Observer Report: Northfield School Board, 9.23.24

Northfield Public Schools, School Board Meeting 

September 23, 2024 

1. Call to Order – Board Chair Claudia Gonzalez George called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. All board members present. 
2. Agenda Approval/Table File – Agenda & table file approved unanimously (see https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2024.09.23-Board-Packet.pdf ) 
3. Public Comment – TJ Austin, agricultural & FFA (Future Farmers of America) advisor at NHS, thanked the board for support of the FFA program. This fall they are doing a hands-on animal program (goats); then forestry; intro to agriculture commodity; automotive mechanics. 3 FFA student officers also spoke about how FFA has helped them learn about different career paths and leadership opportunities. 
4. Announcements and Recognitions
   1. Congratulate local national merit scholar Soren Powers, and two other commended students. 
   2. Sesquicentennial minute: Dr. Hillmann recognized Northfield High School’s 150th anniversary. It was built for $30,000, and stood where the Weitz Center is now. c. Board Chair Gonzales George announced that Dr. Hillmann received MCEA 2024 Supportive Administrator of the Year award, for his support for Community Education in Northfield.
5. Items for Discussion and Reports
   1. District Youth Council Update – The two co-chairs of the District Youth Council gave a positive report and update.
      1. Questions: Amy Goerwitz congratulated the DYC on successful events. She was unable to attend their candidate forum, can she still submit comments? Answer: Yes. Corey Butler: Do you have one personal goal for this year? Answer: To improve communication within DYC, between DYC and board & students. They are also looking forward to cultural fair. Jenny Nelson: Did you drop a subcommittee this year? Answer: Yes, it was combined with other committees. Ms. Nelson: Do you have all the resources you need from the community for the cultural fair? Answer: We will still need other resources & participants. Ms. Gonzalez George: How do you distribute information? Answer: Primarily through social media, including Instagram, school announcements, and tabling.
   2. Greenvale Park Elementary School Improvement Showcase – Principal Sam Richardson reported strong progress in math & reading fluency, improvement in parent satisfaction, and staff efforts to learn more about families served. For next year, goals include Bridges Math adoption (new curriculum); Science of Reading (READ Act) training; and multi-tiered systems of support development (MTSS)
      1. Questions: Rob Hardy asked for an example of how desirable character traits are taught & demonstrated. Mr. Richardson used the example of self-control, which would be listed on morning announcements, with a description & examples. Teachers reinforce concept and show positive examples. Teachers also nominate students for recognition; last year all students in the school were honored. Mr. Butler: Tangible recognition made a difference for his children as students. He appreciates the communication. He also asked about how the Bridges math curriculum is going, and whether there is feedback from teachers/students? Mr. Richardson: Teachers are learning to manage materials, looking ahead. Students were highly engaged. Teachers are using their professional development time on Wednesdays to learn the new curriculum. Mr. Butler mentioned opportunities for involvement, and a 3rd grade event engaging students and their families. Ms. Goerwitz: How do all the reading programs work together? Have they had a significant impact on reading test scores? Mr. Richardson: The READ Act & Science of Reading training are integrated, including an equity piece and structured phonics; every student gets to participate. Ms. Goerwitz: What is the relationship between CorePhonics, LETRS, and Science of Reading? Mr. Richardson: Science of Reading curriculum is over-arching. LETRS is a specific curriculum training, and is the foundation of knowledge. CorePhonics is a purchased curriculum to implement. Ben Miller: What is the timeline for all teachers to receive LETRS training Mr. Richardson: This year a large percentage has already completed training, so the rest should be able to complete this year. Dr. Hillmann: This year 119 teachers are being trained. Teachers are glad to have training embedded within school day. By the end of the year all will have completed phase 1 training. Mr. Miller: When a new teacher is hired, do they get training? Dr. Hillmann: The state will require teachers to receive training, so they should have already been training. This year is a transition year. Eventually training will be the responsibility of each teacher. Mr. Miller: How do you like the new Greenvale school? Mr. Richardson: It met our goals with collaborative design, benefits of natural light, flexibility of space. Mr. Quinnell: Are there safe routes to school with the new housing development across the street? Mr. Richardson: The Kraewood building was a big change. We shifted one crosswalk, added safety beacons, and added staff at busy crossing times. A new sidewalk on the south side of the street seems to be working well. Ms. Goerwitz: Has the new school building changed the number of referrals to the office? Mr. Richardson: We don’t know yet. We have a strong group of volunteers using pod space to meet with students in small groups.
   3. Bridgewater Elementary School Improvement Showcase – Principal Nancy Antoine. 2023-2024 goals were partially met. 80% of 3rd graders reached reading proficiency, strong parent engagement, staff attended professional development on indigenous populations and ways to be inclusive. For 2024-25 goals will include teaching structured phonics in learning to read; social-emotional learning, decreasing disciplinary referrals. Focus Areas for this year are piloting and implementing the Bridges math curriculum; Science of Reading training & implementation; and bringing the values of Welcoming, Inclusion, Belonging to Bridgewater.
      1. Questions – Mr. Hardy: Have you noticed a difference with the Bridges math curriculum in student attitudes? Ms. Antoine: Yes, there is greater participation in lessons, and greater math vocabulary. Mr. Miller: What does the Bridgewater booster club support? Ms. Antoine: Classroom teachers, who receive $25/student for physical materials to be used in the classroom; outdoor learning classroom; newest playground equipment. Mr. Miller: Are Bridges pilot teachers trained in LETRS also? Ms. Antoine: Not necessarily. Mr. Miller: Have you had feedback from teachers on new curricula? Ms. Antoine: It was a heavy lift, with lots of material. But everyone realizes that it’s a good goal at the end. Mr. Butler: What’s your goal for the building this year? Ms. Antoine: To make sure that we’re all working together with strong communication; and to build good citizens of the community. Ms. Goerwitz: Are teachers learning Bridges and OLLA? Ms. Antoine: Yes, at the same time. Ms. Goerwitz: For Dr. Hillmann, there has been a lot of news on MCA scores & how MN student scores are low. How are we sharing our results? Dr. Hillmann: You will see a detailed report twice a year of state test scores. We will also evaluate whether we need to look at benchmarks (created in 2022). Ms. Antoine: Data is important, but students are more important than just data. Dr. Hardy: What was going on with sheep, tractors at Bridgewater? Ms. Antoine: A teacher brought in animals, and we had an agriculture day.
   4. Fall 2024 Bond Referendum Update – Dr. Hillmann: 77 events have been completed, 8 since the last board meeting. Upcoming events include tabling, a Q&A, and other events. People have been using the tax impact calculator: 277 total, with 21 commercial, and 1 agricultural. Final edits on bond referendum guide are being completed, it will be mailed next week. Early voting began on 9/20. Dr. Hillmann and Rob Hardy attended Rice County’s Public Accuracy Test for assistive voting technology; an administrator demonstrated how it works. Mr. Hardy was impressed by the professionalism of county staff. Dr. Hillmann: Tomorrow morning Alison Byerly will join him on KYMN at 7:20 a.m. to discuss Carleton’s gift to Northfield schools.
      1. Questions: Mr. Miller: This is a very full ballot. He watched the LWV candidate forum on Saturday online. There seems to be some community misunderstanding about how the questions on ballot were arrived at. Dr. Hillmann: Once the board determines questions, the district works with an attorney for language to put it on ballot, then county auditors; then the board approves the language; and only then it goes on the ballot. It was approved with corrections. Ms. Goerwitz: There is a lot of misinformation in the community, about how the questions are ordered. Dr. Hillmann: Legally there are ways ballot questions can and cannot be structured. He would like to change the law so we could do a tiered choice, which would mean updating & modernizing the law, and is working with Representative Pursell to do that.
6. Consent Agenda – approved unanimously
   1. Minutes
   2. Gift Agreements
   3. Overnight Field Trip 
   4. Financial Report 
   5. Personnel Items 
7. Items for Individual Action
   1. LMR Media Contract – Lance Reisetter of LMR
      1. Questions: Ms. Goerwitz: Has there been any further consideration of the placement of signage (top & bottom) to make the school priority over the advertiser? Mr. Reisetter: The top railing will not take a heavy wind load or signage. They have been more focused on windows, door, floor etc. Ms. Goerwitz: Raiders should get the top billing. Mr. Reisetter: Signage at the varsity baseball field will be the most visible. Dr. Hillmann: That question is really for the next question on the agenda. Jeff Quinnell: Why is “Memorial Field” not on top of the box? That’s the name of the field. On other signage, we want to make it look professional, not gaudy. He will vote yes, but with reservations. Will the dollars raised by this project be reserved for sports & activities? Director of Finance Valori Mertesdorf: Memorial Field is not currently referenced on the press box; it is visible on the outside when you come in to the field. All decisions about funding are approved by Student Activities Director John Mahal and herself, who will review each request. Dr. Hillmann: This board makes decisions about where the money goes. They will work on a proposal over the next couple of months & bring it to the board. Mr. Quinnell: Then he will vote yes on this contract. Mr. Hardy: Concerning this contract, there is a long list of services provided, and there may be new things added or other modifications. If it is amended, does it come back to the board for approval? Ms. Mertesdorf: Yes. Mr. Miller: These were good examples of signage from Owatonna High School. Approved unanimously
   2. NCC Builders Contract – 7/1/2024 – 6/30/2029. No discussion. Approved unanimously 
   3. Proposed 2024 Payable 2025 Preliminary Property Tax Levy – Certification timeline. Ms. Mertesdorf: The levy provides 27% of the district’s general fund. They recommend approving at the maximum level possible, and they can reduce it if necessary. It also provides a debt service obligation. She also shared the Truth in Taxation timeline for the next several months. (See https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2024.09.23-Board-Packet.pdf ) There were several notable changes, including (1) increase in tax capacity for inflation, (2) increase in retirees severance payment, (3) small increase in state aid. (Levy trends and the tax impact chart are at https://northfieldschools.org/wp-content/uploads/Regular-Meeting-Table-File09.23.2024-1.pdf .
      1. Questions – Mr. Miller: Why did the referendum go down between 2024 and 2025? Ms. Mertesdorf: Because of the decline in enrollment. Mr. Miller: Will the state continue to pick up the difference in funding? Ms. Mertesdorf: Yes, probably. Mr. Miller: What drives our asking for the maximum amount? Enrollment concern? Ms. Mertesdorf: It is more about state budget calculations, which change daily. 9/30 is the deadline for them to lock in an amount. Ms. Goerwitz: She appreciates Ms. Mertesdorf ‘s excellent work, and her presentation of complex information into an understandable report. Dr. Hillmann: Government agencies must approve levies. School districts are more regulated. We have had a total 1.49% increase in last six years. Three out of the last 6 years our levy has actually gone down. We retired the Middle School levy. He touted the district’s exceptional results, which have cost less than anticipated. He believes the district is a transparent steward of community dollars. Approved unanimously
8. Items for Information
   1. Retired Educators’ Luncheon, 10/4 11:30 a.m.
9. Future Meetings a. Monday, October 14, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom b. Monday, October 28, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom c. Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 6:00 p.m., Regular Board Meeting, Northfield DO Boardroom 
10. Adjournment 8:24 p.m.
    
    By Connie Martin, Observer, League of Women Voters