SAIL program marks five years as Minnetonka highlights transition, enrollment and business partnerships

The Minnetonka School Board received an update Dec. 11 on SAIL (Students Achieving Independent Life), the district's transition program for students with significant support needs.

Executive Director of Student Services Christine Breen said SAIL is in its fifth year, has graduated four cohorts so far and has grown enrollment from 26 students in its inaugural year (2021) to a high of 42 students. "We started in our inaugural year in 2021 with 26 students," Breen said.

Breen described the program's three pillars — independent living, postsecondary education/training, and employment — and noted that SAIL students engage in experiential learning, maker spaces and community worksites. The program partners with local businesses where students practice soft job skills; Breen said student enterprises (making dog treats and fire starters, for example) have generated "over $6,000" that is reinvested in student outings and incentives.

SAIL leaders also emphasized belonging as a program goal and said neighboring districts sometimes open‑enroll students into Minnetonka for SAIL because they lack similarly robust transition programs. Board members asked for clarification about regional programs and open enrollment; staff named Waconia, Osseo, Eden Prairie and Mound as sources of some enrolled students.

Breen and SAIL staff invited board members and the public to tour SAIL programming; they said business partnerships and community outings are a core part of student progress toward independence.

Next steps: staff will continue to monitor enrollment trends, develop business partnerships and report back on student outcomes and postgraduation transitions.