Schools

A Packed House at Henry Sibley Reviews Preliminary Budget Cutting Options for District 197

Three budget options ranging from traditional to dynamic target $1.8 million in cuts. Moving Mendota Elementary to Friendly Hills Middle School is still on the table.

The District 197 administration presented three budget options Monday night that they say would cut $1.7 million- $1.8 million in the 2011-2012 budget, while a fourth option to co-located Mendota Elementary into Friendly Hills Middle School would effectively reduce the amount of cuts needed by $400,000 and eliminate the potential for an additional lease levy on tax payers, according to Superintendent Jay Haugen.

While the first two budget options rely on traditional cuts including reductions in full time equivalent (FTE) positions, support staff and transportation, a third budget option also includes restructuring the school day and education models in each of the buildings to reduce staff while providing more opportunities for “differentiation,” meaning education that is more tailored to the needs of a particular student.

Meanwhile, Haugen said he’s committed to expanding the early education program, which currently occupies the empty classrooms in buildings throughout the district. Early education programs are funded through community education, and are not a part of District 197’s general fund expenditures, which fund the majority of operations in grades k-12.

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Finance director Carl Colmark explained to a packed conference room of parents and teachers from the district that the schools are facing a budget shortfall of $1.4 million-$1.6 million in the general fund next year, and anticipate no help from the Legislature.

The school board has given the administration the goal of cutting a total of $2.4 million, which would free up an additional million in “innovation dollars” for reinvestment back into pilot programs designed to ultimately lower the cost of education while maintaining or improving quality.

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Superintendent Jay Haugen said that while the district can continue to pursue a million or so dollars in cuts a year in response to lower revenue and increased costs, ultimately the district needs to redesign education in its classrooms to regain a level of sustainability. The proposed cuts including the re-location option come close to $2.4 million, but without it fall short of the goal.

The district has already cut $5.6 million over the last five years, said Colmark.

While the cuts will impact every school in the district, much of the crowd was present to learn more about the proposal for "co-locating" Mendota Elementary.

Mendota Elementary parent Andrea Berg, who wore red to signify opposition to the plan, said she was at the meeting to learn, so that at upcoming public comment opportunities “rather than speaking from the heart, we can speak with facts and figures.”

The presentation included only a few extra details related to the co-location that weren’t released at its first debut on Feb. 22.

The co-location plan would move Mendota Elementary (population: about 320) into the second floor of Friendly Hills Middle School (population: about 620, with a confortable capacity of just under 1,000). For the first year, that would be the extent of the restructuring, said Haugen, while moving forward there would be a push to create one k-8 school, rather than two schools in one building.

Relocation costs, including building a new playground at Friendly Hills, total $70,000 under the estimate. Haugen said they did not find many needs for retrofiting the middle school for younger students.

Garlough Environmental Magnet School students would be directed entirely to Heritage Middle School where they would continue in the E-STEM program, freeing up room at Friendly Hills, while Pilot Knob fifth-graders would stay at the elementary level through fifth grade, a practice standard in the Apple Valley-Eagan-Rosemount School District.

By vacating the Mendota Elementary building, the district’s early education program could develop a central location for expansion of its programs, while still keeping satellite locations at Pilot Knob and Moreland.The alternative would be to rent commercial space in Mendota Heights, retrofit the space and levy the cost of the rent onto taxpayers. Some associated costs could not be levied.

The consolidatation at Friendly Hills is estimated to save $100,000 in the first year, and $300,000 in the second year, which Haugen said reduces the amount needed for cuts because those numbers are general fund dollars not being spent.

The remaining space at Mendota Elementary is sought-after lease space in the education community, said Colemark.  The minimum standing offer from District 917 for 10,000 square feet of space is $50,000 a year, while he said other potential leasers have come forward with interest in the education space. Total potential lease revenue was targeted at approximately $150,000.

Haugen said that a decision whether to pursue the co-location needs to be made before the planning of details should proceed.

“If it’s something that seems a viable option, we’ll certainly put the time into those details,” said Haugen.

However, that may prove a chicken-and-the-egg sequence as community members and board members try to evaluate the logistical feasibility of merging the schools.

Mark Spurr called the lease revenue “speculative” and was met with applause from the audience when he commented, “I feel like we need to understand this better.”

Mendota parent Terry Zein said he and his wife have questions about usage of the buildings, such as how elementary students will fair on the second story, and in a setting with older children. After the presentation, Zein said all those questions remain to be answered.

Board chair Robin Rainford said Monday night was the board’s first exposure to the budget scenarios, and they would spend time digesting the information before their next business meeting March 14. She emphasized that a final decision will not be made until April.

Check back with Patch for more detail on the three budget options and their impact on schools.


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