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Mankato Public Schools outlines talent-development update; nearly 900 students participate

Mankato Public School District School Board · March 2, 2026
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

District staff told the board the talent-development program — supported by a past Javits grant and a long-term audit — now serves roughly 494 elementary and 338 middle-level students ("almost 900" districtwide); the presentation covered identification (CogAT), cluster classrooms, rising scholars and teacher professional development.

District leaders presented a two-part talent-development update to the school board on March 2, 2026, describing both the district's traditional gifted-and-talented services and a broader community partnership effort to retain local talent.

Travis Olson, director of teaching and learning, and Bobby Joe Bastine, the district's talent-development coordinator, described the program's evolution after a 2012—2013 audit and a subsequent Javits grant that funded staffing, resources and professional development. Bastine said the…

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