Annual Report 2014 2015 Shaping the Future by Suzanne Riley, Executive Director
This year, it was SSC’s turn to host the annual Board Conference for the Minnesota Service Cooperatives (MSC). This statewide event provides opportunities to learn about diverse topics related to current issues and trends. The conference theme, Shaping the Future, reflected SSC’s vision, and we designed it around several aspects of MSC’s collective work that affect the future of the people we serve and the way we conduct business, including the fundamentals of individual and organizational well-being. Our learning rejuvenated us and reminded us to always focus on YOU, our members. We also have been shaping our own internal future by focusing on customer service, member relationships, staff development, and continuous improvement. We focus on providing you value-added programs and services that exceed your expectations and meet your needs. Throughout this annual report, we highlight the value that SSC brings. In fact, did you know that the average return on investment for the membership fee is almost 4,500%? Helping you maximize resources, save money, and increase efficiencies is the central focus of our work, which we do on your behalf. We are here to serve. Thank you for your ongoing support for our mission and vision! Sincerely,
Mission Statement Driven by the needs of our members, we provide support, services, and solutions that increase value, maximize resources, and promote continuous improvement. To this end, we aim to be a: · model of successful collaboration. · purchasing network to save money. · regional resource to enhance learning.
Core Values Integrity. We carry out our work with high levels of responsibility, accountability, and ethics. Excellence. We are forward-thinking, competent, efficient, and effective. Relationships. We facilitate collaboration with respect and passion to serve.
2014-2015 Highlights and Accomplishments Professional Development: In 2014-2015, we reached a total of 3,919 adult learners by hosting 134 well-received workshops about customer service, anti-bullying, school climate, love and logic skills, technology, observation and feedback skills, literacy, leadership, gifted and talented education, response to intervention, and early childhood education. At our customer service sessions alone, we welcomed 363 participants! Members receive a significant discount to participate in all professional development offerings, resulting in a value of $224,320! We also continued to provide facilitation services for several districts as they conducted systems/strategic planning sessions with Board members and other community stakeholders, and provided ongoing support for MASA Region 1 session planning and coordination. Mobile Science Labs: Our award-winning collaboration with the Mayo Clinic includes three traveling trailer labs dedicated to molecular biology, genomics, agricultural bioscience, and food science. A popular resource for high school science teachers, 1,567 students from 18 districts conducted experiments in 2014-2015. To sustain the program and replenish the consumable supplies, we were awarded a $9,500 grant from the Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council (MAELC). This program continues to positively impact students’ attitude towards science education and to demonstrate the relevance of science education by combining unparalleled training, curriculum, equipment, and supplies to high school educators and their students. Student Conferences: 150 students in grades 2-4 from twelve districts came to the Science and Nature Conference to learn about simple circuitry, wind power, how to create bubbles, squid dissection, and live reptile and amphibian display. In addition, the Middle School Young Authors, Young Artists Conference drew 115 students in grades 6-8 from eleven districts, giving participants an opportunity to express themselves through cartoon development, sensory writing, origami, sculpting, readers’ theatre, and drawing. We also continued our longtime Elementary Young Authors, Young Artists Conference for elementary students, welcoming a record-breaking 798 students from 26 districts! Student Academic Competitions: We continued to host two Regional Spelling Bees for 76 students from 38 districts, and the Final Spelling Bee, during which 12 spellers competed for one spot at the National Spelling Bee. We also continued coordination of Knowledge Bowl with 54 Junior High teams from 19 districts and 104 Senior High teams from 30 schools. StandardsInsightMN™: This software provides professional interpretation of the Minnesota English Language Arts and Mathematics Standards, jumpstarting dialogue and collaboration among staff. During 2014-2015, we continued our partnership with the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minnesota and supported year two implementation in 56 schools within their system. In addition, 14 districts in our region, and 1 district in another region of the state continued their use of the tool with online workspace to manage local standards data. PosiƟve Behavior and IntervenƟon Supports: We continued our partnership with MDE and Southwest West Central and South Central Service Cooperatives to provide training and technical support for Cohorts 9 and 10. We offered team training days, Coaches Training sessions, a Sustainability Day and MDE’s Summer Institute. Math and Science Partnership: Funded by a grant from MDE, this program served 28 math teachers from 8 districts and 18 science teachers from 13 districts. We were also able to deliver two additional training days in the spring of 2015 with the use of carryover funding from the prior year’s project. Southeast Minnesota Learner Achievement Collaborative: Almost 400 educators from the six participating districts attended a full-day Professional Development event focused on using PLCs as a tool in student engagement featuring Dr. Phil Schlechty, and leadership teams from each district worked with a facilitator to learn more about the importance of observations, feedback, and growth, as well as identifying what and how to look for effective teaching strategies that result in learning. Cooperative Purchasing Connection: In conjunction with the Minnesota Service Cooperatives, we added several new contracts: LED lighting, 3D printers, telepresence robots, and security. We expanded the vendor selection in Express and added many features to this online
procurement site. To improve efficiency in purchasing, several member organizations enrolled in Express. We coordinated support and training for Express to ensure a seamless transition. We continued to work with member agencies to maximize usage of the purchasing program. SSC’s Cooperative Purchasing programs alone brought a value of $436,846 to participating members in 2014-2015! Environmental Health and Safety: Member participation grew in both Environmental Health and Safety Consulting, a contracted partnership with the Institute for Environmental Assistance, and the Health and Safety Management Assistance Services. Affordable online health and safety training continued through Scenario Learning, providing award-winning compliance solutions. Health Insurance Pools: Groups received professional and technical expertise by Health & Benefits Consultant Bill Colopoulos, who guided insurance committees through annual planning and renewal and offered benefits training. His work was expanded to provide additional training and technical assistance in ACA compliance, and to guide SSC Health Pool groups through implementation and understanding of the new Minnesota Health Information Transparency Act. Worksite Wellness Program: We offered three health forums throughout the year with a combined total of 116 participants. We were able to increase the wellness funding distributed to our local government and school health insurance pool members. Our groups continued to be fantastic stewards of their funding, and offered their employees robust wellness programs with their funds from SSC. We also held our annual Member vs. Member Walking Challenge and had over 800 people from 24 member groups participate. Southeast/Metro Center of Excellence: The Southeast Service Cooperative is home to one of six Regional Centers of Excellence (RCEs) in the state of Minnesota. The SE-Metro Center of Excellence was launched in 2012 with the Statewide System of Support (SSOS) providing support to Focus and Priority Schools. This partnership between the Minnesota Department of Education, the Minnesota Service Cooperatives, and school districts creates a unique and customized team. Following the success of the first year of implementation of SSOS, the Minnesota Legislature established a statute in 2013 to expand the RCE network with a focus on the World's Best Workforce goals. With this expansion, opportunities exist for the 76 statewide Continuous Improvement (CI) Schools to seek support services from their RCE. In addition to the SE-Metro work with Focus and Priority Schools, several CI schools also receive assistance from the Director and Program Manager. Wood Lake Meeting Center: After renovating our meeting center in 2013, we have expanded our staff from one full time coordinator by adding a full-time assistant and a part-time setup position! In addition to consistently high satisfaction ratings, growth has been unprecedented, meeting our financial and occupancy goals by mid-year. This is thanks in part to a relationship-focused business development process and also to the top notch customer service and support our staff provide to each and every customer, whether a member or a renter. Rental income from private and public industry will ultimately augment our revenue to better support our members. At the same time, WLMC serves as a gathering place for its membership. Education Members can rent rooms for a 40% discount and Associate, Non-Profit, and Local Government Members receive a 20% discount. SSC also provides complimentary usage for some education groups with which our members affiliate, which is an added value to our membership. Awards: Thanks to our dedicated staff and our forward-thinking leadership, the Southeast Service Cooperative was honored with three awards in 2014-2015. For the fourth year, SSC was named one of the 2015 Best Places to Work in Southeast Minnesota by Workforce Development, Inc. and for the sixth year, we received the When Work Works Workplace Flexibility Award. SSC competed for the When Work Works Award in the At-Large Category and was named one of the top 25 Employers for Effective Work in the country! We were also very proud to have won United Way’s 2014 Live United Campaign Award. We were selected by the United Way Campaign Cabinet for our continued excellence and the best overall United Way campaign of 2014, with 100% employee participation and a 78% increase in giving over last year!
2014-2015 Annual Fiscal Information SSC is a membership organization and is statutorily designated as a public entity, independent school district. SSC has no levy authority or tax base and does not receive local, state, or federal aid. This is important in comparing SSC’s financial statements with other public entities. Revenue is generated to provide services and programs, and a reserve fund helps to ensure continuing operations and programming. The following data is summary information. Complete financial data is available from the fiscal audit at www.ssc.coop.
Operations/Program Fund Revenue General Administrative 134,890 Wood Lake Meeting Center 77,389 Benefit Services 41,845 Regional Center of Excellence 992,290 Regional Center of Excellence - State 135,206 Regional Center of Excellence - MDE 84,847 SHIP Grant 13,078 MSP Math Science Partnership 110,794 Mobile Science Labs 12,625 Health & Safety Mgmt Assistance 37,543 Environ Health & Safety Mgmt 47,764 Cooperative Purchasing 82,885 SEMLAC Consortium 33,137 Instructional Services 187,034 Student Academics 107,745 Positive Behavioral Interventions 25,610 Regional Literacy Education 34,730 StandardsInsightMN 84,975 School Climate Improvement Grant 0 Adjustment to Accrual 2,015 Total Operating Income & Expense 2,246,402 Operating Revenue Over Expense Non-Operating Revenues Total Operating and Non-Operating Net Transfer from Health Operating Net Increase (Decrease) to General Fund 2014-2015 July 1, 2014 General Fund Balance June 30, 2015 Ending General Fund Balance (Net Assets) Health Insurance Revenue – Enterprise Fund School Pool 26,063,524 CCOGA Pool 26,132,466 Operating Fund (fees & grants) 1,304,218 Total Revenues 53,500,208 Operating Income (Loss) Non-Operating Revenues Transfers Out Increase (Decrease) in Net Position Net Position July 1, 2014 Net Position June 30, 2015
Expense 122,361 162,910 21,615 992,290 135,206 84,847 9,300 110,794 12,284 31,785 18,793 77,177 33,054 169,518 130,973 14,743 53,580 17,377 38,653 170,868 2,408,128 -161,726 234,593 -396,319 367,900 -28,419 1,879,834 1,851,415 Expense 27,549,405 24,260,601 1,057,595 52,867,601 632,607 139,242 -367,900 403,949 19,923,742 20,327,691
Member Participation and Benefit Value This data shows an aggregate report of member usage of SSC programs and services. Statistics drawn from financial and participation data) are translated as dollar values. This chart illustrates the collective value derived through those programs that we quantified. Each member organization receives an individual report of its usage of services and value derived from discounts, grants, and sponsorships. 2014-2015 Quantified Services Administrative Support Services Instructional Programs: Mobile Science Labs Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports MSP Math Science Partnership SEMLAC Learning Collaborative StandardsInsightMN Student Enrichment Programs SHIP Grant ALC Garden Project Land Use Moodle Server Professional Development Environmental Health & Safety Mgmt Health and Benefits Program Cooperative Purchasing Total Estimated Gross Value Less Membership Fees Net Value to Members Percent Return on Investment
Value $56,388 $12,284 $23,101 $110,790 $12,710 $181,640 $39,672 $8,595 $68,250 $14,245 $224,320 $91,270 $2,947,587 $436,846 $4,223,776 ($91,940) $4,131,825 4,494%
Current Member Organizations Education & Associate Members Albert Lea Austin Blooming Prairie Byron Caledonia Cannon Falls Cannon River STEM Charter Chatfield Dover-Eyota Faribault Fillmore Central Glenville-Emmons Goodhue Goodhue County Education District Grand Meadow Hayfield Hiawatha Valley Education District Houston Kasson-Mantorville Kenyon-Wanamingo Kingsland La Crescent Montessori & STEM
La Crescent-Hokah Lake City Lanesboro LeRoy-Ostrander Lewiston-Altura Lyle Mabel-Canton Mahtomedi Medford Minnesota State Academies N.R.H.E.G. Northfield Owatonna Pacelli Catholic Pine Island Plainview-Elgin-Millville Randolph Red Wing Region V Computer Services Rochester Rochester Catholic Rochester Off Campus Charter Rushford-Peterson Sacred Heart School Southland Spring Grove
Current Board of Directors Theressa Arrick-Kruger, Vice Chair, Houston County Mary Blair-Hoeft, City of Byron Michael Christensen, Red Wing Public Schools Carol Cravath, Chair, Plainview-Elgin-Millville Public Schools Brian Grudem, Zumbrota-Mazeppa Public Schools Beth Lawson, Stewartville Public Schools Al Nelson, Clerk, Wabasha-Kellogg Public Schools Susan Phillips, Treasurer, At Large Local Government Rep Molly Rieke-Hofschulte, Dover-Eyota Public Schools Marilyn Syverson, Kenyon-Wanamingo Public Schools
St. Charles St. Mary's (Owatonna) Stewartville Triton Wabasha-Kellogg Winona Winona Diocese Zumbro Education District Zumbrota-Mazeppa
City of Dodge Center City of Harmony City of Kasson City of La Crescent City of Lewiston City of Mantorville City of Owatonna City of Preston City of Spring Grove
County Members Dodge County Fillmore County Freeborn County Goodhue County Houston County Mower County Olmsted County Steele County Wabasha County Winona County
Other Government Agency Members Austin Housing and Redevelopment Freeborn County SWCD Mower County SWCD Owatonna Public Utilities Rice/Steele 911 Center South Country Health Alliance Steele County SWCD
City Members City of Albert Lea City of Blooming Prairie City of Byron
Non-Profit Members Channel One, Inc. Families First of Minnesota Workforce Development, Inc
Current Administrative Advisory Committee Karsten Anderson, Superintendent, Red Wing Schools Jeff Apse, Superintendent, Lewiston-Altura Schools Jeff Elstad, Superintendent, Byron Schools Mike Funk, Superintendent, Albert Lea Schools Beth Giese, Superintendent, Cannon Falls Schools Ed Harris, Superintendent, Chatfield Schools Cheryl Johnson, Executive Director, Goodhue County Education District Gary Kuphal, Superintendent, Plainview-Elgin-Millville Schools Mark Matuska, Superintendent, Kasson-Mantorville Schools John McDonald, Superintendent, Kingsland Schools David Thompson, Superintendent, Stewartville Schools Rachel Udstuen, Superintendent, Spring Grove Schools
Southeast Service Cooperative Staff (as of 12/29/2015) Suzanne Riley ............................................ Executive Director .................................................................. 507.281.6673................................ sriley@ssc.coop Donna Dickison ........................................ Meeting Center Assistant........................................................ 507.281.6684 ......................... ddickison@ssc.coop Amy Grover ............................................... Director of Planning ................................................................ 507.281.6693 ............................ agrover@ssc.coop Sue Haddad .............................................. Organizational Assistant ......................................................... 507.281.6672 .......................... shaddad@ssc.coop Chris Hancock ........................................... Bookkeeper ............................................................................ 507.281.6671.......................... chancock@ssc.coop Katie Hartman ........................................... Program Manager ................................................................... 507.281.6667 ........................ khartman@ssc.coop Kari Kubicek .............................................. Program Manager ................................................................... 507.281.6668 .......................... kkubicek@ssc.coop Kirsten Kuehl ............................................. Program Manager ................................................................... 507.281.6670 ............................. kkuehl@ssc.coop Nicole LaChapelle ..................................... Program Manager ................................................................... 507.281.6674 ...................... nlachapelle@ssc.coop Peggy Merkel ............................................ Meeting Center Coordinator ................................................... 507.281.6666 ........................... pmerkel@ssc.coop Sarah Ness ................................................ Program Manager ................................................................... 507.281.66 ................................... sness@ssc.coop Katie Schmitt ............................................ Program Coordinator .............................................................. 507.281.6676 .......................... kschmitt@ssc.coop Bob Tweten ............................................... Health and Safety Specialist ................................................... 507.281.6663 ...........................btweten@ssc.coop Dale Walston ............................................. Director of Operations ............................................................ 507.281.6675 ......................... dwalston@ssc.coop
Southeast/Metro Center of Excellence Staff Ann Clark .................................................. MN RCE Program Manager ..................................................... 507.696.7735 ........................... aclark@mnce.org Jane Drennan ............................................ SE/Metro RCE Director ........................................................... 507.696.5572 ...................... jdrennan@mnce.org Scott Fitzsimonds...................................... Data Specialist ........................................................................ 507.421.6959 ................ sfitzsimonds@mnce.org Kelly Frankenfield ..................................... Advocate/English Language Development Specialist ............. 507.696.0277 ............... kfrankenfield@mnce.org Lori Mack .................................................. Advocate/Implementation Science & Reading Specialist ........ 507.993.7635 ........................... lmack@mnce.org Barb Marchetti .......................................... RCE Systems Improvement Specialist..................................... 507.696.0274 .................. bmarchetti@mnce.org Andy Schalm ............................................. Advocate/Mathematics Specialist ........................................... 507.696.0254 ....................... aschalm@mnce.org Sonia Smith ............................................... Advocate/Special Education Specialist.................................... 507.696.2741 ......................... ssmith@mnce.org Carol Swanson .......................................... Advocate/Implementation Specialist ...................................... 507.696.0229 .................... cswanson@mnce.org Perry Wilkinson ......................................... Advocate/Equity and Implementation Science Specialist ........ 507.696.4193 ................... pwilkinson@mnce.org
SSC Consultants Bill Colopoulos .......................................... Health and Benefits Consultant .............................................. 507.206.7419 ................... bcolopoulous@ssc.coop Pat Weir .................................................... IEA Regional Manager ............................................................ 507.281.6677 ................. pat.weir@ieasafety.com