Thanks to The North 40 Tavern for their support. A north woods tavern somewhere in the middle of a big city. They regularly rotate tap beers, so stop in to see what’s currently flowing.
Newly elected members of the ISD 197 School Board were sworn in and officers elected during the first meeting of the year. Other business included presentations on equity, ISD 917, and Two Rivers High School.
Board Formalities
Swearing in: At the beginning of the meeting, newly elected members Tim Aune, Byron Schwab, Morgan Steele, and Randi Walz were sworn in. Aune, Steele, and Walz for their first term, Schwab for his fourth.
Officer election: The board unanimously elected Sarah Larsen to serve as board chair, the position that runs meetings. They also elected Jon Vaupel for vice chair and Schwab for treasurer. All positions were elected unanimously with no competing nominations or discussion.
Equity: Focus Area Update
District administration gave a presentation on equity work across the district, one of the board’s focus areas. The work included multiple areas of curriculum, teacher training, engaging families, welcoming student voices, and more. Some specifics include:
- Identifying and addressing barriers to participation in extracurricular activities among underrepresented populations.
- Increasing student voices in advisory groups, expanding students on the Equity Advisory team from four initially to 12 and expanding to include middle school students as well as high school students.
- Updating LGBTQIA+ training.
- Continued phase-in of the AMAZEworks curriculum and follow-up staff training, with an example of how it was used in one Garlough classroom.
- More family and community partnerships, including stressing the positive value of attendance and helping families new to the country during intake and enrollment.
As part of the work, a new page on the district’s website highlights ongoing equity work and resources.
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Other Items on the Agenda
- Mentoring: Four middle school students were recognized for their work mentoring younger students, including Quetzalli Cardoso, Vivienne Douah, Axel Klemme, and Sal Mogelson.
- Scholarship: Two Rivers senior Arina Axinia was honored for earning a Questbridge scholarship and will attend the University of Pennsylvania next year with hopes of becoming a pediatric neuropsychologist. “I love volunteering at Living Well,” Axinia said. “It lightens my day to do that. … Whatever happens in life, no matter how big or small, you can always change somebody’s day by a small action.”
- Two Rivers site report: The always energetic Dr. Al Johnson, principal of Two Rivers High School, gave an update on the school—starting off with cupcakes made by the new cooking club. He emphasized increased school spirit, growing enrollment, and high staff retention (almost 99%). He highlighted the new BARR program that helps ninth graders transition, a new work-based learning center, and addressing barriers to learning through therapy with ACP (including a new Spanish-speaking therapist) and helping high-performing students and athletes with Premier Performance Advisors.
- ISD 917 overview: Dr. Michael Favor, superintendent of Intermediate School District 917, gave a presentation on their program. ISD 917 serves nine different school districts with special education, alternative education, and career and technical education options. They serve 668 students with a $54 million budget, including 131 students from ISD 197 with 22 more on a waiting list (lack of staff has led to decreased enrollment and waiting lists).
Engage
- More: Agendas and minutes for ISD 197 School Board meetings are available online.
- Watch: You can watch this meeting online.
Coverage of ISD 197 School Board meetings happens thanks to the support of our members and our successful member drive.
