Caledonia Argus

School board sets operating levy duration at ten years

Posted: 10/23/02

by Andrew Miller
Argus News Reporter

The proposed operating levy will be applicable for ten years, the ISD #299 school board decided Monday, October 9 at a meeting at the Eitzen Community Center.

The Referendum Steering Committee suggested that the levy duration be set at five years. The committee, after conducting focus group interviews with approximately 150 people living within the district, found that a five-year levy is more likely to be supported by voters. The school board acknowledged the suggestion, but decided a 10-year levy is necessary for accomplishing the districtís financial goals.

ìFive years doesnít get us where we need to be,î said board member Chuck Schulte. ìWith five years, weíre going to come up short.î

ìAs a board member, I feel we need to put forth the best scenario and have the most effective referendum,î added Suzanne Roesler. The most effective referendum, she felt, would span ten years.

Board member Cheryl Whitesitt noted that the focus groups studies conducted by the Referendum Steering Committee indicated that citizens were willing to support the levy if the board stated honestly what the school district needed monetarily. Since the district needs the 10-year levy, a point which the board members agreed upon, it is only logical that they set the levy at ten years.

ìThe (Referendum) Steering Committee said, ëtell us what you need and how youíll use it,î Whitesitt said. ìWe need ten years, and saying we need less Whitesitt also mentioned that as enrollment declines in the coming years, as it is projected to do, so too will the dollar amount of the levy decline.

Construction ìprogressing wellî

Also at Monday nightís meeting, Kraus-Anderson site superintendent Ken Cote' updated the school board on the progress of construction at the new middle/high school and the old high school.

ìThings are progressing real wellî at the new school, Cote' said.

The bleachers at the athletic fields are scheduled for completion by the end of the week, goal posts are in the process of being put up, and the final markings are being put on the track. The athletic fields, said Cote', should be completely operational by next spring.

Cote' mentioned that the punch list, consisting of every construction item the schoolís architect recommended should be undertaken, will be presented to the architect next Tuesday with all items completed.

At the retrofit of the old high school, construction is on pace to be completed by late February. Floor tiling and kitchen equipment are slated for installment next week. Efforts to reduce moisture in the tunnel beneath the schoolñ regrading the land in front of the school, burying absorptive tile around the front perimeter, and installing a fan near the tunnelñ have proven effective.

ìItís made a significant difference,î Cote' said. ìWeíre not getting water inside the tunnel,î and the measures that have been taken will ìabsolutelyî alleviate the moisture problem in the long run.

Grade schoolers set MCA records

Third graders and fifth graders at Caledonia Elementary scored well on the MCA testing in the 2001-2002 school year, according to Principal Connie Hesse.

ìThe students are making ample progress,î Hesse told the school board. ìKudos to my teachers, because theyíre doing very well.î

Third graders scored above the state average in math and reading, and fifth graders scored above the state average in writing. The third graders scored higher in reading than any other third grade class at Caledonia Elementary during the five years in which the test has been administered. The fifth graders set a similar record with their writing scores, placing higher than any other fifth grade class at Caledonia Elementary had previously. Hesse credits the boost in scores to the high quality instruction provided by Caledonia Elementaryís teaching staff.

CHS time capsule

A time capsule, the contents of which were assembled by the CHS Student Council, will be embedded in concrete at the front of the school at 1:30 p.m. on October 24, Caledonia Middle/High School Principal Brian Doty told the school board.

Doty also reported to the school board that fire safety at the new school has improved relative to what it was at the old high school. At the new school, it takes about two minutes to completely evacuate the building, Doty said. At the old school, the ìabsolute fastestî time to evacuate the building was three minutes.

Top of Page