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A major event that is up and coming this fall is the district's referendum vote on November 6.

The Board of Education has spent over a year researching and developing the strategic needs of the district. Out of this planning arose the following needs:

• Repair and replace roofs and complete other major facility repairs and improvement at all 5 of our schools.

• Build a new classroom addition at Taylors Falls Elementary to replace the 13-year old portable building.

• Replace the 30-year old running track and construct a new football/soccer field at the high school.

• Update existing activity fields and add new activity fields on the west end of the high school site for school and community use.

• Finance the purchase of property for a future school.

All of these areas need addressing. It is through a well thought out, long-term plan that we are proposing these projects for the district. Under this proposal, student safety, instructional space (both indoors and outside physical education space) and general building repairs will be addressed. This will provide the funds to catch up where state funding has been insufficient. Districts unfortunately, can't rely on the yearly funding from the state to maintain its structures.

What do schools do, then, to catch up on facility improvement needs? Schools come to voters with a bond referendum proposal designed to address major facility improvement needs that cannot be taken care of with limited operating capital funds.

Voters of District 2144 will be asked to vote on a bond referendum proposal designed to address major facility improvement needs totaling $14.2 million dollars.

Even with the approval of this facility improvement bond, school taxes will decrease in 2008. An existing seven-year levy is set to expire this year and as a result school taxes will decrease in 2008. The projected increase for this referendum is less than what that decrease will be, resulting in a net decrease in school taxes for 2008.

The vote will take place on Tuesday, November 6, 2007. Polls will be open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm at three polling places: Precinct No. 1 of Chisago City, Lent Township and Wyoming Township with the voting location at the Chisago City Community Center; Precinct 2 of Center City, Chisago Lakes Township North and South, Lindstrom City, Scandia Township and Sunrise Township with the voting location at the Chisago Lakes High School Performing Arts Center; Precinct 3 of Amador Township, Franconia Township, Shafer City, Shafer Township and Taylor Falls City with the voting location at the Taylor Falls Elementary School.

Please feel free to contact any one of the building principals or district staff: Mike McLoughlin, Superintendent of Schools at 651/213-2096 or Heide Miller, Director of Business Services at 651/213-2010 with questions.

This referendum is "A responsible long-term plan for the future of our children, our schools and our community."

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