Action of the School Board Action of the School Board 08/24/15 | Page 2

Finance

Budget reduction planning – potential cuts

Michelle Vargas, chief financial officer, provided the School Board with an overview of the
budget reduction planning process for the 2016-17 school year. Vargas identified a projected
$7.8 million budget deficit that needs to be addressed, and outlined a timeline and process
for decision-making.
Vargas noted that a committee has been formed to bring forward a prioritized list for
School Board consideration and discussion in November, and that the School Board would
be expected to approve a list of potential reductions at its December meeting. This list of
options would be the subject of public hearings in January. Public testimony from these sessions would be considered as part of the final approval of reductions. School Board action
on reduction is set for the Jan. 25, 2016 meeting, a decision that allows for adequate planning time regarding staff allocations for the following school year.

Community Education

Election judge appointment resolution

Steve Kerr, executive director of community and government relations, and Heather Peters,
elections coordinator, introduced a resolution appointing election judges for the Nov. 3,
2015 general election. The resolution included provisions for Anoka County election officials to appoint election judges on behalf of Anoka-Hennepin in the event the appointed
judges are unable to fulfill their duties. Anoka County provides management services for
elections held in the district. The resolution was passed.

Operations

Child Nutrition Program plan

Chuck Holden, chief operations officer, outlined an issue of a growing amount of student
debt involving the Child Nutrition Program (CNP). The issue centers on students who are
not paying for lunch, but have the ability to pay according to USDA and poverty guidelines. Noah Atlas, director of the CNP, explained that Anoka-Hennepin is not alone with
experiencing this issue. He referenced a recent survey of metro area districts that reported
62 percent had experienced increases in student debt. He made it clear that this issue does
not involve students who receive free or reduced meals.
Atlas outlined a proposal to increase compliance and reduce debt levels for individuals
and the program as a whole. The recommendation would add high school students at a
certain level of debt to the fines and fee list. The proposal would also restrict cash a la carte
pu rchases for students above $50 in debt. Communication with students at higher debt
levels would emphasize adult-to-adult communications including the ability to repay debt
through electronic funds transfers and/or establishing payment plans. Parents who fail to
respond to requests for payments could be referred to a collections agency. If approved at
a future board meeting, the plan would go into effect in January 2016 and be reviewed for
effectiveness over the summer.

Technology

Learning and technology plan

The School Board approved a three-year Learning and Technology Plan that sets a vision to
have every student be a successful digital learner. The plan was outlined and presented by
Chief Technology and Information Officer Dr. Joel VerDuin.

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ACTION

The plan takes a comprehensive view aligning technology resources with learning needs
and will be updated annually based on emerging needs.