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.
The ISD 197 School Board heard updates on college and career readiness and discussed initial parameters for the coming budget.
Budget Framework
The school board began discussing the administration’s proposed budget framework for the 2025-2026 budget. This will be approved at the next meeting and guide the budget process with a final budget to come forward in May/June.
- Challenges: Economic realities are making things difficult for a lot of school districts, though Superintendent Peter Olson-Skog noted that things are less dire for ISD 197 thanks to community support in approving recent levies. But costs continue to rise, with health insurance projected to increase by 16% and other areas seeing higher than inflation level increases. Another wrinkle is that Finance Director Jason Stegman resigned in February after about a year on the job.
- Solution: Cost-containment was the watch word, with the district hoping to control costs and minimize increases rather than face dire cuts. Chargebacks and reduced or flat supply budgets are among potential savings.
- Stable: Overall the district hopes to maintain the status quo, sticking with current class sizes and trying to find efficiencies.
- Fund balance: The current budget has the district dipping below the board policy fund balance of 8%. New projections have that fund balance shrinking even smaller, at 3%, though cost-containment hopes to bring that up to 4.5%. If the board were to require the 8% fund balance, it would take $4.8 million in cuts.
College and Career Readiness Update
District staff gave an update on the College and Career Readiness strategic framework targets and the Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee.
- Language options: Thanks to a state grant and a partnership with Metro State, Two Rivers will host two Ojibwe language classes on site next year.
- Work-based learning: This option continues to grow from just two students in 2023 to nearly 40 this year.
- Growth: The Career and Technical Education Advisory Committee continues to expand options, with more complete pathways, industry certifications, and college credit-bearing coursework.
Other Items on the Agenda:
- Wellness: The Wellness Committee gave an update, highlighting a Dakota County grant for equipment, greenhouses, and gardening, meals with reduced packaging and more protein, and the success of health initiatives including wellness clubs, staff lactation rooms, and more.
- Recognition: Several student groups were recognized, including Pilot Knob’s Reading Club, two writing students from Heritage who won honors in the long-running Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, and the Two Rivers Key Club for their MLK Day Service event.
Engage
- More: Agendas and minutes for ISD 197 School Board meetings are available online.
- Watch: You can watch this meeting online.
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