South Washington County voters will have seven candidates to choose from to fill three school board seats, and also must decide three ballot questions when they go to the polls in November.

The questions involve funding for building projects and school operations, and will spin off one another, under parameters set by the board this month.

The district initially weighed a proposal for as much as $900 per pupil in funding for school operations, but backed off the plan after a survey of district residents found a majority opposed or strongly opposed both the $900-per-pupil plan and a more modest $700-per-pupil request.

Voters will decide, instead, whether to back a $525-per-pupil proposal this year and then a $375-per-pupil levy request in 2017.

The requests to fund building projects are contained in two questions, the first of which would raise $96 million to build a new middle school and renovate and expand other middle schools. The second bond request is for $46.5 million to fund high school and elementary school improvements.

In addition to agreeing to put the three questions on the ballot, the school board decided to make the first bond question contingent upon approval of the $525-per-pupil levy request, and to make the second bond question contingent upon approvals of both the levy request and the first bond question.

The race for school board seats will find incumbents Ron Kath, Michelle Witte and Joe Slavin competing with four challengers. They are: Dean Barton, of St. Paul Park; Patricia Driscoll, of Cottage Grove; Molly Lutz, of Woodbury; and Andrea Mayer-Bruestle, of Woodbury.

Lutz narrowly missed election to the board in 2013.

Forest Lake

High school sees higher AP scores

Students taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes at Forest Lake Area High School in 2014-15 posted the school's highest ever overall scores, the district announced recently.

The school offers AP courses as well as concurrent enrollment classes as a means for students to earn college credits and to save on future tuition costs.

To earn college credits for AP classes, students take AP exams in May. The district said most colleges and universities award college credit for scores of 3 or higher on a 5 point scale. Forest Lake students took 448 exams, and 67 percent of the students earned a score of 3 or higher.

The school offers more than 30 AP and concurrent enrollment courses in partnership with the University of Minnesota, Southwest Minnesota State University and Pine Technical & Community College.

Anthony Lonetree