Larson takes role as Director of Learning and Student Engagement

By John McLoone

The Hastings School Board held a first reading at its July 28 meetings of items relating to public participation in school board meetings. Rather than taking public input during agenda items, there will be listening sessions starting at 5:45 p.m. Before regular school board meetings. Board members will attend the sessions on a rotating basis. Speakers must also have a connection to the school district. Policy changes for the school board listening sessions state: “There will be at least two board members available 15 minutes prior to the start of each Regular Board Meeting. This time is for citizens who wish to address the board regarding a subject that is or it not on the Regular Board Agenda. A maximum of five speakers will be allowed during each listening session. The school board will not engage in discussion or provide responses during this time, however may respond at a later time and/or direct administration to provide a response.” Speakers must sign in by 5:40 p.m. To speak. “Speakers must provide, in the document, their name, address, topic to which they are speaking, and their relationship to the district,” the policy change states. “In order to speak, the citizen must meet one of the following connections to the district: Resident of the district, family member/ guardian of a student in the district or taxpayer in the district.” “This policy change is to provide clarification for us and for the public on what the listening session looks like and our dedication to that listening session,” said board member Stephanie Malm, who chairs the policy committee. Board member Lisa Hedin stressed that school board members are still available to accept public input via personal contact, email or phone. “If anybody ever wants to talk to a board member, all of our home or cell phone numbers are on the website,” she said. “Listening sessions are great, but they don’t always align with a lot of peoples’ lives.” Hedin said she loves hearing from residents – usually. “If I have freezer items in my cart at Cub, I would appreciate it not then,” she joked. Board member Scott Gergen questioned the item that specified who can address the board, namely that it’s a resident, a family member or guardian of a student or a district taxpayer. “We get our funding from three different sources, the federal government, the state and the local taxpayer,” said Gergen. “The way I read this it feels like you need to be a taxpayer in ISD 200 to address the board, and I’m wondering if that’s really a direction we want to take.” Board President Kelsey Waits deferred that question to the committee. “That’s a great thing for our policy committee to talk about and clarify,” she said. Superintendent Dr. Robert McDowell said the intent of the change is to have speakers that represent “local taxpayer dollars.” He said that would allow those who own businesses that pay real estate taxes in the district also. “The board will have to decide what they want to do,” he said. “We want to make sure that priority is given to residents in the district, the family in the district. We didn’t want to just say residents because we have people who open enroll into the district,” said Waits. A second reading of the policy changes will be held at the Aug. 25 meeting. The board had the opportunity to meet new Director of Teaching and Learning Rachel Larson at the meeting. “She has hit the ground running,” said Mc-Dowell. “I’m thrilled to join the Hastings team,” said Larson. “You should be proud of the wonderful welcome I’ve received. Everything that I’ve heard about Hastings and the school community and putting students first and people being very proud of what we do here rings true. I’m thrilled to join the team.” “Not I get to work with staff and students and families to make sure they have the best educational experience possible,” Larson told the school board. Larson comes to Hastings by way of Stillwater, where she was Director of Learning and Student engagement. She started her career as a Social Studies Teacher and has been an elementary and middle school principal and high school assistant principal. “As a result, she comes with a wealth of knowledge and experience with curriculum, instruction, and assessment, Achievement and Integration, English Learners, Gifted and Talented programming, Equity, Intervention Services, and Professional Development,” McDowell wrote in a communication with families.

New Director of Learning and Student Engagement Rachel Larson addressed the Hastings School Board.