Ely School Board members will decide in April whether or not to transition to a four-day school week in 2026-27.
Monday’s regular monthly session included a review of the timeline, which includes an opportunity for community members to engage and get questions answered at a March 23 study session and board action at the April 13 meeting.
Finances are driving the discussion, with the district staring at a potential budget deficit of $500,000 for next year and estimates that going to a four-day week would save as much as $195,000.
School staff members were surveyed about the move earlier in the school year and more than 300 people have responded to a community survey. The district is preparing a frequently asked questions document to provide more information about the potential move.
Several neighboring districts, including the Lake Superior (Two Harbors/Silver Bay), Mt. Iron-Buhl and St. Louis County 2142 (Babbitt/ Tower) districts have already moved to a four-day week, with largely positive reviews.
Staff members were in support of the move, according to survey results, and school officials have said they have heard both positive feedback and community concerns in advance of a vote here.
“There were some opposing, but they had some thought behind it,” said superintendent Anne Oelke.
The district estimates significant savings in the areas of transportation and staffing should the four-day week be adopted.
Results of the community survey will be reviewed at the March 23 study session, and the FAQ document will also be posted on the school district’s website at www.ely. k12.mn.us.
At the study session, the board will also review several other potential reductions for the 2026-27 school year.
Those include proposed reductions in math, Spanish, art, physical education, the media specialist position, paraprofessionals, lobbyists expenditures, and elementary teaching staff.
Together with the fourday week, those cuts would trim the school budget overall by about $412,000 next year, “We have deficit spent for many years and we need to stop that,” said Oelke. “We know we’re not going to be at zero but we’re getting closer. This (the budget situation) is why we’re even considering a four-day week.”
In each of the last two years, the district has made budget cuts in numerous areas, including staff and extra-curricular activity cuts, the elimination of bus routes, the cutting of administration, and additional staff reductions made via attrition.
Student enrollment in Ely has fallen from nearly 600 in the late-2010s to under 500 this year, and that trend is expected to continue.
“Enrollment is our biggest revenue,” said Oelke. “But our next kindergarten group will be 20-22 (students) and that will be a huge loss of revenue on day one.”
Oelke said the district’s “new norm” will be class sizes of 20-35 students “unless we have businesses and babies booming here.”
Inflation and stagnant state revenue have also contributed to the growing deficits.
“We’re not staying up with the rising costs of everything, wages, benefits, food costs, propane,” said Oelke.
School officials are hopeful to get a boost from legislation that would make seasonal recreational properties responsible for operating levies. Such a move would seemingly make it easier to pass an additional operating levy referendum. Ely’s current operating levy is $302 per student, far below the state average of $1,080.
“We’ve gone to the taxpayers a lot,” said Oelke, noting both a capital project levy passed by area voters as well as a $10 million bond for facility improvements. “But if this legislation passes, everybody’s taxes go down significantly, and then we can educate, and if we raise the per pupil amount, more revenue would come to the school. It’s a good case to make especially if there’s no increase in their taxes.”
Also Monday, board members were briefed about upcoming bid openings for $5.25 million in athletic facilities improvements.
After extending the bids to revise some construction timelines, the district is set to open bids March 17 with construction awards to follow.
“The facilities team is meeting on the 20th to review bids and award,” said Oelke. “We’re getting closer and closer to shovels and decisions.”
Oelke said she anticipated three-to-four bidders on the project.
In other business, the board:
• Hired Alycia Butler for a grant writing position, a job that will be funded with donated monies for one year, and an expectation that the position would be self-sustaining moving forward:
• Renewed the contracts of several spring sports head coaches, including Frank Ivancich (baseball), Jeff MacKenzie (softball), Will Helms (boys track), Jill Ellerbroek (girls track) and Nicole Roy (robotics);
• Hired assistant coaches including Kelsey Donais (softball), Aaron Donais and Max Gantt (baseball) and Darren Visser (boys track);
• Accepted the resignations of assistant girls track coach Beth Ohlhauser and paraprofessional Jamie Boes.
• Had the first readings of draft policies related to sexually transmitted diseases and other communicable diseases, staff notification of violent behavior by students, and family engagement policies related to Title I programs.
