Votes at a glance: ISD 622 board approves consent items, grant award, donations, polling‑place change and adopts homeschool policy

The North St. Paul‑Maplewood‑Oakdale ISD622 school board completed several routine votes at the Aug. 19 meeting. Below are the actions taken, vote outcomes and key details recorded in the meeting minutes.

Consent agenda (excluding item I — grant awards): The board approved the consent agenda as presented except for consent item I, which was pulled for separate discussion. Motion to approve the consent items except I was moved by Caleb Anderson and seconded by Julia Martins. The board approved by voice vote ("Aye").

Grant awards (consent item I): Board member Katie Swart called attention to the Minnesota Department of Education Native Language Revitalization grant and described staff work to modify the grant after an award‑timing issue. The board then moved to approve the grant award and the related staffing recommendation. The motion was moved and seconded during the meeting and approved by voice vote ("Aye"). The district said the grant will support a language-and-culture teacher position (for middle school) and monthly family gatherings; staffing details will be finalized through the district hiring process.

Acknowledgment of contributions: The board accepted with appreciation monetary contributions listed by the director of finance, totaling $15,024 for FY 2025–26. Donors and amounts announced were: Knights of Columbus, $974 to Community (Bridal); Michael Testa, $50 to Gladstone Meals on Wheels (noted as a pass-through to the Merrick Center under new leadership); Kinney Family Foundation, $13,000 to programming for adults with disabilities; Rachel Coven (Cavan), $1,000 to North High band trip scholarships. Motion to accept the contributions was moved by Julia Martins and seconded by Caleb Anderson; approved by voice vote ("Aye").

Resolution redesignating polling location: The board adopted a resolution to change the polling place for City of Oakdale Precinct 2 from Oakdale City Hall (unavailable due to construction) to Tartan High School (828 Greenway Ave. N., Oakdale) for the Nov. 4, 2025 school district special election. The motion was moved and seconded; the board conducted a roll call vote: Julia Martins — yes; Nancy Livingston — yes; Caleb Anderson — yes; Katie Swart — yes; Kia Yang — yes. The resolution passed with no nays.

Adoption of Policy 6.11 (homeschooling): After two prior readings (study session and June business meeting), the board held a third reading and formally adopted new Policy 6.11 (homeschooling). The policy formalizes district guidelines for parents who choose homeschooling as an alternative to accredited public or private school, and directs families to the district’s community education office for coordination (Jeanne Lanz referenced as the contact). The motion to adopt Policy 6.11 was moved by Julia Martins and seconded by Nancy Livingston and approved by voice vote ("Aye").

Votes summary: all motions listed above were approved by the board during the Aug. 19 meeting; where a roll‑call vote was recorded it was unanimous.

Notes and next steps: the district will finalize staffing tied to the Native Language Revitalization grant, post related materials to the district website, and continue normal hiring and implementation processes. The donations will be applied as designated by the donors, per the director of finance's recommendation.