MSBA Journal: January-February 2010 by Minnesota School Boards Association

MINNESOTA SCHOOL BOARDS ASSOCIATION

Volume 62, No. 4

Double-duty Superintendents

fo r

Getting it Right & Doing it Better Sage Advice for New Board Members

IN MSBA G LE TH ADE E RSH RI IP GH CO T NFER TH EN IN CE G

January-February 2010

Strength and Stability Wells Fargo Government & Institutional Banking offers customized, comprehensive financial solutions for educational institutions. We are a specialized business with experienced bankers who understand your unique needs and challenges.

Pam Lang Vice President (800) 267-1262 pamela.a.lang@wellsfargo.com

Mary Webster Associate (800) 832-2265, ext. 73110 mary.k.webster@wellsfargo.com Wells Fargo Securities is the trade name for certain capital markets and investment banking services of Wells Fargo & Company and its subsidiaries, including Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, member FINRA and SPIC. © 2009 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved

Contact:

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

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

MSBA JOURNAL

Group Term Life Long-Term Disability General Liability Excess Liability

CONTENTS JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010 VOLUME 62, NUMBER 4

Calendar J A N U A RY 2 0 1 0

Divisions 5 6 35

STRAIGHT TALK Bob Meeks, MSBA Executive Director PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Jackie Magnuson, MSBA President ASK MSBA Kirk Schneidawind, Associate Director of Governmental Relations

Articles 8

DOUBLE-DUTY SUPERINTENDENTS Bruce Lombard

DOING THE RIGHT THING FOR KIDS 89th Annual Leadership Conference

GETTING IT RIGHT & DOING IT BETTER Bruce Weinstein

SAGE ADVICE FOR NEW BOARD MEMBERS Greg Abbott

SUPPORTING MILITARY FAMILIES Laura Poppen

1 .............New Year’s Day (no meetings) 4 .............Terms Begin for Newly Elected Board Members 12 ...........MSBA New Board Member Orientation – Phase I, Minneapolis 13 ...........MSBA Phase II Orientation, Minneapolis 13 ...........MSBA Board of Directors’ Meeting 13 ...........Early Bird Workshops 14-15 ......MSBA Leadership Conference 15 ...........MSBA Board of Directors’ Meeting 18 ...........Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday Observed (no meetings) 26 ...........Officers’ Workshop, Bemidji 30 ...........Officers’ Workshop, Plymouth

F E B R U A RY 2 0 1 0 2 .............Precinct Caucus Day (no meetings or activities after 6 p.m.) 5 .............Officers’ Workshop, Mankato 9 .............Minnesota School District Liquid Asset Fund Plus Meeting 11 ...........MSBA Insurance Trust Meeting 15 ...........Presidents’ Day (no meetings) 18 ...........Learn @ Lunch Webinar (New Rules Around Unrequested Leave of Absence) 18-19 ......MASBO Winter Conference 21 ...........MSBA Board of Directors’ Meeting 22-26 ......MSBA School Board Recognition Week

MARCH 2010 7 .............Daylight Saving Time Begins 9 .............Township Election Day (no meetings or activities 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.) 18 ...........Learn @ Lunch Webinar (Finding Your Way Through PEERNet) 18-19 ......MASA Spring Conference 25 ...........MSBA Phase III, Bemidji 25 ...........Joint Legislative Conference

The MSBA Journal thanks the students of Monticello High School for sharing their art with us in this issue. COVER ART: Jenny Latsch

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

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 Tiffany Rodning: Deputy Executive Director Greg Abbott: Director of Communications Denise Drill: Director of Financial/MSBAIT Services Amy Fullenkamp-Taylor: Associate Director of Management Services Sandy Gundlach: Director of School Board 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 Bob Lowe: Director of Management Services 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.)

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

Negotiations with teachers “I think two years from now it’s going to be a lot worse for both parties dealing with budgets. I just don’t see any new money coming from the state in the next four years.” Jerry Nesland, superintendent in Mahnomen

Three nearby districts hiring a new superintendent at the same time “It is never easy to replace a superintendent. There will be a little competition between the districts among the candidates.” Brenda Woggon, Sauk Rapids-Rice school board member

Scrapping breaks before testing dates “We want more instructional days before the testing. You take a week off and it kind of messes with things.” Steve Jordahl, superintendent in St. Cloud

School nurse staffing “Generally in Minnesota, our schools are safe with the staffing we have. Could they be doing more work with preventative care and helping kids get their needs met more timely? Yes. Can our system afford that? I think so, but I’m a little biased.” Cynthia Hiltz, health services coordinator for the AnokaHennepin School District

Effects of Gov. Pawlenty’s unallotment shift “You certainly don’t want to borrow more than you need and the danger of being short is pretty significant. The last thing you want to do is say ‘Gee, we’ll make payroll in a couple of weeks because we don’t have it right now.’” Chris Leinen, director of business services at Bemidji Schools

The biggest problem to improving education My big irritation is our inequitable school-funding model. Despite the Minnesota Constitution, which dictates a “general and uniform system of public schools,” we have created an uneven playing field of “haves” and “havenots.” It’s a result of our reliance on voter-approved property tax increases to fund education. I don’t like to whine about our challenges, but we have increasing numbers in English as a Second Language, increasing poverty and increasing special needs. And our funding is flat. Educators, parents and school boards are spending way too much time and energy rattling the tin cup for funding. Minnesota Superintendent of the Year Patty Phillips, North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale

The results of the GRAD test I never thought that I would spend a large part of my time worrying about the impact that state-mandated tests would have on a large group of kids in our district. These tests have created a lot of stress and apprehension for those parents and students that have some level of test anxiety or a slight learning disability. The tests have also caused additional financial obligations for school districts across the state to invest in numerous levels of remediation to help students obtain the mandated levels of comprehension. Paul Karelis, Worthington High School principal

MSBA JOURNAL

STRAIGHT TALK

WITH OUR MEMBERS, YOU DON’T HAVE TO LOOK HARD TO FIND INSPIRATION

It doesn’t take long when you work for MSBA to find inspiration from some of our members. As our staff was compiling a list of awards for the Leadership Conference Awards Banquet, we ran across a board member who had more than 1,000 hours of MSBA training. Many people won’t be too surprised to find out that it is Arlene Bush of Bloomington.

Bob Meeks MSBA Executive Director

“People don’t serve on school boards for the fame or the money! They serve because they care for their communities and are willing to withstand difference of opinion and the tedium of democracy.”

Her dedication to her local board also sets a good example for board members and students across the state: It’s always important to keep learning; it’s always important to get involved in the educational issues you care about. In her time with her board, she has earned 1,155 credits and will be the first recipient of the MSBA Distinguished School Board Member Award at this year’s luncheon. Arlene knows that she can make a difference for students at the local level, and make a difference for students at a state level. She attends MSBA’s Leadership Conferences, Summer Seminars, has been to all the Phase trainings, Advanced Board Academy and participated in Delegate Assembly and Day at the Capitol. She has put much effort into the MSBA Insurance Trust. She knows that the better she becomes as a board member, the better job she’ll do for her students. She is one of five board members offering advice in this issue of The Journal to new board members coming into the job this year. And if I were new to being on a school board, I’d listen to her every word. It is rare to see someone accomplish so much in their time on a school board. Arlene certainly deserves to be the first person awarded with our highest honor, the Distinguished School Board Member Award. About the same time as we were putting the final touches on Arlene’s award, our staff was reminded of a former board member and president of the MSBA

board (1969-1971), Glenn Engebretson. He was recently inducted into the Wall of Fame in Slayton for his 19 years of school board work. Nobody could summarize his dedication better than his family, who wrote: “Dad represents the best of the Greatest Generation: people who endured hard times, served their country, lived lives raising families, working at jobs and giving back to their communities through public service. “Dad chose to serve the school system because he understood the foundation of a good, strong, benevolent and productive society is a professionally staffed school system with facilities of lasting quality. “Dad LOVED his involvement in education and communicated his respect for teaching to his family. Evidence of this is that six of us are or have been teachers. “When I was a boy, if you had asked me what my dad did for a living I would have said, “He’s a school board chairman.” I remember him at his desk going over papers, budgets, phone calls and seeing visitors that came to discuss education issues. I can see him getting ready for the Monday evening meeting gathering papers in his briefcase, his hearty laugh and firm handshake and his polite manners. “People don’t serve on school boards for the fame or the money! They serve because they care for their communities and are willing to withstand difference of opinion and the tedium of democracy.” As we prepare for our conference, and for School Board Member Recognition Week Feb. 22-26, I’m sure you have your own examples of great school board members who provide inspiration. Your work and dedication make me proud to be a part of Your MSBA. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN WHEN IT COMES TO TEACHING AND LEARNING, CLASS SIZE DOES MATTER

There is a belief by some that a good teacher can be effective with every student, no matter their special learning needs, the home environment they come from each day or how many other students are sitting in the same class. As a parent, teacher and school board member, I can confidently state that when it comes to the number of students, class size does matter.

Jackie Magnuson MSBA President

Board members are faced with many situations where they are asked to balance the needs of the students with the realities of the budget. I just hope that when you put your heads together to come up with options, you do the right thing for kids.

MSBA JOURNAL

There are more than 32 students in some of my family and consumer science classes this semester, more than 300 students total. An increasing number of these students have special learning needs that require additional time and attention; the list of students with 504 plans and Individual Education Plans (IEPs) grows larger each year. This is a familiar situation in school districts throughout our state, as flat state funding forces school boards to make tough decisions to eliminate teaching positions, which drives up class sizes. No school board member wants to cut teaching positions. Likewise, school board members do not want to use up all reserve funds and bring their district to the brink of statutory operating debt. With no reserves left to fall back on, however, this is what is happening in districts all across our state. When I read about Janene UnkeHanson’s fifth grade class in AnokaHennepin with 36 kids, I understood where she was coming from when she said, “Who I feel worst for is the students. It’s crazy to think that they are getting the best possible education.” And her class isn’t the largest. I’ve heard of classes of 40 or more students in some school districts. Unless our funding situation changes, some education officials say this will be the new norm for schools in Minnesota.

I certainly hope not. The theme at this year’s Leadership Conference is “Doing the Right Thing for Kids.” Giving them the best chance for a quality education comes with a cost. It also requires a backbone. Despite the financial considerations of the district, school board members need to step up and do the right thing for kids. For students, there are no second chances for an education; the time for their opportunity is now. It may mean putting your district in debt or sacrificing electives or co-curricular activities. It may mean asking for another levy when you just finished asking for one two years ago. Low class size isn’t the magic bullet for everything. Leaders in education can’t even agree on what the optimal class size is. The number depends on many factors, including the number of students served with special needs and whose primary language is not English. Like many things, you know the right class size when you see it. When elementary and middle school classes start bumping over 30 students in a classroom, it may be time to act. Our keynote speaker for the conference is Bruce Weinstein, who brought us a message about ethics and leadership across the board. As his article in the last issue of The Journal demonstrates, your true ethics are tested when times are hardest. Board members are faced with many situations where they are asked to balance the needs of the students with the realities of the budget. I just hope that when you put your heads together to come up with options, you do the right thing for kids.

School Lunch Management Services

Develop

Cuisine

Grow

Health Best in Food & Nutrition

Learn

tel.

Staff Development and Training

Improve Financial Results

952-945-0505 52-945-0505

Life

sales@taher.com www.taher.com

nd discrete assessment of yyour current service and the subsequent proposall on specific sp recommendations to help yo ou be more successful..

DLR Group

Architecture Engineering Planning Interiors

Contact: Troy Miller, REFP - tmiller@dlrgroup.com Phone: 612/977-3500 - dlrgroup.com

listen.D ESI GN.deliver

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

DOUBLE-DUTY SUPERINTENDENTS The life of a shared superintendent has its challenges, but most bask in the rewards Anna Holtman

The Caledonia and Fillmore Central school boards held a joint meeting recently for preliminary talks regarding a decision several smaller Minnesota school districts are opting for—sharing a superintendent.

Bruce Lombard

MSBA JOURNAL

“We had a good discussion and listed some benefits and some problems associated with sharing a superintendent,” said Naomi Fruechte, Caledonia’s board chair. “Both boards will discuss this further

at their own meetings coming up in the next couple of weeks, and will let each other know of our decisions.” Regardless what Caledonia and Fillmore Central decide, there certainly won’t be a shortage of shared superintendents in the state. Sandy Gundlach, MSBA’s Director of School Board Services, said there are currently 12 superintendents working for more than one district.

“The number fluctuates slightly from year to year,” Gundlach said. “Every year more districts think about this issue. Whether their question-asking and research leads them to a decision to share a superintendent is another question.”

Kuphal said he had no trepidation about taking on the dual role. “I looked at it as a challenge and as an opportunity to learn something from another district at the same time.”

Double duty

Grupe’s districts—Martin County West in Welcome and Granada-Huntley-East Chain in Granada—lie 16 miles apart on Interstate 90. He said he sees the two as completely separate jobs.

Galen Clow is one of those shared superintendents. In his 12th year with Grygla-Gatzke and Goodridge, Clow started both jobs in August of the 1998-99 school year when the position opened up between the two districts. Though Clow admits that taking on two districts simultaneously was “kind of a big step,” it wasn’t completely foreign to him. “Before that, I was a superintendent in Oklee . . . that was an independent district but we shared activities with Plummer,” Clow said. “Almost all my administrative experience has been working with combinations between districts. Prior to Oklee, I worked in the Erskine and McIntosh districts, which became Win-E-Mac.” Clow said his first thought about taking on a second district was simply, “I hope I can do it.” Randy Grupe began working at Martin County West in 1989 before adding Granada-Huntley-East Chain (GHEC) to the mix in 1999. Grupe said he had no hesitation in working for GHEC after the district originally approached him to help deal with their statutory operating debt. “The assignment, when I started, was to run (GHEC’s) board meetings, do their books, finances and those such things . . . and it turned into negotiations and a few others things,” Grupe said. Nowadays, Plainview-Elgin-Millville Superintendent Gary Kuphal answers to only one district—but that wasn’t always the case. During the 2006-07 school year, Southland—where Kuphal had been working—and its adjacent school district, LeRoyOstrander, were both going through budget reductions. Both districts had already been sharing some services, such as athletics. A meeting between the two boards upped the ante even more. “However it got started, we kind of both said ‘You know, we’re going through budget reductions; is there anything that we might be able to share?’” Kuphal said. “We had a couple of joint board meetings and one of the things that came out was that (LeRoy-Ostrander’s) superintendent/ elementary principal would not be with them during the next year. We ultimately ended up sharing quite a bit.” This sharing between Southland and LeRoy-Ostrander included some teaching positions, elementary principals— and Kuphal as superintendent.

Super schedule

“Martin County West is my full-time job,” Grupe said. “I do Granada-Huntley-East Chain on some evenings and one weekend day. If I would need to be called over there for a personnel issue, I take a half-day vacation from Martin County West.” Grupe said that he made it clear to both boards that his Martin County West job comes first. “If there was some type of major event going for both schools, my children attend Martin County West, so I would go there,” he said. He says he doesn’t have a hard time balancing between the two districts—but that doesn’t mean he’s not busy. As a superintendent of two districts, that means double the monthly board meetings. “The board meetings are on different nights,” Grupe said. “That’s been helpful. I would recommend that for anyone who is trying to share districts. I wouldn’t try to do two board meetings (in the same night).” Also keeping him busy: a double dose of teacher contract negotiations. “When we start negotiations, it’s not uncommon one night to be negotiating from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at one (district), and the next night 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the other,” he said. Kuphal’s schedule was organized differently at Southland and LeRoy-Ostrander. “The way we had it structured was that I would be primarily at Southland, meaning four days a week or 80 percent of my time, and one day a week or 20 percent of the time I would be at LeRoy-Ostrander [where he was assigned Wednesdays],” Kuphal said. “The reality was I probably spent the equivalent of two days a week in LeRoy-Ostrander and four days a week in Southland because both of them, in that year, ran referendums.” Kuphal worked under a Southland contract and LeRoyOstrander was billed by Southland for his services. Despite the fact that Clow’s districts are 20 miles apart, he structures his daily workday in order to spend time at both locations. For example, on a Monday, Clow starts his day in Goodridge at 7:30 a.m. or 8 a.m. At noon, he travels to Grygla to spend the afternoon. The following morning, he starts in Grygla and transfers back to Goodridge at noon.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

“Every day of the week I go to both districts, unless I’m needed for the entire day at one of the districts,” Clow said. “It’s just nice to be at both districts every day because I like to touch base with the people in both districts every day. They know I am available and that’s important to my way of thinking.”

DOUBLE-DUTY SUPERINTENDENTS

Clow added that he’s not into counting the hours anyway. “We are here to get the job done,” he said. “I don’t really go by hours. In addition to the school day, I consider it important to be at events and other activities.”

“I could take the best of both districts,” he said. “I could take the best from LeRoy-Ostrander and bring it to over to Southland, and take the best of the Southland and bring it over to LeRoy-Ostrander. I think that is what happened. I think both districts benefitted from the result of that.” Kuphal said other staff members that were shared also brought in different ways to look at things.

Clow said he has never had any complaints from either district about any time inequity in all his years of shared duty.

“The elementary principal was also shared and so he did the same at the elementary,” he said. “He was bringing the best of LeRoy-Ostrander over to Southland and vice versa.”

Nicolette Riehl, Clow’s board chair at Grygla-Gatzke, said the only notable scheduling run-in with Goodridge occurs during setting graduation ceremony dates.

Kuphal playfully recounted a very minor tiff that occurred with LeRoy-Ostrander’s certified staff when he once told them: “Well, at Southland, this is the way they do it.”

“We’ve been able to handle two (graduations) with switching days and going back and forth every year,” Riehl said.

“And I was told very clearly, ‘we really don’t care how they do it,’” Kuphal said, laughing. “So, I probably never used quite that terminology again.”

The best of both districts

Full circle

When asked if he has a good relationship with both of his school boards, Clow responded with a laugh, “I hope so!”

While he got along with both school boards, Kuphal noted that Southland and LeRoy-Ostrander did not necessarily agree with every aspect of their shared superintendent arrangement.

And borrowing a sports cliché, he added: “I am only as good as my last school board meeting!” “In my 11 years here, with 24 school board meetings a year, I have only had one school board vote that wasn’t unanimous,” Clow said. “I think things are going along quite nicely. I have a couple of great boards to work with. They are very supportive and they trust what we do. We work to keep them informed at all times.” Riehl, elected to the Grygla-Gatzke School Board two years before Clow arrived, said he is excellent to work with. “Galen is very focused and makes sure there’s adequate time at both schools,” Riehl said. “Even though he may be torn between the two schools, he just ensures he is fully doing his job at both school districts.” Grupe said he feels the relationship with his Martin County West and GHEC boards, and between the boards themselves, has worked out well. “I think if you would ever talk to some of the board members from both, they would say it has really been good for everyone involved,” he said. “They don’t have a concern of ‘He’s spending too much time over there’ or ‘This didn’t work out.’” 10

Kuphal said one of his favorite aspects of the arrangement was the ability to learn from two districts at the same time.

MSBA JOURNAL

“Southland had me as their superintendent. LeRoyOstrander was looking for someone. In some ways, Southland had the upper hand. They had to kind of agree to share me,” Kuphal said. “When it came down to it, it was not unanimous on the Southland Board, so there were some reservations.” Kuphal said both boards agreed to commit to this arrangement for one year. Either district could back away from this shared agreement when the year was over. The boards met in February 2008 to review the process for the future. Kuphal said LeRoy-Ostrander definitely wanted to continue sharing him. However, the Southland board was noncommittal. At that time, Kuphal said he had no plans on moving or looking for another job. “I would prefer, if I am here, to continue being shared, and I told that to both boards,” he said. “What happened was everybody agreed that as long as I would be back for a second year, we would continue the sharing. If for some reason I was not going to be coming back, then we would revisit whether or not we were going to share.”

Even though Kuphal said he was honest with the boards that February, he later decided to take the job at PlainviewElgin-Millville. The job was offered to him in April 2008— two months after the boards held their joint session to revisit the shared arrangement. After Kuphal left, Southland decided they no longer wanted to share, and opted to advertise unilaterally for a full-time superintendent—which left LeRoy-Ostrander on their own.

“I felt very fortunate in the fact that both of them passed that year,” he said. “And they were both pretty big ones, adding on to and revoking existing ones. They were both in the $1,440 range. And as it happened that year, there were negotiations for both districts. It was interesting.”

Kuphal noted a key Superint advantage in e n d running two e Multipl nts Servin referendums at e Distri g once. “I think one 1. Mar c ts referendum helped k Adams G the other. Bringing

reen 2. Gale way and Nashw strategies from one auk-Ke n Clow e w referendum to the a t in Goodr “The LeRoy-Ostrander high other was helpful.” 3. Ran idge and Grygla dy Grup -Gatzk school principal applied for the e e G r a n ada-Hun Southland superintendent job t ley-Eas County and he got it,” he said. “LeRoyt Chain West 4 and Ma . James G Ostrander still needed a partrtin uetter In the game of time superintendent, so they Oklee a administrative onen d Plu 5. Bru ended up hiring the retired ce Houc mmer upmanship, k Southland superintendent that Hendr Superintendent Bruce I replaced a few years earlier. 6. Tom icks, Lynd and Houck trumps them all. Russell Knoll They agreed to hire him on a T y le Cyrus M r-Ruth Houck is not shared by part-time basis, two days a ton ath, Sc ie a n nce and d Herma “just” two districts—but by week for the interim.” Techno n-N 7. Don logy Sc three. He is currently doing Langan orcross hool And then Kuphal said the triple duty for Russell-TylerE ly an situation recently came full 8. Bra d Internationa Ruthton (RTR), Lynd and d Mad l Falls circle. “Last spring, both Hendricks. Dawson sen districts agreed to share B o y 9. Har d Houck’s primary district, RTR, the Southland old Prio and Lac qui P a r r le hired him in 2001. Three years superintendent (Steve Valley Brew 10. Ro ster and Round later, the Lynd School Board Sallee), so now they are n Ruud Lake approached RTR’s board back where they Greenbu s members, who agreed to let started,” he said. “When h-M 11. Ste ve Salle iddle River and Lynd purchase Houck’s services. I was shared, LeRoye Tri-Cou LeRoyIn 2007, RTR also hired out Ostrander paid 20 n ty Ostrand 12. Lo e r Houck to the Hendricks School percent of all my a y Woelb nd Sout e h r la n d District. expenses, salary and Lake Be nton an fringes. Now it’s a 50d Westb Houck said he was on board with rook-W 50 arrangement.” alnut G the two agreements: “I thought it rove Kuphal said everything eventually worked out for both parties.

Triple play

Two referendums, two districts, one year Clow and Grupe said they have conducted referendum campaigns for both school districts, but never in the same year.

would be exciting and it has been very exciting.”

“The transition (from one to three districts) has actually been quite easy,” Houck added. “Because before RTR consolidated in 2006, they were three separate districts. So it was just kind of what I was used to.”

“We did a couple of back-to-back years and that probably aged me some,” Grupe laughed. “You wouldn’t want to try to pass two referendums in the same fall.”

By the time Hendricks joined up in 2007, you could argue that Houck was unofficially serving five districts: (1) Lynd, (2) Hendricks and the freshly consolidated districts of (3) Russell, (4) Tyler and (5) Ruthton.

Kuphal wasn’t as fortunate as his counterparts. Both of his districts had referendums on the ballot, which obviously kept him busy.

No matter how you count it up, Houck has plenty on his plate. “It keeps me entertained,” he laughed.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

DOUBLE-DUTY SUPERINTENDENTS

Houck says he manages his time well among the three districts. “We have a good staff and I have three good boards who make (my job) a lot easier to do.”

purchasing supplies and equipment. We have dollars for curriculum and providing additional staff,” Houck said.

Houck said his weekly schedule takes him to Hendricks on Monday, to RTR on Tuesday and Wednesday, to Lynd on Thursday, and then back to RTR on Friday.

What’s Houck’s biggest piece of advice for districts considering this option?

Houck notes that the three school boards are very good about making adjustments for any scheduling conflicts, whether it be for board meetings or anything else. He adds that the boards are very good about not being concerned about whether he’ll make it over to their districts in a given week. “They understand that certain districts have different crises at different times,” he said. “They are very flexible and that’s the big key—that everyone is flexible.” Financially, Lynd and Hendricks each pay RTR for 20 percent of Houck’s salary. Prior to RTR’s 2006 consolidation, Houck dealt with three referendums during the 2005 election season. That year, Russell, Tyler and Lynd all had measures on the ballot. Houck said the multi-referenda experience was a good one. “We just made sure that everybody worked with my schedule so that I could make sure I could get there for the public meetings,” he said. “It worked out quite well.” The cooperation and working relationship among the three school boards has been important to the success of the shared arrangement. “We get the boards together a couple times a year so they can discuss different items of where they want to go,” Houck said. “While every district has its own goals and objectives and its five-year plan, there are still a lot of pieces common among districts.” The three districts do more than just share their superintendent, too. “I get a big kick out of listening to the governor and the legislature talk about trying to do sharing,” Houck said. “We’ve far exceeded anything that they’ve proposed. When they think they are coming up with something new, that’s old hat. The (shared services) bill would have cramped our style quite a bit.” Along with sharing Houck, RTR and Lynd share transportation. All three districts share several staff members. Houck said that one of the best parts of the arrangement is being able to add more to the curriculum for the students. “We have cost savings (through) staff and transportation, and we also go together on

MSBA JOURNAL

“You have to really set down the guidelines before you start it . . . and how you are going to set up the board meetings and the committee meetings,” he said. “Confidentiality is probably one of the big pieces that’s there. How can they work together so that it’s beneficial for both districts?” Houck said that there is a confidentiality agreement among the three boards that if something is happening in another district, he will not talk about it to the other two. “Everybody likes to know what’s going on, but we have an agreement that if they want to know, they have to contact that board,” he said. Asked if he would ever consider returning to a onedistrict situation, Houck replied: “No, this is too much fun. It’s really enjoyable. It’s fun to watch and see the different districts work together for the common goal of the kids. It’s just great.”

An ongoing trend? Gundlach envisions the shared superintendent approach will remain an option in the years to come. “I think that due to economics, more and more school boards are considering this option when their current superintendent retires or moves on to a position in a another district,” Gundlach said. Kuphal concurs: “I believe that with declining enrollment, with the state of the economy, with school financing, we are going to see more shared superintendents rather than less. Small districts just can’t afford to pay for a full-time superintendent.” One of the big questions is simply: Does it actually save money? “(School districts) are looking for ways to save money and they think sharing a superintendent will accomplish that goal. However, it’s not clear whether all districts will see any cost savings with this option,” Gundlach said. “In some cases, they might find they need to hire additional staff to deal with the issues a full-time superintendent working for only one district would do, such as the financial management piece, like a school business manager or school business official.” Gundlach said the biggest “pro” for sharing superintendents is the public perception element. “The public believes the districts are trying to reduce their costs and that makes them feel good,” she said.

Responses from a sampling of around a half-dozen districts (out of 25) that share a superintendent revealed some savings have been made. In some cases, additional staff has been hired; in other cases, minimal staffing—or no staffing—has been required. “There is no way we could justify a fulltime superintendent and a full-time principal,” Riehl said. “We have less than 200 kids in K-12. We have a great principal and Goodridge has a great principal, so they do a little bit of the hat-wearing of some of the items a fulltime superintendent would do.” Riehl adds: “Financially I think it works out very, very well. (Clow) is still maintaining the status and that level of income (of a superintendent), and both schools are still getting the service they need from a full-time superintendent without the cost.” Tri-County School Board chair Corey Wikstrom said his district has saved a considerable amount of money by sharing a superintendent with Greenbush-Middle River without hiring any additional staff. Kim Mitchell, the board chair at Lac qui Parle Valley, said her district has saved money, but not as much as they originally thought. “We have not hired any new help, but with declining enrollment, our needs are shifting, so our principals have taken on some extra duties.” Lake Benton Board chair Tony Schwing said that sharing a superintendent with Westbrook-Walnut Grove wasn’t primarily motivated by dollars and cents. “When we decided to share a superintendent, it was not so much for cost savings as much as attempting to have an administrator in the building almost all the time,” Schwing said. “Superintendents attend a lot of meetings. We actually had at least five schools or the superintendents themselves offer us services, which I believe was an attempt to cut costs on their part.” Gundlach said she often receives inquiries about shared arrangements during her superintendent search presentations to smaller school districts.

Brittany Larson

“That’s almost always a question these days,” Gundlach said. “Board members want to know how many districts are sharing superintendents.” Gundlach said she doesn’t make any recommendations for districts on this topic because it is ultimately a local decision. “They are trying to figure out ‘how much superintendent can we afford?’ That question is an interesting one because what might look like an easy savings may end up costing the district a lot more, because the district doesn’t have a superintendent in the district every day to look out for the district’s legal, financial and other interests.”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

DOUBLE-DUTY SUPERINTENDENTS

Positive experience “If you are a first-year superintendent to two districts, it would be extremely difficult,” Kuphal said. “I think you need to have some experience you can draw upon before you go into a shared position. Does that mean a first-year superintendent can’t do it? No, I’m not saying that (but) it’s going to be tough. Your first year as a superintendent is tough enough anyway. You’ll definitely be torn and feel torn between the two districts, and that you don’t have enough time for either one.” Kuphal said he would have been more than happy to continue as the shared superintendent at Southland and LeRoy-Ostrander. “I felt that when the PlainviewElgin-Millville offer came up it was a better opportunity for me, personally and professionally.” Although the experience was positive, Kuphal said he doesn’t miss having two districts, but wouldn’t rule out a dual role in the future. “Would I do it again? Sure. It depends on the circumstances.” Grupe said serving two districts simultaneously has been a real positive experience that he’s thoroughly enjoyed. “I love trying to do things for people, that’s part of my personality,” he said. “I also have a real fond spot in my heart for medium-sized to small districts. It’s just been real satisfying to serve both districts. I think they both would be considered successful unions. I

think if you would ever talk to some of the board members from both, they would say it has really been good for everyone involved.” Grupe recommends anyone doing double duty should keep strict documentation of their records to keep both districts straight. “I have been real organized with my books and those types of things,” he said. Clow said he finds working for two districts refreshing. “Each district has its own personality,” he said. “You have to be willing to adjust to that when you are working with them. The best part of the job is working with the boards to be able to provide as much as we can for kids. It is very satisfying.” Clow adds: “I just hope that anybody that is considering doing this kind of thing will be able to have the same positive experience that I am having. I couldn’t have asked for anything better than this. I’ve been fortunate to have outstanding people to work with in Grygla-Gatzke and Goodridge.” When asked if he would ever go back to one district, Clow replied: “I could, but I do like the flexibility of going to two districts in one day. I like the idea. It’s a little bit more challenging and a little bit more fun.” Bruce Lombard is the Associate Director of Communications for the Minnesota School Boards Association. You can reach him at blombard@mnmsba.org.

CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT FACILITY UPGRADES MECHANICAL UPGRADES SAFETY AND SECURITY ALTERATIONS INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGY

New 2009 High School Fieldhouse St. Michael Albertville Schools

Since 1972, Donlar’s experienced and dedicated personnel have teamed with regional schools to construct and maintain solid educational facilities. From planning through construction, large projects to small alterations, Donlar is proud to provide superior construction management services. When considering your construction and maintenance goals, make Donlar a part of your construction team to reach them. www.donlarcorp.com

MSBA JOURNAL

You need guidance. We give direction. Providing Over 20 Years of Service to Schools.

Focusing on all areas of School Law Labor Negotiations and Employment Law School Business Affairs • Special Education Construction and Land Acquisition • Investigations 300 U.S. Trust Building • 730 Second Avenue S. • Minneapolis, MN 55402 Phone: (612) 339-0060 • Fax: (612) 339-0038 • www.ratwiklaw.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

DOING THE RIGHT THING

for Kids Minnesota School Boards Association

89th Annual Leadership Conference January 14-15, 2010 Minneapolis Convention Center

It’s not easy to do the right thing, especially when times are tough. But Minnesota educators need to do the right thing for kids, even when others don’t. When state funding falls short year after year, when parents don’t participate in the education of their kids, when operating levies fail, school boards and school leaders are the last resort for kids. The many challenges faced by schools does not give anyone an excuse to cut corners or take the easy way out because we all need to do the right thing for our children. MSBA’s annual conference is packed with information and inspiration to help school leaders focus on how to improve as a board, as a district and as a place of high achievement for every student. The General Session speakers will bolster your courage to put your students first and do the right thing.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS Dr. Bruce Weinstein Thursday, Jan. 14

Doing the Right Thing Ethical dilemmas arise every day—from getting back too much change at the grocery store to issues as a board member. It might even be said that ethical standards can fall by the wayside when the pressure is on. Nationally known ethics expert Bruce Weinstein examines how to lead a more ethical, and ultimately more fulfilling life at and away from the board table.

Bryan Townsend Friday, Jan. 15

Making Good Things Happen Good things do not happen by accident. They happen on purpose when people who care about the right things accept responsibility and do whatever it takes to make good things happen, even in difficult situations. Join Bryan as he takes a humorous look at interpersonal relationships and what it takes to make good things happen in this world of people.

MSBA JOURNAL

PRE-CONFERENCE TRAINING SESSIONS Phase I: New Board Member Orientation 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12, Hilton Minneapolis As a new board member, hit the ground running by attending this session. Phase I covers the role of the school board, the role of the superintendent, and common scenarios new board members may face.

Phase II Orientation 8:45 a.m. – 3 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, Hilton Minneapolis Phase II includes the mandatory financial training school boards are required to have by state law. The session also covers core topics such as the budget, school financing, local levies, policies, significant laws affecting school boards, collective bargaining and personnel issues.

EARLY BIRDS Leading by Leveraging Your Mission 1 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, Hilton Minneapolis Tuition: $50, walk-ins add $10 Presenter: Donna Rae Scheffert, University of Minnesota Emeritus Extension Professor There are not enough resources today for fulfilling many important public missions by “going it alone.” That is why schools, hospitals, local governments and others are tapping talent that is not on their payroll. How do you activate residents, business executives, nonprofit staff, public managers and others in contributing to your mission of education? Find out how to put others in action.

Put a Spark in Your Student’s Life 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, Minneapolis Convention Center Tuition: $50; walk-ins add $10 Presenter: Dr. Peter Benson, author and Search Institute founder Dr. Peter Benson, creator of Search Institute’s 40 Developmental Assets, will lead a discussion on a simple, yet powerful plan for awakening the spark that lives inside each and every young person. Based on his recent book, “Sparks, How Parents Can Help Ignite the Hidden Strengths of Teenagers,” Dr. Benson will share strategies to help adults provide support and guidance for young people to experience joy, energy and direction in school and in life. Attend this session to learn ways you can change a young person’s life from one of “surviving” to “thriving.”

Responding Effectively to the Media in Times of Crisis 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, Minneapolis Convention Center Tuition: $50; walk-ins add $10 Presenters: Scott Libin, WCCO-TV News Director; Shamus O’ Meara, Esq., Partner, Johnson & Condon; Thomas Heffelfinger, Esq., Partner, Best & Flanagan; Brett Johnson, Assistant Director of Communications & Public Relations for Anoka-Hennepin Schools Moderator: David Kyllo, Senior Vice President, Riverport Insurance Company Bomb threats, pandemics, shootings, weather disasters . . . the pressure is on and the media wants answers. Join the discussion of a panel of experts on how Minnesota school districts can prepare for and respond to the media when a crisis hits and people demand answers. Discuss the role of administrators, staff and other school leaders in the crisis management and media relations process. Hear practical suggestions and recommendations for your school district based on real crisis experiences of Minnesota school districts.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

Getting it Right & Doing it Better

Courtney Hanala

Can you imagine what it would be like if you had to drive to Chicago or Denver, and we had no interstate highway system? What if we had no cell phones, no Internet and no e-mail? Suppose there was no GPS, no ATM, no DVDs and not even VCRs. What if there was no change? Some people say we are resistant to change. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crazy! People who oppose change still ride around in buggies pulled by horses and draw their water from a well. In this country, most of us embrace change.

Bryan Townsend

We took to the interstate highway system right well. Today, you get in a panic if you leave home without the cell phone you didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have just a few years ago. The acceptance of the Internet, e-mail and social networking has been staggering. Reasonable people understand all change is not progress. However, we must concede, all progress is change.

MSBA JOURNAL

Have you ever wondered, where did all of this positive change come from? How did we get Post-it notes, pacemakers, heart transplants, cruise control and i-phones? It’s a two-step process. Progress comes from those who first determine to do whatever it is that they do, well. They are insistent about getting things right. Then, these determined people insist on finding ways to do it better. Those who constantly and consistently look for ways to improve are the ones who bring us progress and innovation. It’s easy to imagine where we would be without them. We’d be a nation of uninformed pedestrians. From Henry Ford to Bill Gates and beyond, we are a nation of people who not only adapt to change, we seek it, plan for it, long for it, cause it to happen and then embrace it. In aviation, health care, communication, transportation, public education, and many other fields, we have led the world. Leadership is sired by vision. Henry Ford had the vision to see a horseless world. Bill Gates had the vision to see a world where mom & pop, and little brother and little sis could take advantage of the power of the computer. They say as a second grader, Wernher Von Braun’s teacher asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up. Little Wernher said, “I want to go to the moon!” Don’t you suppose that came as quite a shock to his teacher back in 1920? Do you suspect she assumed this little kid was quite the dreamer? While Wernher never made it to the moon himself, he did lead us there. And when Neil Armstrong stepped on the surface of the moon in 1969 and said, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” Wernher’s dream came true. Thomas Edison was obsessed with finding ways to do things better. His legendary method was to get it wrong until you learn how to get it right.

moon must have been in 1920. And no doubt, in the early go, those who were passionate about public education quite often made mistakes. But just look at how far we have come! Public education has produced the largest middle class and the most productive work force in the world. And while perfection is a myth in this world, we continue to strive to get it right and make it better. Our success in this arena, more than any other, makes the big difference between our nation and most of the others of the world. Educated people are not easily led astray by demagogues and dictators. Educated people are better prepared to do their jobs well, and as already stated, this is the launching pad for progress. Those who get it right and look for ways to do it better, lead us to the moon, give us cell phones, heart transplants and all of the other wonderful things that have made such a wonderful change in this old world of ours. Bryan Townsend is an author and humorist. He is the keynote speaker for MSBA’s Leadership Conference on Friday. His books include Making Good Things Happen and Life is an Adventure.

Public education has produced the largest middle class and the most productive work force in the world.

Thomas Edison worked long and hard through the middle of the night.

And while perfection

He set out to make a discovery, he’d call it electric light.

is a myth in this

Tom struggled in his efforts to invent, What could he use to make the filament?

world, we continue to strive to get it right

When the light came on, Tom exclaimed No wonder it took such pursuing,

and make it better.

It’s been so doggone dark in here, I couldn’t see what I was doing! In the early years of our republic, the idea of public education was almost as radical as thoughts of going to the JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

Jeramie Forsman

SAGE ADVICE FOR NEW BOARD MEMBERS

And words of

wisdom for all board members to remember

Greg Abbott

The New Year welcomes in 87 new board members who were elected to school boards across the state in November. And as they take the oath and pull up a chair at the board table, MSBA thought it would be good to offer some advice from expertsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; board members who have spent many years on their boards and spent many hours receiving training and attending conferences of all kinds. So MSBA went to its database and pulled up the top five board members in the state with the most hours of training and credits: Arlene Bush from Bloomington; Dianne Kimm of Pelican Rapids; Arnie Michalicek of Maple Lake; Roy Nelson of Red Lake and Kathi Thymian of Ortonville.

MSBA JOURNAL

Arlene Bush

Dianne Kimm

Arnie Michalicek

Roy Nelson

Kathi Thymian

Never Stop Learning

We’re there for the students, not to take over the administrative process,” Bush said.

The best piece of advice from many of the members is to simply keep on learning.

Michalicek can put the process in real-life terms: “Most board members have very little experience in the operation of a school. You wouldn’t expect the manager of a McDonald’s to be able to step in and manage a computer networking facility. It is the same way in schools. As a board, you are responsible to the public for the policy of the school, and the superintendent carries out that policy and maintains the operations.”

“Every board member comes in with the idea that they know what’s going to happen when they get on the board, and usually it doesn’t turn out that way,” said Kimm. “There are very good training programs set up so board members can learn to do things right the first time. And for veteran board members, things change so much in the education environment that you have to stay current. When an opportunity comes up for training, you have to take advantage of it.” Bush, who has more than 1,100 hours of training, agrees that most people have no idea of what is involved in being on a school board. It’s a position where the more you delve in to the duties, the more there is to learn. And Thymian says the learning can come outside the seminars and conference workshops just as much as inside the seminars.

The Board is a Team, Not Six or Seven Lone Rangers There is a tendency for some new board members to act like the Lone Ranger because they come in knowing what they like to see changed, said Kimm. “But we are part of a team. It’s important for public perception that we can reach consensus and provide a safe learning environment for children. And that is NOT a one-person job.”

“The chance to talk with other board members from around the state is valuable, too. You can get tried and true ideas. You will find that some of the same topics will come up at your meetings. If you find one of the topics to be an interest to you, that could be your starting topic to learn about,” Thymian said.

Michalicek said it is really hard at the beginning not to think everything should change now that you are on the board. “You have to remember that you have no power of your own and total power as a board. So if you want to accomplish something you will need the rest of the board. Ultimately you need the superintendent also,” he said.

Nelson said the best seminars he went to were MSBA’s Phase sessions. He urges new board members to attend those as soon as they are offered.

Job One: It’s All About the Kids

“The knowledge that you possess, you can pass on to your staff and superintendent,” he said. “It’s just as important as teacher training and staff development. This is a board member’s staff development.”

Know Your Role as a Board Member For Bush, the hardest thing for a board member to learn is to understand a board’s role. “It’s tough to focus on governance and stay out of administrative business. But it’s important to know what a board member does and draw that line between what you do and what the superintendent is supposed to do.

Thymian sums up her board duties concisely: KIDS, KIDS, KIDS. “That is what we are all about. But it isn’t as easy to do as I thought it would be. For example, if you believe that having small classes for K-3rd grade is very important for their development, then you have to be willing to put out the extra dollars,” she said. Kimm sees two priorities that go hand in hand. Children are the first priority, she said. “We are part of an important team working for the best interests of our most precious asset—our children, who are the future of our community. What we do affects them, so we’d better move ahead as a group. That JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

means keeping an open mind and being a good listener. We always have lots to say, but we often forget to listen.”

Being Prepared for Board Meetings

SAGE ADVICE FOR NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Michalicek said it is important to understand that being a school board member is a full-time job—or at least understand that you are on duty all the time. What board members say and do will influence the way the community sees the school. That’s why being prepared for meetings is important. “If you come to a meeting unprepared, it can be embarrassing or boring. Either way, it will make you wonder, why am I wasting my time here,” he said. Thymian said that being prepared is easy to do. “Read all the information in your packets. Ask questions about anything you don’t understand. Remember that there are no dumb questions.”

Be Willing to Make Tough Decisions That Benefit All Students Bush remembers her first year on the board—her daughter had just started high school. A year later, she was part of the board that closed that school. “I was faced with a difficult decision from the very beginning,” she said. “We had three high schools. The one we closed was wonderful, but we had less than half of the students we used to, and we had to make the best possible use of the money we get. I see many districts not closing schools and not changing boundaries because it is hard. But it is something you have to do so you have the money and programs to help kids.” Ironically, she will be looking at possible boundary changes again soon. Kimm said new board members’ toughest decisions will always come down to money—especially with the state facing another huge deficit. “It’s getting to be an impossible solution to a difficult problem,” she said. “Our board is in the middle of that with levy attempts failing. Balance is the hard part. You can’t please everyone, but our priority is for the students in our building. I think it means we have to be creative, look for other sources of funding, and look at what other communities are doing right and learn from one another. It may also mean putting in a lot of time to convince the Legislature that kids’ education can’t be voted up or down.”

MSBA JOURNAL

Avoid the Common Stumbling Blocks Nelson said the best thing new board members can do is to always keep lines of communication open. Talk to your superintendent. Talk to other board members. “You and your board have hired a superintendent to run your schools. So if you have questions, ask your superintendent,” he said. Thymian has seen many board members burn out because they come on board wanting to be liked by everyone. “So they try to please everyone. And as the saying goes, you end up pleasing no one.” Michalicek agrees that it is very important that you listen to your constituents and be sure they know you value what they say. “DO NOT just agree with them to get them off your back and then go out and do what you want anyway,” he said. “If you don’t think their idea is what is needed, tactfully tell them. It is really hard as a citizen to think your board member is on your side and then find out they really didn’t agree and voted the opposite of what you were told.” If there are two things that trip up new board members, Michalicek said it is not understanding the commitment before running, and not getting training on what a board member should do. “Getting training to understand what your role is and how it intermixes with the administration, staff and other board members is so important. I have seen board members who come in thinking they know how schools should be run. That training will help them understand the dos and don’ts,” he said.

Their Best Advice, in a Nutshell Bush: Work as a team for your students—that means no surprises at the board table. Michalicek: DON’T hold a grudge. Sometimes the majority will be on your side and sometimes they won’t. There will be times that you need to say, “I don’t agree, but the majority rules.” Drop it and go on to the next discussion. Thymian: Kids, Kids, Kids. Remember that you are there for your kids. Kimm: Children are always your first priority. Nelson: Your best decisions are usually made from the heart with kids in mind. It’s usually the right decision. Greg Abbott is the Director of Communications for the Minnesota School Boards Association. You can contact him at gabbott@mnmsba.org.

Duro-Last“A Roof Four All Seasons” Leak Proof Durable 100% Recyclable 30+ Year Track Record Environmentally Friendly Roofers Commercial & Residential Flat & Shingle Roofs 86% Reflective After 3 Years Highest Energy Star Rated Roof Over 40 Years’ Experience Elite Master Contractor The Industry’s Best Warranty Solar Green Roofs Photovoltaic Panels

Let Us Fulfill Your Roofing Needs! 651-433-2443 www.fseer.com

Financing available through

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

Anna Holtman

Supporting Military Families Deployment affects more than 15,000 youth

Laura Poppen

There are nearly 15,000 youth in the state of Minnesota who are affected by deployment, yet when asked, some teachers are not aware they have a military-connected youth in their class. Minnesota is unique in that it does not have a single active duty military installation but is home to all branches of the Armed Forces. A military installation offers support and resources to families and youth who are impacted by deployment. Since there is not an active duty installation, service members and their families have to rely on their civilian communities, friends, educators, and extended family for support during the cycle of deployment. The impact of deployment is extended beyond the service memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s child; younger siblings, neighbors, teachers, and extended relatives are also affected.

MSBA JOURNAL

Three phases of deployment The deployment cycle has three phases: pre-deployment, deployment, and post-deployment. The pre-deployment phase is when service members are told they are going to be activated and they need to prepare themselves and their family. There are many emotions that occur in this stage that affect the whole family, including shock, surprise, denial, sadness, and anger. A service member and family need to prepare for the year of separation, have all their paperwork in order, write a will, connect with extended family members, and make sure the youth involved are taken care of during the deployment. During the deployment phase there are mixed emotions of grief and loss combined with relief, feelings of being overwhelmed or abandoned, as well as numbness, sadness, security issues, sleep difficulties, and separation anxiety. The post-deployment phase is a unique time as well for families and service members, where a range of emotions are experienced again. The anticipation of reunion can be as stressful as the anticipation of deployment. Families who have gone through the cycle of deployment have felt joy, fear, anxiety, and even anger during a time of reunion. A family has had to learn how to live life for a year without a major part of their family and then during the reunion, a family has to readjust. Some families are able to adapt successfully and others may have had a more difficult experience. There are unique challenges that happen during a deployment and each family responds differently with different levels of success.

Look for signs of stress in youth Many military-connected youth are resilient and adaptive; however, there are profound effects on youth due to war and long periods of stress. Youth and teens can have severe reactions during the cycle of deployment. For example, a child three years or younger may have regressive behaviors, difficulty being consoled, and increased clinginess, and youth aged three to five experience fear of being separated from loved ones, increased temper tantrums, and sleep disturbances. Older youth and teens who were typically good students in class might experience dropping grades, isolation from peers, anger, bullying, fighting, numbing, and risk-taking behaviors in response to a deployment. It is important for military children with a deployed parent to connect with caregivers, youth leaders, teachers and school support staff to be aware of the particular needs of youth and work with the parents to support their youth. Teachers and caregivers are with a student for the majority of a day and week and they are sometimes the first to notice a change or stress in a youth. Teachers and caregivers play a critical role in supporting and promoting resiliency in youth. It is important to maintain stability, continuity, and traditions as much as possible throughout the cycle of deployment.

Becoming a Yellow Ribbon School School administration, educators, and support staff have another opportunity to support military-connected youth in the state of Minnesota. Schools have the option to become Yellow Ribbon Schools. Educators, administration, and staff can go through training to be educated on the challenges and stress youth face during the deployment cycle. School staff then can develop a youth network to organize a program that raises awareness and uniquely supports military youth in their schools and districts. All students benefit from the global perspective our military service members can provide. To get started in becoming a Yellow Ribbon School, there are 4 steps to consider: 1. Review the action plan requirements located on the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, BTYR, Web site. 2. Have your school superintendent contact the state youth coordinator to begin the process. 3. Conduct a training within your district. 4. Create and submit an action plan for approval. The process and contact information needed to start the process is located at www.beyondtheyellowribbon.org. There are 12 modules educators and school personnel can go through on topics such as Minnesotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Military Culture, Deployment Cycle for Education Professionals, Your Roleâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Support for Children and Youth, and more. There is a certificate that is printed off after each module is completed and used for CEUs for educators. The designated group then decides how they want to implement the Yellow Ribbon program in their school, and submits the action plan to the state youth coordinator. The Yellow Ribbon Chief will review and confirm the plan for approval and then each school that completes the process will receive the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Proclamation. Source: Deployment Support Handbook, 2007. Laura Poppen is the State Youth Coordinator for the Minnesota National Guard. You can reach her at laura.poppen@ng.army.mil.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

A passion for public law

Education Law Group Kennedy & Graven’s Education Law Group represents public school districts and provides responsive, creative, practical and high-quality legal services. Charles E. Long Greg Madsen Gloria Blaine Olsen Timothy R. Palmatier Susan E. Torgerson Maggie R. Wallner Stephen J. Bubul Martha N. Ingram Peter G. Mikhail Michael T. Norton Andrew J. Pratt James M. Strommen

Education Law Finance and Bond

Construction Real Estate and Business

470 U. S. Bank Plaza, 200 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55402 Phone 612.337.9300 • Fax 612.337.9310 • Toll Free 1.800.788.8201

www.kennedy-graven.com

Think of us as shelter.

Investing

In today’s unpredictable climate, investment has become a lot less certain. That’s why two-thirds of Minnesota’s local governments and schools choose to invest with MSDLAF+. They know that MSDLAF+ has been a haven for careful investors since 1984. They know that MSDLAF+ has never lost a dime of member principal. And they know MSDLAF+ still sets the highest standards for safety. Call us today at 1-800-221-4524 or visit our Web site at www.msdlaf.org to learn how MSDLAF+ can help you weather the storm.

1-800-221-4524 • www.msdlaf.org This information does not represent an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell shares of the Fund or any other security. Shares in the Fund are sold or bought only based on the information contained in the current Fund Information Statement. The Information Statement contains important information and should be read carefully before investing. While the Fund seeks to maintain a stable net asset value of $1.00 per share, there can be no assurance that the net asset value will not vary from this price. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency. Contacts with prospective investors relating to the shares of the Fund are conducted through the Investment Adviser’s wholly owned subsidiary, PFMAM, Inc., member NASD.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

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

MSBA JOURNAL

INSPEC, INC. (Fred King) 5801 Duluth St. Minneapolis, MN 55422 763-546-3434, Fax 763-546-8669 www.inspec.com fking@inspec.com Paulsen Architects (Bryan Paulsen) 209 S. Second Street, Suite 201 Mankato, MN 56001 507-388-9811, Fax 507-388-1751 www.paulsenarchitects.com bryan@paulsenarchitects.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. (Kevin J. Rupp) 730 Second Ave. S. 300 U.S. Trust Bldg. Minneapolis, MN 55402 612-339-0060, Fax 612-339-0038 www.ratwiklaw.com kjr@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 U.S. Green Building Council Minnesota Chapter (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

Playground Equipment MSBA Playground Compliance Program (Shannon Godwin/Tim Mahoney) PO Box 506 Carlisle, IA 50047 866-345-6774, Fax: 515-989-0344 www.nssi-usa.com shannon@playgroundcompliance.com tim@playgroundcompliance.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

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

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 Taher, Inc. (Jody Pacholke) 5570 Smetana Dr. Minnetonka, MN 55343 952-945-0505, Fax 952-945-0444 www.taher.com j.pacholke@taher.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

Public Finance Wells Fargo Securities, LLC (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

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 Telin Transportation Group (Todd Telin) 14995 Industry Avenue PO Box 10 Becker, MN 55308 763-262-3328, Fax 763-262-3332 www.superiortransit.com TTelin@superiortransit.com

School Supplies/Furniture Staples Advantage (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

Want More For Your Money? Our Emissions Solution Is Simple And Proven. Call Us To Learn More! Hoglund Bus Co., Inc. I-94 & South Highway 25 P.O. Box 249

Local - 763-295-5119 Toll Free - 800-866-3105

Monticello, MN 55362

http://www.hoglundbus.com

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

Advertisers ATS&R ..........................................................................Page 27 DLR Group .....................................................................Page 7 Donlar Construction ...................................................Page 14 Four Seasons Energy Efficient Roofing, Inc. .............Page 23 Hoglund Bus Co., Inc. ................................................Page 29 Kennedy & Graven Chartered ....................................Page 26 Knutson, Flynn & Deans, P.A. .....................................Page 30 MSBA Board Training..................................................Page 32 MSBAIT...........................................................................Page 2 MSDLAF+ .....................................................................Page 27 Ratwik, Roszak & Maloney, P.A. .................................Page 15 Skyward, Inc..................................................................Page 26 Taher, Inc. ......................................................................Page 7 Telin Transportation Group ........................................Page 23

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

Wells Fargo Securities, LLC...........................................Page 2

We write the book

on Education Law.

Our significant knowledge base and experience makes us well versed in all facets of education law: public employment and employee relations, student matters, school finance, elections, bond counsel services, construction, real estate, school board matters, contracts, discrimination and harassment, data privacy, special education, constitutional issues and more.

K NUTSON F LYNN & D EANS

P.A.

1155 Centre Pointe Drive, Suite 10 Mendota Heights, MN 55120 651-222-2811 (office) 651-225-0600 (fax) www.kfdmn.com

ACHIEVING OUR CLIENTS’ GOALS SINCE 1947 30

MSBA JOURNAL

ASK MSBA

How to get involved in Your MSBA

Kirk Schneidawind Associate Director of Governmental Relations What is the role of the Governmental Relations Division of MSBA? The primary responsibility of the Governmental Relations Division is to assure a statewide perspective, reflecting positions supported by school board members, is given on subjects and issues regarding all aspects of Minnesota’s public schools. The services of the Governmental Relations Division include working with legislative committees, individual state and national legislators and their staff, numerous state agencies, and representatives of the executive branch. How does the Minnesota School Boards Association establish their positions for which they advocate? MSBA’s legislative positions are adopted through what is recognized as one of the most grassroots approaches of any of the interests represented at the state Capitol. School board members from throughout the state are elected for a two-year delegate term by their peers through a mail ballot election in the fall. These representatives come together in a Delegate Assembly in December to discuss and vote on various legislative resolutions submitted by school boards

and individual school board members. During an average year, nearly 40 legislative resolutions are submitted to the Delegate Assembly for consideration. Those resolutions that receive a majority vote, as well as positions adopted during previous years, become the basis for MSBA staff lobbying efforts on behalf of all public school board members in the state. Lobbying on behalf of Minnesota’s public school board members is, and must be, a full-time effort if we are to assure that our public school students receive the best possible education in a cost-effective manner. Can any school board member become a delegate? Yes. The two-year term for delegates began in October 2009 and will conclude after the December 2010 Delegate Assembly. Watch for nomination forms that will be mailed to your district for delegate and alternate positions. How does a board member become a delegate? Since we have changed to a mail ballot election, we ask board members to nominate individual board members who are interested in taking part in the establishment of our legislative policies. As elected delegates, their duty is to represent the interests of school boards within their Director District region of the state at the Delegate Assembly. How does MSBA determine the number of delegates for each region of the state? The formula is quite simple. The state is broken into 12 Director Districts. The number of delegates is based on the student enrollment within each of these Director Districts. For instance, the northwest region of the state collectively has a smaller student enrollment than some regions of the Twin Cities metropolitan area. As a result, the northwest region of the state will have fewer elected delegates than a metropolitan region. Collectively, there

are 150 delegates that represent school districts from every region of the state. How does MSBA keep track of all of the legislative positions it has established through the Delegate Assembly? The positions that are adopted at MSBA’s Delegate Assembly become part of the collective legislative policies which can be found under the Governmental Relations tab on the MSBA Web site. The legislative policies, often referred to as our “pink sheets,” provide direction to the Governmental Relations staff on specific issues for advocacy. How can school board members get involved in the advocacy of MSBA’s legislative positions? The first step is to stay informed on the current issues relating to K-12 education. One way to do this is to follow the daily events at the state Capitol. The Governmental Relations staff provide a daily update of committee and floor activity at the state Capitol through Lobby Line. By dialing 1-800-864-MSBA on a daily basis our members can stay on top of the committee and floor events at the state Capitol. The daily reports are also archived on MSBA’s Web site. MSBA’s staff will also be using Twitter (www.twitter.com/mnmsba) this session to provide you with more immediate committee and floor updates. We will also be hosting a Joint Legislative Conference on March 25 with the League of Minnesota Cities, Association of Minnesota Counties, and the Minnesota Association of Townships. This “Lobby Day” or Day at the Capitol provides our members an opportunity to speak with one voice on important and relevant K-12 issues. It is also important to become acquainted with your House Representative and State Senator.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2010

NON-PROFIT ORGN. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID PERMIT NO. 47 MANKATO, MN 56001

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

MSBA is here to serve YOU... CUSTOMIZED TRAINING PROGRAMS IN YOUR BOARD ROOM Katie Klanderud

Customized trainings that are designed to build strong leadership teams with clearly established roles and expectations:

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

• 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 and public education.