At its Oct. 23 meeting the ISD 191 Board of Education approved a slate of preliminary field-trip applications and authorized the district to apply for a Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Foundation grant to offset student activity fees.

Votes at a glance

- Youth services international trip to the Dominican Republic (preliminary approval): Motion moved by Director Ault, seconded by Director Saksi; motion carried unanimously. Anticipated dates: March 23–30, 2027. Presentation said the eight-day program will combine morning youth service work, afternoon cultural activities, nightly debriefs, and optional youth-service credit; trip organizer had partnered with EF Tours.

- Travel Club trip to Budapest, Vienna and Prague (preliminary approval): Motion moved by Director Chester, seconded by Director Anderson; motion carried unanimously. Anticipated dates: March 14–20, 2027. Advisors said the shorter spring-break itinerary is intended to broaden access and reduce cost; fundraising, EF Tours partnership and in-school monthly meetings were described.

- Burnsville High School baseball extended trip to Scottsdale, Arizona (preliminary approval): Motion moved by Director Saxe, seconded by Director Chester; motion carried unanimously. Anticipated dates: March 22–27, 2026. Coaches and Booster Club leaders presented logistics: roughly 28 players and six coaches, daily practice and evening scrimmages at Paradise Valley High School, mandatory daily study sessions while on the trip, and an anticipated out-of-pocket cost for players of approximately $775 (families and boosters run fundraisers and scholarship options to reduce personal cost). Presenters and the superintendent advised that grade checks and study sessions will be required and that eligibility and academic expectations will be enforced on return.

- Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) Foundation Grant A application (approve application): Motion moved by Director Ault, seconded by Director Mickelson; motion carried unanimously. The district recommended applying to the MSHSL Foundation Grant A to offset student activity fees; the staff presentation described the foundation’s purpose as helping students access athletics and fine-arts opportunities.

Board discussion and context

Presenters emphasized equity and affordability. Travel-club advisors and youth-service organizers discussed fundraising plans and scholarship opportunities; the travel club described EF Tours’ fundraising pages and plans to collaborate with the youth-service program to avoid competing fundraisers. Burnsville Baseball’s booster president outlined longstanding booster fundraisers (water-softener salt, grocery bagging, community events), said the boosters work to eliminate financial barriers, and gave an estimated per-player cost.

Superintendent Daniels said administrators and the athletic director will enforce academic eligibility: players who fall behind academically will be required to make up work and could lose playing time. For the baseball trip, presenters noted the timing overlaps team formation and that the trip follows past practice in which coaches report that teams return more cohesive and players gain leadership and team-building benefits.

Each approval given was preliminary; final itineraries, chaperone lists, and other required paperwork will be submitted to the district as the trips are planned. The board took no additional fiscal commitments beyond preliminarily approving the field trip applications and the grant application.