MSBA Journal: July-August 2009 by Minnesota School Boards Association

MINNESOTA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION

July-August 2009

Volume 62, No. 1

Community-Driven Boundary Changes Motivating Others Will Help You on the Board MSBA Student Scholarship Winners

Public Finance

Proven Solutions for Minnesota School Districts

Wells Fargo Public Finance is proud to work with Minnesota school districts to provide access to lowcost, tax-exempt funding options. Whether you are refinancing existing debt or raising capital for new projects, buildings or equipment, we can help your district access the funding you need. Contact us today and put our experience to work for you. Pam Lang, Senior Vice President (800)267-1262 Mary Webster, Assistant Vice President (800)835-2265 ext. 73110

Investments: NOT FDIC Insured • May Lose Value • No Bank Guarantee

Contact:

The purpose of MSBA Insurance Trust (MSBAIT) is “to provide for its members Denise Drill and their employees and officials various forms 800-324-4459 ddrill@mnmsba.org of insurance, including any forms of permitted group insurance, for the benefit of school Amy Fullenkamp-Taylor districts which are members of the MSBA and 800-324-4459 to effectuate cost savings in the procurement ataylor@mnmsba.org and administration of such programs.” To learn more about MSBAIT, visit John Sylvester www.msbait.org. 800-324-4459 jsylvester@mnmsba.org

MSBA JOURNAL

Property, Inland Marine, and Crime Workers’ Compensation School Leaders’ Legal Liability Automobile

Group Term Life Long-Term Disability General Liability Excess Liability

VO L U M E 6 2 , N U M B E R 1

Calendar J U LY 2 0 0 9 3 .............Independence Day Observed (no meetings) 4 .............Independence Day (no meetings)

AUGUST 2009

5 6 30

STRAIGHT TALK Bob Meeks, MSBA Executive Director PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Jackie Magnuson, MSBA President ASK MSBA Amy Taylor, Associate Director of Management Services,

Articles 8

COMMUNITY-DRIVEN BOUNDARY CHANGES Barbara Brown, Dave Bernhardson, and Mike Vogel

BOUNDARY CHANGE THE WOODSTOCK WAY Bruce Lombard

STUDENTS GO ABOVE AND BEYOND WITH BOARD WORK TO WIN MSBA SCHOLARSHIP Greg Abbott and Bruce Lombard

MOTIVATING OTHERS WILL HELP YOU GET THINGS DONE ON YOUR BOARD Dr. Alan Zimmerman

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TRANSFORMING WHITE LIGHT INTO RAINBOWS: SEGMENTATION STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL SCHOOL TAX ELECTIONS J. Bradford Senden, Ph.D., and Don E. Lifto, Ph.D. COLORING REFERENDUM FUNDS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY Michael Bauman

SEPTEMBER 2009 7 .............Labor Day (no meetings) 9 .............MSBA Fall Area Meetings 10 ...........MSBA Fall Area Meetings 11 ...........MSBA Fall Area Meetings 15 ...........Primary Election (if required – no meetings or activities 6 p.m.–8 p.m.) 16 ...........MSBA Fall Area Meetings 17 ...........MSBA Fall Area Meetings 18 ...........MSBA Fall Area Meetings 27–29 .....MASA Fall Conference 30 ...........Last Day for Submitting Legislative Resolutions

C O N T E N T S J U LY / AU G U S T 2 0 0 9

Divisions

12 ...........MSBA Board of Directors’ Meeting 12 ...........Minnesota School District Liquid Asset Fund Plus Meeting 12 ...........MSBA Insurance Trust Meeting 12 ...........MSBA Phase I & II Combination 12 ...........MSBA Summer Seminar Early Birds 13–14 .....MSBA Summer Seminar

OCTOBER 2009 1–2 .........MAEOP Conference 4–5 .........MSBA Board of Directors’ Meeting 5 .............MSBA Insurance Trust Annual Meeting 12 ...........Columbus Day Observed (no meetings unless declared not a holiday) 15–16 .....Education Minnesota Conference

CORRECTIONS The article “Passing a Referendum Against All Odds” in the May/June Journal was written by Jennifer Griffin-Wiesner of Yes281 Robbinsdale Area Schools.

The MSBA Journal thanks the students of Seven Hills Classical Academy and the Houston School District for sharing their art with us in this issue. COVER ART: Isabel Stokes of Seven Hills Classical Academy.

JULY/AUGUST 2009

OFFICERS President: Jackie Magnuson, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan DISTRICT DIRECTORS District 1: Mary Kleis, Austin District 2: Kent Thiesse, Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial District 3: Daniel Zimansky, Tracy Area District 4: Carol Bomben, Eden Prairie District 5: Marilynn Forsberg, Spring Lake Park District 6: Rolf Parsons, White Bear Lake District 7: Roz Peterson, Lakeville District 8: Elona Street-Stewart, St. Paul District 9: Karen Kirschner, Mora District 10: Nancy Dashner, Frazee-Vergas District 11: Walter Hautala, Mesabi East District 12: Gary Lee, Fertile-Beltrami STAFF Bob Meeks: Executive Director Barbara Lynn: Executive Assistant/Director of Board Operations John Sylvester: Deputy Executive Director/Membership Services Tiffany Rodning: Deputy Executive Director/Association Services Bob Lowe: Associate Deputy Director/Membership Services Greg Abbott: Director of Communications Denise Drill: Director of Financial/MSBAIT Services Amy Fullenkamp-Taylor: Associate Director of Management Services Sandy Gundlach: Director of Management Services Bill Kautt: Associate Director of Management Services Grace Keliher: Director of Governmental Relations Katie Klanderud: Director of Board Development Bruce Lombard: Associate Director of Communications Kelly Martell: Director of Technology Cathy Miller: Director of Legal and Policy Services Sue Munsterman: MSBA Advertising Kirk Schneidawind: Associate Director of Governmental Relations Mike Torkelson: Elections/Management Services Specialist The MSBA Journal (USPS 352-220) is published bimonthly by the Minnesota School Boards Association, 1900 West Jefferson Avenue, St. Peter, Minnesota 56082. Telephone 507-934-2450. Entered as Third Class matter at St. Peter, Minnesota, permit No. 6. Call MSBA office for subscription rates. (Opinions expressed in the Journal are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent MSBA policy.)

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Quotes of Note captures some of the more interesting statements MSBA staff have read in local, state and national publications.

The idea of everyone needing to pass the GRAD test “The idea that everyone in society has to be a rocket scientist is ridiculous. If everybody is a rocket scientist, who is going to build the rockets?” St. Louis County School Counselor Joan Kjorsvig

Setting funding priorities “Education is about planning for the future and for the future of our state. If education of our kids is a top priority like the constitution says, then maybe it is more important than some other areas.” Minnetonka Superintendent Dennis Peterson

Mayoral appointments to the school board “What if the next guy is a mayor you don’t like? What if it’s somebody that’s not supportive, and what does that really do for kids?” Chairman of the Minneapolis school board Tom Madden

Dealing with H1N1 flu outbreak “We have a responsibility not only keep to our kids safe, but to keep our kids calm.” Sauk Rapids-Rice

Cuts to school police liaisons “They’re not just here when we have a crisis. They’re here every day. They’re not just the law, either. They’re a mentor and a friend, so students can go to them when they have a problem.” Mankato East Principal Shane Beier

Superintendent Greg Vandal

Trying to heal divisions on a split board “The only difference in our case is that we have absolutely no choice but to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Because if we don't, our students will pay the consequence." Rochester Superintendent Romain Dallemand

STRAIGHT TALK

SUMMER IS A GOOD TIME TO GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR MSBA

Summertime means the office telephones and computers are on a slower pace than during the school year, and this gives me a chance to reflect and think about various issues. Let me share some of that thinking with you on this warm summer day.

Bob Meeks MSBA Executive Director

A school board that receives up-to-date information on education issues, a school board that visits with members from other school boards, and a school board that looks beyond the district boundaries for answers to compelling issues is the school board you all should do your best to copy.

In times of tight budgets, training becomes even more important. First of all, with all due respect, when you look at your district’s budget and school board training requirements, don’t be short-sighted! A school board that receives up-to-date information on education issues, a school board that visits with members from other school boards, and a school board that looks beyond the district boundaries for answers to compelling issues is the school board you all should do your best to copy. A friend of mine who serves on a school board told me that their board had decided that they needed to trim their budget for school board member attendance at training sessions and other school board-related meetings. Say what? During hard times some believe it is advantageous to stop you and other members on your board from learning all you can about issues facing your board? Don’t be foolish! Now is the time you should be making sure EVERY board member on your board attends related training offered by your MSBA. The old adage of penny wise and pound foolish fits in this case. Spend the revenue necessary to learn how best to address tough financial times so that you continue to be able to offer the best possible education to your students— our future—given the demands of doing more with less. A new way for you to help set MSBA’s agenda. Along the same line, MSBA’s Board of Directors asked the membership to change the process for selection of MSBA Delegate Assembly members. At the business session of the 2009 MSBA Leadership Conference, the

membership voted to approve the MSBA Board-recommended process. So now our work is cut out for us. We need you to seriously consider becoming a member of the MSBA Delegate Assembly. MSBA Governmental Relations staff Grace and Kirk will soon be communicating with each of you, asking you to submit your name as a future member of the Delegate Assembly. We will elect Delegate Assembly members by mail for the first time in our history. This should open up Delegate Assembly membership to many of you who found it difficult—due to timing, distance, and/or conflicts—to attend your Fall Area Meeting. Once you are a Delegate Assembly member, I assure you that you will quickly decide that it is something you will want to continue to be. Take a chance and submit your name or have another member of your board submit your name. Trust me, as your former chief lobbyist and your current executive director; it is a decision you will not regret. MSBA shares the pain of member districts with staff, pay freeze. Another issue to share with you is the recent action by your MSBA Board of Directors. As with you and your school district budget, the MSBA Board is watching every dollar in our budget. This year the MSBA Board voted to freeze MSBA staff compensation at last year’s level and to not fill two vacancies on the staff. I look at this as strong leadership by the Board. I have a saying that I have used numerous times (some say way too numerous): “You can only spend a dollar once;” and the MSBA Board chose to spend the dollars the Association receives to strengthen our programs and services at a time when you need them rather than put the current dollars into staffing. I agree and so do the other members of your MSBA staff. It’s summertime and the living is easy, but your work/our work continues as we all strive to make the decisions necessary to prepare Minnesota’s public school students for the rest of their lives. Keep up the good work. I look forward to seeing you soon at the various MSBA training/board education opportunities, and I hope you get some time to reflect and think about issues important to you on these hot summer days and nights. JULY/AUGUST 2009

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN STUDENT SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS GET FIRST-HAND LOOK AT COMPLEXITY OF BEING ON THE BOARD

The ultimate test of any school board is to find out if your work is really helping students. And who better to give you that feedback than students themselves? About 80 of Minnesota’s 340 school districts want that student input at the board table and have a designated student school board member.

Jackie Magnuson MSBA President

If customer service is No. 1, there’s no better way to get feedback than having a customer at the table.

It’s a trend that is catching on in districts, and it is something your MSBA wants to encourage. That’s why we started the MSBA School Board Member Scholarship this year to recognize students who participate as ex-officio members of their board.

Cambridge-Isanti High School student Kendra Lynn and Hopkins High School student Ethan Lang were the winners of a $3,000 scholarship each. A committee of five from the MSBA Board of Directors had the daunting task of poring over 35 applications to pick two students. And it wasn’t easy. These students had school activity lists pages long—not counting all the community service they do. Getting to see the applications from these students made me feel very happy for the future of our state. These kids are going to make a huge difference in this state, just as they contributed to the success of their local school districts. The wonderful thing about having a student school board member is that it gives these students an appreciation of board work and what it means to serve in any public capacity at the local level—city, school or county. It also benefits boards to have that direct feedback with their most important customer—the student.

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As the committee of board members from around the state found out, boards use student members in various ways. Some pick one student per year to sit at the table and be the liaison to the Student Council. Some larger districts have a student member from each of two or three high schools. Some districts rotate students each semester. But what all of them had in common was that by the time students left the job as ex-officio members, they had a huge appreciation of the complex issues facing all boards across the state. Ethan Lang talked about how hard it was to sit in on discussions about getting Hopkins out of Statutory Operating Debt by closing a school and making other drastic cuts. It was a process that was a significant learning experience for him. Kendra Lynn got involved on the issue of block scheduling being proposed at the Cambridge-Isanti board. She surveyed 90 percent of the students at the school to get their input for the next board meeting—information that was vital for the board’s decision. Their stories are featured in this issue of the Journal. But all of the other students should also be recognized for their dedication and work as student school board members. We hope to continue our scholarship program for many years, and we also hope to encourage other boards to give the student board member model a try. If customer service is No. 1, there’s no better way to get feedback than having a customer at the table.

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ACHIEVING OUR CLIENTS’ GOALS SINCE 1947 JULY/AUGUST 2009

COMMUNITY-DRIVEN BOUNDARY CHANGES

Barbara Brown, Dave Bernhardson, and Mike Vogel

MSBA JOURNAL

Seven Hills Clas sic

al Academy

Attendance Boundary Changes with a positive end result? Impossible? Not for a district that took the time to work through a lengthy, community-driven process that included community members on task force groups, while providing unique and frequent input opportunities prior to final board decision.

The South Washington County School District, a suburban school district with 16,600 students and 22 schools, carried out a complete attendance boundary changeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with a highly positive outcome. The South Washington County School District is still in transition stages to the fall of 2009 when a third high school will open, grade configurations will change, and new

attendance boundary changes and a major change in school start times will take effect. The process which began with preliminary conversations in May of 2007 concluded with a board decision in April of 2008. The year since the decision has provided ample opportunity for a fair appeals process and family awareness of where their students will attend school in the fall of 2009. Ongoing opportunities, communication and community involvement are helping to ensure a successful transition for approximately 3,000 students. The district has continued to use the process—in varying degrees—to work through school start times and other key district issues.

RESEARCH The South Washington County School District, under new leadership, in the summer of 2005 began a strategic planning process that included how best to deal with the growth of the student population and also the capacity issues on the east side of the district, while working to provide new and enhanced learning opportunities for students. The result of the plan and study was a successful bond issue (the largest ever in the State of Minnesota) that would construct a third high school for the district, among a number of other improvements at existing high schools. The high schools would become schools that serve students in grades 9-12 (currently 10-12), the middle schools would become schools for students in grades 6-8 (currently 7-9), and the elementary schools would serve K-5 (currently K-6). It was time for the shift in attendance boundaries to begin. Historically, and common to most school districts, attendance boundary adjustments do not make people happy with their school district. Because the district recognizes the importance of full confidence of the public, it was decided that a change in the process, along with increased communications, was the key to success. The effort to change boundaries began in the spring of 2007. A detailed report of the research conducted is outlined in the next section.

PLANNING/ANALYSIS Throughout the transition of district leadership, strategic planning and conducting a referendum, communication venues and opportunities increased. People were paying close attention to a district that was beginning to make changes that many in the community were waiting for. As a result, frequent opportunities for the public to hear about attendance boundaries were planned and carried out. In addition to the development of a charge statement, objectives and guiding principles, an attendance boundary change process was developed and became the focus of every conversation about how the decision was going to be made.

Once the process was in place, the recruitment of a balanced team for each level—elementary, middle and high school—took place. The high level of interest expressed by community members led to the need for an application process with final selection of school representatives made by each school’s site team. To ensure that anyone who wanted the opportunity to participate could, the district formed an “Oversight” Committee for widespread involvement. The committee was in place to provide checks and balances on each of the maps as they were proposed. As many as 200 people attended the “Oversight” Committee meetings. This group was also well apprised of the process as they were invited (as were all community members) to track the process through updates via an “Attendance Boundary Update” listserv and through the updates on the district’s Web site. Communication was a priority throughout the process. Every channel known to the community was used extensively—internally and externally. The immediate access to the district facilitators was key for building trust and ensuring accurate, consistent responses. People were appreciative of direct contact with district leaders as concerns and changes were proposed.

JULY/AUGUST 2009

COMMUNITY-DRIVEN BOUNDARY CHANGES

IMPLEMENTATION/ COMMUNICATION Knowing that one of the major transition issues, district-wide boundary changes, needed to occur in a timely way for students and families to adjust, the process of involving the community began in November of 2007 and concluded in the spring of 2008, more than a full year prior to implementation set for the first day of school in the fall of 2009. The process included an intense meeting schedule— with all meetings being open to the public. The open meetings were carried out in a very professional, open manner for the task force members and for the attendees. The work of the group went on as usual with those nonmembers listening to conversations. At the conclusion of all meetings, those attending were asked if they wanted to make any comments to the work groups. Frequently, questions were asked and concerns were shared directly with those drawing the boundaries. As with other engagement opportunities, including individuals who had an agenda allowed for more advocates of the decision, as they were quickly able to understand the “big picture” needs for the district and ALL of its students. As drafts of each of the elementary, middle and high school plans were brought forward to the community, it became critical to develop a process for community members to share their thoughts about what was being proposed through the Oversight Committee. Past history allowed for an “open microphone” session that didn’t always prove to be productive for the district. As a result, a team of administrators developed “input forms” to be filled out by groups rather than individuals. These forms included the request to provide “three positive aspects” and also “three concerns raised” with the plan presented. People were seated at cafeteria-style tables and asked to work in groups of no more than six people to complete one form per group. This process was different for community members, but was appreciated, as everyone could then provide their reaction to the plans. Unlike the past where individuals may not have chosen to present their concerns in front of a group, all individuals were able to express their thoughts. The district representatives in attendance witnessed a productive dialogue between participants that allowed for a heightened awareness of community-wide challenges associated with issues of this magnitude. At the end of the Oversight Committee meetings, individual forms were also available should community members want to add to their group comments.

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These Oversight Committee meetings (where a range of 120 to 200 people attended) were organized with a full group presentation and then the sharing in small groups. The input forms with the community member’s reactions were copied and shared immediately with the task force work group to keep the process on the tight time schedule. Before the end of the same week, the comments were compiled and shared with those who signed up for the Oversight Committee, all task force groups, all administrators, and the School Board. Between the levels of the task force groups, the “passing of the torch” occurred. Four members from the elementary group worked with the middle school group, two elementary members who served on both the elementary and middle moved on to the high school and two middle school members also moved on to the high school. The members continuing at the next level were able to explain the decisionmaking on the plans that were forwarded to the next working level. This helped the groups to have some continuity with the decisions and understanding of earlier decisions. Communication in the district has been enhanced and increased since the summer of 2005, under new leadership. As a result, the community was already becoming acclimated to new and more frequent methods of communication. Full details of communication techniques are included in award materials. The techniques used were key to the process and consistently updated as meetings were publicized, options became available to share, feedback was being requested, and final decisions and opportunities to react were shared.

EVALUATION In January of 2009, final letters of attendance boundary building assignment were sent to all students in the district. This was the ultimate test of understanding, and of the district’s measure of success in having accurate records for where all of those students would be going to school in the fall of 2009. While members of the Student Information Department felt somewhat inundated with calls, the count of those calls didn’t exceed 100. In the end, fewer than 100 students (of 16,600) were placed incorrectly, or parents were not satisfied with the outcome and wanted to know what change could be made. That low number of calls was truly indicative of a job well done for a district that spent many, many hours planning and preparing for as painless an outcome as possible for its students and their families.

AFTERWARD Through intensive community engagement and a process that works hard to manage communication while providing opportunities for involvement, the district has built a community that wants and expects to be involved in key decisions. As the district moves forward with the attendance boundary change, a change to a middle school model, school start time changes and other significant changes, the process used in attendance boundaries is used in a similar fashion. If people are paying attention to district communications, they are aware of the changes being made and the reasons for them. Barbara Brown is the Director of Communications, Dave Bernhardson is a Principal on Special Assignment and Mike Vogel is Assistant to the Superintendent for Operations. All work for South Washington County Schools.

Hayley Swartz of

Seven Hills Clas sical

Academy

JULY/AUGUST 2009

BOUNDARY CHANGE the Woodstock way How an intensive community engagement strategy helped one Illinois school district pass a levy and redistrict 60 percent of its students — without alienating the public

asha Bryant

Back in 2003, the Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 in Illinois was faced with an enormous problem: Every school in the district was either at or over capacity, even with the use of 10 mobile buildings as temporary classrooms. Bruce Lombard

Woodstock school leaders knew the obvious, practical solution: build more schools. However, a history of voter negativity and failed school referendums stood as potential obstacles to funding any future construction. School leaders decided to alter the way they sought input from the community— by making the community part of the process. “We faced significant problems with overcrowding,” said Barbara Banker, Woodstock’s Director of Community

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Services. “Traditional problem-solving methods were not enough.” From there, Woodstock moved forward with a long, intensive community engagement process. The board appointed 60 people to its Facilities Study Task Force. The task force was divided into four subgroups. Each subgroup would develop its own proposals and ideas, which would then be shared among the other subgroups en route to producing a universal consensus. The task force met 19 times during the next nine months. SchoolTalk200, Part 2 of Woodstock’s community engagement plan, was an interactive process designed not only to help the community learn about the task force’s recommendations, but to allow community input as well.

A series of open houses scheduled during the next 10 weeks was aggressively promoted through the media, in newspaper letters to the editor, brochures, flyers, postcards, in the district newsletter, and on schools’ marquees. Each open house featured a 10-minute video presentation— featuring six members of the task force—explaining the recommendations. In total, 15 open houses were held with more than 1,800 public participants. The district received more than 11,000 hits on its specially created SchoolTalk200 Web site. SchoolTalk2Action was a close cousin to the informative and successful SchoolTalk200 format. SchoolTalk2Action included another round of open houses, complete with new informational display boards, and new feedback forms and question cards. An additional 12 open houses and 12 staff meetings were held under SchoolTalk2Action. More than 2,400 people participated and provided feedback in the form of more than 400 comment forms. On March 21, 2006, 58 percent of the voters approved the $105 million construction proposal. There was no organized opposition against the referendum. The victory marked only the third time in 29 attempts that the school district passed a referendum on its first attempt. Though school leaders were thrilled with the referendum’s passage, they knew there was another difficult problem on the horizon. Boundary changes would be necessary, which would require moving more than half of the district’s students into different schools. “Boundary changes are one of the most contentious issues school districts and communities face,” Banker said.

Boundary Realignment Committee Woodstock continued to utilize the methods it used for its SchoolTalk200 and SchoolTalk2Action campaigns. The primary strategy for disseminating information to the public involved more open house meetings, or specifically in this case, Boundary Feedback Forums. Woodstock used this new round of forums—five were scheduled over a two-week period—as a way to celebrate the start of new school constructions, explain the boundary realignment process, present the proposed planning criteria, and solicit additional feedback from the community. The school district also developed yet another new set of display boards that recapped the entire referendum process and showed what the current district map looked like. A large number of students—including all of the students from the school that closed—had to be reassigned to the new and existing schools. One board highlighted the two key components of the

proposed planning criteria—capacity and stability. Under this plan, no school could exceed its maximum capacity for four to five years. The district also wanted stability in its schools in terms of ethnic, income-level and special programming (i.e. special education and bilingual education) balance. “We wanted each school to reflect the diversity in our community,” Banker said. But before acting on any of its boundary proposals, the board once again turned to a community group. This time, it was an appointed 64-member Boundary Realignment Committee. The committee eventually took a formal vote on a proposal that would redistribute a large percentage of its students. Everyone in the group—including a large number of parents—voted “yes,” except for one member who abstained. The committee took these results back to the community via the Boundary Feedback 200 campaign. This led to yet another round of open houses at each school, where the committee’s parent volunteers proved to be extremely valuable. “Having parents advocate our plan in front of other parents was strong for us,” said Banker. Along with providing its patented informational display boards and feedback forms, the district made computers available for parents to type in their address to ascertain their children’s new school location. The committee gathered public feedback on the boundary change issue and took it to the board. The board then approved the redistricting plan.

New high school questions The school district also had a variety of big decisions to make over the new high school: 1. How do we fill the school? With one grade at a time (i.e. just freshmen in Year 1, freshmen and sophomores in Year 2, etc.) or use all four grade levels? 2. What do we do about athletic teams? Do we have one combined team (with the existing high school)? Do we have two teams? If so, can we be competitive apart? 3. Extracurriculars? Should they be the same at both schools? 4. Mascot and colors? Who decides? The district developed a planning committee of 52 people (from 90 applicants) to answer those questions. The district used ongoing press releases to keep staff, parents and the remainder of the community informed of what was being decided.

JULY/AUGUST 2009

The board’s role

the Woodstock way

BOUNDARY CHANGE

The school board did more than just appoint committees to do their work for them. The board members were the ones who originally identified the need for more schools in the face of overcrowding. Two board members were always present on each large committee. Simply and most importantly, the board members listened to the community at these meetings. Board members listened to everyone, from staff to parents, students and beyond—and then reviewed all of this public comment. “It was only right to keep (the public) informed; this was not the case of just a school board dictating,” said Paul Meyer, president of the Woodstock School Board. “(The entire process) was labor-intensive and time-consuming but very rewarding. This adds credibility to the board and gives us a higher level of trust within the community.”

Lessons learned Superintendent Ellyn A. Wrzeski said their model of community engagement was “a great process for us.”

“You have to learn a new way of dealing with yourself because superintendents and board members like to be in charge,” Wrzeski said. Wrzeski also noted that parents and other community volunteers have to remain objective. “You have to step back and take yourself out of your own personal situation.” Wrzeski preferred the direct approach with the public. “I’d rather have the community take potshots to my face (in a group meeting) rather than outside,” she said. “We moved 60 percent of our students without any public outcry,” Wrzeski added. “The days of a superintendent and school board making unilateral decisions are over. Today we have a more informed, questioning and interested public.” Bruce Lombard is the Associate Director of Communications for MSBA. He attended the Woodstock Community Unit School District presentation at the National School Boards Association Leadership Conference. Woodstock is located approximately 60 miles northwest of Chicago and has 6,800 prekindergarten through 12th-grade students. For more information about Woodstock, visit their Web site at www.woodstockschools.org.

Wrzeski said the collaborative process, while successful, can be challenging for school leaders.

Key “must-haves” for community engagement: 1. Large representation. 2. A clear mission: First meeting was to define what we are doing; no special interest; just good for all students. 3. Well-defined expectations and operating procedures. 4. True dialogue and meaningful discussion. 5. A focus on finding common ground. 6. Decisions by consensus.

Lessons learned from public engagement 1. Public engagement is time-consuming (from start to finish, the entire campaign conducted 209 public meetings). 2. You need a strong commitment from everyone. 3. It can’t occur overnight; it is not an easy fix. 4. A comprehensive timeline is “absolutely critical.” 14

MSBA JOURNAL

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JULY/AUGUST 2009

Students go above and beyond with board work to win MSBA Scholarship

“Being on the school board has inspired me to be a political science teacher or an education administrator…as either a principal or superintendent.”

Cambridge-Isanti’s student school board member, Kendra Lynn, came on to the board right as the district was looking at changes to classroom scheduling. Board member Dan Fosse wanted student input on a block scheduling plan, and he thought Kendra was the best person to gather the input.

Greg Abbott and Bruce Lombard

She took the assignment and ran. In one week, she gathered input from 90 percent of the students (1,200 students) in the high school, worked with the school principal to pull the information together in a summary and presented the comments to the board the next week.

“I realized I wasn’t the only student concerned with the education in our building, and it was uplifting to know that students desire to use their voice to promote better education for our community,” she said.

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“Wherever I end up, I’ll be there to help out in my community in some way. If it’s being on the local school board, I’ll be all the happier.” Ethan Lang has always made a big impression on the Hopkins School Board—even prior to his three-year run as a student school board member.

board members know so much. They really are experts in so many fields of education…it’s a huge job with a lot of responsibilities.”

Hopkins School Board member Sandy Forster recalls meeting Lang at a school function when he was a ninthgrader. While most ninth-graders are just trying to academically and socially survive their freshman year in high school, Forster said Lang was already showing great interest in the intricacies of how a school board operates. Forster was immediately impressed with Lang’s self-confidence and maturity.

Lang was seated with the board members as an equal and given a say on everything. He presided over a lot of tough issues and situations during his three years of service. Lang noted the most difficult challenge the board faced during his tenure: recovering from statutory operating debt, which led to closing an elementary school and the redistricting of students.

Lang’s interest in the school board didn’t wane as a sophomore, when he took his place as the one of the board’s student representatives. Asked why he chose to serve on the school board, Lang answered: “The school board has a lot of responsibility. It was truly something special for me. I wanted to be that voice (for students) and felt I could do it and contribute.” Lynn and Lang were named the MSBA Student School Board Member scholarship winners this year. Each will receive a $3,000 scholarship to pay for college costs this fall. Lang said he was amazed about the variety and breadth of issues—ranging from equity issues to transportation and curriculum—that school board members had to know. “There are just so many things to cover,” Lang said. “You have to be an expert on all those different fields. Our school

“It was a very emotionally charged issue that affected so many families,” he said. The student representative saw firsthand how tough decisions are made by a school board in the face of a devastated community. Lang said this situation provided a significant learning opportunity for him. “The right decision is not always the popular one,” Lang wrote in his MSBA scholarship application essay. “But diligent analysis and genuine intent to come up with the best possible result is the only way to make a difficult decision.” Lang had high praise for the board’s conduct in the face of adversity. “Each board member takes their job seriously and they look for the best in every situation,” Lang said. “They look for what is best for the entire community.” JULY/AUGUST 2009

Students go above and beyond with board work to win MSBA Scholarship

Lynn tackled changes in policy toward prom, attended several committee meetings and did work outside the board room. In the process, she gained a whole new perspective on what school boards do and how they reach decisions.

MSBA Executive Director Bob Meeks said Lang was “very deserving” of MSBA’s Student School Board Member Scholarship. Carol Bomben, an MSBA board director, said “Ethan is a wonderful example of what a student school board member can do.”

Growing up, she said, she had negative feelings and biases about why the board cut certain things and didn’t fund other areas. But after being on the board and finding out how the complex system of funding for schools works, she now knows where those negative feelings should be directed.

Lang said he would “definitely” like to return to the school board table some day, preferably “after college and when I have kids.”

“I tell my classmates that those feelings should be directed at the state, not the board,” she said. “For funding, there’s limits on what funds they can use and how much money the state puts in each fund.” Like many of the student school board applicants, Lynn is involved in many extracurricular activities— speech, band, choir, math league, honor society and more. Those are the programs that are usually first on a school district’s chopping block when cuts come down from the state. But Lynn defends extracurriculars as some of the best programs a school could offer to students. She said that when you look at success, studies have been done to try to link high grade point average to success or test scores to success. None of those are good predictors. “But studies that track kids who are involved in co-curriculars show a pattern of success. Part of the reason these kids have high GPAs is because they are involved.” Lang singled out the influence of Hopkins superintendent Dr. John Schultz on his school days. “Dr. Schultz has been a huge mentor and inspiration to me. I only hope to be half the man that he is.” Lang’s laundry list of accomplishments is impressive. While too long to list in its entirety, here are some highlights: president of the student government, student commissioner of the City of Minnetonka Boards & Commissions for Economic Development Authority, a delegate to the 2008 DFL State Senate Nominating Convention, a member of the high school choir, captain of the boys varsity swim team, a youth mentor, and a homecoming king candidate. Lang will attend Boston University this fall. He has a couple of career options in mind. “Being on the school board has inspired me to be a political science teacher or an education administrator…as either a principal or superintendent,” he said.

MSBA JOURNAL

But Forster, who spoke glowingly of Lang in a farewell sendoff during his final school board meeting on May 21, has even higher expectations for him. “Some day I expect to hear him addressed as ‘Chair Lang’…then ‘Senator Lang’ and then ‘President Lang.’” Lynn is involved in a group called the Link Crew, which links upperclassmen to 10 freshman students as a mentor. She keeps in contact with them throughout the year, invites them to movies or social events. “It’s more of a way to give freshman students a sense of belonging.” She likes the idea of helping other students, just as the outgoing student board member helped her and inspired her to run for the position. “He did a lot of work organizing students at the capital about funding. He gave me a notebook with tips and pointers for addressing the board. I had big shoes to fill.” MSBA Board President Jackie Magnuson said Lynn will also leave big shoes to fill. “I expect to Google Kendra’s name in a few years and see a long list of her accomplishments. She really is an outstanding student and board member.” Lynn said she does have big dreams. “But wherever I end up, I’ll be there to help out in my community in some way. If it’s being on the local school board, I’ll be all the happier.” Lang reflects on his time on the Hopkins School Board with immense satisfaction. “I had a voice on the school board,” he said. “I was an outlet for students and the community. I also served on the strategic planning committee that will help shape the course of the district for years to come.” “I wouldn’t have traded it for the world.” Greg Abbott and Bruce Lombard work for MSBA’s Communications department. You can reach them at gabbott@mnmsba.org or blombard@mnmsba.org.

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Motivating others will help you get things done on your board

Comedian Rodney Dangerfield always said he “got no respect.” In fact, it was so bad that his wife wouldn’t let him be in their wedding photographs.

Dr. Alan Zimmerman

Now that’s bad. But it’s nothing new. About a hundred years ago, one of the founding fathers of psychology, Dr. William James, wrote, “The deepest craving in human nature is to be appreciated.” How true! And I would even say this craving is so deep and so broad, that very few of us ever get enough. The need for appreciation, recognition, and respect is almost always there—waiting to be satisfied. The reason is quite simple. People are usually more concerned with getting their recognition needs met than meeting the recognition needs of others. However, if you take the time to extend appreciation, to help others satisfy this deepest of all psychological cravings, you will have power. You will have the power to positively influence them.

Emily Hegland

So how do you extend appreciation? I’ll talk about all the details at MSBA’s Summer Seminar. But in the meantime, here are a few tips to get you started:

BE CREDIBLE.

If you’ve seldom had a kind word for anyone, sudden lavish expressions of appreciation will cause suspicion. People doubt dramatic conversions. Start with a single compliment. Then share another one a few days later. If you slowly increase the frequency of your praise, your friends and colleagues are more likely to believe and accept your appreciation.

BE SPECIFIC. General statements such as “You’re wonderful...super...neat...great” are too vague to be fully effective. People will wonder if you’re “just saying it” or if you really mean it. And they’ll never know for sure what you are referring to. Jacob Hongerholt

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I can remember back to my days of being a college student. I would work and work and work on a paper for a professor. But when I got it back, if it only had a

general comment like “Good job,” even if I got an “A” I felt cheated. There was nothing specific to hold on to or build from. Your appreciation is much more effective when it’s specific. Tell the other board member exactly what you like about him. Or tell her precisely what was so good about her decision-making. Your specificity tells the other person you’ve taken the time to think about what you’re saying, and he or she is much more likely to internalize the praise.

COMMENT ON IMPROVEMENT. Nothing is more demoralizing than to have others ignore the improvements we have made. We need to know that they have noticed. Let’s say, for example, that after you give the superintendent a performance review, you ask him or her to make some improvements, and he or she agrees to do so. As soon as he makes a step in that direction, you’ve got to comment. If you wait until the next formal discussion, which may be six weeks or six months, you both lose. He figures you didn’t notice so why should he bother to improve. You’ve got to comment on improvement as soon as you see it.

Then I went on to write the following, because he seemed to be struggling a bit in my class. I wrote, “I think you’ll be okay in college. Don’t give up. You have my support.” Seventeen years later, a man hollered out to me at Logan Airport in Boston. He said, “Dr. Zimmerman, I want to thank you for your note. It changed my life.” Of course I wondered, “What note?” I had forgotten. He pulled out of his wallet a ragged piece of paper, my note from 17 years before. He said, “You don’t know this, but my parents told me I was too stupid for college. And I was scared when I started because I had never done well in school. Then you wrote me the note. Whenever I’ve felt insecure the last number of years, I’ve taken out your note and read it again. I’ll bet I’ve read your note a thousand times.”

When you take the time and make the effort to extend sincere, timely appreciation, you create the perfect win-win situation.

GIVE PUBLIC COMMENDATIONS. One-on-one private praisings are not nearly as effective as those done in public. As a superintendent or board member, you could share some appreciation at an employee meeting, or allow an employee to be present when you are telling your board about the employee’s success.

PUT IT IN WRITING. Even though face-to-face appreciation is wonderful, sometimes Jacob Hongerholt it can be even more powerful to put your comments on paper. Take three minutes from your schedule. Write out four or five sentences—handwritten, not e-mail—and send them to the person. I find that employees and co-workers keep those notes for a long, long time. Somehow they know it takes a bit more time and effort to compose a note than make a comment, and that makes your appreciation all the more special. I’ll never forget the impact one of my notes had. To encourage one of my college students years ago, I wrote him a note that said: “I enjoy having you in class. I like your jokes and stories. You make class more fun.”

I thought, “Wow! A single note motivated someone to achieve his goals for years and years.” So I hope you’re putting your praise in writing once in a while.

USE RELAYED POSITIVES. When you hear someone compliment another individual, pass on the compliment. Give it to the appropriate individual. It always feels good to know that others are talking about you in a positive way.

TURN NEGATIVES INTO POSITIVES. You can almost always find a way to turn destructive criticism into constructive praise. Instead of saying, “It took you 5 years to graduate. What was your problem?” -- You could say, “You stuck it out. Not everyone would have done that.” When you take the time and make the effort to extend sincere, timely appreciation, you create the perfect win-win situation. The other person feels great receiving your appreciation, and you feel great for giving it. And the atmosphere is positively charged for greater amounts of cooperation and productivity. Dr. Alan Zimmerman is an educator, trainer and consultant who has done extensive work with companies on how to motivate staff. He is one of the keynote speakers for MSBA’s Summer Seminar Aug. 13-14 at the Northland Inn in Brooklyn Park. JULY/AUGUST 2009

Carlie Von Arx

Emily Tschumper

Krista Himlie

Transforming White Light into Rainbows: Segmentation Strategies for Successful School Tax Elections

J. Bradford Senden, Ph.D., and Don E. Lifto, Ph.D.

In the late 1600s, British physicist Sir Isaac Newton first demonstrated refraction and dispersion in a triangular prism. He discovered that a prism could decompose white light into a spectrum. Translation? Hold a prism up to the light at the correct angle and white light magically splits into vivid colors of the rainbow!

So what do prisms and rainbows have to do with winning school tax elections? More than you think.

The science of preparing for a school tax election begins with the development of an annotated voter file, which is the raw material that serves as the campaign’s foundation. In the context of elections, the individual registered voter is the white light of Newton’s experiment. File annotation is the process of merging other public and purchased databases and electronically 22

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“marking” segments or characteristics of the underlying registered voter file. Once this process has been completed, the full complement of annotations serves as an electoral prism, allowing the campaign to achieve a rainbow of segmentation coding. In a well-planned and well-executed tax election, these resulting data are the campaign’s most important resource in voter surveys, canvassing, communications, and get-out-the-vote efforts. How far to probe the colors of the rainbow in segmentation coding and microtargeting is a strategy decision with cost and precision implications.

Colors of the Rainbow The amount of information in a voter file varies significantly from state to state. At a minimum, a voter file includes the name and

Miriam Pleye

Torie Ask

Will McManimon

residential address of the voters in the school district, as well as some information about how often each has voted in the past. In most states, the voter file also includes information about votersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ages and when they first registered to vote.

More importantly, microtargets can be developed within those voter target groups, allowing for very focused communications and voter contact in support of the ballot proposal.

Building on this foundation, we identify gender according to the first name of each voter (which works well except for gender-neutral names like Pat), and ethnicity, if relevant, based on his or her last name. Finally, in most school referenda, the name and residential address are matched with school district data to identify parents.

A Case Study

Residential addresses can also be used to gather a great deal more information for the voter file by matching addresses in the registered voter file with commercially available databases. These can include homeowner status (renters vs. owners), length at residence, individual and household income, and education level. Depending on the ballot issue, files can be annotated according to characteristics, such as hunting or fishing licenses, donation history, or membership in community groups. The most sophisticated level of final annotation is the coding of each household by its demographic and lifestyle characteristics. A number of these file segmentation systems are available. The one we have applied to the art and science of winning school finance elections assigns each household to 1 of 66 different demographic groups. It allows us to code a file so that voters can be assigned to 1 of 14 social groups and to 1 of 11 life stage groups. All this may sound Orwellian, but it serves a very simple purpose as a school district prepares for an operating or facility referendum. When combined with the results of a scientific random sample survey, all the annotations added to a voter file allow for the development of more sophisticated data analyses with regard to measuring public opinion of subgroups and more precise targeting within the voting population.

An example will help illustrate how we can apply these tools. Recently, one of our school district clients was preparing to place a general obligation bond on the ballot. Because it was a California client, the proposal had to win at least a 55 percent majority on election day. The district presented two specific challenges: (1) it was a large district with a voting population of 88,000 and (2) it was a high school district, serving only the families of students in grades 9 through 12. As such, it had no way to identify elementary and middle school parents in the voter file even though those parents would vote in the referendum. To address these challenges, we had the file annotated with consumer information and information from the file segmentation system. As part of the effort to develop an initial target structure for a bond campaign, we also had the voter files of three other districts fully annotated. Those districts had been on the ballot previously. Each had won voter approval for a general obligation bond. For each, the results of an extensive telephone canvass of the voting population by the citizensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; campaign launched in support of the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposal were available, as was information concerning who actually participated in the election. Each of those previous elections allowed us to drill down into the annotations added to the file to identify the demographic characteristics that most successfully predicted participation and support for the school proposal on election day. Within the file segmentation system JULY/AUGUST 2009

Transforming White Light into Rainbows:

annotation, we were able to identify three very important groups: (1) the parent population, (2) the population of voters whose children had all graduated but were still apparently very willing to support a school tax proposal, and, most importantly, (3) the segment of this population that seemed unwilling to support any proposal the district might place on the ballot. By deconstructing these earlier elections, the citizens’ committee could build a target structure for the high school district’s bond campaign. Using the results of two scientific surveys, these targets were tested and refined. Finally, the citizens campaigning in support of the bond were ready to send out their first piece of direct mail. Instead of facing the prospect of a mailing to 88,000 voters, they prepared to contact 27,000 targeted households. After this mailing, they began a telephone canvass of these voters. The results of the first two nights of calling allowed us to use the commercial annotations in the file to further refine the target population and reduce the size and cost of campaign mailings. The end result? A resounding 68 percent win.

referendum can be determined. These essential steps provide the foundation for effective microtargeting, communications, getting out the vote, and a winning campaign. J. Bradford Senden, Ph.D., is the managing partner of the Center for Community Opinion based in San Ramon, California. For the past 19 years, he has been directly involved in hundreds of school bond and tax campaigns throughout California and across the country. E-mail: brad@communityopinion.com. Don E. Lifto, Ph.D., is a senior vice president with Springsted, Inc., a St. Paul–based independent financial advisory firm for school districts, cities, colleges, and counties. He previously served as a public school superintendent in rural, suburban, and intermediate districts in Minnesota. E-mail: dlifto@springsted.com. This article originally appeared in the May 2009 School Business Affairs magazine and is reprinted with permission of the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO). The text herein does not necessarily represent the views or policies of ASBO International, and use of this imprint does not imply any endorsement or recognition by ASBO International and its officers or affiliates.

Research to Practice The opening stanza in Lagaya Evans’s poem “The Rainbow” is, The rainbow of colors So merry and bright Each color has a purpose Even black and white. It is the third line—“Each color has a purpose”—that reinforces the vital importance of effective voter file development at the foundation of school tax election planning. In the context of school tax elections, having a purpose is manifested through the process of expanding and annotating the registered voter file. The data can later be separated into a rainbow of segmentation coding to support the key functions of the campaign: surveying, canvassing, communicating, and getting out the vote. Going forward, conducting these campaign activities at a high level will be essential as baby boomers get older and the percentage of registered voters with school-age children continues to shrink. Like Sir Isaac Newton, school leaders will need to use campaign prisms to separate voters into demographic groups. Once that has been accomplished, support for the proposal can be measured and the likelihood of different demographic groups participating in the

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“Coloring Referendum Funds for Accountability” Michael Bauman

Ensuring continued goodwill among taxpayers toward public schools means being accountable for the money with which the district is entrusted. In 2006, St. Paul Public Schools told residents that if they supported their referendum the district would in turn spend the money as promised, hold itself accountable, and report the district’s progress on a regular basis. The goal was to institutionalize transparency in order to uphold the community’s confidence and support.

Add to this that a few years earlier St. Paul moved to a sitebased management system that allows its 70 schools to determine a large part of their budgets. With such decentralization, it was critical that the district respected the schools’ autonomy, but still assisted them in making sound budget decisions that fell in line with state and federal mandates, and the referendum promise. With the successful passage of the referendum and the funds a reality, our business office set about developing a budget tool to hold schools accountable for their use of referendum dollars. After conducting several exploratory meetings with principals, a system was devised that only allows schools to budget within the constraints of the referendum-approved programs: continuing dollars from the 2002 referendum; four-year-old kindergarten program; all-day kindergarten; and secondary math and science. The schools were not allowed to reallocate these funds outside of any of these four programs.

“The process came to be known as coloring the money, in reference to the budget spreadsheet’s color-coding for accountability: green designates a valid code and open cell, while red indicates an invalid code and blocked cell,” explains Lois Rockney, the retired chief budget officer who helped devise the system. At a glance, principals could tell how and where they could spend their referendum dollars. Before being sent to the principals, the spreadsheets are automatically loaded with the schools’ individual total budget dollars. Within the spreadsheet, separate worksheet tabs are devoted to the referendum and Title I funding respectively. So that principals do not need to re-enter these numbers, the sums are automatically applied to the main worksheet, which also contains the school’s budget overview that includes general, compensatory and integration funds. At the top of the worksheet the amounts budgeted in these various pots are automatically subtracted from the allocation and a running total is 26

MSBA JOURNAL

prominently displayed to ensure a balanced budget. In other words, any time principals put money in one fund the spreadsheet shows how much money is left, allowing them to redistribute resources among the categories until they are balanced. To minimize confusion and questions, mandatory training on the new budget spreadsheet was provided to principals, staff and site councils. Within nine weeks of receiving their budgets, principals were able to meet with their site councils and complete the budget spreadsheet, then submit it electronically to the business office. Business office staff were amazed at how quickly the principals took to the new system and are happy to report that the principals have loved having such a clear and easy budgeting tool. The spreadsheet is especially useful in engendering transparency at the school level. Its simplicity helps site councils (composed of school staff, parents and community members) more easily understand the constraints that principals face when they have to make tough budgeting decisions. “The budget worksheet dazzles them because it’s so simple,” says Melissa McCollor, veteran principal of Nokomis Montessori Magnet School. “It’s a big gift to be able to be that transparent as you’re making changes in the school’s programs.” Principals like McCollor see the budget spreadsheet as an opportunity to inform the community what restrictions they have to juggle as they work to stretch the budget to meet program needs and parents’ wishes. In turn, regular outreach efforts like this help principals build and maintain credibility in their school community. By understanding that the budget spreadsheet can also function as a communication tool, along with other efforts like the annual report and state of the district address, the district stands to benefit in the long run. Inevitably the district will have to again turn to the voters for their support, but by keeping their constituency well informed about how their taxes are being spent, the next referendum campaign may not be so daunting. Michael Baumann is chief financial officer of Saint Paul Public Schools, 360 Colborne St., St. Paul, MN 55102. E-mail: michael.baumann@spps.org

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MSBA’s VENDOR DIRECTORY MSBA’s Vendor Directory helps connect school districts with the products and services they need. The directory is always at your fingertips. 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. The directory includes everything you need to know to contact a company quickly—phone numbers, fax numbers and addresses—in an easy-to-read format. If you have a service or product you would like included in this directory, please contact Sue Munsterman at 507-934-2450 or smunsterman@mnmsba.org.

Actuary Hildi Incorporated (Jill Urdahl) 11800 Singletree Lane, Suite 305 Minneapolis, MN 55344 952-934--5554, Fax 952-934-3027 www.hildiinc.com jill.urdahl@hildiinc.com Van Iwaarden Associates (Jim Van Iwaarden) 10 South Fifth Street, Suite 840 Minneapolis, MN 55402-1010 612-596-5960, Fax 612-596-5999 www.vaniwaarden.com jimvi@vaniwaarden.com Architects/Engineers/Facility Planners Architects Rego & Youngquist, Inc. (Paul Youngquist) 7601 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 200 St. Louis Park, MN 55426 952-544-8941, Fax 952-544-0585 www.aryarch.com pyoungquist@aryarch.com ATS&R Planners/Architects/Engineers (Paul W. Erickson) 8501 Golden Valley Rd., Suite 300 Minneapolis, MN 55427 763-545-3731, 800-545-3731 Fax 763-525-3289 www.atsr.com information@atsr.com Cuningham Group Architecture, P.A. (Judith Hoskens) 201 Main Street SE, Suite 325 Minneapolis, MN 55414 612-379-3400, Fax 612-379-4400 www.cuningham.com jhoskens@cuningham.com DLR Group (Troy W. Miller) 520 Nicollet Mall, Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55402 612-977-3500, Fax 612-977-3600 www.dlrgroup.com tmiller@dlrgroup.com Foss Architecture & Interiors, Inc. (Robert Ames) PO Box 306 Moorhead, MN 56560 218-236-1202, Fax 218-236-4945 www.fossarch.com robert@fossarch.com

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INSPEC, INC. (Fred King) 5801 Duluth St. Minneapolis, MN 55422 763-546-3434, Fax 763-546-8669 www.inspec.com fking@inspec.com Perkins + Will (Ted Rozeboom) 84 10th Street S., Suite 200 Minneapolis, MN 55403 612-851-5000, Fax 612-851-5001 www.perkinswill.com ted.rozeboom@perkinswill.com TSP, Inc. (Rick Wessling) 18707 Old Excelsior Blvd. Minnetonka, MN 55345 952-474-3291, Fax 952-474-3928 www.teamtsp.com wesslingrg@teamtsp.com Wold Architects and Engineers (Scott McQueen) 305 St. Peter Street St. Paul, MN 55102 651-227-7773, Fax 651-223-5646 www.woldae.com smcqueen@woldae.com Attorneys Adams, Rizzi & Sween, P.A. (Steven T. Rizzi, Jr.) 300 First Street NW Austin, MN 55912 507-433-7394, 877-443-2914 Fax: 507-433-8890 www.adamsrizzisween.com srizzi@adamsrizzisween.com Kennedy & Graven Chartered (Gloria Blaine Olsen) 200 South Sixth Street, Suite 470 Minneapolis, MN 55402 612-337-9300, Fax 612-337-9310 www.kennedy-graven.com golsen@kennedy-graven.com Knutson, Flynn & Deans, P.A. (Thomas S. Deans) 1155 Centre Pointe Dr., Suite 10 Mendota Heights, MN 55120 651-222-2811, Fax 651-225-0600 www.kfdmn.com tdeans@kfdmn.com

Pemberton, Sorlie, Rufer & Kershner, PLLP (Mike Rengel) 110 N. Mill Fergus Falls, MN 56537 218-736-5493, Fax 218-736-3950 www.pemlaw.com m.rengel@pemlaw.com Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney, P.A. (Robin D. Paterni) 730 Second Ave. S. 300 U.S. Trust Bldg. Minneapolis, MN 55402 612-339-0060, Fax 612-339-0038 www.ratwiklaw.com rdp@ratwiklaw.com Construction Mgmt. & Products Bossardt Corporation (John Bossardt) 8300 Norman Center Drive, Suite 770 Minneapolis, MN 55437 952-831-5408 or 800-290-0119 Fax 952-831-1268 www.bossardt.com jbossardt@bossardt.com Donlar Construction Company (Jon Kainz) 2277 W. Highway 36, Suite 210W Roseville, MN 55113 651-227-0631, Fax 651-227-0132 www.donlarcorp.com jon.kainz@donlarcorp.com Kraus-Anderson Construction Co. (Mark Kotten) PO Box 158 Circle Pines, MN 55014 763-786-7711, Fax 763-786-2650 www.krausanderson.com mark.kotten@k-a-c.com National Safe Surfacing Initiative, LLC (Shannon Godwin/Tim Mahoney) PO Box 506 Carlisle, IA 50047 866-345-6774, Fax: 515-989-0344 www.nssi-usa.com shannon@nssi-usa.com tim@nssi-usa.com

R. A. Morton and Associates (Becky Fulton) 3315 Roosevelt Road, Suite 100 St. Cloud, MN 56301 320-251-0262, Fax 320-251-5749 www.ramorton.com beckyf@ramorton.com Wells Concrete Products Company (Spencer Kubat) 835 Highway 109 NE Wells, MN 56097 800-658-7049, Fax 507-553-6089 www.wellsconcrete.com sales@wellsconcrete.com Educational Programs/Services Minnesota State Academies for the Deaf and Blind (Linda Mitchell) 615 Olof Hanson Dr. PO Box 308 Faribault, MN 55021-0308 800-657-3996/507-384-6602 Fax 507-332-5528 www.msa.state.mn.us linda.mitchell@msa.state.mn.us Electrical & Communications, Service & Construction Peoples Electric Company (Dean Larson) 277 East Fillmore Avenue St. Paul, MN 55107 651-602-6831 www.peoplesco.com dean.larson@peoplesco.com Employee Assistance Program (EAP) The Sand Creek Group, Ltd. (Joan Sirotiak) 610 N. Main Street, #200 Stillwater, MN 55082 651-430-3383, Fax 651-430-9753 www.sandcreekeap.com joans@sandcreekeap.com Energy Solutions Johnson Controls, Inc. (Arif Quraishi) 2605 Fernbrook Lane N. Plymouth, MN 55447 763-585-5148, Fax 763-566-2208 www.johnsoncontrols.com arif.a.quraishi@jci.com

Environmental Consultants Mississippi Headwaters Chapter, USGBC (Sheri Brezinka/Jennifer Tuttle) 5353 Wayzata Boulevard, Suite 207 Minneapolis, MN 55416 Brezinka: 952-564-3068 Tuttle: 612-596-4860 www.usgbcmn.org sbrezinka@usgbcmn.org jtuttle@kke.com Financial Management PaySchools (Patrick Ricci) 6000 Grand Ave. Des Moines, IA 50312 281-545-1957, Fax: 515-243-4992 www.payschools.com pricci@payschools.com PFM Asset Management, LLC MSDLAF+ (Donn Hanson) 45 South 7th Street, Suite 2800 Minneapolis, MN 55402 612-371-3720, Fax 612-338-7264 www.msdlaf.org hansond@pfm.com Sunergi, Inc. (Jodie Zesbaugh) 900 Long Lake Road, Suite 220 St. Paul, MN 55112 651-633-2223, Fax 651-633-2229 www.sunergi.com jzesbaugh@sunergi.com Fire and Security Peoples Electric Company (Sheldon Crabtree) 277 East Fillmore Avenue St. Paul, MN 55107 651-602-6860 www.peoplesco.com sheldon.crabtree@peoplesco.com Food Service Products & Services Lunchtime Solutions, Inc. (Chris Goeb) PO Box 2022 North Sioux City, SD 57049 605-235-0939, Fax 605-235-0942 www.lunchtimesolutions.com chris@lunchtimesolutions.com Insurance Minnesota School Boards Association Insurance Trust (MSBAIT) (Denise Drill, John Sylvester) 1900 West Jefferson Avenue St. Peter, MN 56082-3015 800-324-4459, Fax 507-931-1515 www.mnmsba.org ddrill@mnmsba.org jsylvester@mnmsba.org

Playground Equipment National Safe Surfacing Initiative, LLC (Shannon Godwin/Tim Mahoney) PO Box 506 Carlisle, IA 50047 866-345-6774, Fax: 515-989-0344 www.nssi-usa.com shannon@nssi-usa.com tim@nssi-usa.com Public Finance Wells Fargo Public Finance (Pam Lang and Mary Webster) 608 Second Ave. S. - 10th Floor; MAC: N9303-105 Minneapolis, MN 55479 Lang: 605-341-9945/800-267-1262 Webster: 612-667-3110 Fax 605-341-7696 www.wellsfargo.com/publicfinance pamela.a.lang@wellsfargo.com mary.k.webster@wellsfargo.com Roofing Four Seasons Energy Efficient Roofing, Inc. (Darrell Schaapveld) 410 Quant Ave. North Marine on St.Croix, MN 55047 651-433-2443, Fax 651-433-2834 www.fseer.com info@fseer.com School Supplies/Furniture Corporate Express, a Staples Company (Michael Teetzel) 1233 W. County Road E Arden Hills, MN 55112 651-234-4036, Fax 651-234-4185 www.corporateexpress.com michael.teetzel@staples.com Software Systems Skyward, Inc. 868 3rd Street South, Suite 101 Waite Park, MN 56387 800-236-7274 www.skyward.com Sunergi, Inc. (Jodie Zesbaugh) 900 Long Lake Road, Suite 220 St. Paul, MN 55112 651-633-2223, Fax 651-633-2229 www.sunergi.com jzesbaugh@sunergi.com

Technology Sunergi, Inc. (Jodie Zesbaugh) 900 Long Lake Road, Suite 220 St. Paul, MN 55112 651-633-2223, Fax 651-633-2229 www.sunergi.com jzesbaugh@sunergi.com Technology Education PaySchools (Patrick Ricci) 6000 Grand Ave. Des Moines, IA 50312 281-545-1957, Fax: 515-243-4992 www.payschools.com pricci@payschools.com Temperature Control & Building Automation System One Control/Peoples Electric Company (Bill Gausman) 277 East Fillmore Avenue St. Paul, MN 55107 651-602-6839 www.peoplesco.com bill.gausman@peoplesco.com

Transportation Hoglund Bus Co., Inc. (Jason Anderson) 116 East Oakwood Drive PO Box 249 Monticello, MN 55362 763-295-5119, Fax 763-295-4992 www.hoglundbus.com salesmanager@hoglundbus.com Minnesota School Bus Operators Association (Shelly Jonas) 10606 Hemlock St. NW Annandale, MN 55302 320-274-8313, Fax 320-274-8027 www.msboa.com shellyj@msboa.com Superior Transit Sales, LLC (Todd Telin) 14995 Industry Avenue PO Box 10 Becker, MN 55308 763-262-3328, Fax 763-262-3332 www.superiortransit.com TTelin@superiortransit.com

MINNESOTA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION

July-August 2008

Volume 61, No. 1

Named

2009 Best Print Publication by the Minnesota School Public Relations Association Cited for “Comprehensive Coverage” “Impressive Student Artwork” Brought to you by YOUR MSBA JULY/AUGUST 2009

ASK MSBA

Unrequested Leave of Absence

Due to great financial limitations, many school districts have gone through the process of placing teachers on unrequested leave of absence (ULA). Now that the end of the school year has come and gone and the legislative dust has settled, MSBA is starting to receive inquiries about the process of “recalling/reinstating” teachers on ULA. Q. The district currently has teachers on ULA for 1.0 FTE, and, due to a resignation, retirement, etc., a vacancy for 1.0 FTE now exists for the upcoming school year. What should the district do?

Amy Taylor Associate Director of Management Services

Below is a list of steps that district administrators should take: • review the “realignment” and “reinstatement” language in their teachers’ Master Agreements;* • review and update the “Reinstatement List” as needed—a model list can be found in the MSBA Service Manual, Chapter 13, page N-44; • have their school boards take action on the “Resolution Announcing Availability of Positions”—a copy of this resolution can be found in the MSBA Service Manual, Chapter 13, page N-45; • prepare and send the “Notice of Availability of Positions” to the teacher who is qualified, properly licensed, and has reinstatement rights to the identified position, per the requirements identified in the teachers’ Master Agreement—a copy of this notice can be found in the MSBA Service Manual, Chapter 13, page N-46; • prepare and send the “Notice of Proposed Reinstatement” to all teachers currently on ULA—a copy of this notice can be found in the MSBA Service Manual, Chapter 13, page N-47;

MSBA JOURNAL

• prepare and present the reinstated teacher with a new individual teacher contract—a model contract can be found in the MSBA Service Manual, Chapter 3, page 58. *If seniority tie-breaker language has not been negotiated and included in the teachers’ Master Agreement, the school board should take action on the “Resolution Providing Basis for Differentiation in Cases of Equal Seniority for Purposes of Reinstatement from Unrequested Leave”—a copy of this resolution can be found in the MSBA Service Manual, Chapter 13, page N-48. As an aside, M.S. 122A.40, Subd. 11, states that tie-breaker language is “negotiable;” therefore, MSBA recommends that districts try to negotiate the language from the MSBA Model Agreement (ARTICLE XIV, Section 3., Subd. 5.). This language provides districts with the discretion to establish tie-breaker criteria that are beneficial to the districts (i.e. performance, training, skills in special assignments, etc.). In addition, absent negotiated language that limits teachers’ bumping rights, districts are required to “realign” senior teachers holding multiple licenses to save less senior teachers both at the time of lay-off and also in order to recall them from ULA. Therefore, MSBA recommends that districts negotiate the language from the MSBA Model Agreement (ARTICLE XIV, Section 4). Doing so will benefit 1) management by limiting “bumping rights” and by eliminating the obligation to realign teachers both at the time of lay-off and also in order to recall them from ULA; 2) senior teachers because they will not have to worry about being realigned into a subject area in which they have not taught for years (or their entire careers); and 3) students because they will have the most qualified teacher possible in the classroom.

Advertisers Wells Fargo Public Finance ...........................................Page 2 MSBAIT...........................................................................Page 2 Mississippi Headwaters Chapter, USGBC ....................Page 7 Q. The district currently has a teacher on ULA for 1.0 FTE, and due to increased student enrollment, a .5 FTE vacancy now exists for the upcoming school year. What should the district do? The district should follow the steps listed above. In addition, in this scenario, the reinstated teacher would remain on ULA for .5 FTE. As an aside, MSBA recommends that districts place teachers on ULA for only those portions of their positions that are being eliminated versus placing them on ULA for 100 percent of their positions. By doing so, districts gain some control over the ULA process, and teachers continue to receive some pay and benefits. For example, if a teacher’s 1.0 FTE position was reduced by .5 FTE and he/she was placed on ULA for 100 percent of his/her position, he/she could refuse the remaining .5 FTE position and still have recall rights up to a full 1.0 FTE position for which he/she is qualified and licensed. However, if a teacher is placed on ULA for .5 FTE of his/her position, he/she would retain .5 FTE of his/her position. Then, if the teacher did not want the remaining .5 FTE position, he/she would have to resign from it, and, by resigning, the teacher would now only be entitled to recall from ULA for up to a .5 FTE position for which he/she is qualified and licensed. In addition, by the teacher resigning his/her position, he/she has created a vacancy for which he/she is qualified and licensed. Depending on the language in the Master Agreement, if the teacher is offered and declines the .5 FTE vacancy he/she created, he/she may no longer have any recall rights.

Knutson, Flynn & Deans, P.A. .......................................Page 7 BoardBook....................................................................Page 15 Skyward, Inc..................................................................Page 15 Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney, P.A. .................................Page 19 DLR Group ...................................................................Page 25 Kennedy & Graven Chartered ....................................Page 25 ATS&R ..........................................................................Page 27 MSDLAF+ .....................................................................Page 27 MSBA Board Training..................................................Page 32

Q. A teacher on ULA did not accept the available position the district offered him/her. Does the teacher’s action mean he/she has resigned and no longer has recall/reinstatement rights? Unfortunately, many districts do not have language in their teachers’ Master Agreements that specifically addresses this issue. If the Master Agreement is silent regarding this issue, the teacher would remain on ULA and maintain his/her recall rights for up to five years. Therefore, MSBA recommends that districts try to negotiate the language from the MSBA Model Agreement (ARTICLE XIV, Section 6., Subd. 3.). This language is beneficial because it clearly states that a teacher who fails to accept the position in writing within the specified period of time shall forfeit his/her future reinstatement and employment rights, thus eliminating the district’s obligation.

Eric and Elizabeth Een of Seven Hills Classical Academy

JULY/AUGUST 2009

NON-PROFIT ORGN. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID PERMIT NO. 47 MANKATO, MN 56001

1900 West Jefferson Avenue, St. Peter, MN 56082-3015

MSBA is here to serve YOU... CUSTOMIZED TRAINING PROGRAMS IN YOUR BOARD ROOM Customized trainings that are designed to build strong leadership teams with clearly established roles and expectations:

Katie Klanderud

Minnesota School Boards Association 1900 West Jefferson Avenue St. Peter, MN 56082 800-324-4459; fax 507-931-1515 www.mnmsba.org

• Goal Setting, • Building Mutual Expectations, • School Board Self Evaluations, • 16 Tenets of Effective Board-Superintendent Relationships, and more. Contact: Katie Klanderud, Director of Board Development MSBA’s mission is to support, promote, and enhance the work of public school boards.