Running head: SCHOOL BOARD FINANCE ISSUE 1

Attending a School Board Meeting: Finance Issue

Mal Edwards

Minnesota State University, Mankato

Edina Campus

Attending a School Board Meeting: Finance Issue

 Running head: SCHOOL BOARD FINANCE ISSUE 2

I attended the board meeting for Anoka-Hennepin Schools, Independent School District

11 (ISD11) on October 22, 2018. This was a regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting.

There were several financial issues addressed over the course of the meeting. The major

financial issues covered were the approval of teacher and staff retirements, new teacher hires and

extra service agreement contracts.

What was the finance issue?

The major finance issue was related to staffing. This included the approval of retirements,

acceptance of resignations and terminations, acceptance of leaves of absence and the

appointments of positions throughout the district. There were 5 staff retirements, one resignation

or termination, 20 leaves of absence approved and 70 new staff appointments including 3 new

administrators. There were also numerous extra service agreements approved during this

meeting.

Why was this a finance issue? This was a finance issue because student enrollment is

tied to the district’s overall budget, determining the level and need for staffing. The staff’s level

of education is also tied to the district’s bargaining union contract which determines their salary.

Which ultimately affects ISD11’s budget.

What was the decision? The decisions made regarding staffing, addressed above,

include the acceptance of retirements, letters of resignations, leaves of absences, and the

appointment of more than seventy staff members, extra service agreements for stipend positions

(such as extracurricular activities) and per hour wage for a few staff engaged in curriculum

writing and are paid with an hourly wage.

How would you describe the climate of the school board meeting surrounding this finance

issue and the decision? Overall, it was extremely positive. The retirees were celebrated to the
 Running head: SCHOOL BOARD FINANCE ISSUE 3

same level as the new additions into the district. The board did discuss the need for staffing two

new elementary schools in the district, which included increasing staffing the new spaces to meet

the needs of student enrollments. Keeping staffing needs at the forefront of the districts’ mission

to effectively educate students for success.

Describe how this decision would impact your work as an administrator? As a district

administrator or a building administrator, it would be helpful to know what the staffing will be

allowed to correlate with student enrollment and student needs. The approval of Full Time

Employees (FTE) would directly impact how the school or district is able to serve the students

and families in the community.