Fink named Activities Director of the Year Page 3
City of East Bethel News Page 16
Youth Tackle Football Team Undefeated Page 31
DECEMBER 2017/JANUARY 2018 | VOLUME 25, ISSUE 5
The Courier
WWW.THE-COURIER.ORG | NEWS@ISD15.ORG
Independent School District 15 Communications Department St. Francis, Minnesota Serving the communities of Andover, Athens Township, Bethel, East Bethel, Linwood Township, Nowthen, Oak Grove, St. Francis and Stanford Township
District 15 voters pass bond referendum LISA RAHN
DIRECTOR, ISD 15 COMMUNITY EDUCATION
Senior Day at St. Francis High School (SFHS) was held October 25. Students take time to focus on options after graduation. Coleton Petrucci (left) meets with Jill Salo, SFHS student counselor, to review some post-secondary options for his career path. See article on page 6.
CAPTION BY SAMANTHA SCHMIDT, SFHS COUNSELOR, PHOTO BY KATRINNA DODGE
Election results for November 7 ISD 15 bond referendum canvassed by school board A resolution canvassing vote returns of votes of St. Francis Independent School District 15 Special Election held November 7 was passed at the November 13 School Board meeting. Be it resolved by the school board of St. Francis Independent School District 15, state of Minnesota, as follows: 1. It is hereby found, determined and declared that the special election of the voters of this school district held November 7, 2017, was in all respects duly and legally held. 2. As specified in the attached abstract of votes cast, a total of 4,921 voters of the school district voted at said special election to consider ballot question number one as follows: School district ballot question one Approval of school building bonds Shall the school board of Independent School District 15 (St. Francis), Minnesota, be authorized to issue general obligation school building bonds in an amount not to exceed $80,060,000 for acquisition and betterment of school facilities?
3. Votes cast for and against the question are as follows: Yes votes No votes Ballot question one 2,574 2,346 4. Ballot question one having received the approval of at least a majority of such votes is hereby declared to have carried. 5. The clerk is hereby directed to certify results of the general election to the county auditors of each county in which the school district is located in whole or in part. Summary of totals Independent School District 15 (St. Francis) Tuesday, November 7, 2017, school district general election. Number of persons registered as of 7:00 a.m. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,094 Number of persons registered on Election Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164 Number of accepted regular, military and overseas absentee ballots and mail ballots . . . . . . . . . . . 522 Total number of persons voting . . . . . . . . . . 4,921 (one absentee ballot was not marked) Voter turnout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.29%
Voters in Independent School District 15 (ISD 15) approved an $80.06 million bond question on November 7. The single question on the ballot addresses critical deferred maintenance and facility needs, improved districtwide safety, security and accessibility and enhanced education spaces and learning environments. After voting down two questions on the ballot in May, the school board and district reached out to residents and asked for feedback. Residents had several opportunities to provide feedback through an online survey, at a community forum and during a dialogue session, which allowed residents to meet one-on-one with school board members. After gathering the feedback, the school board and district leaders listened and made changes to the bond referendum for the November election. Those changes included seeking approval to maintain current tax levels, limited stadium improvements to address Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and accessibility issues, and slightly reduced deferred maintenance scopes. Another change was hosting early voting (absentee) at Central Services Center and Anoka County Government Center. The number of district residents that took advantage of early voting for this election was 522. The school board canvassed the results of the election on November 13, with 2,574 yes votes and 2,346 no votes. The next steps will include establishing a bond oversight committee, a design committee, and putting together meetings to gather input from user groups and stakeholders. Communication in this process is key, so a plan will be developed which will include communications through our district website, presentations and updates at board meetings/work sessions, open house events and information in The Courier and district eNews. The Bond Oversight Committee (BOC) will meet bi-weekly and develop a timeline which will include an integration of ongoing district activities and programs in construction planning. It is estimated that the design and planning process will take up to nine months, with construction potentially beginning summer of 2018. This is a very exciting time for all and ISD 15 will keep Inside the community updated and informed at www.isd15.org/ Schools in Action.......................2 bond. School Board Highlights.........13 On behalf of all ISD 15 staff and 4,500 students, a big thank Community & Business..........15 you to the community for Community Education............26 getting to the polls and voting. Meetings, Events & Benefits...29 Your support of the school district will truly help build our Sports & Outdoors...................30 Life..............................................32 future together.