The Star News asked Superintendent Mark Bezek to size up what’s in store in 2016 for the Elk River Area School District. Below is Bezek’s response, which is broken into categories.
Board governance: The School Board is developing a new governance protocol. The noticeable difference will be greater concentration on developing the roles of School Board and administration. The School Board will dedicate more time to policy decisions, budget, and the administration will handle all operational decisions that keep the district running on a day to day basis.
As the district continues to grow, separation of duties and accountability need to change. The School Board is working with a consultant to help them transition into a form of policy governance.
Bonded construction: With the passage of the $100 million bond proposal in November 2014, (construction) will be in full swing this spring. Most of our buildings will be under construction throughout 2016. The most notable will be Elk River High School and Zimmerman High School, the Otsego E-8 school facility and auditoriums in Rogers and Zimmerman.
Upcoming boundary changes: The impending boundary changes (are) due to the overcrowding at Twin Lakes Elementary. These changes will affect all elementary and middle schools in the center of the district.
It has been recommended that Twin Lakes Elementary School be reduced by 200 students by fall to deal with crowding there. The solution will likely include other Elk River elementary schools that have room for more students.
Legislative issues: The upcoming legislative session will be very important for the Elk River Area School District. We are one of the lowest funded districts in the state, and with the $2 billion surplus, we need our local legislators to step up to the plate for our students and employees. Once again we are proposing legislation that will help us in our financial condition.
District growth: History is starting to repeat itself. We are starting to see the beginning of the explosive growth that put us behind the financial 8-ball. We are focusing on the housing developments that are beginning to surface again across the district. We are continually looking for land for future school sites.
Worlds Best Workforce: We are carefully watching and protecting our World’s Best Workforce progress and report. This report is really the district’s report card to its constituents.
Strategic plan: We have taken on 15 results for the 2015-16 school year. We are in the fourth year of a 5-7 plan. We are showing great strides/progress on our plan.
Budget deficit: We have roughly a $2 million structural deficit in our budget projections. We are looking at all options and areas to be more efficient. We are presently looking at several possibilities that could help us in better meeting the needs of our learners by reallocating resources. We are exploring privatizing some of our non-certified positions and we have contracted with the District Management Council from Boston. This organization looks at how to deliver educational services more efficiently and effectively to lower level learners.