District 279 United

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About us Who we are After the defeat of two of three levies in November 2007 and the ensuing decision to close and repurpose several elementary schools, District 279 United was formed to create positive change for the students of our district. Made up of concerned parents and taxpayers from across the district, this organization's objective is to change the priorities of the school board and influence the policies of the administration to better align with the desires of the constituents they serve. Background Click here for an editorial explaining with additional background. In November 2007, ISD 279 put a three-question levy to its residents to help meet the increased costs of providing an education that adequately prepares students for the future: Question 1 asked voters to renew two levies that were set to expire, plus an additional $8.3 million in new funding.   Question 2 asked to provide an additional $8.6 million in funding to offset future shortfalls in funding.   Question 3 asked for $5 million to maintain current technology and purchase new technology to prepare students for the future. If questions 1 and 2 both passed, the district still would have needed to reduce the budget by 8-10 million dollars. Voters only approved question 1, resulting in the need to trim $16.6 million from the 2008-2009 budget. On January 22, 2008, the district presented the school board with a proposal by an outside consulting firm, Teamworks International that outlined the strategic budget reductions. The main points of the proposal were: Closing two schools: Osseo Elementary and Edgewood Elementary   Repurposing Cedar Island Elementary and Fair Oaks Elementary to PreK-3 models and Oakview Elementary to a 4-6 model.   Closing Weaver Lake Elementary as a neighborhood school and relocating the STEM magnet program to that location. (Students must apply to the magnet program and are not guaranteed enrollment. In addition, students from outside our district are allowed to apply to the program.)   Elimination of 180+ teaching positions.   Elimination of 7th and 8th grade programs (basketball, football, girls slow pitch softball, volleyball)   Restructuring 7th and 8th grade programs (golf, gymnastics, swimming, tennis and track) to a single 7th-12th grade model. Parents of children from several of the affected schools united to try to save our schools from closing and/or repurposing. Closing two elementary schools would roughly save the district $800,000 annually -- only 4.8% of the budget reduction needed. The proposed savings seemed miniscule compared to the amount of disruption it would cause as thousands of children would be displaced under this proposal. Concerned parents formed leadership groups, prepared alternative proposals for the school board to consider, submitted petitions asking the board to give us a voice in the process, spoke passionately at school board meetings and a public hearing urging the board to reconsider, held a rally where close to 400 people showed support for neighborhood schools, and spoke to the media about our plight. Impassioned parents simply asked the school board to delay implementation of the school closings and repurposings for one year, allowing us more time to work with the administration to find a better solution for our children. Using dollars from the fund reserve balance could cover the cost of the school closings and give parents a voice in the process. On March 11, 2008 ≠ seven weeks after the proposal was presented -- the school board voted 4-2 to adopt the strategic budget proposal. The only amendment to the proposal was to maintain the current one-mile busing parameters instead of increasing the distance to two miles. What we have learned As parents, we have been actively involved in our children's schools. However, many of us simply had blind faith that the administration was doing what was best for all children in the district. Over the past several months, several things have become clear: Despite the administration's pledge to build trust and collaboration with the community, there was little evidence of collaboration throughout this process. The teams that provided input into the Teamworks proposal were made up largely of district administrators - parent representation was virtually non-existent.   The strategic budget plan clearly benefits few at the expense of many. We have repeatedly questioned why magnet and early education programs are being expanded during a time of budget crisis. The blanket answer is that the district sees this as an opportunity to "align with their strategic plan" instead of focusing on core K - 12 education.   This district has a pattern of fiscal mismanagement. Expenditures consistently exceed revenue.   The education system as a whole is flawed. For one thing, there must be a push for greater equity in funding at the state level so that every child receives the same quality education in the Minnesota public school system.   To create change, our school board must do a better job of aligning their priorities with the community it serves. We need fresh new leadership looking out for the future of our children! For more background information and first-hand commentary, visit Derek Haidleís blog archives at: http://pcawle.blogspot.com/

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