Our Challenges
Our district faces significant challenges in achieving excellence as
the cost of education continues to rise.
As our schools struggle with rising expenses, we have been forced to make budget cuts that impact education.
State funding has not kept pace with rising costs. Over the last 15 years, state funding has only increased by an average of less than 2% annually. This year’s education bill provided increased funding for one year. But a one-year funding increase from the state that is larger than average does not make up for more than 15 years of underfunding. We need additional funding to stabilize our finances, restore programming and advance excellence.
Over the past four years, our district has reduced our budget by $7.4 million. These cuts have led to lost opportunities for students and reductions in administration and staff.
To balance our budget, we have:
Reduced 70+ staff and administrative positions
Cut the number of elective programs available at Grand Rapids and Bigfork High Schools
Eliminated German and middle school Spanish programs
Placed a hold on the K-5 art program
Reduced technology expenditures
Delayed 10 bus purchases
Raised activity fees in each of the last two years
Started charging the community for the use of school facilities
Unlike 70% of school districts in Minnesota, ISD 318 does not have a voter-approved operating levy.
Many school districts in Minnesota have found themselves in a situation similar to what we face at ISD 318 and have turned to their community for support. These districts rely on voter-approved operating levies to fund school operations and maintain educational programming.
Because ISD 318 does not have a voter-approved operating levy, we spend hundreds of dollars less per student than similar school districts.
Our district has worked hard to balance our budget without seeking additional support from our residents. This has led to years of cutting administration and staffing positions and reducing class offerings. We cannot cut our way to excellence. Without additional funding, our district will face deeper budget cuts that will impact administration and staff, class sizes and educational offerings. We have reached a point where additional investments are needed from our community.