Daniel Bittman

The primary discussion topic of this Special Meeting was the proposed superintendent contract. The Board framed the decision around balancing fiscal stewardship, market competitiveness, and long-term district stability. Key points included acknowledging that the proposed adjustment represented a significant percentage increase over the prior contract, but that benchmarking analysis showed the district was meaningfully below comparable Lake Conference districts in compensation. The Governance Committee recommended a 40% total package increase, bringing the base salary to $364,000 for three years, which was confirmed as fiscally sustainable. The committee emphasized transparency by incorporating compensation into the base salary rather than using supplemental categories, which is a departure from some other districts' practices. Board members expressed appreciation for the Governance Committee's due diligence, the superintendent's performance, and efforts to benchmark compensation against comparable districts, noting that experienced superintendents are in high demand. A question was raised regarding the contract clause allowing for contracting other activities, specifically executive search consulting, and the desire for clear expectations surrounding such outside engagements.

The organizational meeting commenced with the approval of the agenda. The primary focus was the election of board officers, resulting in Karen Gabler being elected as board chair, Cheryl Barry as vice chair, Erica Alenberg as clerk, and Jen Huie as treasurer. Assistant treasurer and assistant clerks were also elected. The consent agenda was approved, though the school board compensation item was removed for discussion. A board member subsequently raised concerns regarding the lack of progress on board compensation, especially for the chair position, advocating for a priority discussion during the upcoming board retreat to ensure future accessibility. Finally, leadership and committee updates were provided, including reminders about board officer training and committee chair orientation, followed by adjournment.

The meeting began with the approval of the agenda. A key segment was dedicated to 'Excellence in Action,' spotlighting the Valley View special education team and student Amelia Don, who is utilizing assistive technology (an eye gaze device) to enhance her communication capabilities. The board heard about Amelia's significant progress in navigating communication options, including programming for feelings and social interactions. Public comment included advocacy from Project Earth regarding environmental education integration, sustainability initiatives like a clothing swap, and support for the transition to electric school buses. The board also received an annual compliance overview for American Indian Education Programming, which received a vote of concurrence from the parent advisory committee. Finally, the board began the policy discussion section, starting with Policy 202 regarding school board officers.

The special meeting primarily focused on the Superintendent Search. Key actions included the formal interview of Dr. Bittman for the Superintendent position. Following deliberation, the Board unanimously moved to extend an employment contract offer for the position of Superintendent of Edina Public Schools to Dr. Bittman. The Board also unanimously approved the text for the community announcement letter regarding the search outcome.

The work session agenda included three main discussion items: a mid-year update on the Early Learning & Family Center Action Plan, a mid-year update on Elementary Acceleration, and a mid-year update on the Spanish Dual Language Program Assessment. The Superintendent also provided updates, noting that a report on the district strategic plan would be presented at a future work session and sharing additional information regarding the Spanish Dual Language program and heritage speaker recruitment.