School Board Meetings
Avalon's School Board typically meets on the second Tuesday of every month, at 5:30pm. Dates are listed below.
Next meeting: Avalon's School next full board meeting will take place at 5:30pm on Tuesday, June 11th: Avalon Board Agenda.
Board Meeting Location and Virtual Link
Avalon School 700 Glendale Street. St. Paul, MN 55114
Time zone: America/Chicago
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/qfm-kdui-rpz
Or dial: (US) +1 225-532-1865 PIN: 835 061 229#
Meeting Dates 2024-2025
- August 20th, 6pm
- September 10th, 5:30pm
- October 8th, 5:30pm
- November 12th, 5:30pm
- December 10th, 5:30pm
- January 114th, 5:30pm
- February 11th, 5:30pm
- March 11th, 5:30pm
- April 15th, 5:30 pm
- May 2nd, 5:30 pm - Annual Meeting
- May 13th, 5:30pm
- June 10th, 5:30pm
Meeting Minutes
Avalon School Board's Meeting minutes can be found here:
Board Bylaws & Policies
Avalon school complies with all state and federal laws prohibiting discrimination. A copy of these laws is available free of charge upon request.
Email Carrie (Carrie@avalonschool.org) for details.
Board Elections
The 2024 Avalon School Board Elections will take place virtually from May 2nd to May 9th. Eligible voters will receive ballot instructions electronically in May. Questions regarding the board elections can be directed to Maggie.
Check back as the date approaches for information regarding Board Candidates.
Avalon Board Elections happen annually at our Annual Board Meeting in May.
For more information, see Avalon School Board Bylaws.
School Board Goals 24.25
Student Engagement Committee:
Communicate the story of our school performance and culture to the board, the staff, and the community at large, including highlighting areas of need and growth, specifically for our traditionally underserved communities.
*The student engagement committee typically meets on the Tuesday before a board meeting at 4pm in Avalon's math room.
Board Governance Committee:
Create a meaningful board evaluation tool that centers equity and reflects Avalon’s collaborative governance model, streamlines board function, and sets strategies for board governance improvement.
*The Board Governance Committee typically meets on the second Thursday of the month, at 4pm in Avalon's Math room. (There will be no meeting in January.). To join the meeting virtually, use this link.
Financial Committee:
Ensure our resources are applied where most needed to support Avalon’s equity goals, evaluate current needs, and consider new expenditures in light of the changes related to the pandemic.
*The Finance Committee typically meets at 5:00pm on Board Meeting days. Please email tim@avalonschool.org for more information.
Board Members
After graduating from St. Olaf in 2008 with a degree in Art and Education, Sarah was thrilled to find work in Northfield area schools. She spent the first decade of her career as a Middle School Advisor and Art Teacher at Arcadia Charter School (with a bit of quality time spent teaching K-8 Art at the Cannon River Stem School). At Arcadia, Sarah had many great students, friends, and mentors and fell in love with Project Based Learning. In 2016, she returned to school to earn her MA in Special Education and shortly after (2018) joined the Avalon staff. Sarah has been a full-time Special Education Teacher ever since. Sarah is passionate about reading and writing instruction and is currently pursuing her Orton Gillingham Certification
Sarah loves art, words (spoken and written), fractions, dogs and cats equally, green olives, long walks, and frequent trips to DQ.
Kevin Ward is an advisor at Avalon School. He joined Avalon in 2002 and feels lucky to be here. A graduate of Oberlin College with a BA in English, Kevin has also attended Northwestern University (MS in Secondary English Instruction) and University of Wisconsin-Madison (MA in English Literature). He lives in the Hamline Midway neighborhood of St. Paul with his wife Jess and two kids Murray and Olive. Kevin likes reading and working with students, so the whole thing is a pretty good deal for him.
In 2005, Avalon School was introduced to Regina Goldner. She was enthusiastic about math, thought the co-op model was a great fit for her, and was ready share her love of project-based learning with everyone. Regina moved from Seattle, WA to Minnesota back in 2000, ready to make the world a better place; little did she know that teaching was going to be the way she would change the world. She had just graduated from Fairhaven College with a concentration in Environmental and Social Justice and didn’t even think she liked the youth of America. Now, years later, she is proud of her Masters in Education from the University of Minnesota and knows that teaching is the job of her dreams and Avalon the school which she loves.
Bio to come!
Over the past twenty years, Tamara's career has been dedicated to social justice, elevating others, and creating equity for all. Her work in Human Resources, progressive politics, and the labor movement encompasses everything from creating best practices for workplaces through policies and procedures using employee engagement metrics to budget analysis to ensure competitiveness in the market.
She lives in southeast Minneapolis with her family, and is the parent of four wonderful children, all attending Avalon School, and who are thriving in Avalon's unique approach to student-centered learning.
Tim started at Avalon School in the winter of the 2007-2008 school year. Attending Hamline’s Master's in Teaching program during the evenings to earn his teaching credentials, Tim began at Avalon as an Educational Assistant. After two and a half enjoyable years as an EA, Tim was hired as a full time advisor in the high school, and has been there ever since. Tim is licensed in the Language Arts. Tim also loves math, technology, and terrible jokes.
Esteban Castillo is a 2020 High school graduate of Avalon School and the Entrepreneur Fellowship Director. He is a social entrepreneur, organizer, and artist. His father was born in Mexico and mother was born in Colombia. His parents' very different lives and backgrounds have allowed him to connect with all walks of life.