigh school what it is—band, music, tech education,woodshop. We feel that’s every bit as important to thehigh school experience as math, science and English.” Onamia Superintendent John Varner
OFFICERS
President: Jackie Magnuson, Rosemount-AppleValley-Eagan
President-Elect: Kent Thiesse, Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial
DISTRICT DIRECTORSDistrict 1: Kathy Green, AustinDistrict 2: Jodi Sapp, Mankato AreaDistrict 3: Daniel Zimansky, Tracy AreaDistrict 4: Carol Bomben, Eden PrairieDistrict 5: Marilynn Forsberg, Spring Lake ParkDistrict 6: Kevin Donovan, MahtomediDistrict 7: Roz Peterson, Lakeville AreaDistrict 8: Elona Street-Stewart, St. PaulDistrict 9: Karen Kirschner, MoraDistrict 10: Nancy Dashner, Frazee-VergasDistrict 11: Walter Hautala, Mesabi EastDistrict 12: Gary Lee, Fertile-BeltramiSTAFFBob Meeks:Executive DirectorBarbara Lynn:Executive Assistant/Director of Board OperationsJohn Sylvester:Deputy Executive DirectorTiffany Rodning:Deputy Executive DirectorGreg Abbott:Director of CommunicationsDenise Drill:Director of Financial/MSBAIT ServicesAmy Fullenkamp-Taylor:Associate Director of Management ServicesSandy Gundlach:Director of School Board ServicesBill Kautt:Associate Director of Management ServicesGrace Keliher:Director of Governmental RelationsKatie Klanderud:Director of Board DevelopmentBruce Lombard:Associate Director of CommunicationsBob Lowe:Director of Management ServicesKelly Martell:Director of TechnologyCathy Miller:Director of Legal and Policy ServicesSue Munsterman:MSBA AdvertisingKirk Schneidawind:Associate Director of Governmental RelationsMike Torkelson:Elections/Management Services Specialist
The MSBA Journal (USPS 352-220) is publishedbimonthly by the Minnesota School BoardsAssociation, 1900 West Jefferson Avenue, St.Peter, Minnesota 56082. Telephone 507-934-2450.Call MSBA office for subscription rates.(Opinions expressed in the Journal are those ofthe writers and do not necessarily representMSBA policy.)
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IBob Meeks
MSBA Executive Director
You will be abetter schoolboard memberif you areactivelyinvolved in yourAssociation.
It’s that time of the year again. Time tovote to join YOUR MSBA! We are amembership organization that has as itsMission: “Support, Promote, andEnhance the Work of Public SchoolBoards and Public Education.”
We believe the advantages of belongingto the MSBA are so strong that you havea need to be a member schoolboard. The returns you get from being amember far outweigh your MSBAmembership dues. Our board ofdirectors have kept expenses at theAssociation low by freezing all staffsalaries for the second year in a row,cutting back on out-of-state travel andfinding many ways to be moreefficient—such as more e-mailnotifications, instead of paper.
But our board kept all of the freeservices MSBA now offers, such as:
• Free on-call assistance on mattersranging from Minnesota’s openmeeting law to district personnelissues to school board and levyelections to everything else that has animpact on public education.
• Our free Public Education EmployeeRelations Network (PEERNet) thatgives districts access to a gold mine ofinformation on salaries, benefits anddistrict size.
• Our free Leadership Conference,which gives you the opportunity toaccess outstanding school boardmember training and gather necessaryinformation from excellent speakers.Your MSBA is the only state schoolboards association in the nation thatdoes not charge aregistration/attendance fee for thisconference.
• MSBA’s award-winning Journalmagazine, Boardcaster newsletter, dailyNews Clipping Service, CapitolCompass, Lobby Line, and otherpublications—all FREE.
• Your MSBA lobbies at the state andfederal levels year-round, not justduring the legislative session. Ourcontract negotiations training forschool board members and districtadministrators is second to none, andonly MSBA offers master agreementanalysis. And our Phase trainingprograms for school board membersgive you the knowledge you need torun effective boards that focus onstudent achievement.
• MSBA also offers member districtsaccess to cost-effective insuranceproducts and services offered throughMSBA Insurance Trust-endorsedinsurers. The Minnesota SchoolDistrict Liquid Access Fund Plusinvestment program provides memberdistricts with the overall highest returnon your invested revenue. Manydistricts recoup the cost of dues simplyby participating in MSDLAF’soutstanding portfolio. You also havethe opportunity to access MSBA-sponsored programs such asPaySchools, Power-Card, the MSBAPlayground Compliance Program, theSchool Board Member ServiceManual, and many other fine andnationally recognized services andprograms.
I could go on and on listing reasons foryou to vote to become a member schoolboard of YOUR MSBA. We are here toserve you and to assist you in your localgovernance obligation to provide publiceducation in your school district.
MSBA needs you as much as you needMSBA. We need you as a member andwe need you as a participant! You will bea better school board member if you areactively involved in your Association.Together we can work to assure thatevery public school student has access toexcellent educational opportunities!
JULY/AUGUST 2010 5
STRAIGHTTALKYOUR ASSOCIATION GIVES SCHOOLSA HUGE RETURN ON INVESTMENT
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6 MSBA JOURNAL
PRESIDENT’S COLUMNRAISINGTHE BAR
MEANS RAISING IT FOR EVERYONE
A As board members, we have heardendless research about how raisingexpectations of our students leads tohigher achievement. One of our SummerSeminar speakers this year, TommyWatson, is a prime example of how ateacher—and a school—raised the barfor him. His success shows how it works.
But what I don’t hear much about israising the bar for everyone else. Itwould make the job of our schoolboards much easier if EVERYONEraised their bar—higher expectationsfor teachers, higher expectations forboard members, raising the bar onsuperintendents and (brace yourself)raising the bar for parents.
I’ll start with school board members.The best way that you can keep the barraised is to continue to be a lifelonglearner. By simply attending learningconferences like Summer Seminar, theLeadership Conference and MSBA’sseries of Phase trainings, you are raisingyour own bar to a high-performingboard. If your board is constantlystruggling with 4-3 votes and bickering,you need to raise your bar. There aremany inservices where MSBA will comeright to your board room to help you towork together. And training will helpyou to see that raising the bar meanslooking at the “big picture” of studentachievement by working on a board as aTEAM. It means learning that a boardmajority determines direction for yourdistrict, not individual board members.And sabotaging board direction(because you may not agree with themajority) only hurts kids. Raising thebar starts at the top with boardmembers who continue to learn andcontinue to find ways to work togetherdespite differences.
Raising the bar for superintendents fallsinto what your board expectations andgoals are for your single most importantemployee: the superintendent. If you
haven’t had an evaluation of yoursuperintendent or don’t set goals foryour superintendent, it is hard for bothsides to raise the bar. A constructiveevaluation, with specific goals that canbe monitored, goes a long way inraising the bar for the superintendentand the entire district.
What might be hardest is raising the barfor parents. I’ve seen too many PTAsurveys that show parental involvementin schools has plummeted. And the fewparents left at some PTAs have beenturned into year-round fund-raisingmachines. Probably the biggest sign thatthe bar needs to be raised for parents isa quick look around the room at a PTAor PTO meeting. How many fathers arethere? Those same PTA surveys thatshow parental involvement is falling alsoshow the few members who are stillactive are mostly mothers. There aresome things schools can do to raise thebar for parents: stop using the PTO fora fundraising group and start turning itback into a learning group where youcan talk about school issues withparents. Let them know what you arefacing and how they can help. Schoolscan also make an effort by offeringvolunteer positions that parents can fillin the school.
But raising the bar also has to start inthe home. Read to your children. Makesure they are caught up on homework.Go to parent-teacher conferences. Andif your child needs help, just ask. Manyschools and teachers will bend overbackward to help.
Raising the bar is a good slogan. But tomake it happen, it takes a lot of hardwork. And it must be raised foreveryone—students, teachers, boardmembers, superintendents and parents.Only then will achievement improve.And it will be so much easier witheveryone working to raise their own bar.
Raising the bar is a goodslogan. But tomake it happen, it takes a lot ofhard work. And it must be raised foreveryone—students,teachers, boardmembers,superintendentsand parents.
Jackie MagnusonMSBA President
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8 MSBA JOURNAL
Jacie Hoehn
Keeping Kids First: Our Legacy for the Future
II have been thinking a lot lately aboutchildren—my children and the childrenwe see in society. My oldest justgraduated from high school and isquickly on his way to the halls of collegeacademia. I am so proud of him andlook so forward to what his future holds.
As I look back on his life and hisexperience with the educationcommunity, I am so grateful for teacherswho spent the extra five minutesteaching him about life—along withreading, writing and mathematics. I amso thankful for his school administratorswho created a balanced and vibrantenvironment for his learning. I am
honored to know that the school boardand various administrators for theschool system in our area placed anincredibly high value on his holisticeducational experience. I am sothankful for a team of people whoworked collectively with me to get himover the educational “finish line.” Aboveall though, I am thankful for each oneof these people who have played a rolein his education because they all werefocused on the same thing: creating alearning experience that allowed him togrow and flourish as a well-roundedyoung man with a great future ahead ofhim. Each one of these people has
Renée Rongen
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JULY/AUGUST 2010 9
understood one key fact: Our children are our legacy forthe future; they are our hope and our certaintythat things will be better in the future.
Back to the BasicsIn the midst of political changes andfunding problems, mandatory testingand performance-based evaluations,and the ongoing challenges thateach of you face on a daily basis, I wantto challenge you to “get back to thebasics.” Getting back to the basics is ultimatelyallowing your work to be driven by the simple statement Imade in the previous paragraph: Our children are ourlegacy for the future! When you allow your work to bedriven by this simple statement, you realize why you gotinvolved with children in the first place!
At some point in your career you decided that it wasprofoundly meaningful to make a difference in the lives ofchildren because doing so would make the world a betterplace. I wonder, though, if over time you have becomediscouraged by the current state of affairs in educationtoday. Are you discouraged by the fact that school boards,superintendents, administrators, teachers, and staff do nothold the same authority in the lives of children that wasonce held? Do you constantly feel like you have to do morewith less and there is no end to the problems on thehorizon? Do you feel like so many people are involved inthe educational system and communications are breakingdown more frequently and becoming more difficult? Haveyou thought about the legislative issues that seem to bedriving your work in directions you would not have chosen?With all of this on your mind, how in the world can Isuggest that you “get back to the basics?” Am I crazy?
Tips to Build Your Legacyfor the FutureSome folks would say I am crazy, others would say that Ihave a salient ability to boil concepts down and invitepeople to a more simple way of thinking. So here goes myattempt to encourage you to get back to the basics andremember that our children are our legacy for the future!
1. In your daily interactions with fellow board members,administrators, staff people, teachers, parents,community members, take five minutes more to reallyhear! We have lost the ability to really listen to eachother because we are mired in our own perceptions.Margaret Wheatley, noted social consultant and thoughtleader, challenges us to turn to one another and havesimple conversations that restore hope in the future. Iagree with Wheatley about the power of conversationsand the restorative nature of truly listening to eachother! When we listen, we find commonality with otherswhich allows us to drive toward a legacy of hope!Furthermore, if you have the privilege of workingdirectly with our children, realize that five extra minutesto hear the young person well might just change his life!
2. As you approach your work, I want to encourage you tolook at all the significant gifts each person brings to thetable. Each one of us thinks differently, sees the worldthrough different lenses, and offers insights anddifferent perspectives. Regardless of your position andresponsibilities, if you take a step back to honor theunique gifts of others, the future might just change!
3. I want to invite you to join together to drive ourchildren throughout society to get out of their comfortzones! Let’s look for ways to create small moments ofsuccess for each and every student because successbreeds future success! Let’s look for every way to praisekids and to praise each other for the unique gifts we allpossess. Let’s honor each person in the “education” mixas vital to the overall success of our legacy!
4. Finally, I want to challenge you to think about how wecan collectively “color outside of the lines.” We all knowthe education systems in America are in the process ofbeing redefined! So if we are all investing in the legacyof our future—our children—we might need to drawthe lines differently.
One person can make adifference I was recently thinking about a person who made theboldest difference in my educational experience. It was Ms.Tykeson, my first grade teacher, who understood her role inmy life the best. She listened, challenged me, explored mygifts, and created moments of success! Ms. Tykeson knewone fundamental fact about all people: We all have theneed to be known, loved, accepted, and given theopportunity to make a difference in the world. Regardlessof your position, you too can make a difference in the livesof all people in your communities, especially the children,if you remember the simple needs of all people that Ms.Tykeson understood so well!
Thank you for joining me and all theothers around the country inkeeping kids first, because our kidsare our legacy for the future! Thankyou for the great work you do; andabove all, thank you for making adifference in our schools andcommunities! By the way, thanks,too, for allowing me to share afew simple thoughts aboutgetting back to the basics!
Renée Rongen is aninspirational speaker andauthor. She is the keynotespeaker for MSBA’s SummerSeminar Aug. 5-6 at theNorthland Inn in Brooklyn Park.
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10 MSBA JOURNAL
TThe term “At-risk” implies that anindividual or student is at risk of failurewhen faced with various challenges orobstacles. On the flip side, the term “At-resilient,” which I have coined, impliesthat when that same individual or studentis faced with challenges or obstacles theywill have the ability to bounce back andovercome any adversity in their lives (atschool and at home). The way that we seeour students will guide our level of
Tommy Watson
At-Risk or At-Resilient:How
do we
see our
students?
Sara Vasquez
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JULY/AUGUST 2010 11
expectations, our behavior towards them, and ultimately ourpolicies and procedures for ALL students.
In 1992, I arrived on the campus of the University ofMinnesota to play football and attend college aftersurviving tremendous obstacles back home in Denver. I hadgrown up in a situation where my parents were drug addictsand professional shoplifters. These behaviors of my parentsresulted in my siblings and I being shuffled in and out ofcrisis centers, foster homes, motel rooms, and the homes offriends and family members as kids.
When I stepped on to the campus of the University ofMinnesota, the institution had never had a student-athletecome to the school with my circumstances. At the time ofmy arrival, my mother was in prison; my father was inprison; my younger brother was in juvenile prison; mygrandmother (my last legal guardian) was in a nursinghome; my older brother was back on the streets of Denverinvolved in gangs; my oldest sister was on the streets ofDenver addicted to crack cocaine; my second oldest was infoster care in Iowa; my younger sister was in foster care withmy aunt; between my 11th and 12th grade years of school Ihad lived in five different locations; I had spent the last sixmonths of my senior year homeless—sleeping on the livingroom floor of a family friend; and finally I arrived at theUniversity of Minnesota with no home address back inDenver.
How did I survive and make it to college? My making it tocollege had a lot to do with the educators in my life duringhigh school. These educators had high expectations for meand my inner city comrades being bused out to thesuburban high school. These high expectations manifestedthemselves through the combination of HIGH CARE andHIGH DEMAND. The staff at Mullen High School neverviewed me as being at-risk. In essence, they viewed me asbeing at-resilient, a person who could bounce back from allthe challenges that I was faced with at the time.
What does research tell us about educatorexpectations?• Our expectations become self-fulfilling prophecy.
• High expectations always trump circumstances.
• Our expectations consciously and unconsciously controlour behavior.
• Students live up to or down to educator expectations.
• Students most impacted by low expectations:Black/Latino, male, low-income, special education.
• Educators with low expectations blame school failure onstudent behavior, poverty, lack of support fromadministration, inferior facilities, uninvolved parents, andbureaucracy at the district level.
How can school board members create a spirit of high expectations for ALL students?• Begin with honest self-assessment of your own beliefsabout ALL students.
• Any doubts about student abilities should be intervenedwith counter-stories. (Example: If an individual haddoubts about the achievement ability of African-Americanboys, a great counter-story to that belief would involvereading and studying a book such as mine—A Face ofCourage—that provides evidence that African-Americanboys in poverty can go on to achieve academically.)
• Set a Vision of High Expectations for your district(creating a community-wide, shared vision).
• Establish District Goals that speak High Expectations(having increased student achievement at the core ofdistrict work and defining what increased studentachievement will look like).
• Develop Policies of High Expectations (developing andadopting policies that influence teaching practices andthe culture for learning).
• Allocate Resources that support High Expectations(creating the conditions and directing resources foraccelerating improvement).
• Assure Accountability that supports High Expectations(holding the system accountable to high and equitableachievement for all students and for closing allachievement gaps).
(Source: Washington State School Director’s Association,Guiding Principles)
Tommy Watson is principal at Palmer Lake Elementary School inBrooklyn Park. For more information on how these school boardfunctions can help establish high expectations in your district andto hear more of his story, see his keynote speech at the MinnesotaSchool Board Association’s Summer Seminar Aug. 5-6 at theNorthland Inn in Brooklyn Park. You can also purchase A Faceof Courage: The Tommy Watson Story at amazon.com orbarnesandnoble.com.
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12 MSBA JOURNAL
TThis year’s MSBA Student School Board MemberScholarship recipients are Kai Fei and TanwapornOhl. You think the names are unique? Wait untilyou meet the students themselves.
Both students amassed an absurdly long list ofoutstanding achievements—student council,extracurricular activities, political engagementand academic teams, etc.—and are natural-bornleaders that served their respective schools withhumility and respect.
Fei is a recent graduate of Duluth East HighSchool. In his scholarship application, hecompiled two full pages of extracurricularactivities and academic honors.
Fei was president of the National Honor Society, aNational Merit Scholar, a two-time member of theAll-State Math Team, a founding member ofDuluth’s Students for the Future organization anda qualifier for the National Forensics Leaguenational tournament.
And that’s just for starters. Not to mention Fei is agifted musician (he’s played the violin for nine yearsand performed with the Duluth Youth SymphonyOrchestra for the past four years) and also takes thetime to volunteer at the local soup kitchen.
Not afraid of getting out of his comfort zone, Feisaid he volunteered to help others and to learnabout another side of his community from adifferent perspective.
Fei also wanted to see his school from anotherperspective, too, last year when he joined theDuluth school board as a student representative.
“I thought it might be interesting to find outwhat’s going on with the school board,” he said. “Ihad no idea what the school board was all about,so I thought it would be a great learningopportunity.”
Ohl, a graduate of Cass Lake-Bena High School,was drawn to her school board service from adesire to advocate on behalf of the student body.
TWO STUDENT SCHOOLBOARD MEMBERS RISE TO THE TOP TO EARN MSBA SCHOLARSHIPDuluth East, Cass Lake-Bena high schoolers awarded $3,000 for college
Alex Roesler
Bruce Lombard
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JULY/AUGUST 2010 13
“I have always been involved in student council (sinceelementary school),” Ohl said. “I really wanted theopportunity to have a voice in things that go on in theschool, and I thought that (joining the school board) wasthe best option.”
Ohl’s seemingly never-ending list of accomplishmentsreveals: a two-time student council president, a three-timequalifier and a two-time medalist at the state speechtournament, co-captain of the speech team, senior classtreasurer and a four-time “A” Honor Roll student. This isjust a snapshot. A quick count on her transcript results in asum of at least 20 different activities. Ohl was able tomaintain this full slate of extracurriculars while earning agrade point average of 3.74—while working a part-time job.
Ohl said extracurricular activities help students developsocializing skills. She can attest—she insists being on theschool speech team gave her more confidence. “If I hadn’tbeen in speech, speaking in public would be awkward rightnow,” she said.
Fei seconded that notion. “Without all these extracurricularactivities I might not be on the school board,” he said.“Without the speech program, I wouldn’t have eventhought of coming to the school board. Every single one of(those) activities gives you a different experience outside ofthe classroom. The people you meet (in extracurricularactivities) are different from your classroom experience.”
On boardBoth Fei and Ohl touted the importance of school boardservice. Fei said he was surprised to learn how much theschool board does for his district’s schools.
“The school board decides a lot about what the schools do,”he said. “Everything the principals have to do eventuallygoes back to the school board. So if you want to changesomething about your school, go to your school board.”
Ohl said it is really important for students to have a say inwhat goes on in schools. “I think it is a really cool way forthe people who are running the school to really get a viewof the students’ needs and wants,” she said. “Especially froma diverse school district such as Cass Lake.”
Ohl’s biggest contribution to her board and school cameduring a trip to Washington, D.C., to support the federalImpact Aid law at a conference. Impact Aid providesfinancial assistance to school districts with concentrations ofchildren who reside on American Indian lands and otherlocations (e.g. military bases, low-rent housing properties).Cass Lake-Bena High School is located on the Leech LakeReservation. Sixty-seven percent of the school’s students areeligible for free or reduced-price lunch.
“(Impact Aid) is almost necessary to my high school’ssurvival,” Ohl wrote in an essay. “Impact Aid allows us, as aschool with extremely high poverty and low graduation rates,to focus on helping students learn and take steps towardgraduation. Before this trip, I never knew how much ImpactAid affects our school district and just how much we need it.”
Ohl cited a concrete example of Impact Aid’s virtues. Afleet of school buses return to the high school after 5 p.m.to pick up students participating in after-school activities.“(Those students) probably couldn’t be in activities if theydidn’t have a ride home,” she said. “It’s those extra thingsthat you don’t really notice. If they were gone you wouldreally feel it.”
With a bill circulating that could endanger Impact Aid, Ohldelivered some crucial testimony before a host ofMinnesota politicians—Sen. Amy Klobuchar and U.S.representatives James Obertstar and Collin Peterson.
“I think getting to hear it from a student’s perspectivemakes it a little more real,” Ohl said.
Cass Lake-Bena school board member Bethany Norenbergpraised Ohl’s efforts in Washington. She is a “confidentambassador of our school district’s student body and sharedinformation with elected officials on the importance ofwhat (Impact Aid) funding has done for our district,”Norenberg wrote in a letter of recommendation.
Fei made an impact of his own in his attempt to help withhis school district’s long-range facilities plan. The plancalled for closing several school buildings (including one ofthe high schools), building some new schools andremodeling current facilities.
Duluth school board member Judy Seliga-Punyko said Feiprovided a unique perspective and was fully engaged in thearchitectural design and instructional programming for thefacilities plan. “Although implementation of the plan hasbeen a contentious and sometimes boisterous and angryprocess, Kai’s vision of creating a student group has helpedthe adults keep perspective of what was really important.”
That student group is called Students for the Future. “Oneof the things I wanted to do was get students moreinvolved,” Fei said. “A few friends and I started Students forthe Future to try to get students more involved. Weorganized such things by just informing students aboutschool board meetings.”
Fei also helped organize a forum for the November 2009school board election. “We put up a student-run forum
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where seven of the eight candidates came. Thestudents wrote the questions and we asked thequestions,” he said.
Ohl said the toughest issue she observed her boarddealing with was teacher negotiations.
“The meetings go pretty long sometimes,” she said.“It was really intense. I love my teachers, but afterbeing around the board I felt like I shouldn’t pick aside.”
When asked if there was any aspect of his schoolboard service that surprised him, Fei said he wasastonished by the amount of details the school boarddealt with.
“Every month I would get the monthly packets thatthe board members get and the amount ofinformation is incredible,” he said.
Ohl said she didn’t anticipate that her board wouldtake public comments into consideration on issues.“The board doesn’t always agree (with the public)but they do really listen to them and talk about it,”she said.
She also didn’t expect the number of committees theboard breaks into to accomplish tasks. “There are somany committees. It’s a lot more work than I thoughtit would be,” she said.
Ohl served on the district’s superintendent searchcommittee with a few other student representatives.(Cass Lake-Bena’s current superintendent, CarlRemmers, is retiring following the 2010-11 schoolyear.)
“(The committee) was interesting. I feel that we got ourneeds across (to the search consultant firm),” she said.
Cass Lake-Bena school board member Steve Howardwrote in a letter of recommendation that he’s alwaysbeen impressed with Ohl’s skills as a studentrepresentative. “She has consistently displayedmaturity and respect when presenting difficult issuesto our board,” he wrote.
Fei said he was inspired by his board shortly into hisstudent-representative tenure to do something for hisfellow students.
“The board talked about how to improve students,”he said. “A lot of the times they talked about teachersand teacher training. So I thought we should improvehow students can help students. At Duluth East, wehad several tutoring programs going on. I thoughtmaybe we should combine all of them and advertise.I think the results are pretty positive.”
College-boundDuluth assistant superintendent Joseph Hill said Feitakes on being “cloaked with recognition in a stylethat is unassuming and with gentlemanly grace.”
Fei, who maintained a 4.0 grade point average whiletaking a very rigorous course load during his highschool career, is taking that “gentlemanly grace” withhim to Harvard University in the fall.
Fei said he is very excited about his opportunity atthe Ivy League school, yet acknowledges the growththat came from serving on the school board.
“I hope more (students) get to do this because it is alot of fun,” Fei said. “Sometimes it’s a little time-consuming but it is totally worth it.”
Ohl, who will attend Carleton College in Northfield,Minn., also said she recommends other studentsshould join the school board because it was such agreat experience for her. Along with servingalongside the other board members, she counted thetrip to D.C. as the highlight of her service. “Theopportunity to go to Washington, D.C., and meetwith politicians was unbelievable,” she said.
However, when asked if they would be willing to serveon a school board again, in an elected capacitywherever they end up residing in the future, bothscholarship winners were playfully noncommittal.
“Right now, no,” Fei said with a laugh. “But I wouldprobably serve my community in some other way.”
Ohl, also with a smile, gave a “maybe.”
The MSBA Student School Board MemberScholarship is a $3,000 award given to two highschool seniors who serve on their district’s schoolboard. Last year, the first MSBA Scholarship wasawarded to Ethan Lang (Hopkins High School, nowattending Boston University) and Kendra Lynn(Cambridge-Isanti High School, now attendingWinona State University).
Bruce Lombard is MSBA’s Associate Director ofCommunications. You can reach him [email protected].
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MMSBA has nearly 90 years of experience workingwith Minnesota school board members in a varietyof areas. For many years MSBA’s in-districtsuperintendent search workshop provided anopportunity for school board members to learnabout the superintendent search process. Laterthis year, MSBA will also offer a fullsuperintendent search service to help boards withthe single most important decision a school boardwill likely make.
MSBA’s mission of supporting, promoting, andenhancing the work of public school boards andpublic education includes services designed tohelp school boards find a new district leader.
School boards are the entity legally charged withgoverning a district. An effective school board setsthe direction for the district by establishing andarticulating a district vision statement, goals, andoutcomes that help the school board monitorschool district performance and evaluate success.To achieve the vision, effective boards select andemploy one person—the superintendent—to leadand manage the district, and they hold thesuperintendent accountable for districtperformance and results. So, selecting andemploying a new superintendent is important.
Minnesota law requires districts maintaining aclassified secondary school to employ asuperintendent. The law authorizes the schoolboard to employ a superintendent and enter intoan employment contract for up to three years.The superintendent is responsible for everythingthat happens in the district on a 24/7 basis, so
when a superintendent vacancy occurs, schoolboards recognize that finding a new leader is a bigresponsibility.
School boards quickly learn that hiring asuperintendent requires time, thoughtfulplanning, and a sound recruitment andemployment process and procedure. Unlikehuman resource professionals, school boardmembers’ regular work responsibilities likely donot require them to make employee-relatedrecruitment and hiring decisions. School boardsoften look to other groups and individuals forassistance navigating the intricacies of asuperintendent search. Beginning October 2010,MSBA will add superintendent search services toits list of offerings relative to the area ofemploying a superintendent.
MSBA’s superintendent search services willinclude a “Basic Search” and an “AdvancedSearch.” Members will also have the option topurchase additional services to meet the uniquesearch-related needs of their districts regardless ofthe package selected. As always, staff will beavailable to answer your superintendent search-related questions whether or not the school boardchooses to hire MSBA to conduct the search.
MSBA looks forward to providing this new serviceoption for its members. More information aboutMSBA’s search services will be available in comingmonths.
Sandy Gundlach is the MSBA Director of School BoardMember Services. To contact her about this article, youcan write to [email protected].
MSBA to offerSuperintendentSeArch ServiceS
selecting and employing anew superintendent is thesingle most importantdecision a school boardwill likely make
Sandy Gundlach
Josh Bulfer
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YOUR FRIENDLYNEIGHBORHOODSCHOOLS
IIn May, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the EducationDepartment’s proposal to increase the amount of federal dollars set aside forfamily involvement in schools. Under this new proposal, districts would berequired to use 2 percent of federal Title I dollars to carry out familyengagement activities.
However, regardless of government mandates, several Minnesota schools hadalready made family involvement a priority. Last fall, four state schools—Woodland Elementary School (Brooklyn Park), Zachary Lane Elementary School(Plymouth), Cologne Academy, and St. Paul Highland Park ElementarySchool—each received an inaugural “Family-Friendly School” award from theMinnesota Parent Center, MN PIRC (Minnesota’s Parental Information andResource Center, a project of PACER Center).
“It’s a way to recognize a school’s efforts to partner with families,” said HeatherKilgore, program coordinator for the Minnesota Parent Center. “We all know
Award-winning schools bring in parentsto help bring out best in students
Rachel Krause
Bruce Lombard
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that children have the best chance for academic successwhen parents are involved in their education, so honoringschools for work in this area is important.” The MinnesotaParent Center has been sponsoring a parent-involvementawareness week event for the past three years. The eventwas expanded to a full month in October last year.
“One of the activities that we chose to do in that month was tohighlight schools identified by parents as being familyfriendly,” Kilgore said. “We wanted to congratulate schools andbe positive about parental involvement because there are somany important things that schools do. Parental involvementis critical to school success, but sometimes not recognizedor highlighted as such, with so many things going on.”
The award recipients were thrilled with the honor.
“Parent involvement is so important to our school,” saidLynn Gluck Peterson, director of the Cologne Academy, theonly charter school to receive the award. “That awardhighlighted our parent involvement and commitment toour school. It was very exciting. We presented the plaque toour school board and let our family community know thatwe received it.”
The award carried a little extra significance for WoodlandElementary School, which opened its doors in 2002.
“We’re the newest school in the Osseo Area SchoolDistrict,” said Woodland principal Linda Perdaems. “We’veworked really hard to build a positive, inclusive schoolcommunity. I thought it was wonderful recognition of thework the staff and the PTA have done together.”
Teresa Vibar, principal of St. Paul Highland ParkElementary School, said she was surprised and honored.
“We feel like we do a really good job here to connect withfamilies,” Vibar said. “I know how busy our families are, soknowing a parent took the time to nominate us makes itthat much more meaningful.”
CRITERIAThe Family-Friendly Schools award pays tribute to schoolsthat make a strong effort to pull parents in to the building.As Vibar mentioned above, it’s the parents who have theultimate say on who receives this distinction.
Kilgore said the Minnesota Parent Center only takesnominations from parents. Among the questions posed tothe parent nominators include:
(1) Is the school building itself a welcoming and invitingplace?
(2) How do the adults in the school building greet parents?Are they friendly?
(3) How have school policies and practices encouragedparents to be involved? (“When we talk about parentalinvolvement, or schools engaging families, we are reallytalking about engaging families in children’s learning,”Kilgore noted. “We like to focus on the involvement inlearning.”)
(4) Do parents say things like “This school does greatthings and sends home ideas that I can help (mychildren) with”?
(5) Are written materials and other things sent homehelpful and understandable?
A small committee comprised of Minnesota Parent Centerstaff and an advisory board sifted through severalnominations before reaching a consensus on the topchoices. Four schools were awarded in 2009, but Kilgoresaid there is no set amount of schools that will be awarded.
“If we have seven strong ones, we’ll award seven,” she said.
AN ATTITUDE OFINCLUSIVENESSThe leaders of these family-friendly establishments make aconscious effort to make their schools more open to parents.
“We really believe it takes a village,” Woodland’s Perdaemssaid. “Our goal is that every kid will meet growth targets inreading and math (projected by the Northwest EvaluationAssociation). We can’t do that alone. We have to haveparents helping us and working with us. Our whole goal hasbeen to create a ‘stool’ out of the school community (i.e.teachers, parents) to support the students, with studentachievement as the focus.”
Communication at Woodland starts at the top —Perdaems isa blogger. “I blog once a month to let parents know thegood things that are going on in their building,” she said.
The teachers do their part with newsletters and a weeklycommunication with parents.
Perdaems also pointed to the school’s use of grade-level“looping” as another key element in forging strong parent-teacher relationships.
“We ‘loop’ so the students, teachers and families staytogether for two years,” she said. “Kids have the sameteacher for first and second grade, and then for third andfourth, and then for fifth and sixth. The looping conceptreally contributes to building that community becauseteachers work really closely with parents and kids. Everydecision (we make) is made because it will positively impactkids and their achievement and social development.”
Woodland also offers before- and after-school child-careprograms to help accommodate parents’ busy schedules.Before-school programs get rolling as early as 6:30 a.m. andafter-school programs run until 6 p.m.
Perdaems praised the school’s volunteer coordinator, whoseefforts have resulted in more than 10,000 hours ofvolunteer support this year.
“Parents are in the building often; they are invited to be inthe building,” Perdaems said.
However, Woodland’s community reach extends beyondparents. Perdaems said her school has partnerships with
e
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LSlocal businesses like General Mills (which mentorssixth-grade students via e-mail) and Target (whichsends 30 volunteers weekly to work with students).
“We’ve tried to build a community partnership ofparents, businesses … all of us working together tosupport kids,” Perdaems said. “I think it’s an attitude… an attitude of inclusiveness. We want to createprograms that welcome parents instead of shut thedoor to them.”
Peterson said that parent involvement is one ofCologne Academy’s five founding principles.
“Our parent involvement is something that we wantto keep alive and vibrant in the community,” Petersonsaid. “We don’t want to become complacent with ourparent involvement. Parent involvement is part of oursuccess. It definitely helps our enrollment becauseparents are our best advertisers, too.”
Peterson said that strong communication was part oftheir planning.
“We send out a lot of communications, we inviteparents to come in and be involved,” she said. “Ourcharter was written by parents. Our school started asa strategic plan of the city of Cologne and quicklybecame the passion of the parents.”
Vibar seconded the importance of communication atHighland Park.
“We try to make sure that we are communicating all ofour events in multiple forms,” she said. “So it’s not justthe teacher newsletters, but it’s a phone call home, it’sthe school newsletter, it’s school event-reminderstickers on the kids’ shirts when they go home.”
Vibar added that their approach boils down to havingteachers and staff who are positive, friendly andpassionate about what they do. “Their success isbased on the positive relationship they have witheach of their students’ families,” she said.
Vibar said her Highland Park staff works together tomake sure there is a “community feel” for anyonethat comes in to their building.
“I always try to be out in the hall meeting andgreeting, remembering names,” she said.
Highland Park offers the personal touch on thephone. Unless there is an extremely heavy volume ofcalls, the phone system never goes to an automatedsystem during office hours. Vibar and the schoolsecretary take each call themselves.
Vibar praised her personnel. “I have a wonderfulstaff. My secretary does a great job. She knowseverybody and who their children are.”
Highland Park teachers and staff members are alsoexpected to return all e-mail messages and phonecalls within a 24- to 48-hour period.
PTA ALL THE WAYPerdaems said an average of 30 people attendWoodland’s PTA meetings, and she welcomes allfeedback from the parents, even if it is negative.
“I think if you are focused on kids, parents see that;and if you can build that trust and the kids go homewith a positive message, I think that feeds into it,too,” she said.
“We work collaboratively with our PTA,” Perdaemsadded. “They sponsor several family/communitynights, turkey nights, bingos and cultural nights.They have a broad-based Web distribution list wherethey communicate with parents on a regular basisregarding PTA events and activities.”
Peterson also praised Cologne’s parentalorganization. “Our parent group, PAVE, does anincredible amount of work for our schools as far asfundraisers and organizing classrooms and gettingparents into the classroom,” she said.
PAVE coordinates major fundraisers and its membersare invited to give their input on such matters astransportation, finance and curriculum committees.
“Every parent is invited to be a member, just like anyother PTA.”
Vibar cited Highland Park’s PTA and site council fortheir strong contributions.
She said her PTA raises close to $40,000 every year tohelp fund some of the things in the budget theschool can no longer afford.
The site council is comprised of staff and parents tiedto a two-year commitment. The council acts like anadvisory board by providing input, feedback andsuggestions on issues like enrollment, budget andstaffing. The council even includes a communityrepresentative (the current one is from LifetimeFitness).
SCHOOL BOARDSUPPORTPerdaems said her superintendent and school boardset the tone for family friendliness at Woodlandthrough the district’s mission statement which reads:“Our mission is to inspire and prepare all studentswith the confidence, courage and competence toachieve their dreams; contribute to community; andengage in a lifetime of learning.”
“We live by that statement,” said Perdaems. “And inorder to implement it you have to involve yourcommunity.”
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Vibar said that while one of the St. Paul School Board’sinitiatives is for its schools to be “warm and welcoming,”that was one area that her school already had down pat.
“It’s an expectation but it wasn’t the driving force behindwhat we do at Highland Park,” she said.
Peterson said the Cologne board has helped play a keyrole in their family friendly approach.
“They are parents themselves,” she said. “We have fivemembers and four of them are parents (the other is ateacher). They are always at the school and are alwaysreaching out to other parents getting them involved andon subcommittees.”
GETTING THE WORD OUTKilgore notified parents about the award-nominationprocess through a mailing list and an electronicnewsletter. The Minnesota Parent Center also partneredwith the Minnesota PTA and some other parentorganizations, and placed fliers in libraries, laundromatsand coffee shops.
“We work statewide,” she said. “We specifically try to targetschools and communities where schools have beenidentified as being in need of improvement. A lot of thoseschools are in urban areas, so most of the publicity about theFamily-Friendly School award was aimed at the metro area.”
Kilgore said she’d like to have more representation in thecontest from schools in greater Minnesota. “I know thatschools around the state are doing great work,” she said.
“We have a parent advisory board that works with us onour own internal planning and developing materials,”Kilgore added. “Those parents are awesome and reallygreat about getting information out in their communities.The parent advisory committee is a volunteer committeethat provides us with a strong voice in planning anddeveloping our materials so that we are sure they arerelevant to parents.”
Kilgore said the campaign for Round 2 is just around thecorner.
“We will probably start publicizing it in August, and thenwe will accept nominations through the middle ofOctober,” she said. “We announce the awards the lastweek in October.”
Kilgore adds that the feedback to this program has beenextremely positive.
“All the schools that I have been involved with work sohard to involve parents in so many different ways. Thisaward gives them a mechanism for communicating aboutthat,” she said.
The Minnesota Parent Center’s Family-Friendly Schoolaward is part of a larger event in October — theMinnesota Parent Involvement Month. The MPCorganizes this event with co-sponsorship from theMinnesota Department of Education, the MinnesotaAssociation of School Administrators, the MinnesotaAssociation of Secondary School Principals, theMinnesota Elementary School Principals Association, theMinnesota Association of Administrators of State andFederal Education Programs, the Minnesota SchoolBoards Association, and the Minnesota PTA.
For more information on the Minnesota Parent Center, visithttp://www.pacer.org/mpc/index.asp.
Bruce Lombard is MSBA’s Associate Director of Communications.You can reach him at [email protected].
Samantha Meyer
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SSuperintendent Paul Vranish is a man married to his wife, and a man marriedto the people in his Texas school district. All of them. For better or worse.Problem is, he says, most superintendents and school leaders treat their publiclike a one-night stand.
At an MSBA community engagement session earlier this year, Vranish didn’tmince words.
“Schools and school leaders do a lot of things very well. But for most of theyear schools treat their public like a one-night stand,” he said. School districtsare quick to get out into the community and tell the public they l-o-v-e themwhen they need money for school programs or buildings. But once that levy ispassed, the district usually high-tails out of the room, never to be seen again.
ParentChatsstrengthen
the marriage
between the
public and
the schoolShae Neuschwander
Greg Abbott
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“We have to treat our public like a marriage. Wehave to keep telling them we love them. WeALWAYS have to be honest with them. We have tokeep telling them we want them to be in our lives.We have to keep explaining to them what we doand that their comments and feelings areimportant.”
Every day. All year. Not just when districts needmoney.
It is the whole philosophy behind his Parent Chats,a community engagement session aimed atconnecting with the people in his district,explaining what is happening in the schools,telling them how they can help out and how theschool can help them. As part of every ParentChat, he showcases student talent.
“Having a student performance gets people there,”he said. And so does offering food, child care anda location that people can get to easily. People aregreeted at the door and sit at round tables in aninformal, friendly set-up. If translators are needed,they are available.
Vranish also makes sure to involve a few teachers.“It’s important that the parents know that schoolstaff, especially their teachers, care about theirchild, so teachers take an active part.”
Board members are involved as well. Sometimesthey help serve the food. Sometimes they serve upthe topic and talk to people about the role of aboard member and the role of a superintendent.
Districts that say they can’t afford to feedeveryone? Vranish hires the school cooks for anextra shift. Door prizes? Yes. One time the districtgave away older computers that were being phasedout of the computer lab. Tests? Yes, Vranish gives ashort test on the topic to see where people are aton an issue. Then, he uses the Parent Chat tosquash any of the small-town rumors that floataround those issues.
“These Parent Chats are a weapon to stop rumors.They work,” he said.
They work because of trust. His first experience asa superintendent in the hot seat was when he wasnew to a district and hired a person who claimedto be a former pro athlete as a coach. Later,Vranish found out that the coach never played prosports, used ineligible players, had illegal practices,had relatives moving to town to play sports, andthen was found to have lied on his resume abouthis work history and certifications. When he
recommended that the board fire the coach, thecommunity was in an uproar. The coach got thepublic to turn on Vranish. How did that happen?
“I didn’t have their trust,” he said. “They didn’tknow me. I didn’t make an effort to know them. Ihad to leave for another job.”
That’s when the idea of the Parent Chat began. Itincluded students, parents, employees, teachers,everyone in the community. By having thosediscussions, he got to know the people in thedistrict, and the people began to trust him.
“It’s just like a marriage. You need that trust. Whenyou make a decision and you can’t explain yourselfbecause of data privacy laws, you’re going to needthe public to trust that you had a good reason,” hesaid. That’s the trust he builds by meeting withpeople at the district’s Parent Chats.
He also credits those chats with improving studentachievement. He has discussions on how parentscan help kids with homework, and what programsare available for non-English speaking students(and their parents) to improve their languageskills. It has taken his district from the brink ofstate takeover to one of the highest-performingschool districts in Texas.
And their last referendum in 2007 passed with a 60 percent vote without the district evendesignating what they’d spend the money on.People had trust that the money would be spentwisely.
That’s why Vranish feels it is important for allschool leaders to have a good marriage with theirdistrict. The public, to him, is his second wife. “Nomatter how long you’re married, you have to keeptelling them that you love them. They need tohear it again and again. You have to work at it—just like any commitment you make.”
For better. For worse. Every day.
Greg Abbott is the Director of Communications for theMinnesota School Boards Association. You can commenton his story by writing to [email protected]
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AttorneysKennedy & Graven Chartered(Neil Simmons)200 South Sixth Street, Suite 470Minneapolis, MN 55402612-337-9300, Fax 612-337-9310www.kennedy-graven.comnsimmons@kennedy-graven.comKnutson, Flynn & Deans, P.A.(Thomas S. Deans)1155 Centre Pointe Dr., Suite 10Mendota Heights, MN 55120651-222-2811, Fax [email protected], Sorlie, Rufer & Kershner, PLLP(Mike Rengel)110 N. MillFergus Falls, MN 56537218-736-5493, Fax [email protected], Roszak & Maloney, P.A.(Kevin J. Rupp)730 2nd Ave. S., Suite 300Minneapolis, MN 55402612-339-0060, Fax [email protected]
Construction Mgmt. & ProductsBossardt Corporation(John Bossardt)8300 Norman Center Drive, Suite 770Minneapolis, MN 55437952-831-5408 or 800-290-0119Fax [email protected] Group, Inc.(Pete Filippi)101 1st Street SELittle Falls, MN 56345320-632-1940, Fax 320-632-2810www.contegritygroup.compete@contegritygroup.comDonlar Construction Company(Jon Kainz)550 Shoreview Park RoadShoreview, MN 55126651-227-0631, Fax [email protected] Consulting, Inc.(Pat Overom)5354 Edgewood DriveMounds View, MN 55112763-354-2670, Fax [email protected]
Kraus-Anderson Construction Co.(Mark Phillips)PO Box 158Circle Pines, MN 55014763-786-7711, Fax 763-786-2650www.krausanderson.commark.phillips@krausanderson.comMSBA Playground ComplianceProgram (in partnership withNational Playground ComplianceGroup, LLC) (Tim Mahoney)PO Box 506Carlisle, IA 50047866-345-6774, Fax [email protected]
Educational Programs/Services Minnesota State Academies for the Deaf and Blind(Linda Mitchell)615 Olof Hanson Dr.PO Box 308Faribault, MN 55021-0308800-657-3996/507-384-6602Fax [email protected]
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)The Sand Creek Group, Ltd.(Gretchen M. Stein)610 N. Main Street, #200Stillwater, MN 55082651-430-3383, Fax [email protected]
Energy SolutionsJohnson Controls, Inc.(Arif Quraishi)2605 Fernbrook Lane N., Suite TPlymouth, MN 55447763-585-5043, Fax [email protected]
Financial ManagementMSBA-Sponsored Administrationand Compliance Service (A&C Service)Administration and ComplianceService(Paige McNeal, Educators Benefit Consultants, LLC)888-507-6053/763-552-6053Fax [email protected] MSBA-Sponsored Lease PurchaseProgramTax Exempt Lease PurchaseProgram(Mary Webster, Wells FargoSecurities, LLC)800-835-2265, ext. 73110612-667-3110Fax [email protected]
24 MSBA JOURNAL
MSBA’s Vendor Directory helps connect school districts with the products and services they need. The directory is always at yourfingertips. You’ll find it printed in the back of every Journal magazine as well as on the MSBA Web site at www.mnmsba.org.Most listings in the Web version of this directory include a link so you can head instantly to a Web site or e-mail address. Thedirectory includes everything you need to know to contact a company quickly—phone numbers, fax numbers and addresses—inan easy-to-read format. If you have a service or product you would like included in this directory, please contact SueMunsterman at 507-934-2450 or [email protected].
MSBA’s VENDOR DIRECTORY
394202_JulAug_10:_ 6/16/10 5:18 PM Page 24
MSBA-Sponsored MNTAAB (MN Tax and Aid AnticipationBorrowing Program)MNTAAB(DeeDee Kahring, Springsted, Inc.)800-236-3033/651-223-3099Fax [email protected] MSBA-Sponsored P-Card(Procurement Card) ProgramP-Card Program800-891-7910/314-878-5000Fax 314-878-5333www.powercardpfm.comMSBA-SponsoredSchoolFinances.comSchoolFinances.com(Jim Sheehan, Ann Thomas)Sheehan: 952-435-0990Thomas: [email protected]@schoolfinances.com PaySchools(Patrick Ricci)6000 Grand Ave.Des Moines, IA 50312281-545-1957, Fax: [email protected] Asset Management, LLC -MSDLAF+(Donn Hanson)45 South 7th Street, Suite 2800Minneapolis, MN 55402
612-371-3720, Fax [email protected]
Food Service Products & ServicesLunchtime Solutions, Inc.(Chris Goeb)717 N. Derby LaneNorth Sioux City, SD 57049605-254-3725, Fax 605-235-0942www.lunchtimesolutions.com [email protected], Inc.(Monique Navarrette)5570 Smetana Dr.Minnetonka, MN 55343952-358-2188, Fax 952-945-0444www.taher.com [email protected]
InsuranceMinnesota School BoardsAssociation Insurance Trust(MSBAIT)(Denise Drill, John Sylvester, Amy Fullenkamp-Taylor)1900 West Jefferson AvenueSt. Peter, MN 56082-3015800-324-4459, Fax 507-931-1515www.mnmsba.org [email protected]@[email protected]
PlaygroundsMSBA Playground ComplianceProgram (in partnership withNational Playground ComplianceGroup, LLC) (Tim Mahoney)PO Box 506Carlisle, IA 50047866-345-6774, Fax [email protected]
RoofingFour Seasons Energy EfficientRoofing, Inc.(Darrell Schaapveld) 1410 Quant Ave. NorthMarine on St.Croix, MN 55047651-433-2443, Fax [email protected]
Software SystemsPaySchools(Patrick Ricci)6000 Grand Ave.Des Moines, IA 50312281-545-1957, Fax [email protected], Inc.868 3rd Street South, Suite 101Waite Park, MN 56387800-236-7274www.skyward.com
TechnologyPaySchools(Patrick Ricci)6000 Grand Ave.Des Moines, IA 50312281-545-1957, Fax [email protected]
TransportationHoglund Bus Co., Inc.(Jason Anderson)PO Box 249Monticello, MN 55362763-271-8750www.hoglundbus.comsalesmanager@hoglundbus.comNorth Central Bus & Equipment(Sandy Ethen)2629 Clearwater Road SouthSt. Cloud, MN 56301320-257-1209, Fax 320-252-3561www.northcentralinc.comsandye@northcentralinc.comTelin Transportation Group(Jamie Romfo)14990 Industry AvenueBecker, MN 55308866-287-7278, Fax [email protected]
JULY/AUGUST 2010 25
This information does notrepresent an offer to sell or asolicitation of an offer to buy orsell any fund or other security.Investors should consider theinvestment objectives, risks,charges and expenses beforeinvesting in any of the Fund’sseries. This and otherinformation about the Fund’sseries is available in the Fund’scurrent Information Statement,which should be read carefullybefore investing. A copy of theFund’s Information Statementmay be obtained by calling1-888-4-MSDLAF or isavailable on the Fund’s websiteat www.msdlaf.org. While theMSDLAF+ Liquid Class andMax Class seek to maintain astable net asset value of $1.00per share and the MSDLAF+TERM series seeks to achievea net asset value of $1.00 pershare at its stated maturity, it ispossible to lose moneyinvesting in the Fund. Aninvestment in the Fund is notinsured or guaranteed by theFederal Deposit InsuranceCorporation or any othergovernment agency. Shares ofthe Fund are distributed byPFM Fund Distributors, Inc.,member Financial IndustryRegulatory Authority (FINRA)(www.finra.org). PFM FundDistributors, Inc. is a whollyowned subsidiary of PFM AssetManagement LLC. MemberSIPC.
Competitive Yields,Guided By Sound
Investment Principles.
In today’s financial climate, investment choices aren’t always clear.
Having one stand tall above the others is a source of security. Since 1984,
MSDLAF+ has helped chart the way for hundreds of Minnesota school districts
and public school entities. MSDLAF+’s reputation for seeking to attain the
highest standards in safety while striving to deliver consistently competitive
yields is guided by the same objectives our Participants have — gain a
competitive return while preserving principal. Facing uncertain financial seas?
Let the MSDLAF+/PFM Asset Management LLC team guide you.
Richard LorenzSenior Sales Representative
Carole LoehrSenior Managing Consultant
Donn HansonSenior Managing Consultant
394202_JulAug_10:_ 6/16/10 5:18 PM Page 25
26 MSBA JOURNAL
AdvertisersATS&R...........................................................................Page 17
DLR Group .....................................................................Page 7
Kennedy & Graven Chartered ....................................Page 17
Knutson, Flynn & Deans, P.A. .......................................Page 2
MSBA Summer Seminar ..............................................Page 28
MSBAIT...........................................................................Page 2
MSDLAF+ .....................................................................Page 25
Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney, P.A. .................................Page 15
Skyward, Inc....................................................................Page 7
Telin Transportation Group ........................................Page 26
Named
2009 & 2010 Best Print
Publicationby the Minnesota School
Public Relations Association
Cited for“Comprehensive Coverage”“Impressive Student Artwork”
Brought to you by YOUR MSBA
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JULY/AUGUST 2010 27
IASK MSBA
A Year of Major Changes for the Election Process
Q: I’ve heard there were many changes inelection law this year. What are some of themajor ones board members need to beaware of?
A: You’re right. Three different electionsbills passed, affecting everything fromwhen you file for elections to when youcanvass your elections. Below are just a fewchanges you should note:
• Minnesota’s primary date has moved upfrom September to the second Tuesday inAugust.
• Filing dates have moved up to May 18-June 1 for districts subject to the primary;Aug. 3-17 for districts not subject to theprimary.
• Canvassing dates are now more specific.No longer can you canvass votes thenight of the election. For primaries, youmust canvass on the Friday after theprimary. For the General Election, youmust canvass between the third and 10thday after the election.
• Districts must now have Absentee BallotBoards to accept, reject or sendreplacement ballots.
• Counties must let school districts usevoting equipment such as Automarkmachines, if those machines werepurchased using federal money.
There are dozens of other changes thataffect your school district election official,especially those who run elections in oddyears. So make sure to call MSBA orcontact the Secretary of State’s office orcounty auditor for new timelines andschool election handbooks.
Q: If our district is doing an operating levyreferendum, is there any other date we cango out for a vote, except for the GeneralElection day?
A: All operating levy referendums must beon General Election day. However, thereare two exceptions:
• If your district is in Statutory OperatingDebt, you can hold an operating levyreferendum on a different date, as longas you have approval from theCommissioner of Education. As a rule ofthumb, the usual 30-day blackout dateswill apply before and after a state primaryor general election. And a 20-dayblackout period applies before and aftertownship elections (if you have townshipsin your district).
• If your district has a mail ballot election,you can hold your operating levyreferendum on a different date. Butremember: Unless you are in StatutoryOperating Debt, you only get ONE levyreferendum per calendar year. So if yourmail ballot fails in February, you can’tcome back with another vote inNovember. You’ll have to wait until thenext calendar year.
Q: As a district, what can we do to supportour Vote Yes committee?
A: Basically, a school district should notspend any of its taxpayer money on VoteYes campaigns. Two Attorney Generals’opinions govern this area. A 1957 opinionstates that districts may spend a reasonableamount of school district funds toimpartially place information before thevoters. But a 1966 opinion clarifies thatthose school district funds cannot be usedto promote an affirmative vote on theproposal. So in summary, you can give yourYes group the same information you give toeveryone else. But don’t let your Yes groupuse district stationary, the school copier,school phones or any district services orequipment that are funded throughtaxpayer dollars. Vote Yes committees mustraise and spend private funds. For athorough brochure explaining thereferendum campaign law, go to ourwebsite home page and click the SchoolBoards & Referenda brochure link underthe “Leading Resources” area.
By Greg AbbottMSBA Director ofCommunications
394202_JulAug_10:_ 6/16/10 5:18 PM Page 27
1900 West Jefferson Avenue, St. Peter, MN 56082-3015
NON-PROFIT ORGN.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAIDPERMIT NO. 47
MANKATO, MN 56001
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Summer Seminar2010
August 5-6Early Bird Session & Phase I-II Combo August 4
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Our great slate of keynote speakers includes:
• Reneé Rongen, president of Reneé Rongen & Associates,LLC, presenting “Keeping Kids First: Our Legacy forthe Future.”
• Peter Hutchinson, president of the Minnesota BushFoundation, presenting “The Bush Foundation’s NewTeacher Preparation and Mentoring.”
• Tommy Watson, principal of Palmer Lake Elementaryin Brooklyn Park, presenting “A Mile-High Miracle:The Power of High Educational Expectations.”
• Kent Pekel, executive director of the College Readiness Consortium at the University of Minnesota, presenting“Every Student is College Material.”
Plus several informative workshops, a legislative update and more!
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