Board Bulletin

January 24, 2024

MAPS Holds Successful Bond Sale

The big picture: The Mankato Area Public Schools (MAPS) on January 17 held a successful sale of a facility bond, which will fund the improvements to our school buildings approved by voters in November.

Zoom in: The interest rate on the bond came in at 3.7%, much lower than estimates from December.

What this means: MAPS taxpayers will pay $10 million less in interest over the life of the bond than projected.

Zoom in: As part of the bond sale, the school district underwent a credit rating analysis by Moody’s Investor Service, which affirmed our “A1” rating. The rating report noted that the strength of our credit rating was due in part to our district’s “detailed long-range planning” and financial position. Moody’s also affirmed a stable outlook for our rating, signaling their confidence in the ability of MAPS to navigate future challenges successfully.

What’s next: Bond funds will be invested until they are needed to pay project costs. Some of these investments will be at local banks, which will help support our community’s economy.

School Board Accepts Bids on First Round of Facility Improvements

The big picture: To ensure our referendum projects could start as soon as possible, several were made “shovel ready” so that bids could be accepted for construction to start in the Spring. So far, accepted bids have come in about $4 million less than estimates.
Zoom in: The School Board recently accepted construction bids for:

Dakota Meadows Middle School: Secure entrance, gymnasium, pool to replace current West pool.
Center for Learning Preschool: Remodeling to finalize additional classrooms, gymnasium, farm to school prep kitchen
Roosevelt Elementary: Secure entrance, new Kindergarten classroom

What’s next: Construction will commence on these projects this spring. Designs are being finalized for the remaining projects (West High School, Washington, Bridges, Franklin, Hoover, Eagle Lake, Jefferson, Kennedy, Monroe Elementaries) and will be bid later this year.

School Board Adopts 2024/2025 & 2025/2026 Calendar

The big picture: Following an extensive feedback process, the School Board has adopted the calendars for the upcoming two school years.
Zoom in: The final calendars can be viewed here:

Ongoing examination of the 2025-26 graduation date is underway, and additional communication on this matter is forthcoming.

School District Receives Clean Audit

The big picture: Each year an independent firm conducts a full audit of our school district’s financial practices.
Zoom in: The audit investigated overall school district finances and conducted examinations of several major federal programs administered by the district. The audit report came back “clean” meaning no errors in management of these funds were identified.
Financial position: The audit also reported on our school district’s unrestricted fund balance, essentially our district’s savings account. It’s important that we maintain a solid fund balance to protect the financial integrity of our school district. At the end of our most recent fiscal year, this fund is $6.9 million - an improvement from prior projections, but still short of our district’s savings goal, which is about $9 million.

Student Discipline

The big picture: Over the 2022-2023 school year, MAPS schools saw significant drops in student behavior that resulted in suspensions. With the first semester of the 2023-2024 school year coming to an end, MAPS recently evaluated district and school behavior data.
Zoom in: There are several positive data points in behavior data so far this school year, including another significant drop in student behavior leading to suspensions. Overall, there is a 37% reduction when compared to the same time last year. One school to highlight is Prairie Winds Middle School where Principal Jason Grovom and his team have seen a 71% decrease in behaviors that lead to suspension.
What’s going on: Many factors are at play here, including Positive Behavioral Intervention & Support (PBIS) and trauma informed practices being implemented at our schools. In addition, explicit social-emotional learning instruction at the classroom level, school linked mental health services, and a newly developed student success coach model that structures proactive, individual and small group meet ups with students and staff are helping drive improvements in behavior.
What’s next: Ensuring our students and staff are safe at school continues to be a significant priority of our school board and has been heard loud and clear through our strategic planning process. Look for this to be a continued priority for MAPS.

MAPS Continues Strategic Planning Process

The big picture: Our School Board understands that we must innovate to ensure that MAPS is providing a future-focused education model. To get there, MAPS has engaged hundreds of staff, families, students, and business leaders in a “Classroom to the Boardroom” strategic planning process to guide our comprehensive improvement efforts over the next several years.
Zoom in: Representatives from TeamWorks International, the firm leading our strategic planning process, recently updated the board on where we’re at in the process and what’s to come. You can view their presentation here.

MAPS & Greater Mankato Growth Receive Workforce Grant

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The big picture: MAPS and Greater Mankato Growth (GMG) were recently awarded $40,000 from the Greater Twin Cities United Way.
Zoom in: This “Career Academies Future Ready Workforce Fund” grant was made available to chambers of commerce to help create and improve youth work experiences.
What’s next: MAPS and GMG will use these grant funds to develop and enhance work already underway to provide more youth a path toward a meaningful career, while ensuring key industries have the skilled workers they need.

Board Hears Reports from Eagle Lake, Roosevelt, Hoover & Jefferson Elementaries

The big picture: Our School Board recently heard presentations from the leadership of each of these schools on their performance and key initiatives they are pursuing to advance learning and the student experience.
Schools to be proud of: The School Board was pleased to hear that in all four schools, academic performance is trending up, attendance is back well above 90%, behaviors leading to suspension are down (and in most cases at 0), and most importantly, our school staff are providing enriching, engaging, and inclusive environments each day for our kids.
Zoom in: You can view each school’s presentation below:

School Board Members Attend Minnesota School Boards Association Conference

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The big picture: School board members from across Minnesota convene each year to share best practices to improve their home schools.
Zoom in: One of the workshops at the conference featured our students and staff from MAPS as they shined a spotlight on why supporting LGBTQ+ youth is not just important but transformative. They were able to dive into the heartwarming stories of student-led support groups, inclusion initiatives, and the meaningful impact on middle and high school experiences. Our School Board was proud to join them and celebrate their commitment to creating a brighter, more inclusive future for all schools.
Why it matters: The recent news about the unfortunate incident of New Ulm students using homophobic slurs towards an East High School student-athlete demonstrates the importance of our continued efforts to promote a positive, safe, and inclusive environment for ALL of our students.

Overdose Emergency Stations Now Installed at All Schools

The big picture: MAPS is increasing access to Naloxone overdose medication as fentanyl/opiate overdose continues to be a sad reality across the United States.
Zoom in: Last year, MAPS got a head start on making sure Naloxone was accessible at secondary schools. New legislation now requires all Minnesota schools to have overdose medication on hand. As a result, MAPS installed Overdose Emergency Stations (see below). These boxes containing Naloxone are located in all nursing stations throughout the district.

MAPS Staff & Student Spotlight

Student Spotlight

Kammron, a senior at West High School, was recognized at our School Board meeting for his unwavering dedication in fostering a positive and friendly atmosphere at West High School. Kamm's genuine enthusiasm and kindness sets a positive tone for the school day, making everyone feel acknowledged and valued. His small yet impactful gestures foster a sense of community and exemplify the inclusivity and kindness West High School aims to instill in all their students. His initiative and commitment make him a true Scarlet, ensuring everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. Thank you, Kamm!

Congratulations on the MAPS Student School Board Spotlight Award for January 2024!

Staff Spotlight

The School Board was thrilled to shine the spotlight on four incredible members of our Mankato East High School staff: Nancy Adams, Lori Allan, Rachel Vlasak, and Danielle Phillips. These amazing individuals, part of our secretarial team, play a crucial role in shaping positive daily experiences for all at Mankato East.

Join us in celebrating their commitment to our #MAPSready community!

Out and About

Our School Board members have been busy “out and about” among our school community. Here are some snapshots of what we’ve been up to!

School Board Vice Chair Kristi Schuck and Clerk Erin Roberts facilitated a recent meeting of the Student Advisory Council. This month’s topic was transitions—from middle school to high school, and high school to beyond. Students welcomed MAPS Career Specialist Coordinator Kim Hermer who served as guest speaker.

School Board members Shannon Sinning, Kristi Schuck, Liz Ratcliff, Kari Pratt and Patrick Baker along with Superintendent Paul Peterson and District Staff John Lustig, Tabitha Miller and special “volunteers” Leila Pratt and James Brezina participated in a Climb to Feed Kids team in support of the FOCP Backpack Food Program - which helps ensure that kids across our region have access to food over weekends and school breaks.