Cliff Buchan
News EditorIt all starts anew next Tuesday for an estimated 7550 students who attend Forest Lake Area Schools.
Tuesday, Sept. 7 marks the opening of classes in ISD 831.
The projected enrollment of 7550 students compares to the June 1, 2004 enrollment total of 7571 students, according to district records.
Students will need to adjust to new school starting and closing times and to pay higher fees for participation in non-curricular activities.
The change in times was made by the district to ease traffic congestion in the Forest Lake High School-Century Junior High School block along TH-97 and Goodview Ave. N.
Under the new system, Forest Lake High School will be in class from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Century will operate classes from 7:43 until 2:13 while Southwest students will be in class from 7:42 to 2:12 each day.
The drop-off times for the three secondary schools will begin at 7:25 a.m.
While seven district elementary schools will be in session from 9:15 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., the Montessori Elementary at the Central Learning Center will operate from 7:55 a.m. until 2:15 p.m. with its students riding on the secondary route buses.
The increased rate for activity fees is a reflection of budget adjustments needed in the district this year. The district has opened the school year with a $2 million budget cut and the reduction of 20 teaching positions at the elementary and secondary levels.
Students in grades K-6 will pay $50 for each activity this school year while students in grades 7-8 will pay $100 per sport. Students in grade 9 will pay $150 per sports; high school students will be charged $150 per sport and for some activities. Other activities will carry a $50 charge in grades 7-9 and $60 in grades 10-12.
The district will also open the year with two kindergarten formats. While many kindergarten students will enroll under the all-day every-other-day program, more than 120 students have enrolled in the fee-based Kindergarten Plus program that provides all-day schooling every day.
The half-day program was adopted by the school board as a means of saving an estimated $250,000 in transportation costs tied to the former half-day, every day system for the districtís estimated 500-plus kindergarten students.
Other schools
The districtís late August estimate for total K-12 enrollment of 7550 students is a decrease of 21 students from the K-12 total of 7571 actual students enrolled here on June 1, 2004.
The district has seen enrollment drops from two charter schools in Forest Lake.
As of Monday, Lakes International Language Academy, the public Spanish immersion charter school, had enrolled 177 students. The school said some 70 percent or about 124 of the total enrollment was drawn from the ranks of the ISD 831 boundaries.
School officials said of the remaining 30 percent, a large share was drawn from the North Branch and Chisago Lakes public school system.
Lakes Academy will also open next Tuesday.
An expanded North Lakes Academy public charter school in Forest Lake is expecting total enrollment of 185 students when it opens next Tuesday. The school, thanks to the construction of 9000 additional square feet of space, can handle total enrollment of 200 students.
An open house from 5-7 p.m. tonight (Thursday) will showcase the new facilities to the public. The school is located at 255 NW 7th Ave.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will open the evening at 4:55 p.m.
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