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The Chisago Lakes school year is off to great start and we are very excited to be with our students again. Fall athletics and activities are in full swing and the academic news from the school year just past is excellent.

All of our school buildings and programs made "Adequate Yearly Progress" as defined by the Minnesota Department of Education and the federal No Child Left Behind legislation.

No Child Left Behind calls for 100% proficiency for all students in all sub-group categories such as limited English language learners and special education students by 2014. While that is a lofty and admirable goal, school officials nationwide feel that it will be extremely hard to accomplish.

We are fortunate that the progress we have made to date places our students on the positive list for AYP for the current testing period.

I am again impressed with the excellent teaching and support staff assembled to work with our students this year.

There is a great mix of veteran educators as well as energetic new professionals in our ranks and I believe we are one of the best districts in the state when it comes to providing knowledgeable and caring teachers to work with students. Their task is a challenging one and their efforts need to be supported as much as possible.

I am also impressed by the amount and quality of parent involvement found in our schools during the school open houses and opening weeks of school.

The role that positive parenting plays in student success is immeasurable and the fact that parents have high expectations for our schools and programs helps to foster student achievement. When parents communicate regularly with teachers, especially if there are concerns, when they ensure that students are current with assignments, and make certain that students come to school on time and ready to learn, then the stage is set for great student success. We appreciate the work that gets done at home on behalf of the schools.

The school district has finalized plans to catch up on repairs to our five school facilities and to help plan for the future development of fields and facilities. We are asking the voters for their consideration in a referendum to be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2007. If successful, the referendum will provide 14.2 million dollars for district improvements, and school taxes will still be reduced in 2008. Older bonds for indoor-air improvements will come off the tax rolls if and when the new referendum impact goes on the tax rolls, and the new referendum amount has a lower tax impact than the old bonds. The result is that taxes for school will go down even if the vote passes.

We hope residents will sustain their current level of support for the facilities that the district already owns and will allow us to make repairs and improvements using dollars earmarked for facility repairs and not taken from dollars for intended for student instruction.

Thanks to our students for their extra effort and hard work this year. It is not always easy being a student, but with the support of parents and the school staff, all of our young people can and will find success. I hope you all have a great school year.

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