District outlines $8M annual Achievement and Integration plan, board questions goals and metrics

Deputy Superintendent Tanya Constantine and student services staff presented Anoka-Hennepin's three-year Achievement and Integration (ANI) plan to the board on March 9, describing how roughly $8 million in state ANI funding supports magnet and specialty schools, literacy interventions and expanded program choice.

Constantine said the funds must align with Minnesota statute and regional collaboration through the Northwest Suburban Integration School District. Tom Shaw, director of student services, detailed program examples including magnet curricula, AVID pathways, college-and-career explorations and the district's transportation and enrollment supports that enable families to access specialty programs.

The presenters summarized budget guardrails: statute requires at least 80% of ANI funds go directly to student-facing services; the district reported spending 91.9% on student services, 2.6% on professional development, and 5.5% on operations. They also noted that $3.3 million is earmarked for reading intervention staff and supports.

Board members asked how the plan's goals were set and whether the metrics are sufficiently ambitious to close achievement gaps. Several members said past plans set modest targets and urged more rigorous academic outcomes tied to ANI investments. Others defended magnet programs as important engagement and preparation pathways, and several directors asked for additional data from the Northwest Suburban consortium showing return on investment for the partnership fee and program services.

Shaw said the district had revised targets from prior plans and that some goals (for example, college-course participation) have shown measurable gains; the district committed to providing deeper budget and program-level evidence to board members and to carry board questions to the consortium board meeting.

No board vote on the ANI plan occurred at the work session; staff said they will bring the plan forward for approval at the board consent agenda after follow-up on questions from members and the regional joint powers group.