In the November general election, the Adrian School District will have an operating referendum question on the ballot. The last time we went to the voters with an operating referendum was nine years ago and the voters in the District approved the request. The yes vote at that time helped to keep the District moving forward as we faced declining enrollment, lack of funds from the State and the need to be competitive with other schools in order to attract and retain teaching staff.
The 2009 referendum served it purpose well, however, we are now at a place where we must once again address the financial and educational future of our District. We still face some of the same issues as we did nine years ago: increased operating cost, State funding that has not kept pace with inflation and declining enrollment of resident students. The later issue is very significant; specifically, in 2009, we had 502 resident students and in 2018 we have 397 resident students. The number of resident students is a key factor that affects the amount of referendum revenue and also impacts the state aid revenue that is generated. This significant drop in resident students has resulted in an estimated annual loss of approximately $780,000 in combined state aid and referendum revenue. A new referendum, at a higher per pupil rate, will help to offset the revenue loss we have experienced due to the decline in resident student enrollment.
Some of you may recall we made major cuts in our staff over a five-year period from 2004 to 2010, which reduced the budget by $670,000. Those reductions in teachers, support staff, and administration helped to lower our operation costs to very efficient levels. According to Minnesota Dept. of Education data, Adrian is below the State and SW Minnesota spending averages when it comes to our per pupil operational costs.
We understand the timing of a new referendum is not popular in the current economic climate, yet it is needed for several basic reasons: to keep a strong curriculum for our students, to ensure our students have technology that is current and relevant to their future, and to attract and retain staff during a time when there is a nation-wide teacher shortage. Locally, this shortage has forced us to compete with two larger neighboring districts when it comes to pay and benefits.
We plan to hold an informational meeting regarding the new referendum on October 25, 2018, at 7:00 PM in the Elementary Commons. In the meantime, please check the home page on the District web site at www.isd511.net under the heading 2018 REFERENDUM. Under that link you will some helpful information regarding District operations and the referendum. You will also find a tax calculator tool that will help you estimate the tax impact that a new referendum will have on your property.
It should be noted that an operating referendum is not a tax on farmland. Only the house, garage and one acre of land are taxed for those who live on an acreage or farm. Homeowners living in town, commercial business property and other classes of property are also taxed. Once again, the tax calculator tool can be found on the home page at www.isd511.net. It is easy to use. You simply need to enter your parcel or property ID from your county property tax statement into the yellow box on the calculator and the estimate will appear. If you don’t have access to a computer, you may call the District office at 483-2266 and ask the office staff to provide you with your estimate. You will need to have parcel or property ID from your property tax statement so they can assist you.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of us.
Sincerely,
The Adrian School Board:
Ed Lenz, Chris Wolf, Robert Kunkel Jr., Les Madison, David Bullerman, Lisa Kruger
