The ISD 200 School Board adopted a number of resolutions for the Minnesota School Board Association (MSBA) delegate assembly including allowing school board candidates to omit addresses from campaign material, repealing the Alternative Teacher Professional Pay System (better known as Q-Comp), and ending or fully funding state mandates for school districts at the Wednesday, Sept. 10 work session.
MSBA resolutions are petitions from school districts on changes they would like to see the MSBA lobby state legislators to make in the upcoming legislative session.
The MSBA votes on resolutions at its annual Delegate Assembly, which this year will take place Dec. 5-6.
Last year, one of the central issues submitted by ISD 200 to the MSBA was to force those requesting data from school districts to provide their full legal name. That resolution was taken up by the MSBA, but no legislative action was taken on the issue last session.
This year, many of the resolutions are related to funding.
For the 2026 MSBA Legislative Platform Development, the MBSA surveys districts on a number of issues ranging from top concerns and priorities to budget strain.
That budget strain was a particular focus for the board, which checked every box provided as “under the most strain due to state underfunding,” according to the survey. Those areas are: Special Education, Student Transportation, Mental Health Services, Facilities and Capital Needs, Student Support Services, Compensatory Revenue, and English Learner Aid.
“Are there any boxes we should add?” quipped School Board Chair Carrie Tate.
Inflation for district expenses, especially for utilities and building repair, were sited as areas where the costs have far outstripped state funding.
The board passed five of the nine resolutions brought to a vote, tabling a resolution regarding a statewide pathways program that is expected to be voted upon at the upcoming Sept. 24 meeting.
Unfunded mandates, and in particular Paid Family Medical Leave (PFML) was an issue brought forth by the school board.
The relatively new program mandates that school districts must provide unemployment insurance for part-time staff during the summer. An increasingly common occurrence with this new mandate is for part-time staff to receive unemployment insurance during the summer only to quit before the next year begins, said Cathy Moen, ISD 200 Director of Human Resources.
This new requirement is costing districts because the practice isn’t fully funded from the state. Summer employment costs for the district jumped by more than $185,000 from $13,000 in 2022-2023 to $201,000 in 2023-2024.
In the first half of fiscal year 2026, the district has spent $83,600 on PFML, a cost which is expected only to grow.
“If they are going to keep it, they have to fund it at the state level,” said Superintendent Dr. Kristine Wehrkamp Herman.
Others disagreed, with Moen saying the program should be repealed outright.
The board unanimously approved the MSBA resolution to end or fully fund statewide mandates including earned sick and safe time, PFML, training associated with the READ Act, and special education transportation costs.
The board adopted two other resolutions concerning funding: repealing the Alternative Teacher Professional Pay System (better known as Q-Comp), and to better provide districts with the ability to prepare for legislative changes.
For Q-comp, the board sought to redirect existing Q-comp funds to the General Education Fund in order to more equitably distribute funds across districts throughout the state.
“As it stands, districts that applied first receive funds indefinitely without review, limiting access for others. This restricts local control to address unique needs, such as teacher retention or student support programs, potentially widening achievement gaps,” according to the resolution.
The board also sought to provide school districts with “adequate time to plan and prepare for the financial and operational impact of new laws and regulations,” by delaying the implementation of new mandates and budget reductions until the next fiscal year.
The final two resolutions passed by the board were to allow school board candidates to omit including their personal addresses in campaign material and for the state to increase technology access funding in order to provide more equitable access to technology, especially with the increased prevalence of distance learning days.
The board passed on three resolutions, in part to avoid creating even more “pockets of money with strings attached to them,” said Tate.
Those failed resolutions are funding for restorative practices, school based mental health teams, and teacher mentorship programs.

School Perception Survey
The board also heard from Daren Sievers, Project Manager at School Perceptions for the district’s upcoming third school perception survey.
The survey queries teachers, students and parents on a number of factors from safety and security to discipline, academic achievement and school culture.
Survey results can not only be measured against past years, but against other districts allowing the district to see how it compares to statewide averages.
This year a new set of questions will be added regarding the new superintendent, allowing staff and parents to provide input on what they think Wehrkamp Herman’s priorities should be within her new role.
Last year’s results, the second year of the survey, were the first time the district was able to compare its own results year-over-year with the new survey.
Those results were among “the best I’ve ever given,” said Sievers at the Nov. 20, 2024 meeting.
Once questions are finalized, the full survey will be available on the district’s website along with an opt-out form for parents.
The survey is expected to be sent out in October.