Official School Board Minutes

Regular Meeting of the School Board
November 17, 2020

The regular meeting of the Board of Education of Independent School District 270 was conducted virtually on Tuesday, November 17, 2020. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m.

School Board members present online: Treasurer Steve Adams, Director Fartun Ahmed, Clerk Shannon Andreson, Chair Jennifer Bouchard, Director Tanya Khan, Vice Chair Chris LaTondresse, and Director Katie Pederson. School Board members absent: None

Student Board reps present: Aidan Law (grade 10), Imani Kerre-Mongi (grade 11), and Raines Lucas (grade 12). Student Board reps absent: None

Staff members present: Superintendent Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed. Staff members absent: None

Open Agenda:

Bouchard explained that Open Agenda is facilitated both through a link to a Google Form for comments to be entered and then read by the Chair at the meeting, or through a designated voicemail box for recorded messages to be played at the meeting. Bouchard noted that no Open Agenda comments were submitted.

Reports:

Student Board Representatives:

Law, Kerre-Mongi, and Lucas updated Board members on student experiences at Hopkins High School, including those related to use of Canvas for distance learning/stress/mental health.

Superintendent:

Mhiripiri-Reed provided updates surrounding early childhood/preschool programs, elementary and secondary schools, as well as details about the pivot to distance learning, secondary school support models, and COVID-19 data available on the District’s website.

Approval of Agenda:

Khan moved, Adams seconded, to approve the agenda as presented. Those voting in favor thereof: Adams, Ahmed, Andreson, Khan, LaTondresse, Pederson, and Bouchard. Those opposed: None. Carried.

Consent Calendar:

Pederson moved, Adams seconded, to approve the Consent Calendar as presented: A) Approval of Minutes — Regular Meeting conducted on November 2, 2020; B) Human Resources/Personnel Updates; C) Policies in Second Read; D) Memorandum of Agreement — Hopkins School District (Juntos Program) & the International Spanish Language Academy (ISLA); E) Resignation of School Board Member (Christopher LaTondresse); and F) Bids — Summer Ventilation Projects at Hopkins High School. Those voting in favor thereof: Adams, Ahmed, Andreson, Khan, LaTondresse, Pederson, and Bouchard. Those opposed: None. Carried. Exhibit “A”

Treasurer’s Report:

Treasurer Adams noted that enrollment is down 13 students from October. He noted that the District is 33% into the fiscal year, with 22% of the budget expended which is identical to this time last year, and highlighted expenses of interest. Adams moved, Pederson seconded, to approve financial disbursements in the amount of $2,053,674.91 for the period of October 27, 2020, through November 9, 2020. Those voting in favor thereof: Adams, Ahmed, Andreson, Khan, LaTondresse, Pederson, and Bouchard. Those opposed: None. Carried. Exhibit “B”

Request for Proposals (RFP) — Transportation:

Tariro Chapinduka, Director of Business Services, explained that the District is going out for RFPs to obtain competitive offers from qualified providers. He noted that it had been eight years since the District last went out for RFPs and that the process is intended to identify providers that are able to provide superior transportation services at a fiscally responsible cost.
Board member comments and questions focused on the number of vendors who will receive the RFP, and the approximate timeline.

Policies in First Reading: