Board Initiated Goals Governance (B.I.G.G.)

The Board of Education has adopted the Board Initiated Goals Governance (B.I.G.G) governance model, which emphasizes student outcomes goals, programmatic goals, district relations goals, and internal goals.

Board members conducted extensive community engagement sessions to gather meaningful input from students, families, staff and community members and used this feedback to develop and amend these goals.

The goals developed through this collaborative process reflect the shared aspirations and priorities of the Saint Paul community.

There will be a regular assessment of progress toward these goals will inform the Board’s oversight and decision-making.

The Board voted to adopt these goals at the Regular Meeting on May 20, 2025.

Student Outcomes Goals

The percentage of SPPS students who are proficient in reading will increase from 34% in 2024 to 40% by 2029; the percentage of SPPS students learning English as a second language who are proficient in reading will increase from 7% in 2024 to 15% by 2029, as measured by the Minnesota Comprehensive Reading Assessments.
The percentage of SPPS students who are proficient in math will increase from 26% in 2024 to 31% by 2029, as measured by the Minnesota Comprehensive Mathematics Assessments.
The percentage of SPPS students who complete a career inventory before graduation will increase from 78% of students in 2024 to 99% of students in 2029.
The percentage of SPPS students who receive a passing grade in Civics and/or U.S. Government will increase from 84% in 2024 to 90% in 2029.
The percentage of students earning a passing grade in Personal Finance will increase from implementation in September 2025 to 75% by June 2029.

REPORTING:

The Board charges the Superintendent with meeting or exceeding these goals and reporting on the progress of each of these Student Outcomes Goals at least two times every school year at regularly-scheduled Board of Education meetings.
The Superintendent will report on the progress of at least one Student Outcomes or Programmatic goal at each Board of Education meeting.

Programmatic Goals

The percentage of school-aged children who live in Saint Paul and attend an SPPS school will increase from 60% in 2024 to 63% by 2029.
The number of schools fully implementing the Whole School Restorative Practices model will increase from 1 in 2024 to 8 by 2029.
The amount of the district funds dedicated to music and arts will increase from $243 per student in Fiscal Year 2025 to $284 per student by Fiscal Year 2029 as outlined in the SPPS district budget.
The percentage of SPPS students who graduate in 4 years will increase from 68% in 2023 to 80% in 2029; returning to pre-pandemic levels for all student groups.

REPORTING:

The Board charges the Superintendent with implementing these goals and reporting on the progress of each of these Programmatic Goals at least one time every school year at regularly-scheduled Board of Education meetings.
The Superintendent will report on the progress of at least one Student Outcomes or Programmatic goal at each Board of Education meeting.

District Relations Goals

The Board and District leadership will collaborate on a set of shared expectations regarding the manner in which they communicate with one another.
The Superintendent will provide consistent and regular updates to all board members about the wellbeing of the district and the progress of our shared work.
Board leadership will determine how best to merge the Board’s public relations strategies with the district’s public relations strategies.
The Board and District Administration will hold an annual retreat and work session.

REPORTING:

The Board charges the Superintendent to collaborate with the Board to achieve these District Relations Goals.
The Board commits to monitoring the progress of these District Relations Goals and will use their 2026 Board Retreat to determine whether these goals have been met and to set new District Relations Goals for the following year.
The Board will create and deliver a public report detailing whether or not it met its District Relations and Internal Goals at a regularly-scheduled Board of Education meeting following its 2026 Board Retreat

Internal Goals

The Board will develop and implement clear procedures for committee attendance no later than the 2026 Board Retreat. These procedures will include an expectation that Board Members will activate their alternates in the case of an absence, a process for reporting the activities of the committee back to the full Board, as well as a process for changing the Board Member assigned to a particular committee in the case of repeated absences.
The Board will develop a strategy around communications and engagement. This strategy should address expectations regarding how we collectively respond to emails from our community as well as how we respond to each other in a way that allows us to operate effectively. As part of this strategy, Board Members will host at least two public town hall/office hours events each year, at least one of which must be a meeting with students, and will visit each school in their focus area at least once per calendar year.
By their 2026 Board Retreat, the Board will update their onboarding process for new Board Members, which will include technology set-up, scheduling one-on-one meetings with the Board Administrator, Board Chair, and Superintendent, scheduling school visits in designated focus areas, and a training with General Counsel regarding Roberts Rules, Conflicts of Interest, and Open Meeting Laws.
Every Board Member will engage in some form of professional development each year to improve as a public servant.
The Board will conduct a self-evaluation, based on these internal goals, at the 2026 board retreat.

REPORTING:

The Board commits to monitoring the progress of these goals and charges itself with meeting these Internal Goals by their 2026 Board Retreat.
The Board will create and deliver a public report detailing whether or not it met its District Relations and Internal Goals at a regularly-scheduled Board of Education meeting following its 2026 Board Retreat

FINAL FEEDBACK ON B.I.G.G. SURVEY - SUMMARY OF RESULTS

The Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) School Board sought final input on the goals established for their Board-Initiated Goals Governance. To gather this feedback, parents, families, community members, educators, administrators, and district staff were invited to share their opinions. The survey link was shared via email, the Bridge, the Principal’s Playbook, among others.

SUMMARY REPORT (PDF)