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Staff Writer

Spring Lake Park District 16 School Board is bracing for another round of cuts that could soar as high as $2.5 million.

The board approved a resolution at its Dec. 15 meeting directing administration to make recommendations for reducing programs and positions for 2010.

“This is a pretty sobering time,” said Superintendent Don Helmstetter. “Very near crisis.”

The cuts this time around could lay off staff or end or curtail programs.

The district last spring underwent $1.5 million of modifications, which Superintendent Don Helmstetter called “seamless.”

“There will have to be very visible changes next year to programs and services,” Helmstetter said in the last board meeting he presided over before he retires at the end of December.

Said Assistant Super-intendent Jeffrey Ronneberg, who is in line to replace Helmstetter, “There are truly wonderful things happening in the classroom. That’s why it’s painful to stand up here and talk about reductions.”

Grim budget outlook

At an earlier school board workshop session before the regular board meeting Dec. 15, Helmstetter said systemic changes next year could likely involve examining schedules at the high school and middle school, bus schedules and class size ceilings.

“All of these things are on the table,” he said.

Ronneberg said the board would be looking into authorizing some cuts for the current year’s budget. An example would be to examine professional development expenses.

In a budget discussion, he noted that state per pupil funding did not increase from last year to this year.

Funding shifts from the state will result in less net revenue for the current school year than last year’s and reimbursement for some programs, such as special education, are decreasing.

For example, the district should be reimbursed 68 percent by the state. This year, the district is only receiving 67 percent, he said. Also, transportation reimbursement for special education students has decreased from 100 percent reimbursement to 85 percent, while the district is seeing an increasing level of needed services.

Teacher negotiations

Tom Young, a math teacher at SLP High School for 29 years, and lead negotiator of SLP Teachers United union, spoke during the communication portion of the regular school board meeting.

He expressed concern about the uncertainty of the negotiations process.

About 75 teachers turned out for the meeting. They quietly listened to Young’s comments. The teachers were gathered for many reasons, he said.

“They want to express their concern over the negotiations process,” Young said. “They hope that the board, district administration and SLP United negotiators can find common ground as they enter into mediation this Thursday (Dec. 17).”

“They hope that the district and the union can reach a settlement that is fair, reasonable and balanced. Also, they want to listen to the board as you set the parameters for the budget cut process,” he said.

Young assured the board and community that regardless of the outcome of negotiations, students will continue to receive the best from the teachers and students will receive a world class education, he said.

Boardmember Gary Brisbin responded on behalf of the board.

Brisbin is one of a few people representing the district in the negotiations process.

“Our student education is at the heart of everything we do,” he said.

He acknowledged residents’ renewal of an operating levy in the Nov. 3 general election. But, voters turned down a second question that would have increased a levy set to expire in two years.

The no vote signals the community’s concern about current economic conditions, he said.

“The community essentially told the board, ‘We like what the schools are doing, but we can’t pay anymore for them at this time,’” he said.

Brisbin cited flat funding from the state and no funds designated for 3 percent to 4 percent inflationary increases in operating costs.

Also, the district needs to borrow money to continue paying its operating costs because the state has decided to delay payment of promised funds to school districts, he said.

Under a state-imposed deadline, teacher contracts need to be ratified by Jan. 15 or school districts face financial penalties of $25 per student enrolled.

However, District 16 has started mediation, and “as long as we are in mediation we do not face that penalty,” Ronneberg wrote in an e-mail to the Life.

District 16 operates on a $54 million budget.

The district serves about 4,600 students in Spring Lake Park and portions of Blaine and Fridley.

Elyse Kaner is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it