1.  MCA Testing has been verified and will take place for this year.  School Board Goal indicates Grades 1-8, 10 and 11 will increase achievement by a positive Z Score in reading and math comparing the actual to expected growth as determined by testing in the Fall of 2020 for NWEA to the Spring of 2021 and the Spring of 2020 to Spring of 2021 for MCA.  We are shifting this goal from NWEA to Fastbridge and results will be shared with the board at the conclusion of the school year.

2.  March 16th is the Region VI Day at the Capitol.  We are still working on logistics and opportunities to meet with our legislators from the State level.  Representative Mekeland and Senator Mathews will both be invited once things are finalized by our MASA group.  They both have been very helpful throughout the past year in dealing with the many legislative and school issues.  We have been in consistent contact throughout this process and they have been very supportive of Becker School District.  

3.  I have met with Sentaor Klobuchar's, Senator Smith, Representative Emmer and state level education policy and funding committee members multiple times over the past couple of months as a group of Superintendents who are working to align emergency COVID federal funding equally with students throughout the state.  

4.  State Bills of particular interest to schools include the following:
Bill introductions of Note:

S.F. 1012 (Chamberlain): A bill for an act relating to education finance; promoting digital well-
being education and training for the health, mental well-being, and learning of all Minnesota
students as it relates to the use of digital media; appropriating money for a Minnesota-based
organization that collaborates with communities to promote digital well-being.
S.F. 1108 (Eichorn): A bill for an act relating to education finance; amending the statewide
concurrent enrollment teacher training program; appropriating money.

H. F. 1083 (Moller): A bill for an act relating to education; establishing a comprehensive school
mental health services lead position; appropriating money.
H. F. 1124 (Edelson): A bill for an act relating to education; modifying school health services to
allow for the use of private clinical nursing services; modifying the use of a functional
behavioral assessment; allowing certain students to participate in alternative delivery of
specialized instructional services programs.
H. F. 1143 (Olson): A bill for an act relating to education; expanding the use of extended time to
pupils enrolled in career and technical education courses.
H. F. 1144 (Feist): A bill for an act relating to education finance; requiring compensatory
spending to be delivered through evidence-based programs; requiring at least 80 percent of
compensatory revenue to remain at the site where the revenue was earned; modifying the
compensatory revenue formula; appropriating money.
H. F. 1170 (Sandstede): A bill for an act relating to education; modifying alternative teacher
professional pay and teacher evaluation requirements for the 2020-2021 school year.
H. F. 1182 (Bernardy): A bill for an act relating to education finance; increasing state aid for
local optional revenue; appropriating money
H. F. 1308 (Edelson): A bill for an act relating to education; modifying requirements for personal
learning plans.

5.  MASA/MASE Spring Conference is on March 11-12 virtually.  I am registered and plan to attend the conference.  

6.  COVID Update:  Our secondary students are still expected to return to full in-person learning every day beginning on March 16th.  We have been provided with the opportunity to vaccinate 400 staff and some of these were given to other schools due to scheduling issues with our staff or completed vaccinations.  We do not anticipate the need for any more vaccines and do not expect additional vaccines for school staff in Sherburne County.

I recommend approving the personnel actions as presented.

Policy 706 Acceptance of Gifts permits the school board to accept donations or gifts under the terms of the policy. I recommend accepting the gifts as described on the enclosure.