School outlook not pleasant
By John White
Despite moving to a four-day school week, selling off the junior high building and making nearly a million dollars in budgetary adjustments including staffing cuts, the MACCRAY District is far from being out of the financial prairie grasses.
On top of continuing declining student numbers, it doesn’t appear, going into the next budget cycle, that the district will receive much help from its primary funding source — the state of Minnesota.
This was part of the message district superintendent Greg Schmidt presented during a “state of the district” at a “working session” of the MACCRAY board and administrative team last Wednesday.
Schmidt delved into the past, reported the present and even took a stab at the future — one that saw some positive funding numbers from President Obama’s Stimulus Bill.
Even that has potential drawbacks, however, and Schmidt warned that if the board was worried about this next budget, just wait until the spring of 2010 when the school’s largest class of 81 students graduates.
“By comparison,” he said, “the next largest class is 65 students with the average being slightly less than 55 students.”
And, the Class of 2023 (the kindergarten class starting school in 2010) is estimated at 37 students.
Based on the current Minnesota state-based funding formula calculations, the difference in state aid after the Class of 2010 graduates is $243,892 less than now.
Current enrollment is 704 students, which drops to 663 students in 2010-2011, and down to 626 by 2013-14 (based on statistics of children currently being born).
While this was a working session, and Schmidt laid out some possibilities, he asked that some of those strategies not be published until there is opportunity to communicate with the staff. Another working session is planned for Wednesday, March 4. Schmidt also suggested that the “assumptions and possible action items” are his and that the board has neither come to consensus or acted on them. |
Want
to see more?
Subscribe
Today!
|
Local FFA chapter members celebrate agriculture heritage
Natalie Slagter, a 2004 CMCS graduate, and a 2008 Northwestern College graduate, visited Zambia last fall on a six-week internship through a mission called Every Orphan’s Hope. This is her account:
You’ve all seen the commercial, the one where you see many children walking through crowded, rundown streets with no shoes and tattered clothes. Along comes an older gentleman who tells you that for just 80 cents a day you can help a child like David, give him clean water, food and prevent diseases…give him a future!
Way back, when I was in the seventh grade at Central, seeing that commercial is what influenced my love affair with orphaned children, more specifically orphans in Africa, and a child like David!
Over the years, my love for and knowledge of Africa grew and grew, my dream advanced and my heart was captivated by the people and culture of Africa. Last September, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime - I was able to work in an orphanage called Every Orphan’s Hope in Zambia, where all the kids living there were orphaned by AIDS. I fell in love with a little boy named David, and with the culture, where relationships mattered more than the hours in a day. I was amazed at how the people had nothing, but yet had so much to give.
While I was there, Cypheen, one of the staff members, commented that our (USA) culture is too rich. I agree - one is humbled when in a community of people who have nothing and yet are more in love with God, trusting Him with every aspect of their lives. We go home and have clean water coming out of the faucet and electricity to power all our conveniences, yet we think we control our life. What lessons I learned from them.
I enjoyed spending time with my special friend, David, a little boy who could have been on one of those commercials. As a kid, my parents always told me how blessed we were. I didn’t fully understand until I went to a place where they had nothing.
Slagter works for Carpenter’s Tools International (CTI) music ministries in Willmar. Her parents are Todd and Sandi Slagter of Prinsburg. |
Need
to advertise?
We can help!
Call 320-967-4244 for
rates
and info!
|
|
Local FFA chapter members celebrate agriculture heritage
The MACCRAY FFA Chapter celebrated National FFA during February with a variety of activities.
The chapter took its yearly Ski Trip to Andes Tower Hills Feb 16. Last Wednesday, MACCRAY FFA member Matt Gunderson drove his tractor 17 miles to school from his farm home northwest of Raymond. He made the trip in about 45 minutes.
Lunch hour activities at the high school were tied to Career Development contests, including Floriculture, Fish and Wildlife, and Kernel Counts, where students and staff guessed how many kernels of corn were in a jar.
Friday students guessed the weight of a hog donated by George Lanoue. Mariah Wandersee came closest to the actual weight.
The annual 1/2 hog raffle was won by Logan Schmidt and Jay Hillbrands. The processing was donated by S & S Meats in Raymond. The free FFA Appreciation Breakfast was held Friday morning at school.
“Step Up, Stand Out” was the theme this year and more than half a million members around the nation participated in National FFA Week activities at the local and state levels.
Stepping up and standing out is not only a way of life for FFA members, but it’s also a call to action for others. FFA members set a positive example with their leadership, work ethic and community service activities.
The focus of National FFA Week is to tell America about the great opportunities available for youth in agriculture. From its beginnings in 1928 as the Future Farmers of America, the National FFA Organization today reaches out to all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. FFA is committed to developing character and leadership skills and preparing members for a lifetime of success in one of over 300 careers in agriculture.
FFA members are success-oriented students who are driven to achieve their goals and be the leaders of tomorrow. They stand out by recognizing the importance of being active in their schools and communities and are urged to step up when volunteers are sought, friendship is needed and leadership is required.
Through classroom instruction and hands-on learning, agricultural education and FFA are making a positive difference for members every day. FFA members have opportunities to attend national leadership conferences, develop a supervised agricultural experience project, learn life skills and serve their communities.
FFA members are our future engineers, scientists, teachers and producers. One of every five Americans is employed in the food, fiber and natural resources industries of agriculture, and MACCRAY FFA members are the future of these important industries.
There are over 30 MACCRAY FFA members. Officers are president Eric Schueler, vice president Kelsey Gunderson, Trisha Kienitz, secretary, Justin Muller, treasurer, Tanner Brouwer, officer at large, Cody Nielson, sentinel, and Emily Van Klompenburg, reporter. Advisor is Aaron Brudelie. |
|
