Superintendent proposes two-contract plan to expand online program and reorganize district administration

Superintendent Mary outlined a plan to extend her leadership role while positioning the district to expand its online programming. She asked the board to authorize two contracts: a three-year superintendent contract followed by a second contract that would transition her to executive director of MNBA, the district's online program.

"I think that the education platform, within our area, within the state, within the nation is going to change," Mary said, outlining the district's experience running an online academy and the opportunity to scale services such as alternative learning and an online preschool. She said MNBA could be funded separately for parts of the work and that keeping executive leadership tied to MNBA could help the district recruit and mentor successors.

Board members asked for details on structure and funding. The board discussed the proposed funding split, with the second contract to be paid from MNBA's budget or bond resources rather than the district's operating funds. Members also pressed for clarity about reporting lines and long-term administrative structure as the district expands online services.

The superintendent described specific administrative changes planned if the plan proceeds: placing assistant principals in targeted roles, combining some school leadership assignments (K'0), and using personnel budgets strategically to free capacity for recruitment and grant-writing. She said some positions would be paid from district funds and some from MNBA's budget.

Board members asked that district counsel draft clear contract language. When the chair asked, "Am I okay to have Maggie move forward with finding it?" the chair and board agreed to ask the attorney for a draft and to return the contracts to the board for formal approval at a later meeting.

The board did not approve final contract terms at this meeting. The action recorded in the meeting was a direction to staff and the district attorney to prepare contract drafts and to provide them to board members for review before a future vote.