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Albert Lea board adopts three-year Achievement & Integration plan focused on literacy, coaching and STEM access
Summary
The board approved a FY27–29 Achievement & Integration plan that prioritizes literacy benchmarks to reduce racial and economic disparities, funds success coaches and summer STEM programs, and allocates a budget with most dollars toward success coaches.
The Albert Lea Public School District board approved a three-year Achievement & Integration (ANI) plan for fiscal years 2027–29 on March 16 after a presentation by Tanya Franks, the district's ANI lead.
"This covers three areas: reducing disparities in academic achievement, equitable access to effective teachers, and increasing racial and economic integration," Franks said, outlining proposed goals and strategies. The plan moves away from using the MCA as the primary metric for ANI goals and instead recommends district literacy benchmarks (A-Reading, e-reading or Read Basics/CAPT) to measure progress in reading proficiency.
Franks said the bulk of the ANI budget will support success coaches (about $530,000 budgeted) who work preK–12 to support attendance, credit attainment and retention, and noted that the REACH program at the high school is funded at 0.4 FTE through ANI funds. Other strategies include targeted instructional coaching, culturally responsive professional development (plans to work with the Department of Education's DEI center on a low- or no-cost series), and summer STEM opportunities with partner districts (Discover Drones, Project ECubed and robotics) to expand integration and career-pathway exposure.
Board members asked clarifying questions about program eligibility and consequences for failing to meet ANI goals; Franks said districts that do not meet goals must designate new improvement strategies and allocate up to 20% of ANI funds toward those strategies. Franks presented a proposed ANI revenue figure (approx. $598,000) and a modest cushion; she said more detailed line items had been provided to the board ahead of the meeting.
The plan was moved by Gary and seconded by Kim; the board approved it by voice vote.
Next steps: Franks said the district will report progress in the fall and implement the planned coaching, cultural-competency PD and summer-program partnerships in coming months.
