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As we transition into the winter months, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible accomplishments of our students during this fall sports season. Our athletes have demonstrated not only talent and dedication but also the spirit of teamwork and sportsmanship that makes our community proud.
The Girls Swimming team is enjoying a standout season, earning the title of Section True Team Champion and finishing an impressive 10th at the State True Team competition. The Central Lakes Conference Championship meet will be held in Brainerd this weekend. Swimming and Diving finished 5th at the CLC Conference and now will be preparing for the Section meet on Thursday Nov. 7 and Saturday Nov. 9. Good luck!
In boys soccer, we celebrated the success of our athletes as they proudly claimed the 8A North Sub-section championship and became Section runners-up. A special congratulations goes to Senior Jadan Heikes for his selection to the Class A Boys Soccer All State Team. This recognition is a testament to his exceptional skill and leadership on the field.
Read more: Supt. Drake: Otter athletes experience fall success
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In the back room of the United Way, a small group of volunteers spent part of a morning stuffing bags with food. The food is destined for students in Fergus Falls and surrounding schools so that children can enjoy a couple of meals. I’ve never known what it is like to go hungry, but I have seen enough statistics to know that the issue is far more common in our own neighborhoods than most people imagine.
I have to believe that in forty-five minutes that small group of people made a positive difference in the lives of a lot of children. No one was there for any form of personal recognition. They weren’t there to socialize, in truth, there was very little talking. Each grabbed a bag, filled it, tied it and started the process anew until the quota had met. If there was a common thread among the group it would be the belief that children should be the highest priority in our society.
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This will be my final column on the upcoming November 5th school bond proposal before the community. It will address the topic of money.
School districts are charged with being sound fiscal stewards of the public dollar. I have written at length in previous columns that the Fergus Falls Public School District is one of the lowest funded districts in Minnesota on a total per pupil basis. That means it is necessary to be even more prudent in how money is spent.
The district’s philosophy is to operate on a balanced budget each year. A lot goes into that - calculating the impact of salaries and benefits and considering other costs such as transportation, utilities and facility maintenance. We are intentionally conservative in our approach to budgeting. Through thoughtful planning, we did not have to employ massive budget reductions following the end of ESSER (COVID) funding. Our school district is financially stable and able to make relatively small annual adjustments to remain healthy. That being said, we still face significant challenges.
The buildings in the Fergus Falls Public School District are old. The average age per square foot is forty-five years. McKinley School and Adams School are eight-five years old. The district hasn’t built a completely brand new school in nearly sixty years. Simply put, the amount of money needed to maintain these buildings on an annual basis exceeds the revenue from the state to address these issues.
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The school district was notified earlier this week that the Daily Journal had changed its policy on column content. The new policy classifies any informational columns specifically addressing the upcoming school bond as paid advertising. Given the new parameters, I will be covering the challenges of rural school districts more generally in this column, but I believe the information will still be helpful. Readers can always access the district’s website for detailed information on the local bond.
Rural schools are increasingly facing the challenges of maintaining aging infrastructure. The state grants school districts limited levy authority under LTFM (Long Term Facilities Maintenance) and capital dollars to address needs. The revenue isn’t keeping up with the ever-rising costs.
The largest districts (think urban/metro) have the ability to levy additional dollars to address items like roof replacement, tuckpointing, HVAC systems etc. without voter approval and without the limits placed on rural districts. To date, the state hasn’t given rural schools the same broad authority despite the fact that our needs are of equal importance.
Districts are often reliant on the support of their local communities for the passage of building bonds and/or capital projects levies. Moorhead, Detroit Lakes, Perham, Alexandria, Pelican Rapids, Park Rapids, Battle Lake, Ashby, Hawley, Barnesville, Henning, Brandon-Evansville, Rothsay and others have successfully gone to their voters for support to upgrade school facilities. Other area districts like Fergus Falls and Breckenridge are still trying.
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This is the first in a series of columns that will provide important background information regarding the school district’s proposal for a new 3rd - 5th grade elementary school. The proposal will appear as two questions on the November 5th general election ballot.
You are invited to Referendum Information Sessions
In addition to the public informational meeting that took place on August 27th, three more community information sessions will be held:
- October 21st - General Information Session @ 6 p.m. Location: Roosevelt Education Center, 340 Friberg Avenue
- October 23rd - General Information Session @ 6 p.m. Location: Roosevelt Education Center, 340 Friberg Avenue
- October 30th - General Information Session @ 6 p.m. Virtual Meeting: https://youtube.com/live/cOns3w1fcm0?feature=share
Students will benefit from SAFE schools
In trying to provide an easy way to remember the key components of the school proposal, think “SAFE” schools.
S = Safety (parking, secure entryway, separate bus and car drop off and pick up lanes, administration presence in each building)
A = Appropriate Academic Spaces for learning (flexible learning spaces, rehearsal space, special education, pull-out spaces)
F = Facilities - Adequately sized core spaces (kitchen, cafeteria, gym, …), general condition of McKinley & Adams and their obsolete designs when compared to modern instructional spaces.
E = Economics & Operational Efficiency (cost of addressing needs at McKinley & Adams, transportation efficiency, reallocation of maintenance dollars to other buildings, cost savings due to the reduction of redundancies.)
It is our intent to provide you with the factual information you will need to fully understand the reasons for the proposal so that you may make an informed decision. This article will address both the “Safety” aspect as well as the “Appropriate Academic Spaces” needs.