What will the public school landscape look like should a fall levy referendum in ISD 831 fail?

Residents of the school district will be given a preliminary look when the school board convenes its next levy work meeting at 7 p.m., Monday, May 8 to review potential budget cuts as requested by the school board.

The meeting will take place at the Forest Lake High School Media Center, 6101 Scandia Trail N. (TH-97).

The meeting was moved from the District Office Building to the high school to accommodate the attendance of more districts residents.

The school board earlier this month directed the administration to prepare plans for possible budget cuts in the event the districtís current $6 million excess operating levy is not renewed. The district is tentatively preparing to go to the voters on Nov. 7 to seek some form of operating levy that will raise funds from the local property tax base.

Without the levy and no certainty of state aid increases, the district is preparing proposed budget cutting and cost-saving measures that result in a $6 million to $8 million budget adjustment for the 2007-2008 school year that begins on July 1, 2007.

The district has one year remaining on the operating levy approved by voters in November of 2001.

During the meeting, district administrators will present a list of proposed budget cuts for the 2007-2008 school year.

The school district has seen two consecutive school levy questions defeated at the polls by residents of the district.

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Forest Lake Times
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880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
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