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American Indian Parent Advisory Committee concurs with Fridley schools’ 2024–25 program goals
Summary
The district reported targeted services for about 135 American Indian students and showed improvement in attendance and interim assessment growth; the APAC voted concurrence with the district’s annual compliance report to the Minnesota Department of Education.
Josh Callahan, an enrolled member of the Osage Nation and American Indian Education coordinator at Fridley Public Schools, told the school board the district provides targeted support to about 135 American Indian students and submitted its annual compliance report to the Minnesota Department of Education.
The APAC (American Indian Parent Advisory Committee) voted to concur with the district’s goals for 2024–25, the coordinator said, and that vote was recorded Feb. 11, 2025.
Why this matters: State statute and the Minnesota Department of Education require districts that receive American Indian Education Aid to have an APAC that reviews and concurs with how aid is used. Concurrence is part of the district’s accountability and funding application process.
Callahan outlined six goal areas the district set with APAC approval: supporting postsecondary preparation, raising academic achievement, making curriculum culturally relevant, supporting student self‑image and cultural participation, increasing intercultural awareness across the district, and ensuring services supplement—not supplant—other state and federal programs. He provided data showing interim gains and cited specific programs and activities.
Attendance and academic progress: Callahan said the average daily attendance for American Indian students was 82% for 2023–24 and rose to 89% in semester 1 of 2024–25, a 7‑point improvement he described as “on track” with the district’s 5% attendance improvement goal. He said all five seniors identified in the report are “on track to graduate.”
On assessments, Callahan reported spring 2024 MCA proficiency for American Indian students at 14.3% in math and 26.8% in reading, with gaps versus white students of roughly 30 and 25 percentage points respectively. He said district interim FAST assessment data between fall and winter showed 27.3% growth in reading and 16.7% growth in math for American Indian students; reading growth was similar to white students while math growth trailed.
Programs and activities: The report lists culturally specific activities and field trips supported by the grant: a Native college fair at the Minnesota History Center, American Indian College Visitor Day at the University of Minnesota, hands‑on experiences such as sugarbush (maple syrup learning), the Ho Chokatiti museum, a guest speaker on food sovereignty and indigenous cooking, and a Badoche tour (a Dakota sacred site). The district also added an American Indian culture and language elective at Fridley High School taught by Kiryka Jansen (transcript spelling), who grew up on the Standing Rock reservation.
Callahan emphasized that APAC’s vote of concurrence was taken prior to March 1 (the statutory deadline for APAC concurrence) and is reflected in board materials.
Board members asked routine clarifying questions about APAC meeting frequency; Callahan said APAC met three times that year and had to reschedule one meeting. The board recorded appreciation for the work and for culturally relevant programming.
Ending: The board accepted APAC’s vote of concurrence as part of the consent agenda later in the meeting.
Provenance: Callahan presented the compliance report to the board and answered questions; the APAC concurrence vote (02/11/2025) was stated in the presentation.
