By Tanner Kent
WASECA — The Waseca School Board’s Thursday meeting represented a grim first step in the aftermath of a failed referendum.
On Nov. 3, district taxpayers narrowly defeated a $1,300-per-pupil operating levy that could have generated more than $2 million. The School Board is now facing a $2 million budget reduction.
“We have a huge task to undertake,” Waseca Supt. John Rokke told more than 120 people gathered in the Central Intermediate School auditorium. “But it’s our job. And we need to make intelligent, well-informed decisions.”
During the meeting, board members did not take any official actions on specific reductions. But they did discuss a number of possibilities and heard an impassioned plea from members of the Hartley Elementary PTO to keep the school open.
In the months leading up to the referendum, Waseca school officials released a list of possible reductions that included the full closure of Hartley Elementary for a savings of nearly $400,000.
Hartley has consistently been one of the top performing schools in the region on the state’s MCA-II assessment; and this year, the school ranked among the top 50 schools in the state on third-grade reading and math scores (out of 945 schools).
Amy Potter, PTO president, told the board that the school has already initiated several measures to save the school, including so-called “Save Hartley” funds at several local banks and a chili-feed fundraiser on Dec. 10.
“We feel we are doing our part to keep Hartley open,” said Potter, who also presented a petition to that effect with more than 120 signatures. “We ask that you do your part, too.”
Board members also discussed a handful of other budget adjustments, including a district-wide hiring freeze, moving to fee-based activities in the spring and closing the high school pool.
All actions on those options, however, were tabled.
The board did request additional cost-benefit information on the impacts of moving to fee-based activities as well as confirmation on the cost benefits of closing the pool (early projections showed a savings of $30,000).
Rokke said the board has set a goal of identifying all budget adjustments by its Jan. 21 meeting. But he also said he met twice in the past week with former superintendents now working as consultants who advised that the district “slow down and not move too fast.”
The next board meeting is scheduled for Dec. 3 with a work session afterward to discuss budget adjustments.
