Shelby Sawyer

The board meeting included board and administrative reports, a second review of several policies including Harassment & Violence, School Sponsored Student Publications & Activities, and Development & Maintenance of an Inventory of Fixed Assets & a Fixed Asset Accounting System. There was a presentation on the Preliminary FY26 Budget and a presentation on the Pre-sale of the Bonds. The consent agenda items were approved, along with the Treasurer's Report and several donations. The board also approved an additional parking lot project and the TOPS MOU, as well as contracts for Shawn Feldewerd, Steve Schulzetenberg, and Kristi Ekstrom. The termination and non-renewal of Cade Jepson was also approved.

The board meeting included discussions on budget strategies, possible deficit spending, and second reviews of policies related to staff development and mentoring, field trips, and community notification of predatory offenders. The agenda also covered a consent agenda, treasurer's report, action items such as donations/gifts, election of treasurer, acceptance of bread and milk quotes, revised FY25 budget, proposed FY26 budget, student handbooks, renewal of memberships with Schools Advocating for Fair Funding (SAFF) and the MN School Boards Assn, designation of Identified Official Authority for Education & Identify Access Management, certification of updated district population, and business and curriculum manager contracts.

The Melrose Area Schools' strategic plan focuses on improving student achievement and instruction across various goal areas. It includes strategies for ensuring all children are ready for school, all third-graders can read at grade level, closing racial and economic achievement gaps, preparing all students for career and/or college, and ensuring all students graduate from high school. The plan emphasizes assessing student progress, evaluating instruction and curriculum effectiveness, and integrating high-quality instruction, rigorous curriculum, and technology.

The 2021-22 Combined World's Best Workforce (WBWF) Summary and Achievement and Integration (A&I) Progress Report for Melrose Public School District outlines goals related to kindergarten readiness, third-grade literacy, closing achievement gaps, college and career readiness, graduation rates, and integration. Key areas of focus include increasing the percentage of kindergarteners at low risk for letter sound fluency, improving third-grade reading scores, reducing achievement gaps for students receiving FRP benefits and Hispanic students, increasing participation in concurrent enrollment and CTE courses, maintaining a high graduation rate, and enhancing cultural competency among students and staff.

The strategic plan for Melrose Area Public Schools focuses on several key areas: ensuring all children are ready for school by increasing kindergarten readiness, closing racial and economic achievement gaps in reading and math, preparing all students for career and/or college by increasing participation in concurrent enrollment and CTE courses, ensuring all students graduate from high school, and preparing all students to be lifelong learners by starting Personal Learning Plans in 9th grade. Additionally, the plan aims to increase cultural competency among students and staff, and increase graduation rates for students of color.