Posted: 10/8/03

Community Education celebrates 30 years in ISD 831

Jessica Foster
Staff Writer

It was 30 years ago, back in 1973, when community education was introduced to Forest Lake area.

In three decades the program has expanded from a one page flier inserted into the newspaper to a book full of opportunities sent district wide four times a year.

In 1984, the budget was just $237,000. This year, the program, has nearly 500 paid staff members, more than 600 volunteers and a $3,000,000 budgetómore than 12 times the earlier budget.

While the programís budget increased with its offerings, the framework remains.

ìI can look at that one page sheet and still see the name of someone who teaches today, and thatís Kathy Bell who teaches upholstery,î said Mary Mathison, community involvement coordinator for the program.

ìSo many people are involved in community education and they donít even know it,î said Dan Poepard, director of Community Services. ìThey forget how comprehensive our program is in this community.î

Poepard, who has been with the district since the early 1980s, is the second director of the program which began under the leadership of Stan Petersen.

ìHe laid a good foundation,î Poepard said of his predecessor.

While all taxpayers pitch in to provide the dollars for the school budget, those without enrolled children may wonder how the school effects them.

With community education, Poepard said, all taxpayers get something for their dollars spentówhether it be via adult enrichment program, senior citizensí programs, LINK, aquatics or adult basic education, among others.

ìThe goal of Community Education is to meet the needs of the community,î Poepard said. ìWe would like everybody to be involved in our district. Weíre a quality program close to home that strives to meet the needs of the whole community.î

An example of meeting needs, Poepard said, is the teen center, which recently opened for the second year in the Central Learning Center.

Other examples of needs met include youth athletics, the ice arena, the family center, school age care, drivers education and the youth development program, among others.

ìAs the public welcomes and appreciates us and pays their fees we just keep growing,î Poepard said.

Staff

There has been little turn over at Community Education over the last three decades.

ìOur leadership is just phenomenal,î Mathison said. ìWe have extremely little turn over in Community Education. People love to work here.î

Karen Morehead has been involved with Community Education in varying degrees and aspects over its duration. When her children were young, she could be seen on the sidelines, cheering on her sons in sports. As a school board member, she saw the inner workings of the program. Now, she looks forward to participating in programs for seniors in later years.

In every aspect, Morehead lauds the quality staff.

ìSeeing how they operate, always managing funds fiscally responsible and offering family friendly programs,î Morehead said. ìI do think the programs are important but the people who run them are equally important.î

Budget

The dollars to run the Community Education department derive from a separate fund. While some may wonder why dollars from Community Education cannot be shifted to benefit classroom quality, that is not a possibility.

ìCommunity Education is a separate fund. Itís a little more like a business. We have to collect fees and make ends meet,î Poepard said.

While the fund is separate, Community Education will feel the sting of the budget crunch.

Starting in July, the Early Childhood Family Education program will suffer some significant hits, due to changes in legislation.

To balance the budget, the fee schedule may need to be adjusted for ECFE. Changes in staffing also may be utilized.

Day to celebrate

In addition to the programís 30th birthday, the department is celebrating National Community Education Day.

This yearís theme is ìCreating Communities of LearningÖNo One Left Behind.î

In addition to staff programs, the community is invited to participate by taking a quiz about the program and compete for prizes of gift certificates to be used toward Community Education activities or classes.

For more information about Community Education or to take the quiz, log onto www.forestlake.k12.mn.us and click on Community Education and Services or call 651-982-8110.

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