- Call to Order – By School Board Chair Claudia Gonzalez George at 6:00 p.m. All board members
present.
- Agenda Approval – Agenda and Table File approved (see https://northfieldschools.org/wpcontent/uploads/Regular-Meeting-Table-File-04.08.2024.pdf )
- Public Comment –
The parent of an elementary student expressed concern about how the district deals with student threats, and how it communicates with parents.
- Announcements and Recognitions – Dr. Hillmann
Northfield Public Schools were selected for 2024 MN Promising Practices Award, for Student Success Center at Northfield High School. The award will be presented on May 22 at St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis.
Two teams from Knowledge Bowl selected to compete at State competition.
High School senior Patricia Ousu was honored by the city with a Leadership Award.
Early Venture staff had a successful visit by DHS last week. This was an unplanned visit, and resulted in a positive report with no violations, meeting a very high standard.
Community Ed Summer education registration is open.
Early Childhood Family Education 50th anniversary celebration on April 22 at 5:30 at ECFE. Kids Heart Challenge, elementary schools raised $27,566 for American Heart Association. Free heart screening event 4/20 at the middle school for young adults ages 14-24.
- Items for Discussion and Reports
a. Consistent Attendance – Director of Instructional Services Hope Langston spoke on the district’s data and current efforts to promote consistent attendance. For more information see the slide presentation at https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/Regular-Meeting-Table-File04.08.2024.pdf . Currently 80% of students are consistently attending regularly. On average 93% of students are in school. Elementary schools demonstrate high attendance, with less at the middle school & high school. (See the slides for attendance breakdown including demographic&
socio-economic factors.) (Also see the slide for most common excused absences chart.
Questions – Amy Goerwitz: Asked about “partial day absence,” and comparative data from before COVID. Ms. Langston: All elementary schools have 2 periods/day for attendance, morning and afternoon. The middle and high schools calculate by periods (6-7 each day). Attendance is inching its way back up since COVID. Jeff Quinnell: How do you track absences? Ms. Langston: At the high school by class period. Jenny Nelson: Is MDE working on how they calculate partial day absences for consistency? Ms. Langston: We hope so, but have no firm answer from MDE. Ms. Nelson: Do we have incentive programs? Dr. Hillmann: We do have overall incentives at high school, such as drawings for pizza. Ms. Nelson: Do we know why middle school attendance goes down? Ms. Langston: There are more school-related absences.
Ms. Nelson: Are there any required parameters (i.e. summer school) for truancy? Ms. Langston: It is not always “required,” but is about whether or not student can pass a course. Dr. Hillmann: There is a dilemma about attendance vs. performance – there are students who can pass courses despite chronic absences. Some chronic attendance problems have to do with mental health, disruptions from COVID, etc.
Corey Butler: Questioned definitions of race/ethnicity on the chart. Is “non-Hispanic” the same as “white”? Ms. Langston: Yes, this is the MDE definition. Mr. Butler: There seem to be inconsistencies in reporting illnesses between elementary & middle school. Ms. Langston: This system is still evolving. Parents report on cause of absence. Mr. Butler: How is illness coded at the middle school? Ms. Langston: Only the highest percentages are reported. Dr. Hillmann: We need a quality data collection system. Self-reporting looks different household to household, and the district employee needs to figure out which code to use. Ms. Goerwitz: Isn’t it good that parents keep children home when sick, following the pandemic? How many parents are keeping
their kids home? Ms. Langston: There is a range of reasons why parents keep kids home. It would be interesting to know pre- vs. post-COVID reasons. The district primarily wants to encourage family scheduling so it won’t conflict with school attendance (family vacations etc.) Dr. Hillmann: The statewide goal is a pre-COVID goal. Maybe 80% would be more appropriate. We don’t know what the expectation should be post-COVID. Ms. Goerwitz: Do we still track the kind of illness? Dr. Hillmann: Yes, it is reported every week on the district’s website. Ms. Nelson: Do you track unexcused absences/reasons? Or absences by required vs. elective classes? Ms. Langston: We don’t track by specific class, but we do track by period. (All classes are on different periods.) Claudia Gonzalez George: If a family says “we kept our student home” do you ask why? Ms. Langston: Yes, we try to dig deeper. The human element of this, connecting with the family and hearing the reason why, determines excused/unexcused. Ms. Gonzalez George: Are incentives
at the high school tied to attendance contracts? Dr. Hillmann: Incentives vary in kind.
b. Superintendent Focus Areas Quarterly Report – (1) READ Act implementation. The plan for training has been completed. The district has adopted the Online Language and Literacy program (OLLA). Teachers must complete their training by June 2025, and will be using their weekly Wednesday morning meeting time to accomplish this. 76 staff members will be trained for next year. The district chose OLLA instead of LTRS (last year’s program) because it provides similar scope but requires less training hours.
(2) State legislation implementation. The Legislative Action Committee has met four times.
(3) Indigenous families have held meetings with staff, and the district is offering professional development opportunities, with dozens of teachers attending to expand cultural competencies. (See https://northfieldschools.org/wpcontent/uploads/2024.04.08-Board-Packet.pdf ) (4) Bond referendum, which the board approved last meeting. Parent satisfaction survey results indicated more respondents, and improvements to specific questions.
Questions – Ben Miller: How many teachers will need to be trained for the READ Act? Ms. Langston: All K-5 teachers, and all special ed teachers K-12 next year; 76 had not yet been trained. Ms. Nelson: Was the LTRS training at the same time (Wednesdays)? Dr. Hillmann: No, it required too many hours. The district paid a stipend for training (144 hours), and MDE paid for materials. The district spent almost $200,000 in stipends, using COVID funding, and had a high rate of participation. This amounted to $4000/teacher, and is not affordable without the COVID funding. HCI funded materials and stipends for 12 additional teachers. 72 total have already trained in LTRS; some have since left the district, most have stayed. Ms. Nelson: Is the cost for OLLA comparable per teacher to LTRS? Director of Finance Valori Mertesdorf: There is no
additional cost to the district because we are doing it during contract time. This is a significant cost reduction. Dr. Hillmann: Materials will be paid for by MDE. Ms. Langston: LTRS materials alone cost $1000 per teacher. We don’t yet know how much OLLA materials will cost. Every teacher met the 80% LTRS testing goal. Dr. Hillmann: Don’t lose sight of the district’s overall goal, which is to have every child read at grade level, a major factor in academic & life success. Northfield High School Bond Referendum – Dr. Hillmann updated the bond referendum and the
“Reimagine Northfield High School” website pages (www.northfieldschools.org/reimagine/ )
They are currently working to finalize ballot language.
Questions – Ms. Goerwitz: Announced an informational presentation at a Rotary meeting, and encouraged board members and the public to attend.
- Consent Agenda – (see https://northfieldschoo org/wp-content/uploads/2024.04.08-BoardPacket.pdf ) – approved unanimously
a. Minutes
b. Gift Agreements
c. Girls Track & Field Exclusive Cooperative Sponsorship with Arcadia Charter School – Board is requested to approve non-exclusive cooperative sponsorship with Arcadia beginning with current school year.
d. Grant Application – Director of Community Education Erin Bailey requests board approval for PRIMEtime K-8 grant for $18,000 each year for 2 years ($36,000) from the Rice County Area United Way for 7/1/2024-6/30/2026. Grant is to provide low-income and at-risk Northfield children with free mentoring, tutoring, skill building workshops, and cultural enrichment programs after school and summer.
e. Personnel Items –
- Items for Individual Action –
a. Policy Recommendation – to sunset Policy 723 as presented (electronic communication) – passed unanimously
- Items for Information
a. Enrollment Report – Dr. Hillmann. 30 more students attending Northfield schools than originally
projected.
- Future Meetings
a. Monday April 22, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
b. Monday May 13, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom
c. Tuesday May 28, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom (Monday May 27 is Memorial Day)
- Adjournment at 7:40 p.m.
By Connie Martin, Observer, League of Women Voters
