In accordance with Board rule, there is no discussion of Consent Agenda items, unless a Board Member requests an item be removed for discussion and action.

Resolution accepting donations to FLAS
 

The attached Forest Lake Area Schools Staff have submitted their intent to retire.
 

Each year, administration evaluates enrollment projections and other funding sources and then develops a balanced budget for the following school year. In 2023, the State Legislature indexed the per pupil formula to the February CPI Index. We learned in February that the per pupil index will increase by 2.69% (shared with the board in February). This is a modest increase and will be very helpful in developing the budget.

It is important to keep in mind that the per pupil formula increase is related to roughly 60% of the district’s budget. With steady or slightly less enrollment we must "rightsize" the district’s operations. Similar to last year, we are planning to adjust next year’s budget expenditures by $1.5 million.

Fortunately, the ADSIS program will save the district approximately $750,000 by covering the cost of instructional support staff/academic specialists. Additionally, we anticipate receiving an additional $250,000 in special education revenue and $100,000 in interest payments on the LTFM funds that we are holding for one more year. The remaining $400,000 will be covered by reducing instructional FTE.
 

Teachers new to the district have a probationary period. At the end of or during this probationary period, such a teacher is either offered another teaching contract or not renewed for a successor year. 

Beginning in January each year, the district and building administrators begin staffing meetings where they review and discuss anticipated enrollments, staff who will be going on or returning from leaves of absences, retirements and resignations, the probationary teacher performance, class sizes and the budget and funding levels for the next school year.

At the school board meeting, the Board will receive a list of the probationary teachers being recommended for non-renewal or contract. Some of these probationary teachers are filling a position where a teacher is due to return from a leave of absence. Others are non-renewed for other reasons, including performance or staffing needs.
 

After shifting grade 6 to the middle school, we have identified an emerging gap in Spanish-language instruction between elementary and grade 8, primarily in conversational Spanish instruction in grades 6 and 7.

Administration and the Spanish Department have evaluated our sequencing of Spanish language instruction and see an avenue to adding opportunities for students to learning everyday functional Spanish through immersion courses in grades 6 and 7. These would be semester-length courses that build upon what students have learned in elementary school and prepare students to be successful in Immersion Spanish 8, which is an existing course.

If approved, students and families interested in continuing their Spanish immersion instruction at the middle school could register for Immersion 6 and Immersion 7. Spanish Immersion 6 and Spanish Immersion 7 would replace our current immersion programming, in which social studies is taught in Spanish. All social studies instruction would take place in English going forward.  These courses will go into effect during the 2026–2027 school year.
 

During the past year, the District Employee Benefits Committee has been reviewing the District’s Life and Long Term Disability (LTD) group insurance.  The District is required by law to go out for proposals on group Life and LTD insurance at least every 60 months.

The district has requested proposals for group Life and AD&D, and group LTD insurance.  Specifications were submitted to eight carriers, four (Life) carriers and four (LTD) carriers submitted proposals.  The Request for Proposals process resulted in recommending remaining with Madison National Life Insurance Company, Inc. at the current benefits but with reduced rates for Group Life and AD&D Insurance and LTD Insurance.  A tabulation of the proposals is attached.

Recommended Motion(s):
The Administration recommends awarding the following group insurances:

LTD award to Madison National Life Insurance Company, Inc. "combined bid w/LTD" at premium of 0.29% of covered payroll.

Life and AD&D award to Madison National Life Insurance Company, Inc. "combined bid w/Life and AD&D" at premium of $.124 + $.019/$1,000.

No plan design changes for LTD or Life and the rate is guaranteed for five years.

The group insurance policies would become effective October 1, 2026.
 

The employment agreement between the Forest Lake Principals’ Association and the Forest Lake Area School District expired on June 30, 2025.

The School District and the Forest Lake Principals’ Association have a tentative settlement of the Agreement for the time period of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2027. The Forest Lake Principals’ Association has voted positively to ratify this Agreement, and it is now being presented to the School Board for approval.
 

Presentation of student, staff, and community survey feedback identifying key leadership characteristics for the next Superintendent, including open-ended comments. The ten characteristics identified through the survey were used to screen candidates and will be referenced later in the meeting.
 

As part of the superintendent search process, ten candidates were identified for School Board consideration based on established screening criteria, stakeholder survey feedback, and input gathered through listening sessions with students, families, staff, Parent Teacher Organization representatives, community leaders, and members of the public.

During this time, an overview of the candidates will be presented to the Board. Following the presentation, School Board members will have an opportunity to discuss the candidates and will be asked to identify four to six candidates to advance to semi-finalist interviews. Semi-finalist interviews are scheduled for April 8 and 9, 2026, will take place in the Board Room, and will be open to the public.