Hard questions before vote

School district officials discussed the referendum with the Chamber of Commerce.

By PATRICE RELERFORD, Star Tribune

Last update: October 14, 2008 - 11:55 PM

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REFERENDUM FACTS

If approved on Nov. 4, the $60 million levy would provide the district with $480 million over eight years. Here's how it would affect city residents' pocketbooks: The owner of a $256,000 home, the median price in Minneapolis, currently pays about $15 a month for the excess levy approved in 2000. The new levy would raise that by $17 to about $32 a month.

According to materials the district mailed to voters last month the money will help keep class sizes down, improve the math and science curriculum, fund early-grade literacy initiatives and buy new textbooks and technology.

• For more information on Minneapolis public schools' upcoming referendum visit www.mpls.k12.mn.us/Referendum.html.

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A few weeks ago I told you about how volunteers for the Strong Schools, Strong City campaign were using their home phones and computers to access voter registration data and build support for Minneapolis public schools' upcoming levy referendum.

Their main targets were seniors and people who don't have school-aged children -- in short, people who might be on the fence.

Since I wrote the phone-bank article, I've attended several board and community meetings about various topics and kept my ears open for any and all opinions.

I've probably tapped a few of you on the shoulders, introduced myself and asked what you thought about the upcoming referendum and academic challenges city students face.

Most of you said you support the levy but a few residents said they've heard other folks aren't convinced. So far, there's no organized opposition to the request.

Last week my quest to meet engaged city residents took me to a City of Lakes Chamber of Commerce event at the University of St. Thomas' downtown Minneapolis campus.

I sat in the back of the room and listened as local business, higher education and nonprofit leaders asked Steve Liss and Peggy Ingison, Minneapolis public schools' chief operations and finance officers, pretty tough questions about the funding request.

"What are your goals as far as attracting students back?" one chamber member asked about the district's enrollment figures. Minneapolis' enrollment losses have slowed recently but its student count has fallen from 46,000 students in 2000-01 to 33,600 last school year.

Ingison told the audience part of the decline is occurring statewide but acknowledged that the district continues to face strong competition from charter and suburban schools.

She said board members would approve any major initiatives but the district hopes achievement will be the driving force behind keeping students and attracting new ones.

The district recently hired a new communications director (Susan Eilertsen, a former consultant and senior vice president of Weber Shandwick public relations) and plans to better market its school options and progress under its five-year strategic plan to families, Ingison said.

Chamber members also learned that recent test scores show that kids who stayed are doing as well or better than students who are bused to the suburbs under the Choice is Yours program.

As the meeting drew to a close I spotted a well-dressed woman reviewing the district's referendum materials and quietly discussing what she's heard with other chamber members. I asked what she thought about the information.

"I was really surprised by the sheer magnitude of everything they're dealing with," Sharon Fischer said about enrollment, test scores and class sizes.

Fischer works as an administrator for a local university, owns her home and tries to stay informed about city issues, but hadn't heard much about the levy.

She said she supports public education ("We need them," she said. "I want to retire.") but lives alone, doesn't have any children and is worried about the economy. Fischer, like other chamber members, said she had reservations about approving a tax increase this year.

"I'm having real difficulties in these economic times," Fischer said. "I just paid for a [Twins] stadium. Now they're coming to me for the schools."

Still, Fischer said it was difficult to not be concerned about "the sheer magnitude" of the challenges the district faces and impressed by the commitment of folks like Courtney Cushing-Kiernat, a mother of two district students and co-chairwoman of the pro-levy group.

"I'm amazed that education continues to be cut on the federal and state level," Fischer said.

As Fischer and I parted -- it was after 9 a.m. and most chamber members needed to get to work -- I got the impression that she would continue to weigh the facts but had probably taken several steps away from that fence folks keep talking about.

Patrice Relerford • 612-673-4395

prelerford@startribune.com

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