ENG 2023-24 Family Update No. 16
March 1, 2024
2023-24 Family Update No. 16 | March 1, 2024
⏰ Reading time: Four minutes, 36 seconds
💭 Superintendent's Message
Dear Northfield School District Families:
On Feb. 26 the school board heard the results of the Morris-Leatherman survey about the potential Northfield High School facility updates. You can see the slide deck here and read the full report here.
Survey details
Morris Leatherman contacted 400 Northfield school district voters.
The survey included 34 multiple choice questions.
The margin of error for the survey results is ±4.8%.
Key findings
The survey showed substantial support for the district's intention to address the high school facility problems. 68.7% of survey participants responded favorably that they would support a referendum to address the high school facility problems.
Other items that resonated the most with participants:
The 21 questions about potential components of a high school referendum project yielded a range of 59%-79% of support, saying that the individual components listed would make them "somewhat more likely" or "much more likely" to support a referendum if those items were being addressed.
Safety, security, and accessibility issues were the highest rated components of a potential project.
Participants indicated a willingness to support increased taxes of $315 (or slightly higher) on a $350,000 house — this is the amount that is outside the margin of error.This level of support would allow for substantial improvements at the facility, including the possibility of the "reimagine" option.
Support for a tax increase that would fund a brand new high school was around 17%. Only 16% of participants indicated they would never support a school tax increase, regardless of the purpose.
What's next?
The board will meet in a work session on March 5 from 4:00 pm-5:59 pm in the District Office Board Room to discuss the high school facility problems and potential solutions. They could begin discussing bond term lengths and question structure — these are the next steps in moving toward a bond referendum (if any) in November.
The board will be asked to vote on what to include in a November bond referendum, if anything, at its regular meeting on March 11. If you would like to provide the board with any advice on how to move ahead, please email them at board@northfieldschools.org.
As always, reach out to me if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Matt
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Matt Hillmann, Ed.D.
Superintendent
mhillmann@northfieldschools.org | 507-663-0629
📌 Winter Benchmark and MCA Predictor Results
Nationally normed, computer adaptive assessments (Measures of Academic Progress and then the Star assessment) have been administered to Northfield School District students since the early 2000s. In the fall of 2021, we moved to the Star assessment test for all students in grades K-8 and in 9-12 as needed. Over the past two and a half years we have closely monitored the alignment of Star to MCA to confirm that the Star is providing teachers with accurate and useful information to guide instruction.
Northfield students, almost universally, outperform the fall and winter predictor proficiency levels on the actual MCA, which aligns with earlier analysis of the MAP and MCA tests. Our students demonstrated substantial progress from fall to winter this year. This movement is the result of strong instruction with support from our families and wider community.
💡 Student Spotlight: Ayla Puppe
Ayla Puppe has won the 2024 Ms. Hockey Award!
Ayla, a senior forward and captain this season, is the first Raider to win the state's top hockey award as she led the state in goals (61), assists (50), and total points (111) this season. Ayla will graduate, attend the University of Minnesota this fall, and continue playing women's hockey for the Golden Gophers.
Congratulations, Ayla!
🏆 Winter activities — the domination continues!
The mock trial team of Grace Van Voorst, Mason Vatter, Connor Percy, Maddie Bussman, Hailey Parish, Savannah Mellies, Jack Linder, Ali Matthews, Piper Artley, Gwyn Cikanek, and Noa Marohl have been dominant all season. They will participate in the Mock Trial State Tournament March 7-8 in St. Paul. (The team is pictured at the top of this update.)
The boys swim and dive team will swim in the state meet at the Aquatic Center at the University of Minnesota this weekend. They had a second place finish at this year's True Team meet.
Caley Graber is the third girl in Minnesota history to qualify for the boys state wrestling tournament and the first ever female champion in boys wrestling from Section One. She is currently ranked #11 nationally at 105 pounds.
Wrestlers Caley Graber, Caden Staab, Keith Harner, Owen Murphy, Ryan Kuyper, Noah Ackerman, and Lainey Houts will wrestle in the state tournament individual competition this weekend.
The Raiders’ boys hockey team advanced to its second consecutive state tournament with a 4-1 victory in the section championship this week.
📊 Parent/Caregiver Satisfaction Survey Results
Thanks to the 690 participants in our parent/caregiver satisfaction survey! We’ve recently received the results and will be sharing them with you in the coming weeks.
🔢 Reminder: Child Tax Credit
Minnesotans can now claim the Child Tax Credit, with no limit on the number of children claimed. You must file a 2023 individual income tax return in order to claim the credit. Most taxpayers who are eligible to claim the new Child Tax Credit are also eligible for free tax preparation assistance. Learn more about income requirements and qualifications on the Child Tax Credit webpage.
The tax credit of up to $1750 per child is estimated to cut child poverty by up to one third in Minnesota. Nearly 300,000 households including 513,000 children are estimated to qualify for the credit.
🎨 Reminder: Districtwide Art Show
🪧 Feb. 26, 2024 Board Update
The school board held a regular meeting on Feb. 26.
Board packets, table files, and meeting videos are located on our website.
You can listen to Superintendent Hillmann’s recap on KYMN radio.