ISD 191 innovation report highlights Grow Our Own grant, bus ambassadors and tech upgrades

Superintendent Teresa Battle presented ISD 191’s annual innovation report on May 8, describing grants, operations changes, student‑support practices and technology upgrades the district has implemented.

Battle told the board the district received a five‑year grant from the Minnesota Department of Education to support adult learners in the district’s “Grow Our Own” program. “We recently have received another grant, from Minnesota Department of Education to support our adult learners,” Battle said, adding that the award is for a five‑year period and “$750,000 we’ve been awarded in this new grant, mostly to pay for tuition and stipends for district employees.” She said the district currently has about a dozen ISD 191 employees working toward teaching degrees and that Metro State University is the program partner.

Battle and staff described a number of operational and communications innovations. The athletic department switched ticketing to GoFan for online and point‑of‑sale purchases and moved event livestreaming to Hudl (described in the presentation as “Huddl”), which staff said has improved accessibility; athletic communications are now offered in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong. The district has consolidated community education registrations and facility bookings on a cloud platform referred to by staff as “ARUCs,” which the presenter described as improving registration, after‑school care and preschool enrollment processes. Staff also reported an upgraded purchase card workflow that attaches receipts to transactions and a filming/analysis tool for athletics described during the presentation as “Bridal” and “Hudl” for coaching and teaching purposes.

In student supports, Battle described a bus ambassador program implemented with transportation partner Smitty and Sons. “They are experiencing significantly better behavior from our students on buses this year,” Battle said. The program assigns a designated staff member to each bus route to check in with drivers, assist students getting on and off buses and collaborate on behavior problem solving; staff said the approach aligns bus behavior supports with schoolwide PBIS (positive behavior interventions and supports).

Other items in the report included a six‑week kindergarten program designed to teach routines and readiness skills, a grade‑9 academy that groups ninth‑grade students into teams for targeted outreach and data‑driven supports, expanded preschool breakfast offerings, and community education partnerships that include summer “lunch and learn” activities hosted at three housing complexes in the district’s south region (Chancellor Manor, Arbor Vista Mobile Home Community and Rambush/Rambush Estates as stated in the presentation). Battle also noted facility improvements such as scoreboards at Nicollet, Burnsville and Eagle Ridge, new bleachers at Burnsville High School, tennis‑court signage and Mirage Center audio upgrades. Staff said the district is adding an additional security layer to preschool and elementary program access as part of infrastructure changes tied to preschool expansion.

The board did not take action on the innovations report; members asked clarifying questions and expressed appreciation for staff work. The report will be part of ongoing implementation and budget planning.