Tax Levy

At the September 22nd school board meeting the board approved proposed tax levies for 2008 taxes payable in 2009. In accordance with the school board's position regarding the operating levy that was passed for a new 4-6 building, the board is not proposing to levy for the $285 per pupil levy that was authorized in the November 2007 election since the ballot question regarding the 4-6 building did not pass. This is known as "underlevying," and causes some confusion when it comes time to certify the levy to Wright and Hennepin Counties.

Taxpayers will receive a "proposed property tax notice" in November. The school portion of the tax notice will show a proposed 2009 property tax increase of about 2.9%. This includes an increase for the voter approved land purchase of $980,000 at the April 2008 election.

On December 2 the school board will convene a Truth and Taxation Hearing at 7:00 p.m. in the high school media center. This is an opportunity for tax payers to hear an explanation of the various school district tax levies. This hearing may be continued to the regular board meeting on December 16, if necessary, to answer further questions. The board will approve its final tax levy either on December 2 or December 16.

Welcome to New School Year

Welcome to the start of the 2008-09 school year. We are anxiously looking forward to the return of our students.

Please note that starting and dismissal times have changed slightly. These changes will allow us to more efficiently utilize our staff and facilities.

Start Dismissal
Elementary 8:10a 2:35p
Middle School 8:02a 2:55a
High School 8:02a 2:50p

Have a great school year!

On June 9 the school board sold the bonds for the land purchase that were authorized in the April election at an interest rate of 3.9%. We should have the proceeds of the sale by about July 10. We will begin closing on the three parcels right after that.

The board is discussing how to manage the structures on the properties. The options are: 1) sell them to be moved from the site; 2) rent them out; or 3) rent the Lundeen property and sell the structures to be moved from the Althoff property.

We could relieve the parking problems around the campus if we could put in a gravel parking lot on the site located so it would accommodate the future building. The architect's estimate for gravel and grading is somewhere between $20K and $100K, which is currently out of reach unless we would have a successful sale of the properties.

School Board Discusses Outcome of Election

The school board held a special meeting on May 5 to discuss the outcome of the April 22 election. The board discussed several options regarding what to do with the buildings on the land that is being purchased. One option would be to rent out the two sites that contain houses. The second option is to put the buildings up for sale to be removed from the site.

The bond sale for the $980,000 purchase that was authorized by the election is tentatively scheduled for June 9. The closing on the property will follow in mid-July. The board will continue to discuss what to do with the structures in the meantime.

The board also discussed the future directions regarding the overcrowding that is taking place in all three buildings. The consensus of the board is not to set a timetable to re-introduce the need for a new school to the voters. It was noted that this does not alleviate the overcrowding issues that are especially acute in the high school and middle school. The administration will need to prepare options to managing the negative impact that overcrowding can have on academic excellence.

Some options that are currently being discussed include the following: The high school is short on science classrooms. This problem will be further exasperated in the near future when the state requires additional credits of science. One solution to this is to create a 0 hour or early bird period for certain classes to begin before the regular school day at 7:00 a.m. Shared facilities with the middle school, such as music are at maximum capacity. This could lead to a change in the philosophy of not limiting the number of students in choirs. The cafeteria, another shared space with the middle school, is more than full, which could lead to three lunch periods for the high school, which would mean an earlier or later lunch schedule. The high school has some space issues relative to housing certain special education programs that we foresee beginning in 2009.

The middle school may begin utilizing the auditorium for social studies classes as enrollment continues to increase. This is the only available space during the school day. There will be one less section of 5th grade in 08-09 due to a smaller class, which will allow one room to be available for at least one year. This space may be utilized for general music classes.

A major issue that impacts both the middle school and high school is parking. There are approximately 250 spaces allocated to students. That number has not changed since the reconstruction projected was completed in 2002 and there were approximately 293 juniors and seniors. This year there are about 385 juniors and seniors plus sophomores who gained drivers licenses during the school year. Next year there will be more than 400 juniors and seniors. To make room for staff and visitor parking next year the number of student permits will probably be limited to fewer than the 250 spaces that have been allocated. More of the public has an interest in accessing the Tiger Activity Center during the day, which further stresses parking.

The elementary will begin converting its multi-purpose rooms to classrooms, which leads to a loss of meeting space, space for book fairs, art fairs and other events. As sections are added stress is placed on the gym for physical education. There will be one added section of 4th grade in 2008-09 due to a larger class than this year. Early childhood programs housed at the elementary may move to the Community Education Building in the future.

The district will continue to assess and address the facilities issues with our focus statement always in mind: “Educational Excellence is our Foremost Goal.”

Question One Passes

Question one passed on a vote of 1782 to 1304 and question two failed by a vote of 1388 to 1694. 3092 of 6639 registered voters voted for a 46.5% turnout.

The sale of the bonds in the amount of $980,000 for the land is tentatively scheduled for June 9. The district will receive the proceeds from the sale of the bonds in mid-July at which time the district will close on the sale of the adjacent properties.

The board will be discussing what to do with the structures on the property until such time the property is needed for a school building. There are several options: 1) sell the structures and have them removed from the premises; 2) put the two houses up for rent.

Voter turn out was very good for an election held away from the general election. The Delano Vote Yes Committee, and Lisa Sequin and Amy Johnson in particular, deserve lots of credit for their efforts in informing the voters and getting out the vote on April 22. Thank you very much for your hard work.

Polling Places

The polling places for the election on April 22 are as follows:

Delano Middle School for residents of the City of Delano, Rockford Township, Franklin Township and Woodland Township.

Loretto Fire Station for residents of the Cities of Corcoran, Greenfield, Loretto, Medina and Minnetrista.

Independence City Hall for residents of the City of Independence.

Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Land Purchase

I have had several people ask if the purchase agreements were negotiated today would the cost be lower?

We don't know that for sure, which could result in another appraisal and that would be an added expense.

Secondly, if the strategy was to vote this down and try to re-negotiate the purchase agreements that would require another election. The cost to run an election can approximate $18,000 which includes the cost of the judges, printing of ballots, required mailings, etc.

Third, a small reduction in the cost of the land may not have an appreciable affect on the tax impact. The $980,000 purchase price has an estimated tax impact of $1.66 per month on the average tax valued home of $272,500.