The ISD 2142 school board met for an efficient working session immediately following the Labor Day holiday and the first day of school.
Superintendent Brian Masterson provided brief updates on the staff workshop week that preceded students’ arrival at district schools on Tuesday.
Staff provided positive feedback about the new cellphone ban, Masterson said, though he has not yet heard from parents.
“I take that as a good thing,” Masterson said.
Masterson said open houses at South Ridge, Northwoods and elsewhere were very well-attended.
The first day of school for ISD 2142 students went according to plan, Masterson added, and busing proceeded smoothly for the most part.
Last week, Masterson and district finance director Kim Johnson met with a Vote Yes committee organized by Education Minnesota. The meeting discussed ISD 2142’s motivation and financial projections for the two district-specific ballot questions: the operating referendum and capital projects levy.
The committee provided feedback on the district’s voter education efforts.
ISD 2142 plans to post information about the upcoming local ballot items on district and school websites, per a request from the teachers’ union. The page is meant to simplify tax impact visualizations and will include numbers generated by financial consulting firm Ehlers.
“We wanted to start getting out the why’s, what the ballot would look like, what the funding would be used for and then certainly what the tax impacts are projected to be,” Masterson said.
“We want to make it as clear as we can while keeping the accuracy,” Masterson said.
The teachers’ union may also begin sending mailers and making phone calls to advocate for the proposals as early as next week.
Johnson reiterated the importance of communicating to district residents that ISD 2142 will not have access to state aid from the Seasonal Recreation Property Tax Base Replacement Aid (STBRA) program if voters do not approve the levy.
Masterson said staff have posed questions about the referendum’s potential effect on budget cuts.
“I want to be honest and say yes, we’re still going to have to look at reductions, even if this does pass,” Masterson said.
The funding would not arrive until the following year, Masterson said, and would not fulfill every district need.
School board members also hope to spread the word that a blank vote on the constitutional amendment question counts as a “no.”
The amendment would change the way funds are distributed to Minnesota’s school districts from thePermanentSchoolFund.School districts statewide expect to receive approximately $33 more per student per year from the amendment, at no cost to taxpayers.
“Please vote one way or the other,” Masterson said. “At least vote.”
