Cliff Buchan
News Editor

The president of the Forest Lake Education Association appealed to the school board last week to put students first as it makes plans for a fall levy referendum.

Jeremy Swenson, a first-year leader of the local teachers union, spoke before the board during the open forum session on Thursday, April 6 and appealed for action.

ìIt doesnít seem like we are acting fast enough,î Swenson said.

As the leader of the 450-plus member union, Swenson called on the board to focus more on passing a levy this fall and not the budget cuts that will follow if the levy is not approved. The district has one year remaining on the current operating levy.

If that levy is allowed to end, the district will be short $6 million in revenue. That could lead to budget reductions of some $8 million next winter, school officials have reported to the board.

Swenson used the forum to back the job performance of Superintendent Lynn Steenblock and implored the board to use their elected responsibility to put students first in the decision-making process.

Swenson said he believed the boardís function has been more on identifying budget cuts and not working to put forth a levy plan that voters will approve. The past two excess levy attempts were defeated at the polls.

Swenson supported Steenblockís contention that if deep cuts have to be made classrooms will suffer and so will student achievement. ìWe are there in the trenches,î Swenson said.

Swenson said the time will soon come when teachers will not be able to do more with less if the levy funding is lost.

He pledged FLEAís support of a levy package that will go to the voters in November. ìWe definitely will put students first,î he said.

He closed by urging the board to stop the budget cutting ìnonsenseî and think about students first.

The school board is in the process of collecting more information and has directed the administration to outline plans for cuts that may be needed. The board will take up the matter again in a levy work session on Monday, May 8.

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Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
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