Action of the School Board Action of the School Board 10/27/14 | Page 4
Anoka-Hennepin’s improvement planning process starts with goal writing at the district
level. MCA data, cohort performance, enrollment counts and Minnesota Department of
Education requirements set the priorities for schools. School leadership teams then focus on
specific strategies, most notably the “so what” and “now what.”
Schools include the following items in their strategies:
• Timelines for implementation of actions.
• Assigned responsibility for action steps.
• Indicators of “on-track” performance.
• Indicators of effectiveness.
“They’re not just a plan that they write once in August and put on the shelf. They’re actually living them, monitoring them and making changes,” said Rohmer-Hirt.
Last year, 28.6 percent of district goals were met, the previous year 10.7 percent of goals
were met. The 2013-14 school year was the first year the district, instead of schools, formed
the goals. “Although our results weren’t stellar, we’re meeting our goals at a much higher
level than in the past,” said Rohmer-Hirt.
There was some discussion on whether or not the established goals were achievable.
Rohmer-Hirt commented that the goals matched schools’ greatest areas of concern, but
the magnitude was a little different than predicted. Some further analysis is being done to
explore this.
“We’re working ahead of the curve,” said Superintendent Law. “We probably don’t have
the documents that would satisfy our public for continuous improvement, but our actions
have been moving in that direction for quite awhile. We’ve been closing gaps in our curriculum based on assessment for several years.”
The complete presentation is available on the district website.
Board approves resolution supporting district application to MSHSL Foundation
The School Board approved a resolution entering the school district’s five traditional
high schools into the Minnesota State High School League Foundation. The foundation
often helps schools with registration costs and training of administrators and coaches for
high school activities, and also offers support for MSHSL events that are held at member
schools.
General counsel
Policy updates approved
The School Board approved revisions to a number of policies:
• Equal Educational Opportunity Policy
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Harassment, Violence and Discrimination Policy
• Bullying Prohibition Policy Including Cyberbullying
• Use and Rental of District Facilities
In each, familial status was added as a protected class, as required by a change in state law.
Board approves agreement with child nutrition assistants
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ACTION
The board approved a three-year agreement with the district’s child nutrition assistants for
the period July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2016. It includes a 2.5 percent increase across the
board in the first year, 60 cents across the board in the second year, and step movement the
third year with a 40-cent increase.
District General Counsel Paul Cady indicated that contracts with all employee groups have
now been settled.