District 197 Chalk Talk: Preliminary Tax Levy OK'd

The West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan School Board approved a preliminary property tax levy payable in 2012 at their meeting Wednesday. A final property tax levy will be approved after a Truth in Taxation hearing scheduled for Dec. 5.

The proposed levy would collect $17.6 million, a 3.7 percent decrease from 2011. That decrease is attributed to the expiration next year of one of two voter-approved operating levies. Voters will be asked to renew that $1.7 million levy and increase it by $1.8 million in the November election.

Under the proposed levy, not including passage of the referendum, the district will likely have to make $3.2 million in cuts.

• Susan Brott, communications director, gave the board a tour of the information available online about the District 197 referendum levy. The district website has information available, including District 197's levy history, the proposed tax impact, and a FAQ page.
• Board member Cristina Gillette reported that the East Metro Integration District that the district participates in faces three choices: closing its two schools, keeping the schools open but finding another entity to operate them, or keep them open and strengthen them, despite the pending . A decision is expected by the end of October.
• has hit the halfway point, according to board member Mark Spurr, and is transitioning from information gathering to prioritizing and formulating recommendations. Spurr welcomed the public to attend SRAC meetings and check out the SRAC project website.

• was recognized for their achievement on the . Of the fourth graders at Somerset Elementary, 97.3 percent met state standards in math. Moreland Elementary was also recognized for making adequate yearly progress, after failing to do so in past years.
• were recognized by the board and Henry Sibley High School Principal Robin Percival. Their parents were also recognized. "We all recognize that it takes a village; it takes a community, but it really takes the parents," said Percival.
• Principal of Garlough Environmental Magnet School, Sue Powell, was unable to attend the meeting because she was accepting a Magnet School of America merit award from Magnet Schools of America.*
• Mark Fortman, director of operations, reviewed the district's emergency action plan. The plan was digitized three years ago, and covers everything from bomb threats to severe weather events. The district performs five lockdown drills, five fire drills and one severe weather drill every year. Fortman said the drills have been valuable in improving the safety of the schools and the procedures.

Correction: This article has been edited to reflect the correct merit award received by GEMS. Patch regrets the error.