Caledonia Argus

School Board weighs traffic woes

Posted: 9/17/02

by Andrew Miller
Argus News Reporter

Traffic and parking problems are slowly ìironing themselves outî at the new middle/high school, stated Principal Brian Doty in an address to the ISD 299 school board on Monday, September 16.

At present, Doty noted, the solution to the traffic problems and after-school parking lot congestionñ having two people manage the lot, keeping student vehicles in the lot until the buses have leftñ is the best solution available at this point in time. And though the schoolís traffic woes have begun to abate substantially, Doty recognizes that the system is yet to be perfected.

ìWeíre not to the point where every piece is working well,î Doty added. ìWeíve still got some things to sort out.î

When school is dismissed at 3:03 p.m., buses are the first vehicles allowed to exit, after which student vehicles may depart. The resulting queue of student vehicles moves at a snailís pace.

Board members and meeting attendees alike expressed concern that the traffic situation after school is problematic. Board member Chuck Schulte likened the line of cars exiting the lot to ìthe Indianapolis 500.î

Though much remains to be done to curtail the problems, the situation has gotten progressively better since the start of school. There are an estimated 150-200 vehicles that exit the lot immediately following the departure of the buses. On the first day of school, it took eleven minutes to evacuate these vehicles from the lot. On the second day, it took only nine minutes, and on the third day it took only seven minutes. Evacuation of the parking lot now takes roughly seven minutes each day.

Doty also mentioned that these traffic problems will be reduced even more once outdoor construction at the new middle/high school is completed.

ìOnce we have all of the outdoor fields on site, we wonít have football players walking from the lot or soccer players leaving in their cars,î he said. ìThis is a solution in terms of the number, amount, and volume (of traffic).î

Also at Monday nightís meeting, the board voted to decide whether the After School Program at Caledonia elementary should be continued. According to Principal Connie Hesse, the program was hugely successful last year. Funding for the program was less promising. However, if revenues from the program arenít sufficient to cover expenditures for the program, Hesse noted, she would rather cut back on staff for the program, rather than cut the program entirely. That said, the school board voted in favor of retaining the program.

The board also carried motions to move the district office to the middle/high school until the elementary school retrofit is completed, to support the establishment of a Curriculum Review Cycle to assess current curriculum programs, and to approve a technology contract with Computer Bay.

Levy Referendum Discussed

On Thursday, September 12, the ISD 299 school board held a discussion regarding the operating levy referendum.

ìYou should think about making the operating levy big enough,î said Superintendent Jim Tool, addressing the school board. ìBecause last yearís amount wasnít nearly enough.î

The school board has yet to decide on the amount of the operating levy, which will be voted on by the general public in November. Last yearís referendum, which proposed a $260 per pupil unit levy over ten years, was voted down by almost a 4-to-1 margin.

Due to the results of last yearís referendum, cuts had to be made in district schools. At the elementary school, among other reductions, some class sizes were increased, the art program and field trips were cut, and the availability of the school counselor was reduced. At the middle/high school, cuts included reductions in the English, music, German, science, and Spanish divisions, as well as cuts in the marching band.

If this yearís operating levy referendum fails, several more cuts at district schools have been proposed, including the elimination of two fall sports, two winter sports, and four spring sports, reduction in office support staff at the elementary school, and the removal of computer lab assistants from both the elementary school and the middle/high school.

Tool has suggested to the school board to approve an operating levy significantly greater than last yearís amount of $260 per pupil unit, simply because the amount needed by the district is greater than what $260 per pupil unit will provide annually.

Board member Chuck Schulte noted that the board must first decide on exactly what is needed in the district, then decide on the amount of the operating levy.

ìWe need to determine what we need the money for,î Schulte said. ìAnd when we say we need the money, then we have to put a dollar amount on it.î

Should the referendum get approved by voters, the district already has tentative plans as to where to allocate some of the funds. Resources are needed for curriculum development, fund balance improvement, and improvements in the elementary school.

In addition to the operating levy per pupil unit rate, the school board must also vote on the amount of the health and safety levy. The state of Minnesota will provide approximately 10% equalization to the amount on which the board decides.

The public will vote on the proposed operating levy in November and, should it be approved by voters, the levyís funds will be used beginning in the 2003-2004 school year.

Retrofit update

Also at the September 12 meeting, Kraus-Anderson project superintendent Ken Cote' updated the school board on the progress of the retrofit at the former high school, as well as on additional maintenance that is being undertaken.

If all goes according to plan, the retrofit will be completed at the end of February or the beginning of March.

Standing water in the tunnel crawl spaces at the school were a cause for concern. Cote' noted that the tunnel had been tested and showed no signs of foreign contaminants, mold, or mildew, but there was a high degree of moisture.

Kraus-Anderson personnel had determined that the moisture was due to rainwater, and rain gutters were to be installed outside the building to curb the collection of water in the tunnel.

Cote' also noted that asbestos abatement in the school had been completed.

In addition, Cote' mentioned that Kraus-Anderson executives expressed a desire to switch construction managers for the ISD 299 project, wishing to move Cote' to a school construction project in Wisconsin. At the school board meeting on September 16, however, Cote' told board members that Kraus-Anderson had rescinded its decision and that he would continue on as the project superintendent with ISD 299 until its completion. The announcement was greeted with applause from the board members.

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