Communications team showcases campaigns, board sets retiree recognition for May 20; several policies scheduled for first reading

Tammy Dand, director of community engagement and communications, walked the board through the communications team’s structure, analytics and recent campaigns, saying the department’s work aims to "ensure public awareness and trust" and to support families and staff. She highlighted targeted channels (including Somali and Spanish pages), a new ISD742 careers account to assist recruitment, and school spotlights and mic‑check videos used to tell student and school stories.

Dand showed a short video segment in which Becky Estrada, principal at South Junior High, described a school 'time capsule' of memorabilia recovered during construction: "We thought, why not put it on display so our students now can see how rich our history was," Estrada said in the clip.

In a separate action, the board approved a motion to set the district’s retiree recognition for May 20 at 5:45 p.m. ahead of the regular board meeting; Tammy Dand said invitations would be sent to retirees.

Staff also presented three first readings of policy updates. Sarah Model, nutrition services supervisor, explained proposed revisions to Policy 533 (wellness) to align USDA definitions of the school day and to mirror handbook language that prohibits homemade food distributions during the school day for safety and allergy reasons. Shannon Avenson reviewed revised Policy 510 (school activities), proposing one added sentence to ensure funds raised for extracurricular activities are accounted for and expended consistent with state statute. Staff also presented proposed updates to Policy 599 (in‑district transfer) to clarify the term 'primary resident address', update transfer request timing and confirm that transportation is the responsibility of the parent or guardian for approved in‑district transfers.

Why it matters: communications work affects family engagement and public perception; policy changes align local rules to state and federal standards and clarify administrative practice. The retiree recognition date gives the district and retirees a fixed schedule to plan an event.