Action of the School Board Action of the School Board 12/08/14

Music teachers Chris Martino, Darrin Bleess and Rick Geiger outlined priority one and two recommendations. Priority one recommendations aimed at best-practice delivery of music curriculum include having a music specialist provide music instruction in kindergarten classes and scheduling small group and like-instrument band classes in middle and high schools. Other priority one recommendations related primarily to staffing: maintaining consistent staff placement despite enrollment fluctuations, allowing music teachers to serve on interview teams for music teachers at all levels, and creating a position for a district level music facilitator/administrator. They also recommended requiring music in grade six at Anoka Middle School for the Arts. Priority two recommendations include maintaining high school band, choir and orchestra as full year academic courses; fully implementing two 30-minute music classes per week taught by the same music teacher at all elementary schools; and implementing like-gender choral ensembles at the middle school level. The task force also recommended allowing music teachers to participate in professional organizations as part of their staff development; funding optional professional learning communities (PLC) outside teachers’ duty days to assist with curriculum, assessment and instruction; including the elementary music lead teacher in secondary music department leader meetings; and funding content-specific instructional coaches for elementary and middle school music. Regarding staff placement and scheduling, they recommending maintaining the elementary music placement advisory team to help maintain placement of music teachers from year to year and creating a similar team for the secondary level. The Music Task Force also suggested the district track enrollment data for analysis and meet again in April 2016 to review progress and consider improvements. Board Chair Tom Heidemann thanked the task force for their work. “This was a great effort, a collaborative effort, which is what this board has always tried to do, to work closely with our teachers to put our heads together and come up with some creative solutions that ultimately provide the best programs for our kids and our communities,” he said. He cautioned that there are budget challenges ahead of the district and it may not be possible to implement all the recommendations immediately, but the report may serve as a road map for the future. Board approves development of kindergarten center to ease crowding at Ramsey Elementary School The School Board approved development of a kindergarten center approach to solving the need for additional space at Ramsey Elementary School. Originally the administration presented two scenarios that would move a portion of Ramsey’s attendance area to Wilson Elementary School next fall to ease overcrowding. The need for more space results from increased enrollment and the all-day-every-day program, new to Ramsey this year, which doubled the number of kindergarten classrooms needed. During community meetings and through other communication with the School Board and administration, parents rejected the idea of a boundary change and suggested instead that the district develop a kindergarten center to accommodate Ramsey kindergartners. Associate Superintendent Dr. Mary Wolverton, Chief Operations Officer Chuck Holden and a group of staff examined three possible locations for a kindergarten center: the Educational Service Center, Sandburg Education Center or Wilson Elementary School. They recommended Wilson as the best option. The board approved their recommendation. School calendar amendment approved 3 ACTION Associate Superintendent Jeff McGonigal presented an amendment to the 2014-15 school calendar for high school students to accommodate state-mandated ACT testing for juniors. A new state law requires all school districts to test all 11th grade students using a college

Action of the School Board Action of the School Board 12/08/14 | Page 3