Anoka-Hennepin School District 11 Packet Summary — 2026-08-24
School Board Meeting — 6:30 p.m.
The School Board is scheduled to consider a mix of curriculum, staffing, financial, facility-use and public-safety items. The most substantive standalone action item concerns the future of the Grade 6 Minnesota Studies curriculum, while the consent agenda includes contracts for school resource officers, athletic facilities, substitute pay rates and a joint project to convert tennis courts to pickleball courts.
Key Items on the Agenda
Grade 6 Minnesota Studies Curriculum
The Board is scheduled to consider how to proceed with Northern Lights Third Edition, published by the Minnesota Historical Society, as the district's Grade 6 Minnesota Studies resource. The district has used Northern Lights for more than a decade, and the third edition has been updated for the 2021 Minnesota Social Studies Standards.
Administration identifies Northern Lights Third Edition as its recommended instructional resource and presents multiple paths forward:
- Option 1 — Administration's preferred option: Approve the purchase of Northern Lights Third Edition while moving forward with modifications to Policy 604.4 to provide staff additional direction for navigating topics that may include varied perspectives.
- Option 2: Continue using existing e-learning and textbook materials until Policy 604.4 has been modified and approved, then bring Northern Lights Third Edition back to the Board for consideration.
- Potential Option 3: Develop another approach during Board discussion that combines elements of the first two options or incorporates other elements.
The district's existing Northern Lights subscription runs through June 2027. Grade 6 teachers received access to third-edition digital resources beginning August 10, and curriculum writers met August 10–14 to prepare pacing guides and unit plans.
If the Board's action supports implementation, updated curriculum documents are expected to reach teachers before school begins, with professional development on the new resources and instructional shifts planned for September 2.
Major Financial and Contract Items
$36.5 Million in District Disbursements
The consent agenda includes authorization of district disbursements totaling $36,502,807.62, excluding net payroll. The packet lists:
- $24,116,088.07 in electronic payments.
- $6,942,874.06 in ACH payments.
- $5,199,448.13 in checks.
- $244,397.36 in purchasing-card transactions.
The largest portions include General Fund spending as well as health insurance, debt service and other district funds.
July Financial Reports
For the month ended July 31, the district reports $17,496,768 in year-to-date revenue across all funds against a $766,761,744 2026–27 budget.
Year-to-date expenditures total $13,506,223 across all funds against a $778,323,374 budget. Within the General Fund, July expenditures total $8,210,663, including salaries and benefits, purchased services, supplies, capital expenditures and other expenses or transfers.
The cash balance report shows total cash and investments of approximately $229.3 million as of July 31, 2026, compared with approximately $225.9 million in the year-earlier comparison.
Donations and Scholarships
The monthly report lists $13,944.60 in total donations, including $13,444.60 in general donations and a $500 Class of '63 scholarship donation to Anoka High School.
Among the listed contributions is $10,405 from the Oxbow Creek Elementary PTO for a VSC sponsor payment and $1,700 from Walser Hyundai Coon Rapids for Anoka High School staff appreciation.
Facilities and Athletics
Northdale Middle School Tennis Courts to Become Pickleball Courts
The consent agenda includes a proposed joint powers agreement with the City of Coon Rapids to convert existing tennis courts next to Northdale Middle School into pickleball courts.
The agreement estimates the conversion at no more than $220,000. The City would pay half of actual conversion costs, up to $110,000, while the district would cover its share plus any costs exceeding the $220,000 estimate.
Under the proposed arrangement:
- Conversion is expected during fall 2026.
- The City would pay $50,000 during the 2026–27 fiscal year, with its remaining share due the following fiscal year.
- The district would retain ownership of the courts.
- Larger maintenance projects costing $5,000 or more would generally be split equally when both parties agree to the work.
- The district would generally have exclusive weekday use during school hours, while the City would receive evening, weekend and expanded summer access.
- The agreement would run for 10 years unless terminated earlier under its provisions.
Hockey Facility Agreements
Several consent-agenda items address ice time and locker-room facilities for district hockey programs.
The proposed Champlin Ice Forum leases cover varsity locker rooms and coaches' offices from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. The packet specifies a $3,500 seasonal rent for the girls varsity locker room and $5,000 for the boys varsity locker room.
A Coon Rapids Ice Center locker-room agreement for September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027 lists a $5,145 total fee. A separate Coon Rapids ice-time contract sets rates including $260 per hour for evening and weekend prime indoor ice, $210 for non-prime ice, $110 for outdoor ice and a $750 indoor full-service game fee.
The packet also includes ice-use arrangements with Fogerty Ice Arena for Blaine High School and the Andover Community Center for Andover High School. Supporting schedules outline extensive practice and game reservations for the 2026–27 hockey season.
Staffing and Compensation
Substitute and Temporary Pay Rates
The Board is being asked to approve updated 2026–27 substitute, temporary and seasonal pay rates. The packet says rates have been updated to reflect current negotiated compensation, with some rates still tied to unsettled collective bargaining agreements.
Examples include:
- $200 per day for K–12 and ECSE licensed substitute teachers.
- $215 per day for Anoka-Hennepin retiree substitute teachers.
- $18.50 per hour for substitute child nutrition assistants.
- $20.30 per hour for substitute custodial employees.
- $20.00 per hour for elementary, secondary, supplemental-program and ESL paraeducator substitutes.
- $20.85 per hour for special education, technology and COTA paraeducator substitutes.
- $33.84 per hour for substitute ABE instructors.
- $34.11 per hour for substitute ECFE/preschool instructors.
- $18.95 per hour for summer weight-room/camp assistants and $28.95 per hour for summer weight-room/camp coaches.
The proposal also adds substitute Community Education instructors and assistant instructors to this pay structure and changes how summer weight-room assignments are compensated.
Personnel Recommendations
The consent agenda includes a substantial personnel report covering retirements, resignations or terminations, leaves and modified leaves, and appointments.
The packet asks the Board to accept the personnel recommendations and authorize appropriate district officials to execute the necessary agreements. Appointments span elementary, secondary, special education and administrative positions, with many teacher appointments scheduled to take effect August 31, 2026.
School Safety
Three-Year City of Anoka School Resource Officer Contract
The consent agenda includes a proposed three-year School Resource Officer/Prevention Program contract with the City of Anoka, covering July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029.
The City would assign two licensed police officers as SROs. The contract emphasizes three broad roles: law enforcement, fostering a positive school climate and crime prevention, and serving as a law-related educational resource.
The contract specifically states that school administrators and teachers remain responsible for ordinary school discipline. SRO involvement is generally intended for criminal-law matters or legitimate public-safety concerns rather than routine disciplinary infractions.
District payments under the agreement are scheduled at:
- $180,048 for July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027.
- $192,651 for July 1, 2027–June 30, 2028.
- $206,137 for July 1, 2028–June 30, 2029.
SRO services are designated for Anoka Middle School's Fred Moore and Washington campuses, Anoka High School, STEP, Two Rivers Transition Program at Franklin and Sandburg Regional High School. Lincoln and Wilson elementary schools are listed for Prevention Program services.
Recognition and Other Agenda Items
The meeting includes recognition of the NAMM Foundation "Best Communities for Music Education 2026" Award.
The agenda also provides time for:
- Communications, delegations and petitions.
- A Board calendar and district update.
- Board correspondence and communication.
Closed Session
The agenda schedules a 30-minute closed session covering two subjects:
- Labor negotiations strategy, scheduled for approximately 10 minutes.
- Attorney-client privilege discussion, scheduled for approximately 20 minutes.
What to Watch at the Meeting
The Grade 6 Minnesota Studies decision is the clearest policy-and-curriculum question before the Board. The central choice is whether to approve Northern Lights Third Edition now while separately revising Policy 604.4, continue with existing materials until the policy work is completed, or develop another approach during Board consideration.
The consent agenda also contains several consequential operational commitments. Those include the three-year City of Anoka SRO agreement, updated substitute and temporary compensation, multiple hockey facility agreements and the proposed Northdale Middle School pickleball conversion partnership with Coon Rapids.
