A Slap in the Face for Education.

Yesterday many citizens in St. Francis chose to vote "no" on an operating levy question. Words can't even begin to describe how disgusted I am with the ignorant members in our community. I understand that raising taxes doesn't sound appealing to many people, however, without those funds, we are not capable of properly educating our future. I am not done discussing this, but while I try to put more of my frustrations into words, I thought that I would post an email that Nicole, my cousin, had sent out before the election.


Hi everyone-
I am writing you all to ask for your help. On Tuesday, Nov. 4th- there is a question on the ballot to renew the operating levy for the St. Francis School District. If this was to fail, our district would have to cut 4.5 million dollars which includes 64 teachers! Athletic and class fees will increase at the high school, many programs will be cut, class sizes will go up drastically for ALL grade levels, and more. This is not a threat, cuts will happen!! If the levy is to pass, it just maintains our current programs which we offer students. We are not gaining anything new with this levy and the money will not go to administration. It will be directly affecting students and their education. The financial side of this- if your home is assessed at $200,000 the tax increase is $8.88/month.

You may be asking why the schools need more money to maintain current operating costs and that is a good question. The state of Minnesota contributes money to schools to offset the costs associated with day to day expenses. In recent years, that amount of money has not even come close to meeting inflation costs. Inflation increases average about 3% per year while the increase in state funding has only increased by 1.53%. Therefore, money raised by levies are needed. Many Minnesota school districts rely on levys to fund their schools.

I understand that the economy is down but I believe this is the one time you will actually be able to see where your money is going and it will make a difference. I have seen the spreadsheets of the proposed cuts. It will be directly affecting students!

I have many reasons to be concerned about this levy:

1. I teach students who are struggling in math and without the passing of the levy, this opportunity to reach out to these children and "catch them up" will be lost. My position will, most likely be, eliminated as will the student's math support. This is just one example of the many cuts which will be made.

2. Property values- the values of our homes in this district would drop if the community doesn't send the message that we support our school system. There is a direct correlation to the quality of the school district and how much your house is worth. I know that lack of money does not mean we have terrible schools but students will be in classes with about 35 other students at the elementary level and 40 at the high school level. You can do the math on how much one-on-one time students will be getting with classes sizes that large.

3. This levy will not only impact next year's financial decisions but also for the next several years. For those of you with young children or who will be having children in the near future, it will affect your children. The school district cannot put another question like this on the ballot for 7 years. The amount of money to be cut each year will have a snowball effect. I would not want my future children to go to kindergarten and first grade with 35 other children - would you?

3. Lastly, many St. Francis teachers would lose their jobs. I will be out of a job. I have no doubt about that.

So... what do I ask from you? Some of you still live in the district- PLEASE get out and vote on Tuesday and support our students. Your vote WILL make a difference! Some of you don't live in the district- but maybe your parents or friends still do- PLEASE spread the word to them to support our students with a YES vote on Tuesday. Please pass this email along.

Thank you! I apprecitate your time!
Nicole

If you have more questions, please visit www.stfrancis.k12.mn.us or www.stfrancislevy.com There is a ton of information on both websites.

Here are the site specific cuts that WILL be made. This came from www.stfrancislevy.com. You can find other information like it on this website.

SITE SPECIFIC CUTS
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS:
St Francis Elementary - It will prevent:
Cutting 5 teachers at SFE -
Classroom sizes for 2009 without the levy:
K=25 students 1st=31 students
2nd=29 students 3rd=32 students
4th=31 students 5th=33 students
Cutting one specialist (technology, music, art or physical education)
Cutting the in-classroom support staff
Cutting gifted student program completely (enrichment)
The loss of hours of office professional time—resulting in more duties placed on others which means some things will happen less quickly or not at all.

Cedar Creek Community School - It will prevent:
Cutting 6 classroom teachers at CCCS
Cutting one specialist (technology, music, art or physical education)
Cutting the in-classroom support staff
Cutting gifted student program completely (enrichment)
The loss of hours of office professional time—resulting in more duties placed on others which means some things will happen less quickly or not at all.

East Bethel Community School - It will prevent:
Cutting 4 classroom teachers at EBCS
Cutting one specialist (technology, music, art or physical education)
Cutting the math and reading support staff - This includes Nicole's position :-(
Cutting gifted student program completely (enrichment)
The loss of 540 hours of office professional time—resulting in more duties placed on others which means some things will happen less quickly or not at all.
Cutting lunch supervision by one person and others hours reduced

St Francis Middle School – It will prevent:
The loss of 5 core teachers (math, science, social studies and language arts). Results would be fewer classes for students who are not at grade level in two or more subjects. Class size would be 35-42.
The loss of 9+ educational assistants – this would mean less communication with parents, and teachers will have less assistance while teaching more students. We will also see a reduction in media center availability.
The loss of 4 specials teachers—this would mean fewer opportunities for courses that are not core curriculum. Students would be on three day rotations. Class sizes would increase to approx. 37.
The loss of 1 Social Worker--- resulting in students not receiving help they need in a timely manner.
The loss of ½ day of office professional time—resulting in more duties placed on others which means some things will happen less quickly or not at all.

St Francis High School – It will prevent:
The loss of staff – 1 Dean of Students, 1 industrial tech teacher, 1 career center teacher, 1 science teacher , 1 business teacher, 1 language arts teacher , 1 physical education teacher, and 1.5 music teachers.
Cuts to supply budgets of $167,000 minimum, which means more burden placed on the parents to provide supplies.
Cuts to technology budgets of $108,000 minimum, which means more outdated computers and equipment
An increase of $100 in activity fees - per activity
The loss of “buy 2 sports get the 3rd free”
An increase of $15 in parking permit costs per trimester