Posted: 11/12/03

After election defeat, new challenges await

Sometimes you just have a feeling. It was that way last Tuesday as I watched voters march in to the Forest Lake precinct. Some were there to vote for school board members but most on Nov. 4 were there to help decide an operating levy request.

There was a sinking feeling in the 20 to 30 minutes that I spent there that afternoon. By 10 p.m. that night when the first vote tally from Lino Lakes arrived and the margin was strongly against approval, it was clear there would be no approval on this election day. There was no change in any of the remaining precincts although some of the optimists held out hope until the end.

One can search for hours to find a reason or the reasons why the five year levy for $2 million a year went down by a 58-42 percent margin in a contest where 9076 ballots were cast. The reasons can range from the school district didnít get its message across to the fact vote total on Nov. 4 was just under 3000 lower than the successful operating levy turnout in 2001. An ominous fact is almost 3000 yes votes from 2001 vanished last week while the no votes were nearly equal to the 2001 total.

The reasons can get complicated, but hereís one guess that stops short of being complicated.

From this desk, it is clear the extra funding for our schools was shot down because people are tired of paying more taxes. Pure and simple. And who can argue with that feeling? Nobody in their right mind wants to pay more taxes, but many are of the belief that sometimes it is the right thing to do.

The timing couldnít have been worse for school districts like Forest Lake. Thanks to the huge budget problems at the state level, public schools were given no new state aid by the 2003 legislature. Local districts didnít receive the funding they maintain was needed to cover the ever growing costs.

Short new state aid, many districts went to the public in form of excess levy votes.

There was some ray of hope in the legislative action. The state didnít cut its aid to public schools and it increased the amount of aid the state would pay to districts willing to raise their own taxes at the local level.

In Forest Lakeís case the rate amounted to 18 percent, meaning almost $2 million of the $10 million over five years would have come from the state.

On the surface the higher levels of state equalization was a nice gesture but it was no more than lip service to a conservative area like Forest Lake.

This area is heavily dominated by Republican politicians. Most were elected in part because of a pledge to not raise taxes. Yet many of these same lawmakers were gladly telling districts like Forest Lake to go ahead and raise your own taxes.

Thatís a tough sale in an area like this. The results on Nov. 4 are evidence.

Weíve always been under the impression the state is constitutionally obligated to fully fund public education. It is clear that the state is not willing to shoulder the responsibility but willing to pass the dirty work off to local school boards.

There arenít many areas in our society where the voters can make a determination of spending like they do with schools. Arguing the pros and cons is fruitless. The result is schools are held to a standard that other governmental agencies are not.

What happens next?

The school board has pledged to reduce its spending for the 2004-2005 school year by $2 million. The cuts, clearly outlined before the election, will mean larger class sizes created by the elimination of 25 teaching positions. Programs will be reduced, fees will be increased, again, and kindergarten students in 2004 may be told they will attend school on an alternate day, every-other-day format.

None of it is pretty. But it is a fact of life now that the levy has failed to pass.

Some may argue the school board should move forward precisely with the cut plan approved this fall. A majority of the plan no doubt has to remain in place, but here is one vote for a detailed re-examination of the reduction plan.

There has been little support for the kindergarten proposal. Because of the lives it will disrupt and the impact it will have on educating kids at a most critical time, the format deserves a second look. Perhaps the dollars to cover the $260,000 in transportation savings can be found in other areas.

In recent year, for logical reasons, the district has developed support positions that have taken teachers from the classrooms. Now may be the time for the district to look long and hard at the staff positions that have no direct student contacts.

Such moves would certainly be a step backward, but in such times difficult decisions need to be considered.

It was encouraging to hear board-member elect Keith Dunhamís views on the budget. As the only new member of the board in 2004, he hasnít voted on any plans. He, for one, is willing to look under every stone before voting on the actual budget cutting moves. Thatís good.

There remains a possibility the financial position may not end up as bleak as predicted by school planners. With the final financial numbers from the 2002-2003 fiscal year yet to be released, there is hope the estimated $2 million deficit could shrink.

We can always hope. In a time and a conservative area like this, hope is a good thing. After failing to convince voters of the need to pass this operating levy, it is about all district planners have left. That and budget cuts.

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