District 84 mulls referendum

Tables high

bid for special

education project

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- Sleepy Eye Public School Board members and staff discussed the prospect of an excess tax levy referendum at the end of a 2 1/2-hour hour meeting Thursday.

The issue surfaced in light the recent news that the district would lose state revenues to the tune of $50,770 or $84 per pupil for the 2003-2004 school year and $125,902 or $217 per pupil for 2004-2005, according to figures released by the non-partisan Minnesota House Research Dept.

Supt. Jay Haugen said the school's budget will work next year but the following two years look more challenging. Haugen told The Journal earlier that state budget cuts hurt districts with large and increasing numbers of disadvantaged students.

Sleepy Eye Public School has an increasing percentage of students using free and reduced-cost lunches, English as a Second Language (ESL) programs and other programs for the needy, Haugen said.

High school principal Elia Bruggeman brought up the referendum issue.

"We need to look at a referendum this fall to get money for 2005, or we'll lose many programs," Bruggeman said. "We owe it to our students to give them everything we can."

Board chairman Marcia Marti said she would like to utilize community meetings to describe the facts and figures of the district's future financial situation in detail.

"The district is being (financially) beat up by every local, state and federal agency," Marti said.

The board also:

* Discussed 10 programs previously cut to be added back to the 2003-2004 school year as funding allows. Haugen said about $50,000 may be available for previously cut programs.

More money would have been available for cut programs until state officials decided to bring back the No Child Left Behind and Minnesota Graduation Standard requirements without supplying funding, Haugen added.

Programs were ranked according to priority along with their maximum estimated cost -- supplemental kindergarten $5,000; elementary music $4,500; pre-test basic skills classes $10,000; splitting 9th grade into 3 section $24,000; junior high paraprofessional $8,000; Student Dean $6,000; more cafeteria supervision $8,000; more bi-lingual paraprofessionals $20,000; more technology support $6,000; bi-lingual outreach worker $10,000.

* Learned from Bruggeman that she will present the district's cultural diversity programs at a diversity seminar Aug. 7 at the Holiday Inn in St. Cloud. The event is sponsored by the Center for Rural Policy and Development and the League of Minnesota Cities.

* Approved agreements for health and safety coordination with Harbo Consulting for the 2003-2004 school year at a cost of $7,500; with Brown County Public Health for nursing services at a cost of $39,441; and Adult Basic Education, ESL and GED programs with ISD 77 in Mankato.

* Tabled Coca-Cola and Cottonwood River Technical Center agreements.

* Approved the hire of Aaron Nesvold as assistant varsity baseball coach at a total salary of $2,418; Nan Huffman as an .80 FTE elementary counselor/social worker at $21,858.40; Rebecca Steinhorst as an EBD instructor at $36,246; Diane Biggs as a LD instructor at $29,018; Tina Stadick as cosmetology instructor at $9,380.61; John Lanoue as an FFA instructor at $28,772; Jeanine Backer as a .643 FTE math instructor at $17,024.07; and Title 1 Summer Migrant staff at the hourly rate specified by the grant.

* Accepted resignation letters from kitchen staffer Kayla Nason and assistant varsity baseball coach Dean Deibele.

* Tabled awarding contracts for summer construction projects until a special meeting set for 6 p.m., Monday, June 23.

The next board meeting begins at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 10.