The Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools Board of Education spent significant time in its study session questioning staff about student performance after administrators presented the district's Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness report filed with the Minnesota Department of Education.

Director Lisa Atkinson said she was "gravely disappointed" by parts of the report and asked what immediate corrective actions the district would take to raise proficiency. Superintendent Michael Thomas and his instructional team told the board the findings show "opportunities where our students are underperforming" and stressed that the district is "a very, very lean system" that must prioritize investments carefully.

Why it matters: board members said the report contradicts the district's strategic emphasis on academic excellence and asked why some annual goals were lowered despite that frame. The board pressed for concrete plans to address third-grade reading declines, noting that weak early reading skills can affect outcomes in math and science.

Administrators and building leaders pointed to several immediate and midterm steps. Secondary staff described growth in Advanced Placement participation and postsecondary credit options but acknowledged that ACT and statewide MCA results are mixed. Elementary leaders said the district has a strong phonics program (Fundations) but identified gaps in decodable texts and comprehension/vocabulary instruction. A field test of a state-sanctioned ELA curriculum is underway and staff said wider adoption could begin next year if pilots show results.

Directors asked for more detail on how roughly $1 million in A&I funds are spent and how local levy contributions (about 35% of that package, roughly $350,000) relate to interventions. Administrators said A&I and CACR-related work are funded through a mix of state A&I allocations and district commitments, and they invited the board to review detailed plans online and in follow-up documents.

What happens next: administrators promised to return with clearer corrective-action plans tied to the data, school-level examples of interventions, and a timeline for curriculum adoption and implementation fidelity.

Quotes from the meeting: "I was gravely disappointed," Director Atkinson said of the results. Superintendent Thomas said the district is "a very, very lean system" and that staff are seeking targeted interventions where the data show gaps.

The board did not take any formal action on academic policy at the session; staff were asked to follow up with a more detailed implementation plan and timeline.