Cliff Buchan
News Editor

When officials in ISD 831 designed plans for a new Levy for Learning, it wasnít done to stave off budget cuts. It was with the idea of finally taking steps to help student achievement.

And that is exactly what passage of next Tuesdayís Levy for Referendum operating levy increase will achieve, said Lynn Steenblock, superintendent of schools.

Voters next Tuesday will be asked to approve a new levy that will generate an additional $2 million in general fund dollars. The current $6 million operating levy that is in place would be eliminated and replaced by a new levy raising $8 million a year over the next five years starting in 2006.

ìItís all about student achievement,î Steenblock said. ìItís all about learning. Itís all about kids.î

The Levy for Learning has two main thrusts: the hiring of 44 new teachers and a new teaching concept in how that staff is used and the creation of an all day, every day kindergarten program for all students. Fourteen kindergarten teachers would be included among the 44 new hires.

The remaining 30 staff members would be split with 16 at the elementary level and 14 at the secondary levy. Staff would be devoted to improving student achievement.

Under the proposal for the elementary grades, additional teachers would work alongside existing staff to teach the core subjects of math, reading and writing. Classrooms would be divided into smaller groups to provide more focused, individualized attention, Steenblock said.

At the secondary level, the program would have the same basic concept. Existing and new staff would team to concentrate on math, reading, writing and gifted education. Extra sections could be added to address students in need of more help. Students at higher levels could also have expanded course offerings.

Rob Rapheal, a school board member and liaison to the Yes for Schools Committee, believes the concept will provide the district with the student achievement results that are desired today. While todayís staff is working to its best ability, the new format should carry student achievement to higher levels, he says.

ìThe levy really addresses that,î Rapheal said. ìThe other subjects will come along.î

ìWe believe we are going to be that much better off,î Steenblock said.

For a change, Rapheal says, the district is being proactive and working to make a positive change and not being reactive to such unpleasant jobs as budget cutting.

Kindergarten

The new kindergarten program would replace the fee-based all day, every day Kindergarten Plus program that is utilized this school year by 140 students.

The remaining 326 kindergarten students are enrolled in the all day, every other day program.

ìKids are going to be much better off in this program,î Steenblock said.

Rapheal agrees, adding that Forest lake is adopting a plan that many districts are utilizing. Steenblock says the all day program is a positive step to help students get a solid head start on their 13 years of public school education.

Tax impact

Will District 831 voters go along with the proposal?

Steenblock and Rapheal remain optimistic that the proposal will win voter backing. The current levy in place was approved by voters in 2001, but a request for a levy in 2003 to head off budget cuts was soundly defeated.

Steenblock says the message is clear. The new funds will go to the 44 teachers with the goal of improving student achievement. ìThey (citizens) are hearing a clear message,î he said. ìThat is what it is all about.î

A random survey conducted for the district this year also shows solid support for a levy within the range of the package being proposed.

Based on figures supplied by Springsted, Inc., the districtís financial consultant, the new levy would result in a $92 a year annual tax hike on a home with market value of $250,000.

The current levy collects $655 per pupil unit or just under $6 million a year. The existing levy remains in place through the 2006-2007 school year. The replacement levy would generate $875 per pupil unit and have local property tax backing.

The new levy would amount to a per pupil gain of $220 and generate $2 million a year in additional dollars for the general fund over and above what is now collected.

For a home with estimated market value of $250,000, a homeowner could expect a total operating levy property tax bill of $410 a year. That is an increase of $92 over the 2005 tax estimate for the levy that is now on the books.

Because of an increase in state equalization aid and steady growth in total market value, district official say the tax impact to property taxes will soften in the future.

Should voters reject the Nov. 8 ballot question, there would be no change in the districtís levy status for the next year as one year still remains on the books for the levy approved in 2001.

The owner of a home with $250,000 market value actually will see a $21 decrease in the school share of the property tax bill under that scenario, officials reported. That happens because of the gains in district market valuation and a state change to provide equalization aid on the first $600 in per pupil funding, up from $500.

The ballot next Tuesday will read as follows: ìThe Board of Independent School District No. 831, Forest Lake, has proposed to revoke its existing referendum revenue authorization of $655.01 per pupil and replace it with a new authorization that will increase its general education revenue by $875.00 per pupil. The proposed referendum revenue authorization would be applicable for five (5) years unless otherwise revoked or reduced as provided by law. The increase would be effective beginning in 2006, the first year it is to be levied.î

Voters will be asked to vote yes or no on the question, ìShall the increase in revenue proposed by the Board of Independent School District No. 831 be approved?î

Key to success

Steenblock and Rapheal said this week the key to a successful vote on Nov. 8 will be winning the support of parents.

School officials said only 38 percent of parents turned out in 2003, a total well below the levels that helped pass the Levy for Learning in 2001.

Laurie Kumerow agrees. Sheís the chair of the Yes for Schools Committee.

ìI got involved because I see the issue as bigger than just this one school levy,î she said. ìSchools are a key barometer people use to judge a community and how much pride it has. Somehow, we seem to have lost that collective pride over the years. I want to help us get it back.

ìWhen I look at our schools, I have three major concerns. One is the message we are sending to the kids of this community. Only 38 percent of parents even voted in the levy two years ago. What does that say about how much we care? If our kids turn out to be apathetic, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Weíre the role models.î

Kumerow says she is also concerned about the negative perception that will follow the Forest Lake area if school issues continue to be defeated. It will do harm to property values in the long run, she adds.

ìCertainly, as school shareholders, we have an interest in how our dollars are being invested,î Kumerow said. ìTo help provide answers, our school leaders just created a new two-way communication vehicle, AnswerLine, on the Web site.î

When residents have a question about the schools or wonder about the accuracy of something theyíve heard, they can go get the answer at AnswerLine, a new service on the district Web site at www.forestlake.k12.mn.us.

Current topics on AnswerLine include an explanation of how bus needs are determined, how the state funding increase was used, what dollars can be used in the classroom, how much we invest per child and how that compares to neighboring districts, confirmation that the CHAMP program will remain intact and research on all-day everyday kindergarten.

Steenblock says he hopes voters wonít vote ìnoî on the levy next week as a way to get back at the district and school board for past decisions.

ìSome decisions may not be popular but we are making them based on what is important for kids,î he says.

And the bottom line is kids and it is kids who will lose if the levy is defeated, he says. ìThey are the losers.î

Steenblock says passing the levy is another step in having a lot more to be proud of in the district. He says the district has worked hard to improve test scores and student achievement in general. Students want rigor and relevance in their education and want to learn, he adds.

ìI think we have good schools in Forest Lake.î

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