[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6104799,"mediaKeyId","2790187-3810a1969cd2e2a153624bee84e0dbc5","parentId",2790187,"title","Votes at a glance: Columbia Heights school board approves agenda, consent items, contributions and compensatory-resolution","audioSeconds",2398,"startMs",278000,"endMs",2676000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2790187-3810a1969cd2e2a153624bee84e0dbc5&start=278&end=2676","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2790187-3810a1969cd2e2a153624bee84e0dbc5/thumbnail_278000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6104799/Minnesota/Votes-at-a-glance-Columbia-Heights-school-board-approves-agenda-consent-items-contributions-and-compensatory-resolution","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6104799-76f2aa9a9671a8ae9bf6ba891e3a0d4d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141775&Signature=Mpaj0n4U-FBAnUjsbPd0oCx6RkK0KH~p1erG4n0WC1kzl~4W2X6nDjGmih2FKChpkct6nxgV2pOB32kOjSVnCAYX7R8YhjxTbyVwyUVPUD4EWg483QA3dj3aiyYxc6wbrm42pommiJ5OPJdFKbHP-gauwvbLQP7e5mYFRwfHTP~-6Qy2lyrrat3JG4NE7g~5IDeFWYn9~-tgTubSskiDAuBa55D6auNeZOvqyfh~AEo7Dn-nyJgpaZexxJldKbzP8~r~lushWtI~KD2qZYuaW1TmmqlXtct6-3ToT9AWh5pb6pRD19-lFn1T-spd-i~QYeVJbGmuvsF8XSuSQmS26g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","COLUMBIA HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST","date","2025-03-26T15:23:43Z","article","The Columbia Heights Public Schools Board recorded four formal actions during the meeting: approval of the agenda, approval of the consent agenda, acceptance of monetary contributions and adoption of a resolution urging the Minnesota Legislature to address compensatory-aid certification.

1) Approval of the agenda
Motion to approve the meeting agenda was moved and seconded; the chair called for a voice vote. The chair announced \"Motion carries.\" (voice vote; no roll call recorded.)

2) Consent agenda approval
The board approved the consent agenda, which included the personnel report, the calendar, a first reading of policy legislative changes and minutes. The motion was moved and seconded; the chair announced \"Motion carries.\" (voice vote; no roll call recorded.)

3) Acceptance of contributions (resolution)
The board adopted a formal resolution to accept monetary contributions totaling $7,675 listed in the resolution and noted total fiscal-year contributions to date of $70,858. The resolution listed individual donors and amounts (examples: Fridley Lions Club $3,000 to the CHHS scholarship fund; Dean and Joyce Bliss $2,000 to the CHHS scholarship fund). The board approved the resolution by roll-call vote; the chair announced the motion carried.

4) Compensatory-aid resolution
The board adopted a resolution urging the state legislature to create a hold-harmless mechanism or permanent solution to a planned change in compensatory-aid certification. The resolution says the district would lose an estimated $3.7 million next year due to the change and that roughly 900 eligible students could be missed. The motion was moved, seconded and adopted by roll call; the chair announced the motion carried.

Notes on vote recording
The meeting transcript records roll-call votes for the contributions-acceptance resolution and the compensatory-aid resolution. Several routine items (agenda and consent agenda) were approved on voice votes and the chair announced each motion carried.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","School Board Meeting March 25, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Columbia Heights Public Schools board approved the agenda and consent items and adopted two resolutions — one accepting donations and one urging the state to fix compensatory-aid certification — during the meeting.","taxTitle","COLUMBIA HEIGHTS PUBLIC SCHOOL DIST, School Boards, Minnesota","taxId",38741,"location","Minnesota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6104804,"Northeast Metro 916 outlines special education, ALC and career-and-tech services to Columbia Heights board",880,1428000,2308000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2790187-3810a1969cd2e2a153624bee84e0dbc5&start=1428&end=2308","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2790187-3810a1969cd2e2a153624bee84e0dbc5/thumbnail_1428000.jpg","/articles/6104804/Minnesota/Northeast-Metro-916-outlines-special-education-ALC-and-career-and-tech-services-to-Columbia-Heights-board","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6104804-09c02fe1b33db7de502703a6e196426e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141775&Signature=NZGR6BwZXd54emvMoiWUdFgpBmYDV2R5SOjip5sXs4lSF1WWexJgQL1fvNFTH-jC3JvSo4GAKYCkmhARJ9NsgPyPUItyqpkkwXoN4wW-8kBXYEl78yGa0jFTG-wE8rktZVEfmyiaOUEPiKDrXNn~Kv9B69eUlAUYBD8FYYCqht9pte~zWnWiplMnH8txmXTYWLTPpW4YXe0CfemlSorxjME4g4n9xi4zWPFmHP82XxmmqJwz-lgztS6LHKbukmfP~R7-g78uKSrShbS4QtNzcn3JOl~Ma08Rx-1SWxSxkrvhLQvUK6OU3RCMmaGL6-BfIZmFiy4rX7wgaW33sjpZsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Officials from Northeast Metro Intermediate School District 916 (Northeast Metro 916) gave the Columbia Heights school board an overview of services, enrollment and funding across the intermediate district’s 17 programs.

Scott Thomas, director of education services for Northeast Metro 916, and Dave Haven, executive director of special services, told the board that 916’s programs serve multiple member districts and deliver services that are inefficient for small districts to provide on their own. The presenters said 916 served almost 5,800 students across its programs in the prior year and reported current enrollment around 2,004 students for the current year in the programs they reviewed.

Metro Heights Academy and Columbia Heights students

The presentation reviewed how Columbia Heights students access 916 services. The presenters said 71 Columbia Heights students currently attend Metro Heights Academy and that last summer roughly 171 Columbia Heights students attended summer and related programs. The district representatives said Metro Heights’ regular enrollment capacity is about 220 students and that enrollment is prioritized for member districts; when space is available open-enrollment requests are accepted.

Funding and programs

Presenters said area learning centers (ALCs) such as Metro Heights are funded 100% through state aid and do not generate a separate bill to member districts. By contrast, special education services provided by 916 are billed to member districts. Northeast Metro 916 staff highlighted a range of services: itinerant related services (a large team of specialized staff who travel to member districts), career-and-technical education (in partnership with Century College), two residential care-and-treatment facilities and alternatives to suspension programs (Project Return).

Planned facility change

Northeast Metro 916 told the board Metro Heights Academy will move this summer to a site on University Avenue commonly known as the former Cummins building; presenters said the new site is about a mile closer to Columbia Heights and will open in time for the next school year.

Board questions

Board members thanked 916 staff for on-site tours and asked about capacity and how itinerant services work. In reply, presenters said itinerant staff travel between schools to provide specialized services and that 916 prioritizes member-district students when enrollment is limited.

Ending

Board members invited continued partnership and tours; 916 staff thanked the board and said they would coordinate visits to the new Metro Heights location once the move is complete.

","Officials from Northeast Metro Intermediate District 916 presented enrollment, program and funding details, including that Metro Heights ALC serves Columbia Heights students and will move to a new location; the board heard that ALC funding is 100% state aid while special education services are billed to member districts.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6104808,"Columbia Heights school board urges legislature to fix compensatory-aid certification, cites $3.7 million loss",735,2499000,3234000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2790187-3810a1969cd2e2a153624bee84e0dbc5&start=2499&end=3234","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2790187-3810a1969cd2e2a153624bee84e0dbc5/thumbnail_2499000.jpg","/articles/6104808/Minnesota/Columbia-Heights-school-board-urges-legislature-to-fix-compensatory-aid-certification-cites-37-million-loss","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6104808-1af5a82ead267e2ccf21a7eaeec20536/orig.mp4?Expires=1771141775&Signature=jwop3w758fd9tVcmp5SfTM18LdPD~vU4aEAUeQmSkPHEy4qGazQwTwIELinsSPeFQYDPjCpWe7dgVuCJg8iiZ0gRD7uHgqBBoAr7Q4-HjJRY8j9QTn0uaPkyWaV3bIQR3-JMZbu5JDG1dm7irtm-KmOt7DNMy~ji2LOfKPRBwPOOqGN-gKaLcQBHzF36gNaV89tX~s3sGe9VWlPzjUylMZ37-tHhDjwaPkNzK4C2Nc1l2TKD686bklX~k1e1xHSXn0n5h9N0jYY35q4vv0gkxpLsDz0zz1TdUcWkkiwrBxgoQF-iQgySwmO2H5DOn4g3WX3kQyX1xQTMwIMJV~V14g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Columbia Heights Public Schools board adopted a resolution Wednesday asking the Minnesota Legislature and the governor to promptly pass a bill that creates a hold-harmless mechanism or permanent fix for changes to compensatory-aid certification and calculations.

Board member Maderas (full name not specified in the transcript), who authored the resolution, read the board’s findings aloud and moved to adopt it. The motion was seconded and passed on a roll-call vote; the board president announced the motion carried.

The resolution says Columbia Heights Public Schools (Independent School District No. 13) received roughly $9,000,000 in compensatory funding in fiscal year 2024–25 and that a shift from using free-and-reduced-price-lunch forms to relying only on county direct certification will miss “just over 900” eligible students. The district estimates that change would reduce its compensatory funding by $3,700,000 for the 2025–26 school year — an amount the resolution describes as roughly $1,000 per pupil and equivalent to about 5% of the district’s annual budget.

Why it matters

Board member Jessica (full name not specified in the transcript) described the change as “a very dire situation,” saying the board has worked to maintain fiscal solvency and that an unexpected loss of this size would “absolutely decimate our budget.” She told colleagues the resolution is intended to bolster the district’s advocacy at the Capitol and to support testimony already given by district leaders and union officials.

Superintendent Stenbic (full name not specified in the transcript) and other board members noted that the shift to direct certification has been phased in statewide and that, while the state previously accepted both direct certification and paper educational-benefits (school-lunch) forms, the upcoming change would remove the paper option and thereby undercount eligible students in some districts.

Board discussion and context

Board members said the resolution does not itself change funding but is intended to amplify district advocacy. Speakers pointed to bipartisan interest at the Capitol and named Senator Sandra Feist as an author of legislation meant to address the issue. Board members repeatedly urged quick legislative action so the district can finalize budget decisions and give staff an early sense of job security for the 2025–26 school year.

The resolution text included these specific claims drawn from the district’s materials: that the change will miss “just over 900” eligible students and reduce revenue by $3,700,000; that the $3.7 million represents roughly 5% of the district’s annual budget and more than half of the district fund balance; and that the loss is comparable to the personnel cost of “85% of the teachers in a single district elementary school.” Those numbers were presented to the board as the district’s estimate.

Outcome and next steps

The board adopted the resolution by roll call; the chair announced the motion carried. The resolution asks the legislature to enact a hold-harmless mechanism or permanent statutory fix. Board members said district leaders, the local union (Local 710) and others will continue legislative outreach and testimony.

Ending

Board members said the district’s advocacy will continue in coordination with neighboring districts and union leaders, and they encouraged community members to contact legislators. The resolution and related materials will remain available through the district’s public records and the board said it will track legislative action.

","The Columbia Heights Public Schools board adopted a resolution calling on the Minnesota Legislature to create a hold-harmless or permanent fix after a change in compensatory-aid certification is expected to reduce the district’s state compensatory funding by about $3.7 million for FY2026.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Columbia Heights school board approves agenda, consent items, contributions and compensatory-resolution

Northeast Metro 916 outlines special education, ALC and career-and-tech services to Columbia Heights board

Columbia Heights school board urges legislature to fix compensatory-aid certification, cites $3.7 million loss