Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Staffing Retention topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
ISD 191 board adopts 2026–27 staffing-retention priorities tied to negotiated agreement
Summary
The ISD 191 Board approved staffing retention priorities for 2026–27 at the request of the Burnsville Education Association; the protections identify qualifying criteria such as specialized training, licenses, language proficiency and racial/ethnic diversity recruitment, while preserving the board's authority over budget and personnel decisions.
The ISD 191 Board of Education voted unanimously Aug. 28, 2025, to adopt the board priorities that set staffing retention protections for the 2026–27 school year, procedures that the district said are part of the negotiated agreement with the Burnsville Education Association.
Stacy Sovine, executive director of administrative services, told the board the priorities are presented in August "so that it is very clear to all staff members if we were to make reductions in the spring that these positions, specifically the criteria, the qualifying criteria would be protected from potential ULA's." Sovine said the protections align with the district strategic plan and cover traits such as "unique specialized training, external certifications or licenses, language proficiency and recruitment and retention of teachers and administrators with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds."
The resolution presented also states the staffing protections do not limit the board's ability to determine programs, budget, organization structures, selection of personnel, discipline, or the direction and number of personnel. Director Saxe moved approval; the motion was seconded by Director Mickelson and carried unanimously.
The board packet included a table of qualifying criteria; Sovine did not read the table aloud at the meeting. No dollar amounts or specific positions were listed during the public motion. The action is procedural under the district's negotiated agreement and is intended to inform staff before reductions, if any, are discussed in the spring.
