As I have spoken at candidates’ forums and other events, several topics have clearly emerged as priorities for Minnetonka School District parents and voters. Since many of you have not been able to attend these forums, I wanted to inform you of my position on these topics.

1. Operating and Technology Referenda I strongly support both referenda. As a member of the Citizens Finance Advisory and Audit Committee (CFAAC) I voted to recommend both referenda to the School Board for approval. We know that the increases for the General operating fund have for the Minnetonka district have not even kept up with inflation, pushing the district from 90th out of 353 districts in Minnesota in General Fund Revenue per pupil to 155th in the state. The two referenda are critical to maintaining the current programs and level of excellence in education that the District has worked diligently to build over the last seven years. The operating referendum reflects the deliberate and financially prudent spending policy by consolidating several different levies and debt obligations into one funding pool-allowing more flexibility to more effectively manage the funds for which the district is responsible. The technology referendum simply extends the timeline of the current voter-approved levy to 2017 with no additional funding requested.
2. Immersion Program I fully support this innovative program. I am pleased that the school district selected both Spanish and Chinese as languages for this program as it shows the district’s awareness of the global society in which we operate. I am also pleased that the district was able to offer this new program while maintaining the neighborhood school model. I look forward to participating in the growth of this program as we add a new grade level each year for the coming years.
3. International Baccalaureate (IB) Program I fully support this addition to the high school curriculum options. The development of these classes has clearly strengthened the visibility and reputation of Minnetonka High School and again, reflects the district’s awareness of the need to educate our students about the global economy and society in which we live. There have been some questions about expanding IB into the middle school. Please see my position on middle school curriculum for my response to this question.
4. Middle School Curriculum I see this area as one of the top priorities to address in the coming years. The district has done an outstanding job of updating the high school curriculum and the elementary school program options in recent years. It is a natural “next step” to now conduct a systematic assessment of the middle school curriculum and format of programs and update/revise those to be consistent with the other grade levels. I think that expanding the IB program is an option that should be considered but this is an area that I will need to study and to listen to the experts- teachers and district leadership staff. Another option that must be considered is the enhancement of languages in anticipation of meeting the current immersion students’ needs in future years. Of course these options are not mutually exclusive and others should also be evaluated.
5. Open EnrollmentI am thrilled at the work that has been done to encourage new students to the district Seven years ago, the CFAAC committee was shown the anticipated enrollment trend for the district which forecast a decrease in student enrollment of 100 students per year. If that forecast had been fulfilled, the district would have been looking to close an elementary school. Instead, the strategic planning action team two years ago of which I was a part, recommended a deliberate goal to encourage open enrollment with at goal of 10% of the total enrollment. In two short years, that goal has been achieved. There are 757 open enrolled students this year.

“The 3 M’s- Money, Math and Middle School”

Clearly, the top issue is to work with the state legislature to secure stable AND adequate funding. School boards and local communities must work in partnership with the state legislature to secure stable and adequate funding. We must work together to secure an annual funding increases that reflects at a minimum, the rate of inflation. Secondly, we need to convince the legislature to fulfill their commitment to fully fund special education at the level their own internal funding formula demands. Finally, I do believe that there will still be the need for local funding to secure funds that are guaranteed to stay in the district and will supplement state funds for local priorities such as technology.

The second issue is to strengthen the math curriculum to prepare for the changes in the MCA math testing that will make passing it a requirement for graduation. This will impact the math curriculum from 7th-12th grade.

The third issue is to strengthen the middle school curriculum. The changes in the math curriculum will be a core component of the changes, but planning for students who are currently enrolled in the immersion programs will also need to be assessed. As I stated in my position regarding middle school curriculum, the district has been very successful in expanding high school learning opportunities and the elementary school with the immersion program, ½ and full-day kindergarten options and its high potential program. It is now time to evaluate and update the middle school curriculum to provide consistent educational opportunities through the continuum of education.