It is an accountability issue for me, the district and the school board have made some very bad choices in the past couple of years. From the way they have choose to handle labor negotiations to the programs they have chose to cut. Plus as long as the county chooses to artificially inflate the home values to keep their tax base solid makes it impossible for most people to survive let alone consider higher taxes. My home is taxed at a value of $140,000 but the reality is in this market I might be able to sell in the $90,000 range. Better luck next time to the district and remember accountability and transparency are the keys to a good positive relationship with the poor cash strapped public in trying economic times!

I think this vote shows that the majority of the public is fed up with the bloated system that has entrenched itself into this school system. They tried to pull this one past the public during a year when there was no other vote to bring people to the polls. It is time that the administration take a new look at the eduaction of students, and not how they can expand themselves and other needless programs that have been added over the years.

I hope that the district, knowing that next year will be tougher, can start looking at where to cut some costs right now so that when the time comes the effects aren't drastic for the kids. Time for that school board to show why we elected them! Let's see some ingenuity and thriftiness instead of doom and gloom.

Wow....I hope anyone that voted NO is proud of themselves...Support the community you live in or move. If you can't afford a small tax increse to help save jobs the you can't afford the house you live in. The school IS living within their needs, but the State is lowering funding every year. Get an apartment or better yet, have the government pay for your living needs, you seem to like free money. Voting this down will cost you more in the long run. More lay offs= more foreclosures=lower home values. Congratulations!

Well, I agree with the rest of the posters above. I agree that the district tried to sneak it in because there were no other votes. A lot of people I talked to were not even aware of the vote last night. I think they need to step back, and rebalance the budget.

I think the school board or whoever is in charge of finances needs to take a close look at all expenses and WORK witin their budget. Are teachers getting cost of living raises when the rest of the working world get paycuts or layoffs? Are the people in charge knowledgable in how to run a business? Who is in charge (is there a financial director)and why have we not heard from them directly?

I did vote my conscience, and I did vote no. Thank you to all the other taxpayers that did the same.

Seems to me that perhaps the district could have filtered the money they spent on those fancy, glossy printed mailings (a.k.a scare tactics)into the students. Wonder how much that cost?

I would have voted yes for this if it weren't for the fact that 1/3 of the money was going to lower fees for sports. In these economic hard times the district should use the money more wisely. All of the funds should have gone to pay, supplies and keeping class sizes small. I don't take free money, I can afford my house and I do support my community. It isn't about the tax increase, it is about holding all government accountable for how they spend the tax payer money. It sounds like you have no problem handing over money everytime government asks for it, good for you!!!

I graduate from CIHS a couple years ago thank god i did cause these people that vote no on this stuff have no clue on what is going. programs from after school buses if your in programs are gone, they are taking more and more of the tech electives away. people wonder why the youth are getting so bad, if they can't afford a huge fee to be in a program they can't be in it. but if they scratch the money together then they might not have the ability to get a ride. it so bs people that voted this down are morons.

A little degrading toward everyone Tracy. You don't know anyones situation and frankly it is none of your business. I'm sure most of the people that voted CAN afford thier houses, but are sick of the inflated taxes that we all pay already. We seem to like free money?
Where did that come from?
The district will need to balance the budget.
How much does the superintendent make a year? That would be my first question.

Well Tracy, you seem to have disposable income so feel free to donate to the school board on your own free will. As for the rest of us, when the school board can better manage their money then they might receive a yes vote. And since I do not have kids or plan to have any kids, my taxes should stay lower and families with children should make up the difference. Can't afford that?, then don't have kids.

What this vote showed is how FED UP residents are of the foolish and ridiculous decision made by our School Board and our other school officials. This was decided to do this year because no other issues were up for vote, their hope was to have a low turn out. The reality of our times are that TIMES ARE TOUGH for ALL, our pockets are empty, we have no more! The school district needs to make hard choices like pay cuts for the Superindendent, Principals, Asst. Principals, Dean of Students, counselors, etc.....Maybe lose a Principal and have one cover two schools. Maybe we shouldn't have built two new schools that are not full and enrollment is dropping. Just as so many others, i have watched my house value drop to nothing but I still pay taxes as if it was still in a boom. Water bills go up, heating is up, electricity is up, food costs are up, gas is up. the City of Cambridge is now not allowing homeowners to live in their own homes without causing thousands of more costs due to Mr. Carlberg and the city council and their misguided nonsense and I am one that is lucky to still have my job but I have not had a raise in 2 years and my benefits have been cut, insurance costs increased and benefits lowered. All our school officials seem to do is raise class sizes and cut prgrams that are beneficial (neverlooking a thte bottom lines). Try looking at cutting gifted and talented, parents of these students can send them to private school if they want more for them....a levy should not be used for sports, if a parent wants their child in sports they should pay for it. Just as all people and business have had to make hard choices and shop for deals....WAKE UP DISTRICT 911, ITS NOW TIME FOR YOU TO DO THAT!!! The citizens have spoken loud and clear, begin listening!

Tracy, I do not feel that you have a grasp on the economy the way you think you do. Nor do I think you are very informed about the real estate market.

A great number of people in the area CAN'T afford their houses, nor their taxes, nor can they sell their houses because they owe 20-50,000 more than its worth. Your misinformation shows even more when you tell these people to move to another city. They can't afford to. Perhaps if you are so affluent and would like to pay more for schools, you should move to an area like Wayzata or Eden Prairie where the majority feels the same.

Very few people who voted "no" did so with the intent of taking from our area's students. We all have needs, Tracy, and it seems that the majority of our population feels that there are needs right now that come above school funding, as sad as that may be, it's a choice we're all forced to make. And thank God that we're all given this choice. That's the beauty of Democracy.

I guess I am not surprised at how the vote turned out. Lots of blame being pushed around and a real lack of accountability. One thing I know for sure - when I have school age children, I hope to have moved out of this area. Its the kids who are ultimately suffering from this and our overinflated unrealistic values on our homes. So unfair.

Yes Tracy, I voted NO and I am proud. Time to make the schools accountable. No new taxes. Due to the tone on your post, you must work for the school. And yes, I can afford my house with or without the levy because I do not spend like crazy. You should look at financial matters logically and not emotionally. There is no need to be angry.

Oh my god! The sky is falling! Do you mean that district 911 is going to have to live within their means like the rest of us? What has the world come to? Global Warming, Swine Flu, and now this? I think I need a vacation to process all of this.

The residents are tapped out. This is the umpteenth time in my eleven years that the board has tried to get more money. I agree that the building of the new schools was a mistake and that the district needs to live within their means. Also I was upset of the threats of increases in sports being a part of the referendum. Sports and other activities are "extra-curricular" and are not the course of classes. While these are a good cause they should not be funded by the taxpayers.

I recently lost my job, we are struggling but making it ok for now. I am not angry but I think the voters made it loud and clear to the school board. Watch in the next election or two, they will be back with their hands out for more money. Perhaps the superintendant and other adminstrators should consider taking a pay cut as any business owner does when times get hard...

There is a philosophical problem with our two communities of Cambridge and Isanti. What the communities don't realize is: Education is an investment not an expense. How could our communities not support 50 cents a day to invest in the education of our young people?

It was a difficult choice, first we need to I think view the education system as a whole, as a business. That way, maybe we won't be so surprised when they put the needs of the "CEO's-Admin and School Board" ahead of the needs of the children. If it was primarly about education, then they would do EVERYTHING and move Heaven and Earth to keep class sizes at a reasonable amount between 20-28...(some Isanti classrooms are at 30-38....instead of feeding their own pocketbook first. But they don't seem to do that. Giving 6% raises to admin, disgusting drawn out negociations, and blah, blah, blah....have been a disappointment to those of us who live in the district. It is time to evaluate what is important and it better not be more admin raises! Stop talking out of both sides of your mouth! It is not just about what the State Dept did not do. It is called economic, or fiscal responsiblity.

Even though the election is over I would still like to know how much was spent on pushing levy YES votes and who pays for it? I'm also wondering about absentee ballots for this election being mailed to, or dropped off at, ISD #911 Cambridge-Isanti Public Schools building on Main Street. Is this where absentee ballots for all city and/or county elections are gathered, or just elections involving the school district? While I am sure absentee ballots were processing safely and correctly, it does surprise me they aren't gathered at a more impartial place.

Perhaps the Isanti County News could answer these questions in a future article.

I am with Mitch on this one. Classes are growing well beyond the manageable size for one teacher, programs are getting cut, and fees for everything have already been increasing. Marching band was one of the most beloved activities that CIHS had to offer, but of course music is the first thing to go. My sister still has three years left in this district and I really hope that she continues to receive the quality education and opportunities that she, and every other student in this community deserves. If your child can't afford something in the future, or their activity of choice is no longer available, people better not complain because it's on the community -not the school.

Mitch...I am not surprised that you are a recent graduate of CIHS. I can tell by your grammar.

The root of the problem is not the state, or the administration, or job preservation or the assessor. People who choose to bring children into the world need to take responsibility for READING to them, preparing them for school, and teaching some discipline before they get there. Why is it that we have to pay for additional staff to babysit disruptive kids who have absentee parents? Yes there are kids who really need special help, but there are far too many who just need parents. Education costs too much because there is an expectation that the district will somehow raise these kids instead of their parents doing it. If you are having your 3 year old watch TV instead of reading him books, or not enforcing your 2nd grader's bedtime, or if your 7th grader spends more time texting than doing her homework... or you don't know what's happening in your child's life... then YOU are the problem. YOU are the reason that the school district has to beg for more money to operate. I wish the teachers and the district would focus more attention on this issue rather than focusing on the number of jobs lost. And, as for the person who suggests the gifted/talented kids go to private schools... WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO GET RID OF THE KIDS WHOSE PARENTS ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT THEIR EDUCATION????????

Obviously the two of you don't pay property tax or have had to deal with the "real" issues of life. Deciding if you feed your children, a roof over their heads, and clothes on their bodies because you have lost your job and are doing the best you can to keep all you have worked for because someone keeps standing with their hand out wanting more money from you.

I would just like to say that I agree with Mr. C, it is an investment and not an expense. I am very concerned if courses such as Advanced Placement get cut as rumors are indicating. Cambridge Isanti should be proud of the students that they are graduating each and every year. The success stories coming out of this community are ones that should make us proud.

I agree also that the school administrators need to be held accountable and I certainly hope they do some soul searching before making decisions on programs and staff to cut.

I also agree with Mr. C...what happened to "Our Children Are Our Future?" How many more programs need to be cut in order for everyone to be happy? Parents are already being nickel & dimed to death for every opportunity they are trying to allow their children to be a part of. When crime goes up because the kids are bored, you'll be paying anyway! I'd rather see the money go to keep the kids involved in activities that will benefit their future and the community. Remember, these kids will someday be your care providers!!

Yes Tracy, I am proud of myself for voting NO.

Let me start by saying, I didn't vote..I was hoping for a no vote, as I do not want to pay more in taxes like everyone else. I have been impressed with District 911's 12 valedictorians last year, and am impressed by what friends tell me about the teachers their children have. With this said, I don't think anyone wants to take away from what our children are being taught; however times are tough. I can afford my home and I can afford the levy. The district is a business like everything else and cuts need to be made, whether it is band or sports; however parents, it is OUR responsibility, not the school, to see to it that our children are able to participate in these activities. If that means We as parents have to pay, so be it. The district will make both good and bad decisions, as we will as parents; but is it fair to ask all taxpayers to pay for the bad decisions? I guess I might be a little more apt to approve something like this, if I had a balance sheet or income statement to review before a vote like this was on the table.

Crime has already gone up in this small town - how do you explain that? We already have young adults with nothing better to do than rob cars, break into houses, build BOMBS and vandalize sacred resting spots. What is your excuse for these kids? We weren't shoving enough money down their throats?

That is a poor excuse to raise taxes! Raising our taxes would do nothing to make the kids more responsible or accountable because their mom could afford to put them in baseball.

Looking to the future, people, not the past...let's get working on finding other solutions instead of complaining! There is opportunity in EVERYTHING, even in every adverse outcome, to improve your standing. If the levy failure did nothing else, it is at least giving the school board, the administration and the rest of the district employees a chance to show how ingenuitive they can be - to prove they are worth the salaries that were in question with this election - to show that their educations have given them the ability to think past the "standard" that they see set by other communities and show that our kids are SMART and WILL NOT be made into "victims" and "losers" because of a little adversity.

Pull yourselves together, people! Our town is going through a tough time, our WORLD is going through a tough time. But history tells us that we're going to be okay! There have been TOUGHER times and because we held fast, worked hard and made do with what we had, there was prosperity to be had in the future.

Don't teach your children that they are victims because they didn't get something handed to them! Teach them to work harder for what others have and they'll be the ones who are better off. We will have prosper days again and when they come, the kids will know what to do with them.

As long as you called us morons for voting down this levy, I have some info for you. Your posting is a poster child as to why more resources need to be spent educating kids, and not wasting money on extra-curricular activities, and other administration fluff. You graduated, and yet the the grammer of your post is still at elementary level, at best. And to those that want to move away, good luck. I am sure the grass IS greener on the other side of the fence.

So, extracurricular activities ARE an important part of education. They teach kids teamwork, leadership, time-management, and many other things that can't be taught in a classroom. I don't pay taxes in the district, and I actually couldn't even vote because I live outside of the district. However, I am a product of the "gifted and talented" program of CIHS and I believe this program, along with school activities played a key part in my development as a successful student, not only in high school, but throughout my college years. I understand that finances are of HUGE importance, but I just feel very sad for the current District 911 students that may not have the opportunities I did. Also, I don't think posting on a site like this requires perfect grammar. I know Mitch could write at a college level if he needed to! Fun fact, the average American reads and writes below an 8th grade level, so clearly education needs a boost all over the country, but I don't think cutting programs would help this problem. Kids need a break from writing and reading.

I want to thank everyone for giving IDS 911 a dose of reality. I'm relieved their Spaceship has landed. Now they can quit looking down at me!! I propose a 15% across the board wage cut,effective immediately. That's my reality. We are from the planet 911,take me to your checkbook!! NOT.

that they levy failed, and really wasn't even close. To clear up a couple misconceptions, the district wasn't trying to sneak this by in off election year like so many others have posted. The levy is expiring, so it was time to try to renew it. Also, I disagree with Laura that our schools are a business just like everything else, educating children is far different than any other business. More accountability? I am so sick of hearing that word tossed around, part of the budgetary problems are due to all the red tape, policy, restrictions, state wide test, no child left behind, Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), grad standards, profile of learning, and on and on an on. Schools and teachers are held more accountable than almost any other business. Too much administration? Start doing the math, most buildings average about 2 administrators to what? 50 teachers? another 60 support staff or so? How many people work somewhere where the have one boss for every 50 or 60 people? There were 67 levy or bond questions statewide, of those 50 passed at least question 1, over 75% passed. Times are tough everywhere, but most people statewide understood the importance of quality schools, which is why MN is consistently #1 in the nation about about #26 in teacher pay. Seems like a bargain to me.

Do you guys not understand that the school board only writes the checks. It does not hold any major bargining chips when it come to determining teacher salaries. I agree that teaches need to stop getting pay increases when the rest of the country takes pay hits, but in all reality that just is not going to happen. The teacher's union will not allow it. Unless an education levy is passed, educational programs will eventually take a hit, not just the extra curriculars. Like Mr. C. said, Education is an investment in this community's future! Education as a whole is an investment in the future of this whole country. Unless education comes to the forefront of American politics here and at the national level, our economy will forever be "in the crapper." While other coutries have made great strides in the field of education, America sits on its hands and holds fast to their accomplishments of yesterday! Children are the future of the C-I community. Just because you may not be around to see the impact of the youth on the future C-I you don't feel any obligation to better the future of Cambridge-Isanti? PATHETIC!!!

Don Anderson- So you want to punish C-I students for the inadequecies of the school board? Grow up!!!

You people are the reason why American education is in shambles... I hope you end up getting robbed by one of the uneducated kids that you deprive a proper education to-

That would be grammar, with an a, not an e. Does that make you the runner-up poster child?

Well, I was a 2007 graduate from Perham High School and PHS (District 549) has been trying to pass a levy for 5-7 years now and it has never passed. They have been running into the same problem that you guys are now. People don't understand that children are the future of any community, whether that is Cambridge or Perham. Just because you may not be around to see their impact in the community gives you the right to deny them the educational/athletic opportunities that you may have been offered in high school? STUPID!!! Just wait, if no levy gets passed anytime soon educational programs, i.e. certain class offerings, will be on the chopping block! Perham is experiencing this now, but the tax payers do not realize this. Programs that are not core classes are being cut to save money. All the tax payers are worried about is that "ALMIGHTY DOLLAR" that is sitting in their wallet/purse. Instead of looking out for the greater good of their community they want accumulate as much money as they can because "they earned it!" And the future C-I graduates that can't get a job any where because they are not qualified because the course offerings in CIHS was SO poor earned that right? GROW UP!!!!

If Cambridge-Isanti already ranks 318 of 339 in per pupil spending, it deserves kudos for working within an already meager budget. What I am interested in knowing is how the C-I schools rank compared to the bottom 21 districts, and to all the schools that spend more per pupil. It might make local residents a little more appreciative of the bang for their buck they are already getting.

I could not have said it better myself.

I am really sad after reading all the reasoning for voting no. I respect anyone who voted 'no' if they have made an informed decision. If you have walked through the halls of any of the buildings in our school district, you would find that schools have been working very hard to keep costs down for several years. Classrooms are overcrowded and teachers are under extreme pressure to perform up to new standards.....and they ARE! There isn't enough room in the classrooms for the number of desks that are needed for, sometimes, 35 students in a middle school science class. Have you tried to teach hands on experiments to 35 students at once? Have you ever been in a reading classroom and tried to ensure that progress is made by 30 students in each of your 7th grade reading sections? It isn't appropriate to assume that this vote is to fund any individual school district employee's cost of living raise. This vote only ensures that the school district will be able to maintain what little educational programming we have not yet cut. Many very important programs were cut last year. More critical programs will be cut next year.

I read a post that said, "I would have voted yes for this if it weren't for the fact that 1/3 of the money was going to lower fees for sports." This is completely incorrect.

How could the school board have planned this vote in a year that there were not other issues at the polls strictly as a ploy to pass this one through? I'm sure it would have been more beneficial to have done so in a year where they WERE other elections taking place. This way there might have been some INFORMED voters at the polls.

We have two children in this school district.....we understand the effects of the vote and understand the financial impact that a 'yes' vote would have on our property taxes and a 'no' vote on our community and frankly, our informed decision was to vote 'yes' regardless of our personal feelings about the performance of the school board in recent years. You can say what you want about administration, but we can't cut principals and we do need qualified administrators and, like any successful business, they will have a higher paycheck than the majority of the employees. That's life.......please educate yourselves before you vote next time so our schools can better educate our children.

Finally the scare tactics have failed. Bigger class sizes??? Tell me how big they will be. A part of a pupil per class-maybe!! Totally ridiculous. If these overpaid teachers can't handle it then get a real job--not one where you have to work only 68% of what everyone else has to work!! And while I am complaing--when are we going to wake up and get a longer school year???? No wonder the US is always so far behind in education than other countries that HAVE a LONGER school year. Summers off were for the kids to work on the farms-not to have a 3 month vacation!!!

Karen, for which reasons, then, do you respect people for voting no?

The school district is going to come back with this same levy next year during the congressional races. The District 138 Super herself said that Cambridge wasn't in need of this levy yet, they were just pushing for it this year because they are so hard to pass. Why would we pay an extra year of taxes on something that isn't even needed for another year?

The district has the opportunity now to look at where they will be making these cuts and then when they come back next year, when they NEED the money, they can be transparent and show the taxpayers EXACTLY what will be funded with the money.

It's ridiculous to compare Cambridge to other cities for a number of reasons. We pay more for nearly everything to live in this town - taxes, water, telephone - yet we get none of the benefits that were promised to us years ago when many of us brought our children to live in this town, despite the high taxes left over from a poorly run city government. We don't have the train or the jobs or the OPPORTUNITIES that were touted as what was going to make this town great. We are a considerable commute to the cities, making it hard for people in this town to work. Yet we pay more to live here than we would in, say, Coon Rapids.

The school district is early to their appointment and this year, there is just no where to squeeze them in. **Perhaps if people put as much effort into lowering taxes as they did raising them**, that $15 a month wouldn't be a big deal. But as it sits - that would raise my mortgage payment and we are having a hard enough time scraping it together as it is.


To those who have nothing better than "pathetic" and "morons" to add - I hope you feel better now that you got that out. Now you can go back into your corner of not doing anything but complaining and being angry at the world. Thank you, though, for your helpful contribution.

And to the grammAr police, do you also feel better about yourself now? The kid is an idiot and a poor example on your behalf. And it OBVIOUSLY goes much deeper than a common spelling error. The fact that he has no problem going into a forum of his neighbors and calling them morons shows that he has absolutely no respect. He is probably one of those do-nothing graduates just hanging out and causing trouble in town, yet he's here to call us all "morons" for you, so be petty on his behalf.

What is your idea of a "proper" education? This is truly how this country has fallen from greatness. May a higher power help us from ignorance such as this!

A complete new school board and superintendent would be a starting point in fixing the serious leadership issues the district is experiencing. Sadly, the school board has been like watching a three stooges movie, only its not funny and involves real life decisions....

To Tracy, Yes my wife and I voted no because of the county's bloated tax system. Yes we can afford our home and yes it is valued at about double what we could sell it for so we cannot move any place to better ourselves or we would. I have noticed the schools and the county keep on spending like they have an endless pool of money and anytime they need more they simply increase taxes. The commissioners voted themselves a raise and it is business as usual. When our kids were school age we sent them to private school plus paid our taxes to the school district. When they graduated they could both read, write, spell and add and subtract. My wife gave up working and spent the school years helping our kids with their school work and we went without the things two people working normally have. We have been blessed for the sacrifice we made. Education starts at home.

Well we were already ranked 318th in the state as a district in money per pupil, not thanks to this no vote we will slip further still. We all know these economic times are tough. That means that it is tough for the school district as well. This isn't about teachers getting raises, this is about keeping class sizes down. To ask a principal to cover two schools seems pretty drastic. Extra-curricular activities have been proven time and time again to improve students grades, test scores, chances of getting to college, and reducing poor behavior. These have been funded by tax payers, and that's the way it should be. It's an investment for the future workforce when it comes down to it. If levies keep getting voted down this district is going to lose students every year to other schools and districts. gman, in order to have a longer school year there would need to be more money, which as you and all the other no voters have shown you would not give to that no good school district and its "overpaid" teachers. Sad to see such a positive in the community be disregarded by so many because of their fear of paying 50 cents a day.

"Finally the scare tactics have failed. Bigger class sizes??? Tell me how big they will be." DEAR SIR, AS A DISTRICT TEACHER, I HAVE HAD 37 AND THIS YEAR ONE CLASS IS 38. THAT IS HUGE! DO YOU REALLY THINK YOUR CHILD OR ANY CHILD IS GETTING A QUALITY EDUCATION THAT WAY? "If these overpaid teachers can't handle it then get a real job" FIRST OF ALL, I WE ARE NOT OVERPAID, SECONDLY YOU OBVIOUSLY DO NOT KNOW THAT MANY OF US HAVE OTHER JOBS BESIDES THIS AS WELL...--"not one where you have to work only 68% of what everyone else has to work!!" WE WORK ALL THE TIME, CORRECTING PAPERS, ENTERING GRADES AND OFTEN THAT IS OUTSIDE OF OUR "SCHEDULED HOURS." YOU MUST KNOW THAT!!!! "And while I am complaing--when are we going to wake up and get a longer school year????" YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY UNAWARE OF A FANTASTIC YEAR ROUND PROGRAM THAT THIS SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS! "No wonder the US is always so far behind in education than other countries that HAVE a LONGER school year." YOU ARE ALSO FORGETTING THAT IN THOSE COUNTRIES WHO HAVE LONGER SCHOOL YEARS, THERE ARE ALSO PARENTS WHO SUPPORT EDUCATION AND DON'T USE THE SYSTEM AS A BABYSITTER AND THEN IGNORE THEIR CHILD'S EDUCATION AT HOME!

Hey Matt, own property before you start talking about paying more taxes...

Instead of talking trash maybe it would be more helpful for creative innovative minds in the community to come up with ideas the school district could consider to further cut costs and raise funds on their own.

Of course tax deductible donations are always appreciated. Maybe also start something like Adopt A Classroom so folks or businesses can select a specific classroom or project they'd like to support. Couldn't the schools rent out rooms when not in use, such as on the weekends? The cafeteria or gym would be great for wedding receptions, parties and meetings. Something like that might not be easy to get started, but wouldn't it be do-able and wouldn't it bring in money? I am not all that creative, I'm sure other citizens can come up with better ideas to help the school.

Hey anonymous, if I did own property I would gladly pay 50 cents a day to keep my school district afloat

tEACHERS WILL NEVER EVER BE PAID WHAT THEY ARE WORTH!!!! No I am not a teacher but I do work at a school and I can say they are there at the crack of dawn and there till late in the evening.Many teachers spend alot of their own money to cover class supplies. Please do not lay this on teachers. put it on the Supt where it belongs!!!!

I am so disappointed!! i gladly would pay 50 cents extra a day to support my kids school too! you know they cant have colored paper anymore? no tan lunch menus for november.. no yellow spelling lists.. anything on colored paper is now plain white!! that is so sad!! I couldn't imagine k, 1st 2nd, etc.. grades with PLAIN white paper!! kids love it!! keeps them interested!! CPS.. if i win the lottery, i promise you will never have to go without colored paper again!!

Thank you CI teachers standing united!!! Teachers bring work HOME WITH THEM EVERYDAY! It is not a "68%" of the time job! I have helped teachers grade piles and piles of papers, ON THE WEEKEND! People really need to understand the job. Teachers are mentors, friends, and for some students, a much better support system than they receive at home. Do NOT expect teachers to do all of your "parenting" and educating, and then dare to say that they are overpaid. Teachers have 4-year degrees, and sometimes even more. They invested in their future by attending college, and they deserve the salaries they earn, if not more.

Trying to read through this entire list of comments I found myself within a rather redundant process. I see the same arguments going back and forth and back and forth. I also see a real lack of true knowledge of what happens within the walls of the school.
I am a senior at CHIS and I find it to be extremely interesting to not be aware of all this money people seem to think the school has. People on this blog are talking repeatedly about the school not “living within their means.” People first need to realize that with the current levy in place the school has been living within their means and they have taken huge strides to do this. If the school wasn’t living within their means why are they forced to make multimillion dollar cuts every year just to meet the rises of basic costs? I would invite anyone saying that the school doesn’t need more money to walk down the halls for a year or more and see the dramatic changes that happen and the exceptionally dangerous changes that are now on their way and still tell me that the school doesn’t need the money.
The most recent big change that I have seen at the high school included cuts of several very talented teachers, the removal of programs such as marching band, knowledge bowl, technical education courses that allows non-college bound students to move directly into the work force, etc. The beginning of last year marked a new requirement at the high school of every student to have at least one study hall for the simple reason that it is cheaper to pay a teacher to supervise a study hall than to actually teach. There is literally no point to having study halls. There is rarely a student in the school that can actually be found to be productive in a study hall and it seems to me that for the best interest of the students’ education, which is the goal of the school, they should be in real classes.
If the school had so much money to go around why are they making decisions that significantly reduce the value of our local education? Empty desks are something that is never seen at school anymore as the sizes of the classrooms have been growing at an alarming rate. If fact I recently had a teacher tell me that she questions whether or not her 38 student class is legally under fire marshal capacity standards.
The school board is now looking into changing the structure of the school day itself to include shorter class hours to save money. We are currently in a block schedule that actually has academic research to back it up as one of the best structured days for schools to increase the value of education, but the school may not be able to afford that anymore.
Everything has been affected in the school and every student is affected in some way. The only thing that I haven’t seen being cut are athletic sports. I find it to be pathetic that the conservative base of this community seems to find high school sports so essential that the administration has actually received threats saying that parents would pull their students out of this district all together if they did not allow sports. I am ashamed to say that I live in such a selfishly conservative community that values sports before they value education. I can’t believe that I live in a community that values education so little that they actually attack the school as if it were their enemy.
I would never expect any of those who believe that the school should cut costs further to approach the school board with the recommendation to cut every extra-curricular activity including sports such as football and basketball, nor would I encourage it. However, I find it be interesting that they actually have the audacity to demand that the school decrease of our educational value.
I am embarrassed for the conservative base of this community for their ignorance to actually use their very valued electoral right in response to near conspiracy theories when in fact very few have actually witnessed the changes that the school already has gone through.
The value of education is much greater than any other investment we could make in this nation. Education is this nation’s future and it literally is the base for every political aspect of our lives. Without education we have no economy, without education we have no health care system, without education we have nothing. I envy anyone with the right to vote and would never be proud to know that I stepped on the students of the community without any knowledge of what they actually live without already.
I am directly involved in the high school’s student council and the school Model UN team and I know that both organization started this school year with negative budgets. Despite the fact that many people seem to think that the school is just budgeting badly, there is nothing that the school would be able to budget to recover millions of dollars of lost programs and highly beneficial classroom needs.

Not only did the school fail to receive a raise in funding to follow the rate of inflation, but they lost a very big part of their annual revenue both from the state level and now from the local level. The school was struggling to live within their means to begin with and now I don’t want to even imagine what they will be forced to do to make up for this failed levy.
It disgusts me to read that people proudly pass off their “no” votes as forcing the school to live within their means. The reality, that I would think would be extremely obvious, is that the school, which seems to be such a favorite enemy in this community, is the students that attend it. Our students cannot begin to compete with most other schools when they attend one of the poorest school districts in the state.
What I find to be very contradictory about several of these posts is when people criticize others’ knowledge of economics as inferior to their own. Anyone with a basic knowledge of economics or business would know that regardless of student capacity or revenue there are some fixed and unavoidable costs that any school or business must face. The only major variable cost in the school’s budget is the costs of the students. By rejecting this levy we have successfully reduced the spending of the school per pupil. By doing this the educational value of our school will be dramatically reduced while the fixed costs of our school will remain unchanged. This is going to have an effect which I would think anyone concerned about the costs of our economy would fear.
The cost of the quality of our education is going to rise. The only way the school can retain the quality of education that we hold now is to pay out more money. Retaining the current costs of our school district would reduce our value of education even before you factor in the rate of inflation, and in order to reduce cost, as demanded by the community, the school’s quality of education will reduce much more than I think the community can even begin to imagine. I will never be proud to say I live in such a conservative community that finds so little knowledge of what they are accomplishing at the right of their own selfishness. Thank you!!!
Erik Oslund,
Cambridge-Isanti High School Senior

Holy cow--some of these posts are just mean. Not helpful, just mean. I can't speak for everyone who voted 'No' but I resent the implication that because I didn't vote in favor of the levy I must somehow not care about children or their education. That's not it at all. The fact of the matter is that my family just doesn't have any extra to spare right now. I suspect that none of the folks who were advocating for a 'yes' vote have experienced long term unemployment, cancelled health insurance or the threat of foreclosure. In different economic times I would have been on the committee to support a levy. But for now I'm hoping to keep my home.

Just so the community knows, teacher health care went up 9% this year and the district has passed all of those expenses onto teachers. So if you have family insurance, your health care went up this October. Essentially a $1400(after tax) cut for teachers in salary this year. Not sure where all these huge raises are that everyone is talking about? I hope people read this, as I didn't use CAPITALS to get my point across, therefor no one may see it.

I knew the choice of building two new middle schools would come back and bite us. Can you imagine how much money is used to run these two campuses? At best the district should have reduced the crowding at the one high school and given Isanti the long over due high school of its own. The school district needs to remember to spend the public money wisely.

Although I made it very obvious in a resent post that I was very disappointed in the outcome of the election, I have to put out my respect for the person who's comment I am responding to. I am still very opposed to the outcome of the election, but I have to say that I have great amounts of respect for you in the fact that you came out to say that you support school funding, but you were unable to vote "yes" due to financial burdens.
Anyone that voted "no" because of their literal inability to pay the extra tax had all right to do so, this is a completely valid argument. However, I am still deeply saddened to see people give the only argument of "The school has enough income and they just need to stop wasting money." This idea is completely wrong and I find it to be completely ignorant of the people who stated that they would have been able to pay the tax but still voted "no" just to force the school to "live within their means."

Just to let everyone know, these schools will not be as clean as they are right now. Janitors will be getting cut because everyone decided to vote no. Our schools are going to go down the drain and look horrible because there will not be enough custodians to clean our schools how they are suppose to be cleaned due to lack of money! So that means on top of teaching our kids and helping our kids, our teachers are probably going to have to help clean their rooms. Like they don't have enough on their plates!

I used to love being able to say that I came from the Cambridge/Isanti area. I loved high school and all the opportunities I was given through that school. I also loved how supportive the community was of my goals. I can't say that I love this community anymore. I would not be as successful as I am today if it weren't for the teachers and the school system that I was privileged enough to go through. I just can't believe that a student will not be able to have that same experience that I did thanks to this community ripping it from their grasp.

What happened to Minnesota nice?? These comments are embarassing to read.

Wow people! Now that the dust has settled, just like any of us (or our kids for that matter) who have been told NO, we have to deal with it. Changes have to be made, consequences suffered. It really is very simple. The people have spoken--the answer was NO, and so just like my kids have to do--roll with it, figure out how to LIVE within the boundaries of the NO. Really, we just HATE to be told NO. There was a day when we didn't enjoy the luxuries within the school system that we enjoy now. Imagine a day when there were no busses to bring the kids to school--oh my heavens!! Did the children get educated without them? The answer is YES! We need to live withing the boundaries of these tough and maybe unfair boundaries. There is a way.

Why wouldn't you help the students? What is going to happen when we are the ones in government and we didn't get the education we deserved? Students who want to take A.P classes most likely won't get to take them next year because of cuts due to the failure of this levy. If a student wants to take advanced classes and broaden their knowledge of the world, who are you to take that opportunity away from him or her? And how are our parents supposed to be able to pay for sports and activities now that the prices have been raised? Now that burden is being put on them instead of spread throughout the town. If everyone paid a little, the families of athletes and actors wouldn't have to be out on their own. We are in a recession, so everyone should help, and everyone should definitely help the children. People are complaining about the extra cost that this levy would've brought, but what they do not realize is the money they're already paying is being wasted on re-doing roads that are perfectly fine to begin with. We need new roads, but we can't educate our children?

I can't wait until the district goes to a 4 day school week. That will teach this town a lesson. People couldn't pay an extra $15.00 a month but with a 4 day school week the average household w/ a child will be paying much more in daycare now, around $30 a week to cover the day there is no school, that's $120.00 a month. $15 doesn't look so bad now, does it? I guess the district get the last laugh afterall.

Joe Average 1, Big Education 0

I think it sad that someone sees this as a competitin where score muct be kept. Goo, you feel the 'average Joe' won this round. But it wasn't big education that loses. It is all of us. We can talk all we want about living in our measn etc etc etc, but the cold hard fact is that cuts will deal a blow to our children's education. Larger class sizes are proven to impact education in a negative manner. Also, behaviorial issues that happen due to larger class sizes. This will take away from effective teaching time. We can blame all we want and pint fingers all we want. Or we can choose to bite the bullet and do what is right for us and our children, for their future.
Let's not cut off our noses to spite our faces. Vote NO to prove a point? What did we prove? In my opinion, we proved that education may not be as important to us as four wheeling, snowmobiling, snowboarding, and the list goes on.

I would like to say that the superintendent and other higher ranking people in the district have taken measures to help the district make it through. They have all taken a pay freeze for the next two years. The school board is trying to negotiate with staff members to try and make due with what they have to work with. Right now, they are having problems with the teacher's union. They are demanding pay INCREASES and increase in benefits and better retirement plans, which, yeah, they deserve and so does every one else working. But right now, in this economy that's not reasonable. They should be happy they aren't like some of the people they know that don't have their jobs anymore. And they are trying to keep everything quite from the public.
I just graduated from CI high school in 2008. That's when it really started sinking in. All the cuts that were going to be made the next few years. We as students were furious. We don't care who's responsible. This should not be a blame game, we should all be banding together to overcome this problem. Suggestions should be made. Yes, the school boards are elected, but that doesn't mean you can't give any impute. Meetings are open to the public for a reason. To INVOLVE you in what is going on in the district. So, before you go and blame the school board for all the problems step back and consider who voted for them, have you been involved in the decision, have you given impute, have you been involved at all. If you haven't what gives you the right to sit here and bash them.
What about the students who have gone down to the capitol to talk to the senators and ask why our funding is being cut. Why we deserve to suffer program cuts. Try going and looking at the class sizes. When I was there classes were full, in some there were so many desks that it was hard to walk through the room, and now classes are getting larger. There are so many things that complicate large class sizes. We have such a wide diversity of learning abilities and they are being all thrown together now. Just because a student is smart does not make them nor their parents rich, nor should it matter. A student at any level deserves the BEST education they can have. You people sitting there complaining about everything that's going on in your life think of the kids still in school and what they have to look forward too. We are more concerned with the future of the school and our teachers and our education. Maybe you should bud out and let us get what we need and right now we need our good teachers to stop being cut, we need to keep our programs for ALL students to participate in, whether they can pay or not. What lessons are you, the community teaching us?

That is insane! I believe this should have been passed; but it didn't. SO GET OVER IT! You are just reminding many people that voted no, why they voted no. Teachers complain WAY too much about their income. Which whether you think it's a small amount or not, it's a much larger income then many. SO STOP COMPLAINING! And the idea of having longer years is a very poorly thought out plan in my perspective. MANY students dread having to attend school the amount they already have too. Adding days is gonna increase our already HUGE drop-out rates in Cambridge-Isanti! The idea of a year-round school only has few academic advantages. I know because I attended school there from Kindergarten-8th grade. And honestly I regret it. You get looked at so differently by other students, causing a decrease in self-confidence. I will admit that there are a couple of advantages like the ability to have more classes, or to take higher classes. But socially everything is screwed up, students shouldn't feel, the way they do when they get to the high-school. Socially it is screwed up while you are in the program also. Because there are fewer students there is much much more drama, between the students and the teachers. I had heard on multiple occasions students talking poorly about specific and general students which is completly innapropriate! I do not have any regrets in my life besides attending that school.

A 4-day school week would be GREAT! Yes there would be more child-care needed but you would also be helping the economy a lot! It would cut the costs for schools, and would also open up jobs for students and teachers in need of more money! This would then stop or decrease the complaints of the teachers and students income and trouble finding jobs and or secondary jobs! I think a 4-day week is a great idea.