COMMUNITY EDUCATION ADVISORY COUNCIL MINUTES
October 14, 2014
District Office
MINUTES
Members present: Sarah Carlson, Anna Graves, Mary Johnson, Jenny Kidambi, Eric Lancrete,
Lisa Maurer, Laura Menk, J. J. Miller, Divya Mouli, Jill Murphy, Paula Nowariak, Marcie
Padgett, Chris Pint, Michele Snare
Guest: Steve Troen
Staff present: Lisa Beytien-Carlson, Khia Brown, Valerie Church, Karen Kellar, Eric Lind
Call to Order
Chairperson Laura Menk called the meeting to order. Introductions were made.
Approval of Minutes
Laura called for a motion to approve the minutes of the April 1, 2014 meeting. Paula made a
motion to approve the minutes, Jill seconded and full council approved.
Report and Discussion: District Technology Plan
Steve Troen, Director of Teaching and Learning, gave a presentation on the District’s vision for
learning and technology. Information was distributed on the District 196 Beta plan as well as
information for preparing students for success in the digital world.
Reflection and feedback on Dakota County-wide Advisory Council meeting and orientation
A county-wide advisory council meeting and orientation was held at the Diamondhead Education
Center. Your thoughts:
- The meeting was better than last year – more was accomplished and it was more
interactive.
- It was good to have a mix of new members and returning members
- Learned more about Community Education
Community Education Programs and Goals Updates
Moved to the December agenda
Community Education Budget
Khia distributed an updated budget spreadsheet with the audited balances for 2013.14. The
audited fund balance shows an increase of one percent over last year (fund balance was 13% last
year and is currently 14%). The preliminary budget is being finalized for 2014.15 and will be
presented to the advisory council at the December meeting for approval and recommendation to
the School Board. Note: Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) and School Readiness (SR)
will show additional revenue in the final budget due to an adjustment from the State of
Minnesota.
Parent Education Conference
Lisa distributed posters for the Parent Education Conference being held on November 1, and
requested help from the advisory council in distributing the posters throughout the community.
Video of breakout sessions at the Parent Education Conference are aired on the District 196
cable TV channel. Lisa is looking for volunteers to video sessions you may be attending at the
conference.
Catalog Redesign
Please review the Community Education fall catalog (or the online catalog). Lisa will be sending
out a survey (via Valerie) in the next few days for your impressions of the catalog redesign.
Khia thanked the advisory council for being part of the focus groups during the redesign process.
As a token of appreciation, each advisory council member was given a Community Education
(CE) t-shirt. The t-shirts can be worn for identification purposes when volunteering for CE
Additional update: At the time the updates were published, information was not yet available for
events.
Program Updates
Program Updates are sent out for your review prior to each advisory council meeting. What are
your reactions to what you read? What would you like more information about?
Q: Adult Basic Education (ABE) – Eric stated that 23 adults completed GED testing. Is there a
significant change in the amount of people taking the test with the increased price?
A: No, there is not a significant change. The GED testing recently went to an online test.
Anyone who started the process prior to the online testing had to complete it – it did not carry
over to online if you started the written testing.
Q: Like the fact that the online catalog is available prior to delivery of the hard copy. Laura
heard feedback from the community that the delivery of the hard copy catalog seemed late. Is
there a reason for this?
A: No, delivery of the catalog was no later than usual for the fall catalog. There was some
change in the delivery of the ECFE catalog so it was closer to the random draw date. This may
have caused the questions regarding delivery of the general CE catalog.
Q: In the Youth section of the updates, the SWAT (Service with a Twist) summer program was
referenced. Is there a similar program available during the school year? Also, Laura heard of
teens looking for “high risk” activities, i.e. rope climbing. Is that available?
A: The program available to students during the school year is SEALS (Students Engaged in
Active Leadership and Service). The desire for “high risk” activities will be passed on to the
Youth Programs Coordinator.
Report & Discussion: Facilities and Equipment Task Force
Khia shared information and a Power Point on the Facilities and Equipment Task Force goals.
The three main objectives of the task force are to study needs in technology, building (school)
space/capacity, and safety/security in all district buildings.
Next meeting
The next meeting of the advisory council will be held on December 2, 2014. There being no
further business, Sarah made a motion to adjourn, Eric seconded. The meeting adjourned at 7:59
pm.
Respectfully submitted, Valerie Church