Superintendent outlines staffing, legal review and evaluation goals; board hears updates on AI use and High School League guidance

Superintendent Elmos told the ISD 728 (Elk River School District) school board Feb. 10 that planning for next school year is underway and that district staff are working now to place about 2,400 employees into positions as part of the staffing model.

Elmos said three proposals for outside legal services were under review and that he expected a comparative packet for the board at the next meeting to allow members to "compare apples to apples." He also said the superintendent-evaluation committee had begun drafting performance goals and that benchmarks tied to community engagement, student achievement and safety would be presented to the full board at the Feb. 24 meeting.

Vice Chair Freyberg summarized a Jan. 27 work session led by MSBA that resulted in the board's direction to focus on improving academics, school safety, community engagement, and transparency. The board said it will develop benchmarks for the superintendent's goals and present them at an upcoming meeting.

Director Weiss reported on recent Minnesota State High School League activity relevant to district athletics and activities. Weiss said the league follows state law and is seeking clarification from the Minnesota attorney general after an executive order raised questions about transgender participation; the league expects about a 60-day period for clarification. Weiss said there were no athletes in the district identifying as transgender at present and that activities directors were monitoring guidance.

Director Hamlin reported on an Association of Metropolitan School Districts meeting that included a presentation from St. Cloud-area schools on how they are integrating artificial intelligence safely as a learning tool and the importance of teaching foundational skills first. The presenters offered to provide guidance to other districts implementing AI.

Committee updates reported to the board included the facilities committee scheduling its first meeting, the policy committee's discussion of policy 206 and policy 209 (public comment/recording and code of ethics) and the superintendent-evaluation committee's ongoing work to set measurable benchmarks.

No formal board action was taken on the legal proposals or superintendent goals at the Feb. 10 meeting; both were described as in-process items to return for future board consideration.