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At the regular school board meeting on Thursday, May 18, the Chisago Lakes School Board got a levy update ahead of a beefy working meeting session that was held this week after the Chisago County Press went to print.

First and foremost, Superintendent Dean Jennissen said, it's important the board starts with timelines, and that’s going to drive the conversation on if a future special meeting will be needed.  The May 24 working meeting went over some of the past levy materials from the referendum the district went out for in November of 2022, and also laid the foundation of what type of funding the district could possibly put on the ballot in November of 2023.

Jennissen described the state legislative boost in funding for education at the state level would be an important driver in the conversation as well. “There will be significant opportunities for us to consider things the legislature is putting out. There will be a lot to process and a lot to figure out to make all these things happen,” he said. “I have no doubt the headlines will say ‘historic educational funding’, but what the headlines will be lacking will be historic requirements and expenditures of funds to make these things happen. There will be grant funds available, which means you have to apply and they are competitive, so we’ll have to read into the details.”

He continued, “Although there will be historical spending on education, there will be a lot of strings attached that will put us in a position where we have to make decisions on how to utilize them. It's not all bad news. It’s certainly good news, but the devil’s in the details and we’ll have to dig into that.”

Representatives from Ehlers, the district’s public finance advisors, did confirm that there is levy authority in the new legislature for school boards to authorize their current levies in the last year. “Our’s is currently $225 per pupil for 10 years and will be expiring,” Jennissen explained. “We did get confirmation that if our levy was 10 years, we can authorize it for 10 years again. But that's another conversation too. We can look at what we need for funding with a six member board, and we can make that decision, but as we found out in conversations with the community this past couple years, we’d rather bring it to a vote of 10,000 people than just six people. Those are the conversations that will be had and how that plays into our overall levy/bond needs that we’ll be talking about.”

Aadland appointed

The board vacancy was officially offered to and accepted by former board member Sarah Aadland. She was not able to be at the meeting due to a family emergency, but she did provide a statement to board chairman Lori Berg that said,  “If the board does choose to appoint me, I’m honored to serve another interim term on the board on behalf of our students, parents and educators. As a mom of three students in the district, I care deeply about the future of our schools and I’m happy to step into the seat with a fair amount of recent board training, education and public policy and dedication to the vibrancy of the community. I’m looking forward to joining the team on June 22.”

The appointment was approved unanimously, and officially be seated at the regular June 22 school board meeting.

Significant donation for softball program

Empire Insurance donated $5,000 to help complete the softball press box above the field, as there were a few things that the initial donations didn’t cover. Board member Brenda Carlson, who is also the head softball coach, was very thankful and proud of the project.

Regional K-9 competition coming to school grounds

The United States Police Canine Association Regional 12 PD1 K9 trials will be held at the Chisago Lakes School District on June 25-27. The school board approved giving half off the facility use fee to show their thanks to local law enforcement for their continued support and because it brings many people, including spectators that are welcome to attend on Sunday, to the schools and the area restaurants, hotels and shops.

Lawn and snow contract approved

J&H Outdoor Services was awarded the lawn mowing contract, as well as the snow removal contract for the district, with much of the board praising the job owner Jeremy Harris and his staff do. “Jeremy is an alum, and you can tell he just gives it 120 percent in the job he does,” Berg said.

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