Front L-R: Nelly Korman, Dawn Steigauf, Beth Beebe
Back L-R: Tom Bennett, Matt Dymoke, Heather Starks and Mia Olson
The School Board is the policy-making body for Bloomington Public Schools. While the board is responsible for school programs and operations by law, it delegates some portion of that authority to the Superintendent. The School Board is governed by a chair and vice chair who are elected by the School Board membership.
School Board Sessions
School board business meetings are held on the fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m. Meetings are held in the Arlene Bush Board Room at the Educational Services Center, 1350 W. 106th St.
The second Monday of each month will be a study session for the School Board beginning at 7 pm. Study sessions are not carried by BEC-TV.
If a holiday falls on a Monday, the board session will be on Tuesday.
The third Monday of each month is reserved for a study session, a board meeting, professional development, or a combination thereof. The session will be at 7 p.m. unless determined otherwise.
School Board Listening Sessions
Prior to the study session on the second Monday of the month, the School Board will host a listening session from 6 - 6:45 p.m. Bloomington Public Schools parents/caregivers, students and staff, and Bloomington residents are invited to comment to the School Board.
Listening sessions are an opportunity to voice concerns or approval about school district matters, but not the proper venue for complains about individual staff members. Please see these guidelines for speaking about individuals, which will be covered at the beginning of each listening session as a reminder to speakers.
Individuals wishing to speak at a listening session are required to register in advance with the Office of the Superintendent by completing the form below. If no one has registered to speak by noon on the day of the meeting, there will be no listening session that day. The start time for the listening session may be adjusted depending upon the number of speaker registrations. Listening sessions are in person in the Arlene Bush Board Room. Listening sessions are not carried by BEC TV.
School Board Member Handbook
The district's School Board Member Handbook provides guidance related to the role of being a school board member. It is a resource for those currently serving on the school board and those who look to serve on the board in the future.
BEC-TV Broadcasts
School Board meetings are covered live by BEC-TV and can be seen via live stream, Apple TV, Roku and Cable.
Ways to Watch
- BEC-TV Live Stream - Watch live meetings here as they are happening
- BEC-TV Video on Demand - Stream past school board meetings
- Cable, Apple TV, Roku and more
- Regular School Board meetings are replayed at 1 a.m., 7 a.m., and 1 p.m. the day following the meeting, as well as several times later in the week.
2024 Celebration of Service
Bloomington Public Schools honored 33 employees with a combined 810 years of service to the district at the Celebration of Service May 24. The annual reception recognized employees with 15 or more years of employment at the time of their retirement or departure.
The Board has established the following goals for the 2024-2025 school year:
- Future Ready Instruction: The Board will advocate for funding and policy
changes at the state and federal level to impact future ready instruction.- Approve a District legislative platform
- Approve MSBA Resolutions
- Host legislators on tours of BPS schools and programs, and discuss timely educational issues prior to the end of the 2025 Legislative Session
- Actively participate in professional organization advocacy efforts
- Participating in individual Legislative Advocacy (emails, calls, etc.) before
the end of the legislative session
- Inclusive Environment: The Board will update policies that promote an inclusive environment and improve student attendance.
- Approve one to two school year calendars by fall 2024
- Review and update Policy 503: Student Attendance in fall/winter, 2024
- Quality Workforce: The Board will support the Strategic Plan Goal 3 to recruit, hire, develop and retain a high quality, diverse workforce to ensure each learner is surrounded with personalized support.
- Create and update policies that ensure a quality workforce
- Require at least one annual Grow Your Own report by administration to
the School Board before the end of the 2024-25 school year
- Family Partnerships: The Board will support and actively engage in “Operation Enrollment” and promote a sense of community.
- Engage respective school leaders and staff as a Board ambassador
- Get trained and explore a potential Braver Angels community event this
school year
- Equitable Resources: The Board will support Strategic Plan Goal 5 of maximizing the use of equitable resources through careful planning and financial
stewardship.- Participate in the Right Sizing the Budget 2025-26 process, and support
the recommendations in preparation to approve the 2025-26 budget - Advocate for funding and policy changes at MN Legislature before the end of the legislative session to improve ISD 271 revenues and secure funding for unfunded state mandates
- Participate in the Right Sizing the Budget 2025-26 process, and support
The term for a School Board member is four years. School Board members are elected in the odd years. There is no primary election for School Board members, so the next school board election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025 for seats with terms expiring at the end of 2025.
Candidate Filings
Filings for school board candidates are not currently open. Details about where and when to file will be posted here before the next filing window opens.
Qualifications for Voting and Assuming Office
Pursuant to the Federal and Minnesota constitutions, persons must be 18 years of age or older to vote; 21 years of age or older to assume public office. To qualify to vote or assume office a person must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Minnesota for 20 days preceding the election and a resident of the school district. In addition, to assume public office, a person must be a resident of the district for 30 days. Preregistration is not required.
Campaign Finance Reports
- 2019 School Board Campaign Finance Reports
- 2021 School Board Campaign Finance Reports
- 2023 School Board Campaign Finance Reports
Contact
Jennifer Hazel
Deputy Clerk for School Board Elections
952-681-6421
jhazel@isd271.org
School Board Member Term Expiration Dates
Beth Beebe Term expires 12/31/25
Tom Bennett Term expires 12/31/25
Matt Dymoke Term expires 12/31/25
Dawn Steigauf Term expires 12/31/25
Nelly Korman Term expires 12/31/27
Mia Olson Term expires 12/31/27
Heather Starks Term expires 12/31/27
The student school board representatives for 2024-2025 are Jenny Wen (Jefferson) and Kenneth Adah (Kennedy).
Student representatives attend meetings that are held on the fourth Monday of each month September through May. They give reports about school activities and participate in discussion of board agenda items. They are non-voting members of the School Board. Student representatives have been a part of the School Board since 2016.
Dec. 9, 2024, 7 p.m.
The Truth In Taxation hearing for Bloomington Public Schools (BPS) will be held as part of the School Board Meeting on Monday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. If you wish to make a public comment or pose a question regarding your school district taxes during that portion of the meeting, you may do so by signing in upon your arrival at the Board Meeting. The School Board Chair will call upon persons wishing to address the School Board and ask speakers to state their name and address before they begin with comments and/or questions.
The School Board Meeting and Truth in Taxation hearing location -- Educational Services Center, 1350 West 106th Street, in the Arlene Bush Board Room.
The Bloomington Public Schools school board approved the 2024 Legislative Priorities on Jan. 22, 2024. The board also supports these platforms:
Contact
Executive Assistant to the Superintendent and School Board
952-681-6402
klofton@isd271.org