District 197 Chalk Talk: Public Levy Meetings, Candidate Forum Set

The District 197 School Board reviewed data from the MCA state tests and the No Child Left Behind Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks at their meeting Monday night at .

, Pilot Knob Elementary and continue to meet AYP standards in all 27 categories. Moreland met AYP after failing to do so in 2008-2010.

The data includes a number of high points including Henry Sibley's biology scores, which exceed the state average by 15 percent.

Curriculum Director Jean Menard also pointed out a number of dissapointments, including math scores at Heritage Middle School and the district's overall reading scores for fifth grade.

Letters will be mailed to parents this week reporting AYP results. Those schools that did not meet AYP will be required to create a plan and use a portion of funding for additional support services. See the attached pdf for the presentation.

“Bottom line is we want all students to be successful and we take it very seriously," said Menard.

• Public levy meetings to review the District 197 referendum levy have been set. Meetings are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24 at Mendota Heights City Hall; 6:30 p.m.Wednesday, Oct. 26 at Pilot Knob Elementary; and 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27 at Wentworth Public Library. The district website has information available, including District 197's levy history, the proposed tax impact, and a FAQ page.

• A school board candidate forum is scheduled to follow the Oct. 24 public levy meeting from 7:15-8 p.m. A "meet and greet" with the candidates is scheduled for 6-6:30 p.m. preceding the levy meeting. (Check out Patch's candidate profiles before heading out.)

• Brian Schultz, director of finance, reviewed options for an updated fund balance policy that will reflect categorization changes made by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board. District 197 maintains about 2 percent of their annual budget in reserves, said Schultz. About eight percent would equal one month's expenses. Policies reviewed from Roseville and South Washington County recommend 3 percent and 5-9 percent, respectively. While a low fund balance hurts cash flow and limits options, too much in reserves can also be a bad thing, said Interim Superintendent Tom Nelson. The state could reduce funding based on a high reserve. “You’re always at risk if your fund balance appears to be too high,” Nelson said.