Latest news with #schooldistrict
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mahtomedi school board adds second referendum question to fall ballot
Voters in the Mahtomedi school district will be asked to approve two referendum questions during a special election in November. In April, the school board set a referendum for a series of facilities improvements. Now it has voted to approve another referendum question that will ask taxpayers to increase the school district's existing operating levy of $1,570 per student to a larger levy of $2,145 per student. The additional $575 per pupil, which would start in the 2026-27 school year, will help maintain class sizes, sustain academic programming and strengthen financial stability, said Superintendent Barbara Duffrin. 'Like most school districts in Minnesota, we are facing challenging budget times due to multiple budget pressures and inflation,' Duffrin said. Among the increases in costs the district is facing: health insurance premiums for staff have increased by more than 11 percent and bus transportation costs have increased by 25 percent. Other factors: State funding has not addressed increased inflationary costs and partially funded legislative mandates put a demand on already limited funds, district officials said. Staffing, which is about 75 percent of the district's budget, is another budget pressure. 'With the current workforce shortage, we need to remain competitive in retention and hiring,' Duffrin said. Substitute teacher costs also have increased in both inflation and usage, she said. Finally, enrollment in the district has been generally flat, and birth rates in Washington County have decreased, she said. The board in April approved placing a $28 million referendum question on the Nov. 4 ballot. The money would be used to fund facilities improvements that district officials say will benefit safety and security, academics, performing arts and athletics. Among the proposed improvements are a new front entrance at Mahtomedi Middle School and other safety and security improvements. Mahtomedi High School would get a 'hallway circulation' remodel, choir and band classroom improvements, new mechanicals, a weight room addition and safety and security improvements. Athletic Field 1 would get new turf and lights. The referendum also would pay for safety and security improvements to Wildwood and O.H. Anderson elementary schools and disability access and seating improvements at the Chautauqua Fine Arts Center, among other projects. 'Our priority is to ensure that the excellent opportunities in academics, activities, arts and athletics continue,' School Board Chairwoman Stacey Stout said Wednesday. 'We want our students to achieve strong learning outcomes and are well-prepared for success after graduation.' The tax impact will be $200 a year, or $16.66 per month, for Question 1 (operating revenue) and $182 a year, or $15.16 per month, for Question 2 (facility improvements), based on a house valued at $500,000, the average price of a home in the district, according to district estimates. If both measures are approved, property taxes on a $500,000 house would rise about $382 a year. The district, which has about 3,200 students, serves Willernie, Mahtomedi, Dellwood, Pine Springs and portions of Hugo, Lake Elmo, Grant, Oakdale and White Bear Lake. Forest Lake detours begin as MnDOT undertakes $17M Highway 97 reconstruction project Forest Lake School Board hears input on possible contentious policy changes artOPENer Studio Tour hits 19 St. Croix Valley stops Bayport couple found dead in home; natural causes determined Stillwater: Water Street Inn's Chuck Dougherty named Lumberjack Days parade grand marshal Mahtomedi Public Schools officials plan to host six community referendum learning sessions this summer and fall for district residents to learn more about the two-question referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot. The sessions will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Mahtomedi High School Media Center on July 16, Aug. 6, Sept. 9, Sept. 23, Oct. 7 and Oct. 29. For more information, go to
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Moorpark school driver suspected of DUI, IDs given in 2 fatal motorcycle crashes, more
A Moorpark Unified School District driver was arrested May 28 on suspicion of DUI after a parent reported the smell of alcohol on him. The parent called the school district around 8:50 a.m., and school officials, in turn, called law enforcement, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. School officials said in a letter to parents that the district's transportation dispatch workers told the driver to pull over and sent a backup van and driver. The five students in the van were moved into the arriving van and taken to their destination, according to the district. "Parents of the students in the van were contacted shortly after police concluded their investigation at the scene," Superintendent Kelli Hays said in her letter. Sheriff's deputies arrived and arrested the 39-year-old Moorpark man. He was later booked into Ventura County jail but has since been released on bail, jail records show. He is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court July 29, according to jail records. Authorities identified two men who died in separate motorcycle crashes in East Ventura County just days apart from each other. Matthew K. Estrada Jr., 27, was from Thousand Oaks, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office. He was riding his motorcycle in Thousand Oaks near the intersection of Erbes Road and Tubbs Street around 10:20 p.m. on May 25 when he drove off the roadway and crashed into a light pole, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office previously reported. He was transported to Los Robles Regional Medical Center where he later died to blunt force head injuries he sustained in the crash, officials said. Jacob D. Ruiz, 25, was from Simi Valley, the medical examiner's office said. He was riding his motorcycle near the 2000 block of Royal Avenue in Simi Valley on May 23 around 3:20 p.m. when he lost control of his bike due to speed and crashed, the Simi Valley Police Department said previously. Medical personnel performed life-saving measures at the scene. He was transported to Los Robles where he succumbed to multiple blunt force injuries sustained in the crash, authorities said. The wrestling community at Royal High School in Simi Valley mourned Ruiz's death on the social media site Instagram. "Dear friends, our wrestling family has suffered a horrible loss," the post says. "Jacob Ruiz, brother of Coach (Edward) Ruiz, was in a motorcycle accident and did not survive." A Simi Valley man was charged May 27 for allegedly selling a gun to a minor who later used the weapon to commit suicide, authorities said. The Ventura County District Attorney's Office charged the 18-year-old with three felonies, including unlawful transfer of a firearm, child endangerment and transfer of a firearm to a minor, according to Ventura County Superior Court records. He pleaded not guilty to all charges. The charges came after a Ventura County Sheriff's Office investigation into the suicide of a minor in Thousand Oaks in January alleged that the Simi Valley man had sold the weapon to the minor, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies arrived to a report of a suicidal subject and found the juvenile suffering from a single gunshot wound. He was transported to Los Robles Regional Medical Center where he was later pronounced dead, sheriff's officials said. The agency investigated the death and found evidence tying the Simi Valley man to the firearm sold to the minor, authorities said. He was arrested May 23 in Thousand Oaks, but has since been released on his own recognizance. The man is scheduled to return to Ventura County Superior Court June 3, jail records show. If you're feeling despondent, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, for both English and Spanish speakers, can be reached by calling 988 or visiting online This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Moorpark school driver arrested, 2 motorcyclists ID'd, more
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Newport school system under scrutiny for response to budget crunch
NEWPORT, KY. – The Newport Board of Education went over details of next school year's budget Wednesday night. But not before community members reamed the board for slashing jobs and reducing student services to dig the district out of a $3.9 million deficit. "There is a school board and superintendents that fail us," Tricia Tobergte, a former Newport student and teacher, said during public comment. She was one of several people at the meeting wearing a red T-shirt with "I am Fiona" written on the front. FIONA, which stands for Fiscal Integrity of Newport Administration, is a movement created by a group of local people who want better oversight and an audit of district spending. Those in T-shirts were among dozens at the Newport High School auditorium for the meeting, some offering applause or shouts of agreement as others spoke. Many wanted to know why the district was surprised by news of the shortfall earlier this year. Newport Independent Schools is home to almost 1,400 students at about five schools in the district, according to U.S. News & World Report. The board of education has announced a slew of cost-cutting measures in response to its budget crunch. Cuts include: The nonrenewal of more than dozen employee contracts, including teachers. Elimination of seven administrative positions. Retirement of at least a dozen people. Termination of a contract with TANK buses to take children to school. Elimination of non-mandatory out-of-state travel. A mutual agreement to end the contract of Superintendent Tony Watts at the end of the 2025 school year. Watts did not respond to a request for comment from The Enquirer. He told LINK nky at the time, 'We just made a mutual agreement that we thought it was best for the district at this time that we part our ways." Andrea Janovic, a former Newport Board of Education member, said she blames a lack of oversight for the budget shortfall. She said she's requested public records that allegedly reveal fraudulent charges on credit cards and overbudgeting with an excess of COVID-19 pandemic-related funding, neither of which The Enquirer could immediately verify independently. "We have to ask very difficult questions of the people who are responsible for advising us on our financial positions and whether or not a year prior we could have known (about the deficit)," she said. "Surprise should never be a word used by a school board in terms of finances." Board Chair Ramona Malone said at the end of the meeting, "I do want to say that it has been brought to our attention to consider doing a forensic audit on our finances. So, that's something that is a conversation with the board." This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What will Newport schools cut?
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Lawmaker provides information on why partnership between McKeesport schools and Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation ends
State Sen. Nick Pisciottano is providing more information about why the partnership between the McKeesport Area School District and the Dick's Sporting Goods Foundation is ending. "My understanding is that Dick's was more than willing to continue their involvement in the McKeesport Area School District. Since 2021, they've invested $13 million in a number of different programs, and they wanted to keep that going. But they wanted to have a seat at the table when big decisions were made with the school district." Dick's Sporting Goods said the terms of the partnership were clear from the beginning. It did not just want to provide funding; they wanted to have a say. "That's definitely a fair you want to be a partner if you're going to invest a lot of time and resources and free services to a community. I think it's more than fair to ask." Pisciottano said. Through the years, Dick's Sporrting Good has invested in camp programs, learning initiatives, extra staffing, playground upgrades, a community resource center and much more. "It's heartbreaking," the state senator said. "These are critical supports. We need more of these in all of our schools, not fewer." Now, parents, teachers, staff and community members are preparing for the impacts of the split. Dick's Sporting Goods said it tried to work out a resolutiuon with district leadership, mainly the school board president, but he wouldn't budge. KDKA reached out to the school board president and the superintendent, but has not heard back.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Fire closes Whitehorse's Selkirk Elementary School
School superintendent Christine Franes sent an email to parents Friday morning, asking them to pick their kids up from the soccer field behind the school as soon as possible. Emergency vehicles and school busses were spotted at the school Friday morning.
