August 12, 2020 at 6:00 PM - Independent School District 507 Regular School Board Meeting

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1. Staff, students, and parents were informed of the hybrid learning plan on August 6^th.  It is expected that we will begin the school year with the hybrid learning plan.  I am monitoring the COVID-19 Case Rate by County data, which is updated every Thursday. 

2. The detailed hybrid learning plan is attached. It was developed in collaboration with MDH, MDE, and the teachers leadership team.  The information has been distributed to families and staff members.  Over the next few weeks,  I will ensure that all the procedures are operational.

3. Given the COVID-19 pandemic and the unique nature of the upcoming school year, it is not prudent to launch new initiatives.  Rather, I have identified three goals for the upcoming school year:
   1. The health and safety of students and staff.
   2. The social and emotional well-being of students and staff.
   3. Students will acquire knowledge and skills consistent with the Minnesota academic standards.

Description:  Quick Story
I was reading a news article about another country and schools being open to students on campus. I saw a little kindergarten girl standing on a line socially distanced waiting to use the restroom. The little girl reminded me of my own daughter. I have now placed a picture of my kids on my desk to constantly
remind me that I am focused on reopening safely. I am also saddened at the thought our students will not have the same experiences or a lack of experiences students had in the past. This is real and it is personal! I don’t recall who said it during a briefing with the governor and the Education Commissioner, but the line I heard and truly believe is "Our plans will be perfectly imperfect!"

Summer School:
Summer school went well. The last day was July 23 so students were not required to wear masks, yet. Many students were sad to see it end.

Distance Learning Staff Survey Results:
The data collected will help drive our instruction and helps the district make informed data-driven decisions.

Staff Development Update:
Our overarching goal will be the following:

District Goal: For the 2020-2021 school year, we, the staff of Nicollet Public Schools, will dedicate staff
development time to professional learning communities (PLCs) to support continuous improvement in staff performance and student growth. (Instructional - Professional Learning Communities).

Within the overall goal, there will be teachers working in specific PLCs and will set their own specific PLC goals.

Donations:
Nicollet Public School wants to thank the Nicollet County Health Department and the Chamber of Commerce for donating various types of masks.

Back to School/Fall Workshop:
The start of the school year will be much different than in years past. When it comes to communicating with staff members, I will be using email instead of sending a back to school letter that included the Fall Workshop schedule.

Fall Open House/Conferences/Orientation/Kindergarten Round-Up:
Working on how this will look. We are going to try our best at getting Kindergarten families on campus for a form of Kindergarten Round-Up. More details to come.

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LTFM revenue will pay for General Obligation Capital Facilities Bonds.  Capital Appreciation Bonding (CAB) would extend the bond debt scheduled to expire in 2026 by 6 years.  The funding strategy would utilize the Ag2School Credit.  As a result, taxes would decrease for non-homestead agricultural property (65% of our district) and be cost neutral for other property. 
 

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Description:  The Superintendent recommends school board action to approve the attached resolution.  The resolution authorizes the issuance of general obligation capital appreciation bonds not to exceed $2,900,000 and general obligation bonds not to exceed $1,235,000 at a true interest-rate that does not exceed 2.95%.

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