Minnesota’s 2025 Superintendent of the Year is no stranger to inclusivity in the classroom, which is why she embraces innovation to support students in new ways. Here’s what that looks like.
About an hour west of Minnesota’s Twin Cities lies St. Cloud Area School District 742 where Superintendent Laurie Putnam relies on her exceptional team to focus on one of the district’s primary commitments: to create a culture of belonging. Some 5% of her students are homeless, 70% qualify for free-reduced lunch and nearly 25% are multilingual learners, many of whom are new to the country.
Putnam says she and her staff are committed to creating inclusive learning spaces to meet the individual needs of her students.
“Our community partners are willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with us to create an entire community where inclusion is at the heart of what we do,” she says.
For instance, the district recently held an event called Future 100 to guide high school seniors in developing strategic post-graduation plans. Local civic organizations brought in volunteers to conduct mock interviews with high school seniors and help them fill out college applications and network with local employers.
“It’s an incredible collective effort where every kid, no matter who they are or what their background, got to have individualized attention to help them plan what’s next for them,” she says.
Mapping out 2024-25 school year
Heading into the current school year, Putnam wrote down her list of goals for her students, which she looks at daily as a reminder of her commitment. She and her team are making a case for a facilities referendum for one of their high schools after passing a measure to rebuild one in 2016.
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Generative AI has also become a large part of these discussions as the technology becomes more sophisticated. Over the summer, the district hosted a thought leaders summit where legislators, including the Minnesota attorney general, the commissioner of education and other key stakeholders discussed how gen AI fits into shifting state standards and other K12 policy implications.
“As gen AI continues to grow, I think we need to take a careful look at what we expect our students to know and be able to do to be ready for the future,” Putnam explains.
Reflecting on success
The Superintendent of the Year award is not a reflection of one person’s work but a testament to the collective effort of an entire school district, she says.
“I can’t do much alone, right? Much of the effort that was offered for this award involved community collaboration and family engagement.”
“It means we’ve got a great team here,” she adds. “Honestly, it’s such an honor, because I look around at my colleagues across the state, and they’re doing such good work. I’m deeply grateful, humbled and excited.”