Commentary; Posted: 12/15/04
School closing study not out of line
By Cliff Buchan
ISD 831 School Board member Keith Dunham no doubt ruffled some feathers this month when he called for a detailed study of the financial and human impact of the closing of a school in the Forest Lake district.
Dunham, who has served on the school board for just under a year, made his request in light of the pending budget decisions facing the district and the availability of classroom space at the elementary school level. In short, Dunhamís push is to investigate if a school closing is feasible and makes sense financially.
Dunham may not be right in pushing the question right now. The school closing topic may indeed be premature for 2005. If voters reject the school districtís request for additional operating dollars next November, the school closing issue certainly becomes more real.
But Dunham is not wrong in asking for the study now. If the school district administration can produce the study that is needed to provide the key answers, it will be all the better for the budget process. And doing the study now sends a message to the public that the district is looking at any and all avenues to deal with its budget problem.
At some point next year, the administration is expected to provide that information. A 5-2 vote of the school board on Dec. 2 directed the administration to begin the study.
We hope it is just one of many budget discussions that the school board will take up in 2005.
As the board and administration begins the process of cutting another $2 million from its general fund for the 2005-2006 fiscal year, we trust the districtís unreserved general fund balance will be considered.
The district has taken significant steps of improvement in moving from statutory operating debt status to a positive fund balance of just under $1.9 million as of June 30, 2004. Thatís a swing of more than $4 million over three years.
It has happened as a result of improved school administration management practices and past cuts that are keeping expenses in line with revenues.
We sincerely hope the positive turn in the unreserved general fund balance will be a factor in how the next round of budget cuts are addressed.
Is a $2 million cut still the magic number? If the district is intent on its past commitment to rebuild its fund balance, the answer is probably yes.
But the full extent of the projected $2 million budget reduction may not be warranted if the district is willing to cap its unreserved fund balance growth, at least for the time being. In our mind, there comes a point when the fund balance level should be weighed carefully against the negative impact that budget cuts are bringing to programs and staffing.
Is it unreasonable to provide some protection to programs and staff at the risk of holding the line on fund balance growth? We donít believe so, not in these unusual times when school districts are forced to turn to their citizens for a local property tax hike to help fund schools. In light of frozen state basic aid for the past three years, schools have little choice but to ask voters for more dollars.
Some level of cuts may well be justified, but the time is now to slow the budget reductions if the main goal is rebuilding the fund balance. We understand the importance of the fund balance, but protecting the greater good of the educational program the district is able to provide its students should take precedence.
Send a positive message that the district is doing what is best for children and it will go far in convincing taxpayers school officials have their hearts in the right place. If they arenít convinced next fall, the more dark days will be on the horizon ó the days when school closing studies will be read from cover to cover.
Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605