Brainerd schools face cuts after $5 million annual levy fails

Brainerd schools face cuts after $5 million annual levy fails Richard Reeve KSTP Brainerd schools face cuts after $5 million annual levy fails FIXED Brainerd Public Schools is weighing school closures and layoffs after voters rejected a tax levy and district leaders warned of a growing budget deficit. Parents and students packed the stands in Brainerd for Friday night football against Sartell while concerns grow over the district’s finances. District leaders said the shortfall is more than $3 million and possible cuts were discussed at a school board meeting. “I’m not sure what leads a school district to have such issues, but yeah, I mean I think that would be a hard, a bitter pill to swallow,” said Leaf Plested, a Brainerd resident. Superintendent Chip Rankin said the district is at a turning point as it weighs major cuts. He said options on the table include closing two elementary schools and an alternative school, moving students, and cutting 38 positions. Is more revenue possible? Voters rejected a $5 million annual school tax levy that would have run for 10 years. District leaders said it would have cost the average household an additional $11 a month. “At some point, you’ve got to either pick up more revenue, or you’re going to have to cut expenses,” said Rankin. He said the district’s financial pressures have grown as enrollment drops. Rankin notes the number of students is shrinking: the district now has 450 seniors versus 330 kindergartners. District leaders said there has been a net loss of about 640 students annually, with per-pupil funding of about $800 a year each. Rankin also said parents are frustrated by class sizes of 40 students in high school and 38 in middle school. Why did the levy fail? “I think because of economic times, people are struggling. There’s you know, groceries, gas, everything out there and they don’t want to have any additional monies added onto their taxes right now,” said Roz Haapajoki, who has a grandchild in the Brainerd district. Rankin also pointed to unfunded state mandates, including the Read Act. He said the state provides about 20% of the required funding, leaving the district to cover costs such as teacher training. “I have 213 kids that choose to go to hyper-aggressive online charter schools that are not even remotely close to Brainerd,” said Rankin. “Now, the success rate’s not that great, because 113 of them come back with no credits, but guess what? It’s no revenue.” He said Brainerd is not alone as districts across Minnesota struggle to pass school funding questions. Only about one in four school referendums passed Tuesday, Rankin said, calling tax pressures on homeowners a major factor. “27% of referendums passed on Tuesday, which means the vast majority did not, and you know what really gets challenging out here is just the tax burden on residents,” he said. “It isn’t that people aren’t supportive of schools. It’s just at this time it’s really tough with the economy to support taxes, and so that makes it challenging.” Rankin said he hopes to seek approval in April for a capital projects levy that would cost each household an additional $8 a month. The school board is set to meet again in December for another work session as the district considers its next steps.