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Edina honors staff behind LETRS rollout; 270 staff have completed training
Summary
The Edina Public Schools board recognized the district team that implemented LETRS professional development, noting 270 staff members have completed the training supported early on by the Edina Education Fund.
The Edina Public Schools Board of Education on Monday recognized staff responsible for the district’s implementation of LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) professional development, praising the trainers and support staff who organized districtwide training.
Why it matters: LETRS is a research‑based, graduate‑level professional development program centered on the science of reading. District officials said the work supports teachers’ reading instruction and has contributed to year‑over‑year student growth.
Bethany Van Osdall, assistant director of teaching and learning, introduced the group and thanked the “small but mighty” team of trainers, coaches and administrators who organized and tracked training for more than 300 staff. Van Osdall said: “It is my true privilege and honor to sit before you with these fine educators … The Science of Reading has been an initiative that we've been working on for years and since this time started our student growth has increased every single year.”
Presenters named several staff who led training and logistics: Alyssa Barnes and Sue Johnson (trainers and classroom teachers), Sandra Harley (literacy coach and trainer), Pam Burling (systems and recordkeeping), Liz Den (pre‑K literacy coach), Joanne Karch and Jen Fralick (special education coordinators supporting rollout), plus additional cross‑department collaborators. The presenters described tasks that included scheduling, materials distribution, individualized communications for 300+ staff and managing trainer cohorts.
Board members praised the work and noted community support. A board member asked how many staff had completed training; staff answered, “270.” Another board member thanked the Edina Education Fund for providing most of the early funding that enabled district adoption before the state legislature provided additional support.
What the district said: Presenters emphasized that LETRS implementation is ongoing professional development, not a one‑time event, and highlighted a structure of internal facilitators, cross‑department support and celebration practices to sustain the work.
Next steps: District presenters said they will continue LETRS training and support and acknowledged additional staff who will continue to facilitate the program across the district.
