Cliff Buchan
News Editor

The planning for a November levy vote is over. Now officials in ISD 831 must begin the process of selling the five-year, $10 million request to support the local school system.

Thanks to a 7-0 vote on Thursday, Sept. 1, the plan as recommended by Superintendent Lynn Steenblock will now advance to the voters Nov. 8.

The plan, which was approved with two changes sought by Steenblock, will ask voters to approve a new operating tax levy that will replace an existing levy that has one year remaining on the books starting July 1, 2006. The replacement levy would bring an additional $10 million in general fund revenue over a five-year period.

The proposed levy will mean a hike in the school district share of the property tax bill in 2006.

The major change in the plan is an expansion in the number of teaching positions the new levy would fund if approved by voters. Steenblock initially sought 40 full-time equivalents, but upped that number to 44 last week after evaluating board comments from its special work meeting Aug. 25.

The change will mean that $1.25 million a year of new levy dollars will be used for new teaching slots, 16 FTEs at the elementary level and 14 FTEs at the secondary level.

The remaining 14 FTEs will go to the proposed all-day everyday kindergarten program. If the levy is approved, it would replace the current all-day every other day kindergarten program and the fee-based all-day every day Kindergarten Plus program. Funding for the new program was upped to $750,000 from $700,000 to allow more dollars for start-up expenses and curriculum review, Steenblock said last week.

Gone from the plan reviewed on Aug. 25 is a levy proposal calling for $200,000 in levy dollars for technology support and infrastructure. Steenblock, after review of board dialogue, agreed the technology component could be best handled through the annual general fund budgeting process.

Teaching change

The addition of 44 new teaching positions would result in new concept in how the staff is used.

The additional staff, the superintendent said, 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. He said the concept would provide opportunities for gifted students and boost students struggling to keep up.

At the secondary level, the program would look a bit different but the basic idea would remain the same. Existing and new staff would work together to concentrate on the math, reading, writing and gifted education, he said.

Steenblock said the focus of the plan is to move students to the next level in order to increase student achievement at all levels in the district.

The plan goes beyond a district effort to simply reduce class sizes, he said.

In his initial recommendation, Steenblock said it has been shown by studies that reducing class size across the district by one or two students would not be enough to reach an effective level. The proposal, he said, will enable the district to reach a more effective student-to-teacher ratio for math, reading and writing and provide an opportunity for the district to improve the quality of gifted education, as well.

The plan has been developed with the input of district principals, Steenblock said. He added that flexibility implementation of the new teaching plan will be allowed at the building level.

The recommended change for all-day, every day kindergarten program is also based on educational studies pointing to positive results, he said.

Tax impact told

As District 831 officials begin the effort of explaining the plan to residents of the district, sorting out the cost impact will be a big step.

Based on figures supplied by Springsted, Inc., the districtís financial consultant, the new levy if approved on Nov. 8 would result in a $92 a year annual tax hike on a home with market value of $250,000.

The current levy on the book was approved by district voters in 2001.

It collects $655 per pupil unit or just under $6 million a year. The existing levy remains in place through the 2006-2007 school year.

Under the plan approved by the school board last Thursday, the district would terminate the existing levy with the one year remaining and replace it with a new levy that would collect $875 per pupil. The new operating levy would generate just over $8 million in general fund dollars that are supported by local property taxes.

The new levy, which would amount to a per pupil gain of $219.99 and generate $2 million a year in additional dollars for the general fund over and above what is now collected. The new levy would be effective for five years starting in 2006-2007.

For a home with estimated market value of $250,000, a home owner could expect a total operating levy property tax bill of $410.28 a year. That is an increase of $92.96 over the 2005 tax estimate of $317.32 for the levy that is now on the books.

Thanks to an increase in state equalization aid and steady growth in total market value, district official say the tax impact to property taxes will soften over time. Market value is growing by about 18 percent a year in the district, officials have said.

If district voters reject the Nov. 8 ballot question, there would be no change in the districtís levy status for the next year. The same owner of a home with $250,000 market value will see a decrease in the school share of the property tax bill, officials reported.

Because of gains in district market valuation and a state change to provide equalization aid on the first $600 in per pupil funding from $500, the estimated $317.32 tax bill for the home with $250,000 market value would drop by $21.61 to $295.71 next year.

The boardís 7-0 vote on Sept. 1 included support from President Bill Bresin and members Jody Krebs, Rob Rapheal, Keith Dunham, Karen Morehead, Joe Grafft and Dean Barr.

The vote also included the formal resolution for increasing the general education revenue of the school district and calling an election.

The ballot on Nov. 8 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

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