Ann-Marie Foucault is asking Dist. 885 residents to put some STMA back into STMA. Got that?
STMA is, of course, the acronym for the St. Michael-Albertville School District. But in this case, STMA takes on a whole new meaning, as in Safety, Technology, Maintenance and Activities. Those are the four main components voters will be asked to support in a capital bond vote set for Feb. 7.
“It’s not glamorous. It’s not frivolous,” the superintendent said. “These improvements are very modest and conservative pieces. When it comes down to it, it’s for student needs.”
Those needs are adding up to $36 million, an amount Foucault said would meet the district’s facility needs for many years go come. The estimated tax impact is $45 per year for a $200,000 home.
Foucault said a growing STMA student population has equaled a need for facility growth, as well. For example, since about 10 years ago, the district’s enrollment has climbed more than 60 percent to 6,298 students.
Of 331 school districts in the state, STMA ranks near the very bottom, at 227th, in terms of per pupil funding — the state’s formula for how much each school district generates in state per pupil revenue.
But in this case, Foucault pointed out that STMA’s bottom rank in state funding means the state will pick up a larger percentage of matched funding should STMA voters approve the February bond.
“The state will pick up 62 percent of the funding,” she said. “That’s huge! And with interest rates at 45 year lows, we’re getting a really good deal.”
‘GIVE A VOICE’
Foucault said the district heard from its residents to give them a voice in the bond referendum. That’s why the facilities task force included parents and graduates, in addition to other city and school officials.
“A lot of the task members came in indicating they don’t want to raise taxes,” she said. “But by the end they were 100 percent in favor of the proposed improvements.”
That task force recommended all the improvements that were then accepted by the school board for the February vote.
One of those recommendations is to relocate football, baseball, track and tennis facilities to the new high school, versus presently at Middle School West.
Foucault pointed to football games at the old stadium at Middle School West, where there is a seating capacity for under 2,400 persons, but already seeing some games with standing-room only crowds of 4,500 people.
“We can’t have 4,500 people at the stadium when our capacity is 2,300,” she said. “We have to do something about it. It’s a safety hazard,” adding that STMA is soon to join metro schools in the large 6A district (STMA is presently 5A) and anticipating even larger crowds.
Foucault said another factor in wanting to move facilities to the high school is student safety, with students now “racing” to the middle school to get to practice. She said access to athletic trainers will be easier with facilities in one location, too.
The other safety features in the bond include securing entrances to the Albertville Primary School, Middle School East and high school.
MAINTENANCE
The next component is for technological improvements. These include updating infrastructure and the district’s data center, as well as replacing computers and mobile devices.
“These are extremely conservative, modest needs in technology,” she said. “Half of our computers are seven to 10 years old.”
In the maintenance component, Foucault highlighted how the district can save hundreds of thousands of dollars simply through energy efficiency. This includes replacing thousands of fluorescent bulbs with Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). Those energy savings will go right back into the district’s general fund, where it can be spent on things like more teachers.
Other maintenance improvements include adding 12 classrooms to the high school, eight classrooms to the primary school, moving Early Childhood Secondary Education from St. Michael Elementary School back to the primary school, repairing the Middle School East pool, and replacing the football field at Middle School West with an artificial turf all-purpose facility at the high school that has increased seating, and improved lighting/sound.
Foucault pointed to an increasing high school enrollment that, as of next year, will put the school over its 2,000-student capacity merely years since opening in 2009.
“Next year we can probably squeeze the students in,” she said of the high school. “But by fall 2018 we will need portable classrooms. I don’t want our students out in a trailer in the parking lot.”
She said space is so tight at the high school that many teachers presently use carts versus home rooms.
As for the swimming pool, Foucault said STMA faces a $400,000 improvement. If that comes from the general fund and not the bond vote, she said that adds up to seven teachers the district can’t hire.
ACTIVITIES
Last on the list is the need for activities improvements.
Chief among those is a domed facility at the high school, and a second sheet of ice at the STMA Ice Arena.
The domed facility will create community access for youth organizations, community expos, art events, music concert series, marching band, speech tournament and high school team use (lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball and football).
Foucault stressed that, not only would the dome allow community access, it would generate revenue back into the district.
“When you put in the dome, now you can use it year round,” she said. “PE classes can use it and youth organizations. They will commit to buying so much time.”
She added that the facility would be scheduled for public use from 6 to 10 p.m. every night. It can also be used for the marching band, as well as rented to the community for things like weekend events, arts festivals, outdoor music and business expos.
Furthermore, she said the business community would benefit by keeping local dollars local (versus teams traveling to practice elsewhere) as well as bringing in revenue from outside sources.
ENROLLMENT
Superintendent Foucault said members of the community often suggest closing open enrollment as a way of limiting growth.
She responded that state laws dictate what school districts can do with open enrollment, and closing it is not an option. She also noted STMA nets 384 students coming into the district than leaving it.
“That’s a good thing,” she said. “People are choosing our district.”
Additionally, she said all that revenue from taking in 384 open enrolled students helps prevent an immediate need for more operating levy dollars.
“If the state keeps up with the funding formula, we won’t need more operating revenue until 2021,” she said, noting the last operating referendum was approved by voters in 2011.
“I want the community to know that we get a lot of revenue from open enrollment,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons we haven’t gone to voters for more operating levy dollars.”
Another question she said she often fields is why the district is hosting the bond vote in February versus the recent November election.
“We weren’t ready for the November election,” she said. “The board didn’t even vote on the bond until October, then we had a review and comment period (as dictated by the state).”
She also noted that the task force completed its work in July, which was too short of a turnaround for a November vote.
The total cost of the bond is $36 million, or a $45 per year increase on taxes for a $200,000 home. Foucault urged all property owners to visit the district website at stma.k12.mn.us to see a video presentation she illustrated as well as a property tax calculator.
Public meetings
The St. Michael-Albertville School District is hosting the following public meetings to discuss the Feb. 4 bond vote:
• Wednesday, Dec. 14, at 7 p.m. at Middle School West
• Thursday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. at STMA High School Performing Arts Center