2023-24 Board Goals
The Minnetonka School Board has a vision for world-class, child-centered excellence. The Board is committed to the goal of supporting all students’ pursuits of their highest levels of academic and personal achievement. We are dedicated to excellence in education and focusing resources on students.
Each year, the School Board establishes annual, actionable goals for the Administration that align with the vision and direction in which we want to lead our district. These goals may become multi-year efforts and will ensure continuation of a legacy of long-term excellence and educational success. They will chart a course for continued strength. As articulated in the Board’s Vision for the Future document, “if our future is to be better than our past, we must have the courage to let go of what no longer serves us, embrace what is required for the future and advocate for what is best for our children, our community and our nation. Such a journey will require being comfortable with change, taking informed risks and rigorously tracking progress against clearly articulated goals.”
The following Board goals have been adopted for completion by Administration in the 2023-24 school year:
- Excellence in Well-being, Connection and Belonging
- Excellence in Student Learning and Support
- Excellence in Leadership and Organizational SupportĀ
Excellence in Well-being, Connection and Belonging
The Minnetonka School Board and District Administration believe a commitment to world-class, child-centered excellence strengthens Minnetonka Public Schools. The well-being and belonging of our students are both continuing priorities for families and for the District.
Student well-being is defined here as the positive sense of self and belonging that is felt when one’s cognitive, emotional, social and physical needs are being met.
Belonging is defined here as a strong feeling of positive connection, acceptance and importance as a member of the Minnetonka Schools community, regardless of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, country of origin, ability, and/or socioeconomic status.
Integrating student well-being, connection and belonging efforts will ensure all students have the support needed to achieve at their highest potential.
The District will continue to foster and promote positive student well-being, connection and belonging efforts and will identify and remove barriers that have a detrimental effect on students’ well-being, connection and sense of belonging. The District will strive for the fair treatment, opportunity and advancement of all students to pursue their highest levels of academic and personal achievement. The Board’s vision for child-centered excellence will be the foundation for these efforts.
For the 2023-24 school year, this goal will include the following action steps:
- Deepen implementation of the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework in the area of social and emotional learning with the target of consistency across all District schools in the MTSS referral process and student support. This will include expanding efforts to address needs identified by the District and recommendations from the Mental Health Advisory Council.
- The District will present a report to the School Board on measures of success and progress of MTSS related to social emotional learning and mental health.
- he District will survey stakeholders at least annually on their experience and share results with the School Board.
- Deepen implementation of belonging efforts to ensure a welcoming, inclusive and safe school environment for all. This will include improving systems and processes to identify, analyze, monitor and respond to student trends and data with attention to identifying and addressing barriers affecting different student demographic groups. Reduce bullying through revisiting and raising awareness of existing bullying prevention efforts and opportunities across all learning levels as measured by student discipline data, student reports and survey data. Empower and encourage staff and the School Board to support belonging efforts, including through professional learning. Parent communication will be a key strategy to support belonging efforts.
- Principals and their staff will present reports to the School Board throughout the academic year that include their school’s well-being, connection and belonging efforts and outcomes, including professional development opportunities for staff.
- Update the Board at least once on the trend data from student and parent surveys and next steps to support students.
Excellence in Student Learning and Support
Excellence in student learning and support is a foundational principle guiding the Minnetonka School Board and District Administration in their work. The School Board and District Administration believe that each student is capable of achieving at their highest potential and is committed to work with families to achieve this. The continuation of the District’s excellence will be driven through deep implementation of educational frameworks and strategic programs to support student learning. At the same time, the District will continue to respond to the challenges presented during the pandemic that have had a lasting impact on our students and the District.
For the 2023-24 school year, this goal will include the following action steps:
- Advance the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework, processes and practices to ensure delivery of high-quality academics on an ongoing basis.
- The District will present reports to the School Board on measures of success and progress of the MTSS framework, focused on high-quality, universal instruction, including interventions and enrichment in all three tiers of the MTSS framework, based on year two of the MTSS three-year plan at mid-year and year-end.
- Increase opportunities for improved academic outcomes for all students while focusing additional efforts to improve student literacy at all levels and in all content areas as measured by student performance standardized and benchmark assessments. This includes addressing uneven and unfinished learning due to COVID-19. This will also include identifying and addressing any gaps in achievement that exist between measured student groups, with attention to predictable outcomes.
- The District will implement an updated literacy plan, which will be shared with the community, and will provide a mid-year and year-end report to the Board.
- The District will report results from District standardized assessments, including from MCA and NWEA, as they relate to efforts to address uneven and unfinished learning.
- Review current middle school programming based on initial goals, the desired student experience and changes happening at the elementary and high school level that may warrant change. Make recommendations for future improvements.
- The District will provide two reports to the Board that will include a summary of the process, progress and recommendations.
- Continue to expand the programming of signature programs VANTAGE Advanced Professional Studies and MOMENTUM Design and Skilled Trades to meet the future needs of our students
- The District will provide an update to the Board on the support for post-secondary planning, including career planning.
- The District will provide an update to the Board on the VANTAGE and MOMENTUM facilities and programs.
- Continuously review the Minnetonka experience through the signature program Tonka Online K-12 e-learning. This will include continuing to assess the program’s successes and challenges and making recommendations for professional learning and plans for adjustments.
- The District will present a year-end report to the Board on enrollment and programming recommendations.
Excellence in Leadership and Organizational SupportĀ
The Minnetonka School District has built a reputation as a national leader in providing exceptional, innovative student programming and unique and diversified pathways for students to experience world-class opportunities and to achieve unrivaled outcomes. The District will strive for excellence in all levels of leadership and organizational support using the following assumptions:
- The District will share opportunities, challenges and barriers to implementation and suggest recommendations to address them.
- Staff are critical partners in reaching District goals and will be encouraged to share input and ideas.
- Families are critical partners in their students’ educational success and in reaching District goals and will be encouraged to share input and ideas with District leadership.
- Student voice is valued and will be solicited to support District goals, as often as is practical.
For the 2023-24 school year, this goal will include the following action steps:
- Build stronger community trust by informing and engaging District constituents, including students, families, staff and the broad community through outreach and engagement opportunities and efforts. To fulfill this expectation and in response to community input, the District commits to the following actions:
- The District will create new in-person engagement opportunities for community members to connect with District leadership and the Board and will resume Board engagement activities that existed prior to COVID-19.
- The District will survey residents, families, students and staff regarding their experiences and sentiments about the District, including their access to information about the District and will develop strategies to address any challenges revealed by the data. Further, the School Board will evaluate District policies and procedures related to community engagement.
- The District will increase communication and engagement with local and statewide elected officials.
- The District will present a mid-year and year-end communications report to the School Board, summarizing the efforts and communications completed and providing recommendations.
- The District will prioritize including student voice in presentations and discussions including an expectation that every Board meeting will include student voice in some fashion.
- School Board members will continue to connect with and learn from other boards about best practices in supporting and engaging student and community voice.
- The District will implement the next iteration of innovation efforts and processes to provide opportunities for students and staff, and to find solutions that will help overcome barriers to success in these areas. This will include evaluating the proposal to provide more professional learning opportunities for staff and making recommendations for future school years.
- The District will provide an update on the next iteration of the innovation process.
- The District will provide a summary of the professional learning changes and make recommendations for future school years.
- Take steps to maximize long-term financial stability and sustainability for the District.
- The District will provide periodic updates to the Board on the District’s finances, including recommendations to improve financial stability.
- The School Board will continue to review options for long-term financial stability, including state and local funding streams.
- Utilize space strategically to accommodate all of the District’s growing innovative programming. This includes long-term facility planning for the programming needs of the District in all academic and co-curricular programs.
- The District will present multiple updates to the School Board regarding facilities throughout the year including the long-term facility plans.
- The District will present any facility implications that surface during the middle school program review.
- The District will provide an update on the progress toward creating the classroom of the future.
- Enhance the District’s focus on recruitment and retention of exceptional teachers and staff, to include efforts to create a representative workforce that will enrich the learning environment for all students.
- The District will provide an annual School Board update on open positions and an annual presentation on recruitment and retention efforts, including information on the use of new platforms for recruitment and a summary of exit interviews.
- The District will implement the recently-approved, no-cost meal legislation including breakfast at every site. We will continue to focus on fully staffing all sites in Nutrition Services and increase the variety and quality of meals available for students.
- The District will provide a mid-year update to the Board on the status of staffing levels and food improvement initiatives.
- The District will make recommendations, as appropriate, to adjust financial resources to meet this goal.