Jordan asks voters to take a big leap and support school levy

School levy referendums in Jordan, says Greg Leahy, a candidate for school board, "always pretty much fail. I don't remember one ever passing."

Even one of the organizers of the campaign to get people to vote yes next week admits she's been told she's "crazy" to try in this economic climate. But as the Jordan district's reserves dwindle toward zero, raising the prospect of drastic cuts, Colleen Herzog does find one thing encouraging:

"In this community, there has often been an organized effort to defeat these referendums -- people who've printed up their own signs and everything. That's not happening today."

The district is putting two questions to voters: The first would authorize an annual property tax levy of $375 per pupil. The second, contingent upon the passage of the first, would add another $175 per pupil.

Superintendent Kirk Nelson sees a troubling future if the levies fail.

"I've only been here a year, and I've been shocked by what I've seen: Numbers of kids are up, but we've had to cut the number of teachers. We have to share 17 teachers between buildings. Class sizes have ballooned, and I can't see that continuing without families starting to leave," which would compound the problem by subtracting state aid.

"Some school districts get as much as $2,000 per student more than we're getting."

Sandy Burke, a school board candidate who co-chairs the steering committee leading the drive, says she knows people are feeling stretched.

"I know several people who've been laid off recently. But given that we're only asking for about $15 a month for an average-valued home, $200,000, I hope it's not unreasonable, especially because it will so dramatically impact the future of the community and the future of our kids. We need to think past the short term."

Jordan isn't the only Scott County district going to voters on Nov. 3. Shakopee is as well. But where Shakopee asks to continue the status quo, Jordan is asking people to make a leap. The Jordan district is one of only about 10 percent in the state without major supplemental levies.

$1 per student per year

On average, school officials say, voters in neighboring districts pony up $743 per student. Chaska and Prior Lake give more than $1,000. Even outlying rural communities such as Le Sueur and Montgomery are at $300. In Jordan it's $1 per student per year.

"The scary thing is that parents open-enrolling out of our district are already saying it's about class sizes, for the first time," Burke said. And with so many Jordan commuters heading up daily through districts such as Chaska, Eden Prairie and Shakopee, it would be no sweat for them to drop kids off en route.

Jordan's board was unanimous in putting the two questions on the ballot. Both are 10-year levies. The first, for $375 per pupil (about $565,000 a year), would provide enough to maintain current services, the district says. If the second, $175-per-pupil question passes, the funds will be used to reduce class sizes by hiring teachers.

Voters have turned down three such requests in the past five years. That has led to three rounds of cuts totaling about $1.5 million.

"Unlike our neighboring and conference districts," the district says in a PowerPoint presentation on its website, "we do not have a business manager, a curriculum coordinator, a communications coordinator or assistant principals." And then, in bold: "This means that future cuts may take place in the classroom, with student transportation, and/or extracurriculars."

Not all the candidates for school board are fans of the levy.

"There's been some mismanagement of the money the schools have already," Leahy said. "The real problem is, we don't have any tax base. We don't have big businesses in town. Maybe we need to look at that first. I'm no expert, but it just seems like it gives them more money to mismanage."

But most of the huge crop of candidates seem to be in favor.

"Personally I think the board has cut everywhere they can cut," said candidate Travis Burton, "and we're at a point now where, I hate to say it, but we may need more of these down the road at present growth rates. We get steadily less money from the state, and we're growing. You can't run any type of organization that's getting bigger, with less."

David Peterson • 952-882-9023