Why can't Hilltop stay K-5? I know that the idea is that we want a 4th & 5th grade STEM school, but wouldn't it be better to have a K-5 STEM school?

I am an educator, I use technology in my classroom each and every day. Students as young as 4 have the ability to purposefully use technology, whether it is an application on an ipad or using interactive software on the smartboard.

Why do we only want the students to experience a STEM school for two years. In order to be truly immersed in a curriculum and a way of thinking, wouldn't it be better for them to have it from Kindergarten on?

By making Hilltop 4th and 5th grade, you are not only taking away a community school, with community kids, you are attracting parents for only 2 years.

Most parents are not going to come to a district based on two years of their student's life. They want to come to a district for consistency and the entirety of their students' academic career.

Why not attract parents to a K-5 STEM experience. I don't have children yet, but I am a teacher, and hope to have children in the near future. I want my children to go to their hometown, community school. I don't want them to be bused all over the district. If you offered a K-5 STEM option, I would consider sending my children to LSH. If you offer only a 4th and 5th grade option, there are other districts within driving distance that do a much better job in these areas- Response to Interventions, extracurricular, after school activities, Special Education, technology, English Language Learning, etc.

Think about the longevity of the LSH district, not the politics.

Last night LS-H held the first of many informational meetings to be held in Henderson and LeSueur over the next month. Hilltop and STEM were the centerpoint of the discussion. There are plenty of opportunities to present district officials your questions in coming weeks. It is also very important that all voters fully understand the entirety of this issue prior to casting a vote on Nov. 2, whether that vote is yay or nay.

Why removing an elementary (K-5) in Henderson is a bad idea (even for Le Sueur taxpayers) and why both Le Sueur and Henderson should support a K-5 elementary in Henderson.

A study from Cornell Univeristy and the National Science Foundation:

The old news is that students in small schools do better and have brighter outcomes than students in larger schools. The latest news, however, is that when small schools close in rural communities to consolidate with large schools, the local community is a big loser.

A Cornell study shows that on almost every indicator of economic and social well-being, rural communities with their own schools fare significantly better than rural communities that no longer have schools.

The study finds that small rural communities with a school have significantly higher housing values, more new housing, smaller income variability, fewer households receiving public assistance, lower poverty and child poverty rates, more workers in professional and managerial jobs and more workers employed within the community. These areas also are more likely to have municipal water and sewer systems and more likely to grow in population than communities without schools. In addition, they have proportionately more college graduates than communities without schools.

"When a school goes in a rural community, it's the death knell. This study shows consistently that for the smallest rural communities, the presence of a school is linked to many social and economic benefits," said sociologist Thomas A. Lyson, the Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Development Sociology at Cornell, who conducted the study. Its findings were recently summarized in a special report issued by the Southern Rural Development Center in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research and the Rural School and Community Trust. The full study was published in the Journal of Research in Rural Education (17:131-137, 2002).

"The money that might be saved through consolidation could be lost in lost taxes, declining property values and lost businesses," Lyson said. "Even in the smallest rural villages in New York, schools serve as important markers of social and economic variability and vitality, the research indicates."

Lyson first looked into the importance of schools in small towns while serving from 2000 to 2004 as mayor of the village of Freeville, a small rural community near Ithaca, when officials wanted to close the local elementary school. To determine the effects of a school closing, Lyson analyzed data from the 1990 U.S. Census and from the New York State Department of Education on all 352 incorporated villages and towns with populations of under 2,500 in New York state. He considered the 71 communities with 500 or fewer people as the smaller rural community group and the 281 villages with more than 500 people as the larger rural community group. About half (52 percent) of the smaller group had a school (although nearly all of the towns and villages had a school at one time), and almost three-fourths (74 percent) of the larger group had a school.

Lyson found that the differences between larger rural communities with schools and those without were similar to what he found in smaller communities, though they were not as extreme.

He pointed out that in addition to spurring social and economic vitality, schools also serve as recreational hubs and cultural centers for sports, theater, music and other civic activities in rural communities.

"It is a place where generations come together and where community identity is forged," Lyson said. "Yet, school consolidation has been the bane of rural communities for at least the past 50 years." He pointed out that the 130,000 school districts in the United States in 1930 had been consolidated into fewer than 15,000 by 2000.

"School consolidation is likely to be a threat to many rural communities in the coming decades," concluded Lyson, whose efforts in Freeville helped keep the school open. The research was supported by Cornell and the National Science Foundation.

Source: http://www.news.cornell.edu/chronicle/05/3.24.05/rural_school_benefit.html

What does my referendum vote really mean?

No matter how the vote turns out on Nov 8 I think the school board needs to understand that the vote may not give much indication as to what the public is really thinking. I have been to a number of meetings regarding this issue, talked with Rich Hanson, Board members, community members and am not getting a sense of peace about any of the choices. I would love feel great about voting Yes-Yes because I thought that was the best thing ever. I don’t feel that way and quite frankly have not heard anyone say they feel that way either. Even the vote yes committee seems like it is the best of the worst so vote for it. So LSH Board Members when the vote is counted realize it could mean any number of things.

1. Yes-Yes – This is a great plan and is the best possible arrangement I could image anyone coming up with.
2. Yes-Yes – I trust the district to know what they need.
3. Yes-Yes – It doesn’t seem like a great plan, but I don’t know what else we can do at this point.
4. Yes-Yes – It’s the only way to keep any form of an elementary school in Henderson.
5. Yes-Yes – The district needs the money, I just hope they do something better with it once they get it. Like do a K-5 STEM in Henderson instead of 4-5.
6. Yes-Yes – I think it would be great to see the LeSueur parents have to send their kids to Henderson, but somehow I doubt they will put up with it for long. Maybe one flood?
7. Yes-Yes – If we don’t have an elementary school in town my property value will drop! Hopefully my tax burden will go down also.
8. Yes-Yes – I just don’t really care, might as well vote like my friend suggested.
9. Yes-No – Why would I vote to have my kids bussed to Henderson!
10. Yes-No – Why STEM? My kid needs more music and art.
11. Yes-No – Why STEM? Don’t we need some CORE Knowledge program instead?
12. Yes-No – As a LeSueur resident nothing changes for me and I like to support my schools.
13. Yes-No – I just don’t really care, might as well vote like my friend suggested.
14. No-No – I just can’t afford to send more money to anyone.
15. No-No – The plan stinks, please rework it, and come back next year asking for enough money to do something really attractive to both residents and non-residents.
16. No-No – You are working to alienate Henderson by making this into 2 questions. This is what you deserve.
17. No-No – As a LeSueur resident nothing will change and I can keep my taxes lower.
18. No-No – You get enough money from the state. You are a business – figure it out!
19. No-No – We are on the road to consolidating with St. Peter anyway, this will just help that process along.
20. No-No – I just don’t really care, might as well vote like my friend suggested.
21. No-Yes – I just haven’t been paying attention – - at all!
22. Blank-Blank – There’s an election? Who’s Obama up against? Does anyone actually vote when it is just a referendum? Maybe mostly the Yes-Yes voters.

Another interesting fact for those following the LSH Levy issue. Have you ever asked why 6 years long, why not 5 like we’ve always done? The fact is this year is an odd year (2011) and it will be the only thing on the ballet. Odd years generally have very low voter turnout. Even years are when major seats at the local, state and federal level are up for election. If we do another 5 year levy, like in the past, it would put the expiration of this levy on an even year (2016), which happens to be a presidential election year. So to the make sure a renewal falls on an odd year, this is why you would ask for a six year.

Percentage of referendums passed from 1991 – 2010 in Minnesota in:

Odd Years 70.8% passed
Presidential Years 51.5% passed
Other Even Years 51.6% passed

Source: http://www.parentsunited.org

It only makes sense if you’re trying to pass a referendum to ask for it on odd years and have it renew on odd years.

I believe the levy will pass this year (question 1 anyway). And I agree with both km15 and keven’s posts.

I will be voting Yes-Yes, but not because I think the LSH School Board has come up with the best solution, but because I don’t feel right holding the future and current students of LSH and the communities of Le Sueur and Henderson accountable for the actions of a few.

It is still my hope that both questions pass and with that funding the School Board works to correct or mitigate some of the issues that have arisen through this Levy Planning process.

I would like to comment on the recent article "The 71-cent Investment" published in the Henderson Independent by Mr. Hanson.

I think this article was written with good intentions, but I am not sure that the analogy used is quite appropriate.

Mr. Hanson compared the referendum to his De Soto vehicle- a prized and well maintained family sedan.

Unfortunately, the LSH school district is not the same as this vehicle. Instead, the "vehicle" that the LSH school district was not passed down for years and years. It was put together in with considerable haste in the 90s. Some of the components were built and maintained in Le Suer with the rest being shipped from Henderson and surrounding areas. There was no test drive for this district, but instead it was assembled and packaged with the Giant label. This vehicle was purchased with the intentions of being fully paid off with no debt, but instead, interest has been collecting and the burden has been dispersed among many. The previous loan that was passed helped to put new features into the vehicle, even added some new coats of paint, sadly, these things have not helped the vehicle run, only added additional interest and debt.

Mr. Hanson, I am not sure you understand what kind of vehicle you are driving with the LSH school district. You did not get in the driver's seat of a De Soto, you got in the driver's seat of a prototype that has had many recalls and paint jobs. Adding more features at the cost of 71 cents per day will not "fix" or "maintain" the LSH school district.

If 71 cents per day means that Henderson will become a 4th and 5th grade school, there are at least 71 reasons that Henderson loses. Don't compare this decision to your De Soto, a state average, or a tag-line like "The 71-cent Investment". If this decision was as simple as 71 cents per day, I would gladly vote yes.

Get serious, the reality is that Henderson could be in a lose-lose situation. Lose your community school all together, or lose your community-student connection from a K-5 elementary school.

How Do I Vote?

Polling Locations

Precinct #1

Who: School District residents living in
The City of Le Sueur
Nicollet County

The following Townships:
Derryname
Kelso
Kasota
Ottawa *
Sharon
Tyrone

Where: City of Le Sueur, City Hall
203 S. 2nd Street

Time: 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM

* Please note: Ottawa residents will NOT have mail in ballots, they must go to the poll or vote absentee.

Precinct #2

Who: School District residents living in
The City of Henderson
Scott County

The following Townships
Arlington
Faxon
Henderson
Jessenland
Washington Lake

Where: The Wild's Edge
518 Main Street
Henderson, MN 56044

Time: 7:00 AM - 8:00 PM

How Do I Register to Vote?
Where to Go:
At the School District Office before November 8
At the Polling locations on November 8

What to Bring:
Valid Identification with your current address OR
An utility bill with your current address OR
A friend that can verify where you live

How Do I Absentee Vote?

Request an Absentee Application form the School District Office
By coming to 115 1/2 North 5th Street, Le Sueur by 4:30 on November 8, 2011.
Calling 507-665-4600 before October 25 to request an application be mailed to you.
Once an application has been submitted, a ballot will be issued

If you have any questions, you can contact:

The Le Sueur – Henderson School District Office at 507-665-4600, or email us at rhanson@isd2397.org.

The Le Sueur – Henderson School District Referendum Information Committee
Henry Endres – hendres@isd2397.org Amber Seaver – aseaver@isd2397.org Sue Rame – srame@isd2397.org

Have arrangements been made in Henderson with the new owners of the "Henderson Roadhaus", previously the Wild's Edge or Hogg Wild? I know they are planning to open very soon, but don't know if that means by Nov. 8.

Just curious.

Check with the Henderson Independent on the opening of the Henderson RoadHaus

When asking for a levy, a school district is trying to fix a whole budget. So let’s look at the whole per pupil funding from LSH as well as from our neighbor districts.
A school’s revenue comes form many different places. This is what LSH looks like when you consider not only the operating levy, but also the bond revenue (school buildings) and funding from the state (and federal).

School Year 2010-2011 unaudited data from reports on education.state.mn.us:

LSH $10,040
Belle Plaine $9,809
Jordan $9,771
New Prague $9,641
St. Peter $9,389
MNCS $9,347
Sibley East $9,244

To quote Eileen Brandt from 4/3/07:
“It's so sad to me that Henderson's "passion" for this issue is mistaken as anger....anger might come, if those in authority don't start listening and empathizing. Henderson is proud to be part of the LSH school district but we have lost a high school and we all know what that was like and what it means to your town. A very vital part of our now again thriving town of Henderson is the part that "we offer a really fine and complete K-5 Elementary School." Empathy is needed here before decisions get made that will forever affect us all…”

For those of you interested, LSH and our neighbors do not stand on fair footing, regardless of the operating levy. Minneapolis for example gets $17,217 per pupil. So don’t just contact you local school board, but you might also want contact Glenn Gruenhagen and Al Dekruif too.