We have made improvements from when I joined NAPAC two years ago and again from 12 months ago when I presented before you all as chairperson for the first time, but we are still coming up on barriers that I have been asking help with navigating for over two years now.”

Native American Parent Advisory Committee chair Keenan Humphry

For more information on the Hastings School Board and to watch full videos of meetings, visit Hastings Community TV’s YouTube page at www.youtube.com/@HastingsCommunityTV

At the Feb. 26 school board meeting, school board members heard from the Native American Parent Advisory Committee chair Keenan Humphry, discussed legislative priorities with Rep. Tom Dippel (R – Cottage Grove), finalized the process of filling the empty board seat, and data requests.

NAPAC
Humphry presented the board with a resolution of non-concurrence from NAPAC.
According to Humphrey, “annual compliance is a valuable opportunity for NAPAC members to meet and discuss whether or not they concur with the education offerings that have been extended by the district to American Indian students.”
In finding ISD 200 non-concurrent, NAPAC found that “Hastings Public Schools is not meeting the needs of American Indian students,” according to the resolution.
Humphrey cited both the sustained achievement gap between Native American and White students and only half of NAPAC’s recommendations to the district being completed.
“Our achievement gap has stayed the same two years in a row,” said Humphrey, citing a 31% gap in math and a 28% gap in reading as well as an attendance gap of more than 20 points between Native American and White students.
“We have made improvements from when I joined NAPAC two years ago and again from 12 months ago when I presented before you all as chairperson for the first time, but we are still coming up on barriers that I have been asking help with navigating for over two years now,” said Humphrey.
NAPAC’s six recommendations were:
1. The addition of a dedicated staff member as Native American Education Liaison
2. Curriculum and Language Implementation as required by Indigenous Education for all
3. 100% staff development attendance through Tribal Relations Training through office of American Indian Education
4. District-wide endorsement and promotion of new standards and ongoing efforts
5. Hastings NAPAC would like all student educational assessment data disaggregated by ethnicity and made available to us on a yearly basis
6. NAPAC would like the full transparency allowable on any requests for information related to expenditures and items associated with NAPAC funding.
According to Humphrey, only half of the recommendations have been completed including the creation of a Native American Education Liaison, the ability to request data from staff regularly in contact with NAPAC and monthly budget updates at meetings.
“Three out of six isn’t great. Now we have voted non-current again, and again,” said Humphrey.

Legislative priorities
The board also spoke with Rep. Tom Dippel on their recently finalized legislative policies. They are:
1. Further reduce or close the Special Education and Multilingual Learner programs cross-subsidies.
2. Refine the compensatory eligibility identification process.
3. Increase local optional revenue.
4. Fully fund or modify unemployment insurance, paid leave programs, and READ Act mandates.
5. Increase per pupil funding.
6. Allow locally elected school boards to renew existing capital projects technology referendums at the same level.
7. Increase the per pupil allocation and the allowable use for Long-Term Facilities Maintenance (LTFM), Operating Capital, and Lease Levy programs.
8. Refrain from under-funded mandates and honor local control and inherent managerial rights.
9. Expand access to Voluntary Pre-K.
10. Require data request submissions to require individual/organization identification and allow school districts to recover all costs.
Rep. Dippel was clear that his focus was on non-revenue priorities. “Especially the non-revenue priorities, I hate to say it but it’s just the truth of what we are dealing with right now, but the non-revenue priories are things that I would be more than happy to author, champion, push through committee and try to move through as quickly as possible,” said Dippel.
Treasurer Mark Zuzek asked Rep. Dippel for clarification on the various federal communications including the threat to pull federal funding if DEI policies are continued at the local level.
“I think it’s a wait and see concern. I wish that I had a more definitive answer for you but I’m in the same position everyone else is in,” said Dippel.

Special election and board appointment
The school board discussed filling the seat vacated from the death of Jenny Wiederholt-Pine. Due to the length of the term, a special election for the seat will be held in November, but an appointment can be made to fill the empty seat.
In previous appointments to fill empty seats, the board has failed to receive any applicants, which prompted some board members to recommend seeking previous candidates who ran for but didn’t win school board seats.
Despite that concern, the school board moved forward with an application process. To apply, applicants must provide a statement of “why you are interested in serving at Hastings Public School Board,” according to the application.
Applications are due by noon Friday, March 21, 2025 and can be emailed to LynDee Humble at lhumble@isd200.org or delivered in-person to the Hastings Middle school at 1000 W 11th St. Hastings, MN 55033.

Data requests
The board also heard from Director of Human Resources Cathy Moen on their monthly data request update. Since the previous meeting, the district has received two new requests with four requests currently in process. Of those four requests, two are expected to be completed in the days following the meeting. There were no legal fees concerning data requests to report.
For more information on the Hastings School Board and to watch full videos of meetings, visit Hastings Community TV’s YouTube page at www.youtube.com/@HastingsCommunityTV