West metro school briefs: Marching band festival set for Sept. 6 in Eden Prairie

Fourteen high school marching bands will perform their field shows in competition at the 23rd annual Prairie Colors Band Festival on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Eden Prairie's Aerie Stadium.

Prairie Colors, the first marching competition of the season, will feature bands from throughout Minnesota. This year's festival will also include a performance by the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Blugold Marching Band, whose members include several Eden Prairie high school alumni.

Ticket sales will begin at Aerie Stadium at 10:30 a.m., gates will open at 11 a.m. and competition will begin at noon. They are $9 for adults, $5 for students and free for kids under 5.

As the hosts, the Eagle Marching Band will perform in exhibition. It will debut its show titled "What Lies Beneath." This year's show features Irish and Scottish music, and portrays wariness of what may lie beneath deep, dark waters.

Prairie Colors, Eagle Band's biggest fundraiser of the year, supports the purchase of instruments, uniforms and the band's travel to competitions. The event is organized and staffed by more than 150 band parent volunteers.

Residents of the Robbinsdale School District will see two school funding requests on the Nov. 4 ballot:

• One to renew the existing operating levy, with no tax increase if approved by voters.

School officials say Robbinsdale is one of the few school districts in Hennepin County that does not have a voter-approved capital project levy to provide technology money.

Renewing the operating levy (question 1) would provide $20 million per year to help maintain lower-than-average class sizes and fund daily school and district operations such as classroom supplies, staff salaries, building maintenance and transportation, the district says.

Adding a technology levy (question 2) would provide a stable source of funding to increase technology access for students and staff, support personalized learning and expand technology for teaching and learning, the district says. If approved, the tax impact on the median value district home ($195,000) would be $7 per month.

For more information, go to www.rdale.org. Questions can be directed to referendum@rdale.org or 763-504-8022.