Revised School Board Meeting Schedule

Here is the latest for the school board meetings:

• Public hearing on school closings, February 28, 6:30 pm at Osseo Senior High, Auditorium
• School Board Negotiations Strategies, March 5, 4 - 6 pm at the ESC (This negotiations strategies session is closed to the public)
• School Board Meeting has been changed to a Work Session, March 5, 6 - 9 pm at the ESC.
• Special Board Meeting has been added on March 11, 7 pm at the ESC (Board approves any school closings and boundary changes).

THIS WEEK IS BIG!

HI All!
This week is a BIG week! If you'd like to help PLAN the "speech" for the meeting, be at McDonald's on 81 at 7pm on Monday 2/18.

SCHOOL BOARD MEETING Tuesday 2/19! Wear ORANGE!
Arrive EARLY (by 5pm) if you hope to get into the Board Room. It'd be great if we could get a BUNCH of orange sitting together. Anyone interested can meet at 4:30 at Shaune Younkers house to car pool. Email shelliem@comcast.net if interested for an address.

Another car pool can meet at 5:30 at OE parking lot. Most likely these people will be in overflow seating somewhere.

Community Cafes WEDNESDAY 2/20 AT 6:30 PM. Also, wear orange. 3 locations: Osseo JUNIOR High, Maple Grove Sr. High, Park Center High

SPAGHETTI DINNER at OE on Thursday 2/21 from 5-7pm! Let's relax, decompress and do what we do best - have fun as a COMMUNITY!

Shaune Younkers along with several other Osseo parents hosted a meeting tonight with the following schools at United Methodist Church in Osseo;

Weaver Lake
Basswood
Elm Creek
Oak View
Rice Lake
Edinbrook
Cedar Island

Also in attendance were Osseo City Counsel Member Brian Kleven and School Board Member Dean Henke.

There was a lot of dialog about how to approach the school board on Wednesday night. Basically a statement is going to be drafted tomorrow that all schools will be in agreement on and will be prepared to present to the board on Wednesday. We are asking the board to consider stopping this proposal to offer all parties, parents, business owners, and taxpayers time for due process. We are requesting the board go into the district's reserve balance to cover the $16million at this point, go back in November and ask taxpayers for more funds and move forward to getting the teachers back.

We are stronger standing together as one united force and all schools that attended were in agreement. Due to the short notice of the meeting several schools that wanted to be there couldn't make it, we will be contacting the schools that were not able to make it asking them to join us in our united force on Wednesday.

Highlight tonight; Maple Grove City Counsel passed a resolution, like Osseo, to not support the District 279 proposal for school closings and boundry changes.

We need some representatives from Brooklyn Park to do the same!

ATTEND THE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING!

The first school board meeting is coming up Wednesday 2/6 at 8pm. It sounds like attendance will be high, you may want to arrive early! It's at 11200 - 93rd Avenue North in Maple Grove MN 55369. PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT! THE MORE THE MERRIER! It wouldn't be a bad idea for the speaker to ask all who are there to support OE to raise hands/stand up, etc. Let's show up in force!

Write a Letter!

EXPOSURE IS VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR CAUSE!

After you write to the school board, please take time to write a letter to the editor.

For the Osseo-Maple Grove Press . . .

Articles should not exceed 500 words. You must inculde your full name, address, and phone number. ONLY your name and hometown will be published. Send articles to:

Sun Press and News
PO Box 280
Osseo, MN 55369

FAX: 763-425-4299

sunpressopinions@acnpapers.com