High School Principal Dave Kreft:  Common Ground Students

1.  We have begun MCA testing in our schools. This will continue through the middle of May.

2.  We are continuing to look at staffing for next school year.  Included in that is working to help meet the needs of our Strategic Plan, ensuring proper licenses and also completing evaluations of staff as required. We have continued to ask, "How can we best use each budget dollar to achieve our long-term vision for student success?" as we make difficult decisions for staffing.

3.  Legislative Update-Along with some other favorable bills, Becker Public Schools is continuing to advocate for one-time monies to support unprecedented construction inflation including SF0070 and HF0522. Last Wednesday I was able to testify in support of SF2486 regarding Food Service Fund 2 expenditures authorization from the school service fund.
The House and Senate released their respective budget targets providing the framework for the overall state budget.

The Senate budget plan proposes to reduce the state budget by $2.5 billion over the next four years. The target for the Education Finance Committee is zero in FY26-27 and a reduction of $687 million in FY28-29. The Senate also allocated a budget target for Pensions totaling $45 million in FY26-27.

The House budget plan proposes to reduce the state budget by $3.7 billion over the next four years. The target for the Education Finance Committee is $40 million in FY26-27 and zero in FY28-29. The House also allocated a budget target for Pensions totaling $248 million over the next four years.

Important Dates
March 31: Eid break
April 4: Policy bill deadline
April 11: Budget bill deadline
April 14-April 18: Easter/Passover break
April 24: Governor’s State of the State address
May 19: Constitutional adjournment
June 30: State fiscal year-end

4. Graduation will take place on May 30 in the evening.  Please be sure to communicate with Angel if you plan to attend or not.

I recommend approving the personnel items 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 in the enclosure.  Thank you to those who have donated to our schools and students. 

Minnesota Statutes 126C.17, Subd. 9b, permits a school board to renew an expiring referendum by board action if specific statutory conditions are met. The attached resolution meets these conditions and proposes renewing the voter-approved referendum, adjusted annually for inflation, for a term of 10 years beginning with taxes payable in 2026. Kevin Januszewski and I recommend approval of the resolution as presented.

Policy 413:  Updates definition of "disability" to reflect amended Minnesota law.

Policy 512:  Removes language potentially at odds with MN Statutes 121A.80 (Student Journalism; Student Expression).

704:  Updates GASB guidance on asset capitalization.

MSBA"s redlined versions attached.

We have created a form for policy 103:  Complaints - Students, Employees, Parents, Other Persons.

This is a new form created to help streamline complaints and identify what specifically needs to be investigated. Please let me know if you have any feedback. Complaint processes will follow policy 103.

The governing body of a public employer may by a majority vote in a public meeting decide to hold a closed meeting to consider strategy for labor negotiations, including negotiation strategies or developments or discussion and review of labor negotiation proposals, conducted pursuant to sections 179A.01 to 179A.25.