Hidden Medallion Mystery Solved
More St. Pat’s Photos
Page 8
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ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIFTH YEAR
BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA, MARCH 16, 2016
75¢ SINGLE COPY
NUMBER 11
B.P. School Board Facing Big Budget Crunch for Next Year
Solution Could Impact District From K-12
Rachel Fahey, left, and Lauren Murphy were simultaneously crowned Co-Miss Shamrocks Saturday.
Two Crowns, Record Warmth Headline Belle Plaine St. Patrick’s Celebration A record-high temperature of 70 degrees for March 12 resulted in an exceptionally large sea of green for Belle Plaine’s annual St. Patrick’s celebration downtown on Saturday, with much of that greenery coming in the form of shorts and Tshirts. A first occurred Saturday when two girls were crowned Miss Shamrock rather than the customary one. Receiving crowns of equal status were Belle Plaine High School juniors Rachel Fahey and Lauren
Murphy, the only two contestants in the contest. Margaret McCue Morrison, emcee of the post-parade program, explained that the judges concluded that it was too difficult of a choice between the two girls to choose just one. Fahey and Murphy said they look forward to representing Belle Plaine “together” at parades and other functions in the coming year. Prior to crowning her replacements, 2015 Miss Shamrock Felicity Mecredy played an appropriate tune for the occasion
with an Irish flute. Emerging from the parade of clans as the Most AuthenticDressed Leprechaun was Chris Fahey, who won $100 in the process. Also recognized during the program and recipients of $100 was the trio that teamed up to find the hidden shamrock medallion shortly after the release of the fourth clue on Friday.
Two Crowns
(continued on page 18)
With the revenue generated by a stagnant student enrollment not matching rising costs approved by the Belle Plaine School Board, the district is facing a significant budget adjustment for next year (2016-17). Unlike budget cutting, a budget adjustment only curbs the growth of the district’s budget. The school district is also limited by rules that prohibit what it can use money for in specific funds. For example, money earmarked for capital projects – like the expanded weight room -- can’t be spent on teaching staff, Superintendent Ryan Laager told the board. The Belle Plaine School District is facing the need to reduce the growth of its budget by $493,047 by the 201617 school year. That number grows to $576,164 if the school board’s policy of maintaining a 10 percent fund balance is factored into the equation. The district’s 2015-16 revised budget is $16.16 million, more than $207,000 above the approved budget. The biggest area of higher-than-expected negotiated spending is an additional $185,472 in salaries and wages for teachers and para-professionals as well as the need to hire additional paraprofessional support in Special Education. There was also an increase in severance costs that were not expected due to retirements. Monday night (March 14), Laager outlined the problem for school board members during a workshop. Yesterday (March 15), he took his case to the staff that will be directly impacted by the solution. The higher-than-expected spending has drawn down fund
balances. In 2012, the district’s undesignated/unreserved fund balance was $1.9 million. By June 30, it is expected to be $1.27 million. The size of fund balance impacts the district’s bond rating and the amount of interest the district pays on newly-issued outstanding debt. Fund balance is also used for cash flow for payroll and other district expenditures throughout the year. This eliminates the need to borrow money which costs the district more through interest costs. Because the district has a policy to maintain a 10 percent fund balance, its auditors will want to see progress toward maintaining the approved policy, said Chuck Keller, the district’s business manager.
Timeline
In the weeks to come, staff will have individual meetings with building principals. During those meetings, individual staff members will learn how they will be impacted by the solution Laager is proposing. The school board will then consider the superintendent’s budget adjustment plan at its March 28 business meeting. Laager would not release details of the plan to the public. He said the district owes people impacted by the proposed budget adjustment fix the professional courtesy of learning about it from their supervisors and not from a school board meeting. Laager said the budget adjustment would be felt across the district, from kindergarten through the senior high school. He said redundancies in the staffing would be addressed through a realignment. Within the past year, the district and its two main employee groups approved higher settlements than the board anticipated, Laager said.
The board worsened the budget crunch by eliminating an elementary school teaching position last year and then over the summer hiring a new teacher at a higher per-student cost to the district. The district is also not seeing the enrollment growth that brings in more per-student aid. Since 2011, the Belle Plaine School District’s K-12 enrollment has ranged from 1,571 to 1,600 students. It expected 1,600 students this year. Next year, the district is expecting to have 10 fewer students in its hallways. It expects 12 fewer students at Oak Crest Elementary School and 14 fewer kindergartners. The Belle Plaine School District is losing 155 students who live in the district to other schools. While Laager conceded some losses are unavoidable, over 40 of those students are attending Cologne Academy, a tuition-free charter school. Jordan is the second most popular landing spot for Belle Plaine students leaving via open enrollment. The district recently lost four Oak Crest Elementary students and the nearly $30,000 in state aid they generate to Minnesota Virtual Academy, an online school. Laager told the board Cologne Academy’s class sizes are slightly higher than Belle Plaine’s, but its focus on literacy and academics is a big draw. The Belle Plaine School District is working on improving its literacy and blended learning (online and in-school) programs, he told the board. It is also working on plans to draw students to improved giftedand-talented programs. It is also looking to enhance revenue by refinancing bonds at a lower interest rate. The district continues to consider solar power as a means to reduce operating costs.
Scott County Delinquent Tax List Increasing This week the Herald is publishing the annual list of properties in Scott County that have taxes that are overdue. This year there are over three full pages, which is an increase over recent years. Margaret McCue Morrison All counties in the state are rewas emcee of Saturday’s postquired to publish their respecBob and Sue Fahey were grand marshals of Saturday’s paparade program. tive delinquent tax list. rade.
The tax-forfeited former gas station/convenience store property along Highway 169 near Emma Krumbee’s will be part of a Scott County-administered auction on April 12. The minimum bid for the 1.7-acre site is $70,000.
Former BP Gas Station Property Among Sites County Will Try to Sell at Auction on April 12 The former BP gas station property along Highway 169 in Belle Plaine (521 East South Street) is among the tax-forfeited properties Scott County will attempt to sell at an auction on Tuesday, April 12 at 9:30 a.m. at the Scott County Government Center (room GC102). The site, which for many years also operated under Skluzacek Oil Company and decades ago as Southtown Shell, went out of business in 2010 shortly after a couple of major highway crossThe Ancient Order of Hibernians were followed by the Twin Cities Metro Pipe Band during Saturday’s parade.
ings in Belle Plaine closed. The minimum bid for the 1.7acre site is $70,000. Belle Plaine Community Development Director Cynthia Smith-Strack said the most recent (2015) market value is $350,000. The site was cleaned up several years ago, including the removal of the underground fuel tanks in order to make it more marketable. The building itself is still standing. For more information about the auction, contact Ellen Paulsen, Scott County taxation supervisor, at 952-496-8664 or EPaulsen@co.scott.mn.us.