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By Rachel Kytonen
rachel.kytonen@ecm-inc.com
The public had its first chance to voice its opinion on the $2 million budget cut proposal released last week by the Cambridge-Isanti School District during a public meeting Tuesday, March 9.
The school board and administration spent over an hour listening to parents, teachers, students, former students, and other parties express their concerns on the proposed budget cuts and reductions.
Finance Director Robyn Vosberg-Torgerson began the meeting by providing an overview, outlining the overall savings to the district, of the proposed budget reductions.
Under the goal of reducing $2 million, money from the unreserved fund balance ($500,000), capital fund balance ($300,000) and a bus savings ($200,000) equal half of the amount needed to be cut.
Several members of the public asked the board to reconsider reducing media specialist positions at both Cambridge and Isanti Middle schools, and art specialists with the K-5 art curriculum.
Carol Hazard, media specialist at Isanti Middle School/Minnesota Center, said media specialists are needed.
“I am here to ask you to reexamine the total cut of both media specialists at the middle school level,” Hazard said. “Middle schoolers get excited about reading when they connect to a book because it’s about a character, or subject that interests them and is at their reading level. Media specialists make sure those books are purchased.”
Hazard said media specialists are also responsible for monitoring and running Accelerated Reader and the Alexandria Software. She said both of these programs represent a considerable investment on the part of the taxpayers.
“There is currently no plan of how the middle school media centers will continue to run,” Hazard said. “While there are very hard-working instructional assistants in both centers, who will do the book check-out—they can not do the tasks that a media specialist does.”
Hazard submitted a plan to the board that shows how $45,000 can be cut by having a shared media specialist between the two middle school media centers.
“The media centers represent an investment of tens of thousands of dollars that need to be maintained,” Hazard said. “Teaching kids to read is a core subject and maybe the most important subject we teach.”
Darlene Melland—whose family has lived in the area for over 40 years and had generations go through the C-I School District—said the district needs to look at costs with administrative benefits.
“I am here on behalf of all the senior citizens of the Cambridge-Isanti School District,” Melland said. “We are struggling the same as everyone else during these hard economic times.
“I have a copy of the 2009-10 expenditure and revenue budget and it just floors me that most of the administration staff benefits alone are more than most of us make in a year. When teachers, classes and activities are being cut, the administration salaries should also be cut. Since when has greed taken precedence over our children and our future?” she added.
Need to move forward
Steve Struss, who taught in the district for many years and is married to a teacher, said the district and public needs to focus on the present.
“We need to concentrate on what we must do to balance the budget and provide the best educational opportunities for our children,” Struss said. “I understand the taxpayers voted against the levy, and it’s done. Some contracts have been settled and some have not, but the issue is how can we do with what we have. We need to move on in a more positive direction. Let’s not spend time dealing with what happened in the past, and we need to move forward.”
Clearing up misconceptions
John Droubie, a parent of three children, teacher and coach, said there are misconceptions in the community that need to be cleared up.
“When looking at comparable school districts, our district is on the low end when it comes to teachers, administration and coaches’ salaries,” Droubie said. “There is this misconception out there, but we are not strong on administrative salaries. When looking at our schools, we are not living in Taj Mahal; we are living simply here. What I’m asking the board to do is look at its reserves. If you’re saving for a rainy day, the rainy day is here.”
Keep art programs
Dan Steen, who has a daughter with autistic needs, said elective courses such as art, ceramics, woodshop and jewelry making are important.
“As a community, we need to come together,” Steen said. “We’ve had a lot of programs cut the past three years, and sports do have a place in the school. I have a daughter who is autistic, and those are her mainstream classes. I lost my job and have been out of work for a year. This is a business, and the business is educating students.”
High School art teacher Larry Ostrom asked the board to reconsider reducing the K-5 art program.
“Art is an academic program,” Ostrom said. “It teaches higher-thinking skills. If we had a school with just reading, writing and arithmetic, we’d be the laughing stock of the state. We’ve had many of our art students go on and have careers in these areas.
“When it comes to priority, and K-5 art is being cut, what is the rationale with that? I’ll argue with you; I’m an artist, and I’m a practicing artist. I know a lot of you don’t understand that, but it’s true,” Ostrom added.
Paula Taray, who works in the School for All Seasons, said her daughter has been accepted into a prestigious art college in Minneapolis thanks to teachers Larry Ostrom and Nancy Scherer.
“I’m asking you to consider not pulling back the art program,” Taray said. “It will effect our younger generations, and they will not have skills they need for the future.”
William Voss, a sophomore at CIHS, said reducing the art program will reduce student creativity.
“If you’re cutting art for little children you need to ask why?” Voss said. “You’re putting creativity on a chopping block. I understand price cuts, but maybe you take some of the elective courses and have a small charge at the beginning of each quarter or semester. That might help alleviate the price and help keep those programs in the school. Art helps with creativity to succeed in life.”
Ruth Oliver, a teacher and parent in the school district, said she wrote a nine page proposal to Superintendent Bruce Novak and wanted the proposal to be shared with the entire school board.
Looking ahead
Following the closing of the public comments, Novak thanked moderator Susi McCune for moderating the event and for the public comments.
“I would like to thank everyone for coming out tonight,” Novak said. “These are our schools and our children, and they are our most precious resource.
“Every program we have was put in place because it was good for our kids, and every program we take away from our kids hurts our kids,” Novak said.
Novak said future meetings will be planned in Cambridge and Isanti to give the public another opportunity to speak on the proposed budget cuts and reductions.
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