INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT 196
Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Public Schools
Educating our students to reach their full potential
Legislative Advisory Council Meeting
MINUTES
6–7:30 p.m., January 21, 2015
District Office
Present:
Derek Appleyard, Kim Craven, Valerie Dosland, Gary Huusko, Gary Krueger, Jackie
Magnuson, Chas McCready, Jason Nord, Retno Saridewi-Wong and Tony Taschner.
I.
2015 Session Update
Member Dosland said the session is off to a calm start with more manageable schedules
compared to last year, which she described as refreshing. There is only one Senate education
committee this year. House Republicans introduced bills to address teacher shortages and LastIn, First-Out practices. Senate Democrats introduced priorities; none are in K-12, but they did
introduce a bill for universal preschool. She said there will be discussion about facilities funding
recommendations carried forward from the task force last year. Dosland said she is encouraged
that the new House majority members seem to want to get things done. Don’t expect a short
session, she concluded.
II.
February 3 Capitol Visit
Members reviewed a tentative schedule for the visit. Co-chair Krueger said he invited members
of the Budget Advisory Council to contact Tony if they would like to join the group. There will
be two groups, one led by Superintendent Berenz and the other led by Director of Finance and
Operations Jeff Solomon. There will be a carpool leaving from the District Office, with departure
time and other details to be provided via email prior to February 3. Taschner will prepare packets
to give to the legislators; the packets will include a copy of the legislative priorities document, a
copy of “A Budget Guide for Our Community,” and contact information for the superintendent
and members of the LAC.
III.
Building Community Involvement in Legislative Advocacy
Taschner asked members for ideas on how the LAC can start to share its message with residents
of the district. For starters, he suggested having each LAC member invite two or three residents
they know to a meeting to learn more about the LAC and advocacy efforts in the district.
Member Nord said we need to provide information that would motivate people to want to get
involved, and once they do express an interest, have a clear idea of what we want them to do to
be engaged in the process. Member Dosland said we need to show residents how the district’s
fate is tied to so many decisions that are made by the state. It was suggested that we develop
informative “teasers” or “did you know” statements that highlight the importance of the
legislative process, and that we share these teasers on the district website, Facebook page, Supt’s
News and school email lists, or an LAC Twitter account.
IV.
Facilities and Equipment Task Force Preliminary Recommendations
Taschner gave a short presentation outlining the preliminary recommendations of the Facilities
and Equipment Task Force, which are being presented at school staff and site council meetings
in January, and which were presented at the January 12 regular School Board meeting. The
recommendations are in the areas of safety and security, space for learning and learning
technology. He explained that the task force is scheduled to present its final recommendations to
the board March 9. After that, the district will conduct a community survey to determine the
level of support for the recommendations, as well as willingness to pay for the proposed
improvements via a bond referendum.
NEXT REGULAR MEETING
6-7:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 18, 2015
District Office