Referendum Information

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Referendum Information
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ISD 317 What we are about

• Dedicated to Developing Life-long Learners
  Prepared to Succeed in an Ever Changing World.

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Our Successes

• High Student Achievement
• Safe, Welcoming, and Trusting Environment
• Effective and Efficient Systems
• Partnerships

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Deer River ISD 317

• Vision
• A five-star district by 2008
• A place where every student and staff member has
  the opportunity to reach their potential
• A place where students and staff prepare and work
  toward future goals
• A place students and community value and come to
  learn

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Deer River ISD 317

• Priorities
• Parental and Community Involvement and
  Communications
• Fiscal Planning for Decreasing Enrollment
• Promoting a Positive Atmosphere for Teaching and
  Learning
• Emphasizing Reading Across the K-12 Curriculum
• Staff Development Ongoing Best Practices

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Our Challenges

• Declining Enrollment of 2 2½ per year

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(No Transcript)
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Our Challenges

• Inadequate State Funding
• Local Effort philosophy of state government
  at this time
• 88 of districts have referendums for 06-07 (only
  41 districts dont have referendums)
• 56 seeking referendums this fall
• Average referendum amount 629

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Our Challenges

• Rising costssince 2002
• Electricity 3
• Building Fuel 79
• Property Insurance 26
• Workers Comp Ins 99
• Audits(Required) 57
• Garbage Disposal 43
• Other areas recycling costs of computers,
  monitors, etc unfunded special ed costs data
  processing services

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Our Effort

• Reductions the last three years
• Staff teachers, paras, custodians, secretaries,
  administration
• Kindergarten
• Supplies
• Books
• Activity Busses
• Activities

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Our Effort

• Collaboration
• Invest Early
• Staff Development
• Business Services
• Technology Director
• Purchasing
• Online Academy
• Future food service, transportation,
  curriculum, human resources?

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Our Effort

• Efficiency
• Report prepared by the Minnesota Center for
  Public Finance Research, an organization
  supporting the mission of the Minnesota
  Taxpayers Association
• Determining the Cost of an Adequate Education in
  Minnesota
• Percent Undercompensated 25.7 - for us, that
  would be roughly an additional 2000 per student
• Efficiency Score 1.0 (100) we are producing
  educational outcomes with the lowest observed
  expenditures in the state given our environmental
  conditions

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Our Effort

• Outcomes
• 4 star schools in reading and math
• Perfect 6 on MCA writing test
• Positive Audits
• Excellent reading scores
• Competitive Fine Arts, Sports, and Clubs

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Our Need

• Community Action!
• Help passing a referendum..

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What is a Referendum?

• Voter-approved method of increasing revenue.
• Additional general education revenue approved by
  local voters
• Revenue is provided through a combination of
  local property tax levies and state aid
• Uses of revenue same as basic general education
  revenue any operating or capital expenses

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Facts about the Referendum

• 5 Year levy authority
• Two questions on the ballot

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Facts about the Referendum

• Question 1 600 per pupil
• Balance the budget despite reductions and
  reorganization, our revenues are still below
  expenditures.
• Fuel Increases for building fuel,
  transportation, etc
• Fund balance/Increasing Costs to address fixed
  costs mentioned above and prepare for the future
  currently could operate for about 11 days
• Program and staff restoration and maintenance
• determine what areas that have been reduced are
  of greatest priority and add back people and
  programs that are crucial.

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Facts about the Referendum

• Question 2 100 per pupil
• Extracurricular Activities activity fees have
  increased twice in the last 5 years, officiating,
  membership, traveling costs have all increased
  with no budget increase.
• Buildings and Grounds our buildings require a
  lot of care and preventative maintenance.
• Conditional on the first question

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Facts about the Referendum

• Both amounts are equalized by the state a
  portion is covered by state aid.
• Aid vs. Levy for 2007-2008

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Ballot Question 1
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Ballot Question 2
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Where would the money go?

• QUESTION 1 - 600 per pupil
• Balance the budget 200,000
• This money is necessary just to get us back to
  zero to make our expenditures equal our
  revenues. It does not help us with any cost
  increases.
• Fuel Increases 30,000
• This money is necessary to pay for increased
  costs the district has in fuel gasoline, natural
  gas, propane, fuel oil.
• Fund Balance/Escalating Costs
  250,000
• This money is necessary to pay for increased
  fixed and variable costs associated with running
  a district with a 10 million dollar budget.
  Having a fund balance would enable us to save
  money on interest that we currently pay to borrow
  money so we can pay our bills.
• Program/Staff restoration and maintenance
  166,000
• This money is necessary to restore areas that
  have been cut that are determined to be a
  priority things like elementary phy ed, teacher
  support, reducing class sizes, and increasing
  electives.

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Where would the money go?

• QUESTION 2 - 100 per pupil
• Extracurricular Activities
  43,000
• This money is necessary is necessary to reduce
  the amount of fundraisers our local businesses
  and community are subjected to, pay officials and
  membership fees, and possibly reduce fees.
• Grounds/Maintenance
  35,000
• This money is necessary to repair and replace
  worn items in our buildings. Proper scheduled
  maintenance of mechanical systems saves money in
  the long run.

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How does this affect me?
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Next Steps

• Meetings with Staff
• Meetings with Parent groups
• Organization of a Vote Yes group
• Ads
• Signage
• Articles
• Meetings with community groups
• Meetings with students
• Communicators meetings
• Block meetings

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What can I do to help?

• Volunteer to be on the Vote Yes committee
• Different levels of commitment
• Get the facts and be informed
• Contact school board members or me with
  questions
• website www.isd317.org