Back 
One of my favorite moments I witnessed while waiting for the final precinct — Nisswa — to roll in the doors at the Historic Courthouse late Tuesday night was when Dawn Razidlo kept prodding her husband, Brainerd Superintendent Steve Razidlo, to loosen up and smile, to celebrate that both levy questions were approved by voters.
It was pretty clear at that point that the second levy question had a solid 800-vote lead after flipping-flopping back and forth between the yes and no votes. Dispatch photographer Steve Kohls was anxious to get back to the newspaper office to get his photos ready for Wednesday’s paper and was hoping for a reaction from Razidlo, too.
We got nothing, really.
Razidlo spent much of the evening pacing the marble floors alone, watching as election judges trickled in with large boxes filled with ballots.
When the final votes came in just before 11 p.m., Marv Begin, who led an opposition group against the levy questions, went up to Razidlo and shook his hand, telling him, “Well, the best man won.”
Razidlo appeared to be caught off guard by Begin’s comment, then replied, “For our kids and community, you bet.”
The day after the 2007 operating levy referendum failed by a 2-to-1 margin, I was at Tornstrom Auditorium when then Superintendent Jerry Walseth spoke to his staff, teachers and other administrators.
Many people wiped tears from their eyes as they listened to Walseth talk about what lies ahead, namely $5.5 million in budget reductions. Some were angry but many just seemed sad. Walseth reminded his staff not to lose sight of the fact that 5,400 voters had supported them, even though 8,700 voters didn’t support the levy.
The community appeared divided in more ways than one levy election.
Now, four years later, two elementary schools have closed, teachers and other support staff have lost their jobs and students lost out on opportunities, such as learning how to fix cars and small engines and learning German or French. They also pay considerably more to participate in extra-curricular activities.
Tuesday’s levy wasn’t about restoring those cuts; it was about retaining what the district has now.
Fewer people voted Tuesday than they did in 2007. In all, 9,989 voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s school election out of 24,928 registered voters in the district, a turnout of 39.3 percent. In 2009, the last standalone school board election garnered a 17 percent voter turnout, said Debby Erickson, Crow Wing County elections coordinator. During the 2007 referendum, voter turnout was just over 60 percent.
So what made the difference between now and 2007?
Board members appeared to deliberate more this time about how much to ask voters for, hosting community listening sessions and giving surveys to get feedback. I heard from several people that said they trusted the district in its need for additional funds. One voter in particular remarked outside a polling site that she appreciates the transparency that Steve Lund, director of business services, has brought to his position. Lund said Tuesday many community members did call him and ask financial questions before the levy vote.
A strong showing of community members also worked behind-the-scenes to try to get these questions passed. More than 100 volunteers made phone calls, knocked on doors, wrote open forum letters, and took to the Dispatch’s website to counter negative responses about the referendum. They also had a Facebook page, a website and videos. It was an approach that seemed to work well.
Board members expressed happiness among themselves and other school staff with Tuesday’s voting results, but mostly they expressed gratitude for the community support. Board chair Jim Hunt said he felt humbled by all the support.
So what lies ahead for the school district? There may be some budget cuts for next year but not as devastating of cuts that would have had to be done if the levy questions hadn’t passed. Lund said the district needs to continue to lobby lawmakers about inequity in school funding.
So maybe it’s still too early for Razidlo to loosen up and celebrate — just quite yet. He’s got work to do.
JODIE TWEED may be reached at jodie.tweed@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5858.
Comments (40)
Add commentPraise well earned
for retaining our "Harvard of the North " prep school when what is needed is more MIT's to compete in a global economy.
A good education
will qualify students for both Harvard and MIT. Ya get what ya pay for.
Does this bother anyone else?
Mr. Begin's quote, "Well, the best man won." It seems to me that Mr. Begin thought this was a referendum on who the community was voting for; choice A) Marv Begin or choice B) Steve Razidlo. I hate to burst your ego Marv, but this had nothing to do with either one of you. It was a vote on increasing (or possibly decreasing) property taxes for our community schools.
Razidlo's response showed class and a true understanding of "the gift" the community is giving to the district. Clearly he understood what the referendum was about.
different as night and day
my kids - and they ALL got what they needed from ISD 181.
I feel insulted when I hear people talk about how poor our school system is. My kids are gainfully employed in good jobs (that are not disappearing overseas.) I found the teachers here to be caring and concerned. I would not want their job for any amount of money.
It's a sad day when the community resents teachers who spend so much time (and money) getting educated so they can pass knowledge on to our children. Maybe instead of targeting teachers who have good jobs and benefits we should be angry at the system that denies good jobs with benefits to so many people.
Tuesday’s levy wasn’t about restoring those cuts
Well if it wasn't about restoring alledged cuts, then what was it about? You have not only retained the original amount, but got an additional $200/student. So, my question is, what are you going to do with the money? And Run On, I will have to agree with you. Mr. Begin seems to think he speaks for the opposition as a whole; he does not!
Misuse of Funds
First the middle level school is built and hundreds of thousands of dollars are misused by building more than what is needed then the teachers union and the school board can't come to terms and waste another 200,000 dollars. Now we as a disctrict are giving more money for them to misuse. All this coming at a time when incomes have seen a decrease across the board.
Pop Quiz: Name one profession in the Brainerd Lake area where your income has not decreased in the past 3-5 years?? The answer (spoiler alert) Any position within the school.
I didn't major in Math, but I did major in Business; I just wish they would run the school like a business instead of always asking for handouts.
Husky
It is run as a business. Unfortunately, they can't sell the kids as a product for money. Instead the students go off to lead productive lives and the financial rewards go to them. It takes money to run any business. Education gets it's money from tax revenue.
Would you propose they trade a child for the light bill?
I agree with Snowda. Instead of being mad that our schools have to ask for local money to pay the ever increasing bills (schools are not exempt from inflation), we should be mad a the State for failing to meet their burden to provide adequate and equal funding.
Quit being stupid
Run it like a business in the sense that if I make/get X amount of dollars then I can spend Z amount of dollars. If X decreases then Z has to decrease. It was stated here that I believe the figure is 84% of the money goes to teachers salaries; if so how can the amount we spend as a school district Z(teachers salaries) keep increasing/staying stagnant is the same thing as increasing as a percentage base in this case.
The numbers are black and white and I will stand by this. No one but teachers are getting a raise or income levels are flat, yet the teachers are so worried about our students. Instead of a 5 dollar increase to an already taxed district, why not have a decrease in pay of 50-100 per teacher per month? That would cut a big chunk out of the deficit.
In the end this arguement goes back to the same premise. If my budget does equal out, do I A) increase what I bring in or B) decrease my already high spending? My thought is known.
country
did anyone notice the country folks voted NO on the second question? the city and baxter voted YES. they want higher taxes to match the record unemployment in the cities! it is the age old "country VS city. it is not our school-just a bus ride!
You are absolutely incorrect
You are absolutely incorrect that "no one but teachers are getting a raise". The teachers have gone 3 years without an increase to salary. You would begrudge them 2% on the 4th year? Do you not think their bills have increased with inflation too? Do you not think they face the same budget challenges you do?
In comparison, Essentia health has done a wonderful job of taking care of it's employees with salary increases throughout these tough economic times. The little mom and pop place where I work one of my jobs has been able to give small increases to staff as well. In fact, most of the people I know have received salary increases from their private sector jobs in the last 3 years.
I'm sorry that you haven't gotten a raise, but please don't use that as a blanket statement to attempt to cover everyone.
As for the school district, I believe they have done exactly as you suggested based on your business degree. First they cut spending to the tune of about 5.5 million. Now they are having to increase revenues, and how else would you suggest they do that? The State hasn't stepped up to the plate.
Of course the difference between a school and a business that produces a product for profit, is that a business can cut production. A school can't. They still have to educate every single student with ever increasing state mandates on what they have to supply. It would be nice if they could say...hey, we are short of money. We have to cut spending, so this year we will only be able to take 5000 students instead of the 7000 we had last year. You other 2000 will have to just go somewhere else. They can't do that. It cost $100.00 to educate Little Johnny 2 years ago (and the State paid $90.00), $120.00 to educate him last year (and the State paid $85.00), and this year the same supplies and building overhead costs $150.00 (and the State paid $80.00 but delayed payment for 12 months). Because of that, do we need to tell Little Billy that he can't come to school so we can afford to pay for Little Johnny?
How do you propose to overcome that without expecting the staff to work for free?
Husky004
Since the business did well this year (better than state averages) should they all get bonuses?
If they have a poor year should we can Razidlo and give him a 20 million dollar golden parachute?
pdnet...inflation.
A couple things
First, please do not pretend to know my situation if I got a raise or not in the past couple years. I do just fine.
Second, if you can honestly answer these two questions yes then I'll quit my ranting:
1)Was the Baxter middle school completely needed with all the amenities and overspending that I observed?
2)Was there no way for the teachers union and the administration to come together quicker on a deal to not throw away 200,000 dollars in revenue?
About the teachers bills rising, guess what? Everyone elses are too (now even more after this levy) without the knowledge that they will still have a job.
My last statement might be blanketing everyone, but with the unemployment level where it is - I would think and hope you could also that most people should be happy to have a job without worrying about pay decreases or security issues such as teachers don't have.
husky004
Question #1 - No, I don't think the construction of Forestview was done in the most efficient manner. If I would have designed it, I would have planned a different school. Mistakes were made; but that was years ago. Let's move on from that.
Question #2 - The union/school board scenario that played out 2 years ago and caused the district to lose $200,000 was poor playing on the school boars side of things. I saw what that contract looked like and heard first hand how it was handled. The board was given many opportunities to meet and settle things, but they kept dragging it out. There was a lot of animosity. This time, it was all handled much more professionally I have been told.
As far as local economy: My employees have been given raises even in these harsh economic times; not a lot, but as much as I can to show them that they are appreciated and to help out. I would like to give them more, and I hope to be able to do that as my company grows and flourishes. Teachers have taken a 0% pay raise for three years and they are paying more for their retirement programs and health insurance than ever before. So they are not raking in the cash by any means. They are also being asked to cover much more and do more than ever before since the district has been cutting over the last few years. Show me a private sector job where and employee is asked to take over another employee's responsibilities without extra compensation or without complaint.
Now, don't get me wrong. I don't think that teachers need large pay raises and huge increases in benefits, but they most certainly deserve every penny of their paychecks; and they should be proud of who they are and what they do for a living. I have been in some of the classrooms and seen what teachers do on a day to day basis. We have a strong school district here, and we are fortunate that with the passing of this referendum, we can at least know that there won't be devastating cuts looming.
Now, let's get the legislature to do something about the fact that there is such a strong discrepancy between funding for schools in the metro and outstate Minnesota. We shouldn't have to be asking for an excess levy. I know businesses should work within their means, but it gets to a certain point where the cuts made affects the outgoing product. At that point, something needs to be done in the business or it will fail. Schools are no different. They still have to produce a superior product, and with the state holding back money in shell game budgeting, it starts affecting the product.
Enough for now. Have a wonderful day.
Baxterone
Finally a well thought out post. I appreciate the honesty and the answers; both situations occured in the past 3-5 years. Has the school administration changed at all in personnel since then? If not then how many times do we have to go through the same blownout extravagent situations that this board spends your and my money on? It's quite easy spending someone elses money, it would be interesting how they could cut some corners if they spent their own money yet turning out the same finished product.
don't forget the "When I was
don't forget the "When I was a kid . . . . . ." rationale.
As a side note, as much as Isapprove Mr. Begin's stance, I give him a lot of credit for initiating the handshake and acepting loss without any complaint.
"Production"
A Dispatch digital "production".............LOL (re: the video).
baxterone
"Show me a private sector job where and employee is asked to take over another employee's responsibilities without extra compensation or without complaint."
That would be my job and several other private sector jobs. That and we had increase in our medical and make far less on average than 181 teachers.
We had 17 employess in 2006 and are now down to 13. We still need to produce just as much as we did in 2006 with less employees.
Please do not speak like you think you know what the private sector is doing. My assumption is you do not own a business at all. Because if you did, you would know that a majority of private sector businesses have been at a complete stand still or decline in not only pay scale but also total employess.
OkeyDokey, My bills have
OkeyDokey, My bills have raised, yet I get a pay freeze, and I have t0 w0rk year r0und, s0 yes I believe the teachers can wait right al0ng with the rest f the US.
The real cost?
What will be the real cost to the taxpayer be that, businesses will have to increase the cost of their product to cover their property tax increase, the county will have to levy or adjust for a higher budget for social services (rents/services)and the end consumer will have to make adjustments(spend less) to cover all. I know the liberal hate the term "Trickle Down" but it will effect the individual tax payer/consumer more than what was estimated per taxpayer by the district in the long run with all considered. So don't complain when that cup of coffee goes up a nickel, tap beer a dime, green fees a dollar, increase work loads for the same amount of compensation or your neighbor gets laid off. Perhaps this could be a economics lesson plan for next semester, the results could be presented to the taxpayer/ public in the same manor as the referendum marketing plan ( community endorsements included) and the school district could be further applauded for its transparency.
Go Spuds Go!
Disagree with dems all you want
but your comments aren't really worthy of responding to. I also have a bit of difficulty believing your scenario. So we are even on that point. I spoke the truth in my post without cutting anyone down; without being a pessismist. If people on this board would put half the effort that they put into complaining towards trying to improve things, we would be moving forward instead of stagnating. Volunteer, run for office, call your legislator, go to a school board meeting....
It looks like a beautiful November Friday out there. Get out and enjoy the Brainerd Lakes area.
Go Brainerd Go (Brainerd High School Warriors chant)
Agreed...
Teachers are not the 1%
To the few people who are complaining that teachers haven't experienced similar economic sacrifice as the private sector the last couple of years, please don't generalize. Teachers have had salaries frozen while paying more for retirement and health care (hence, a paycut). Furthermore, there are private sector industries offering raises. My summer job yielded me a 75 cent raise this summer. Attitude, experience, and 'in demand' skills are your ticket. Though it is not my place to judge each person's circumstance, has anyone thought of getting retrained in other types of competencies? Or, based on some peoples' demeanor on this site, working on their social skills?
Have a great day. Its 52 degrees in November - enjoy it while it lasts.
Run as a business?
I wish more of the naysayers would actually look at the district as a business would look at the issues they have had to face.
Just a few examples:
- faced with aging infrastructure that would be prohibitively costly to bring up to code and presents safety problems for those who work in it...Forestview was built. 2,000 kids in one modern, much cheaper to heat and cool, much more energy efficient building, that will last for many decades.
- management vs. employee ratio. The district has fewer in mgmt. positions today than it did ten years ago, even five years ago. Given the sheer number of kids the district serves and the number of employees it contains, it has very few in management. Certainly much fewer than any of the large businesses in the area (all of which have fewer employees than the district, I believe far fewer in most all cases).
- Breach of contract. The legislature has not only cut income to the schools, they have delayed paying that income by months a number of times now. How would a business deal with such a continued breach of contract for such a sizable portion of their cash flow? Would a business tolerate having to borrow money with interest to make payroll when a contract is repeatedly breached?
- Another breach of contract. Would a business that had negotiated a wage and benefit package with it's union really feel that it could just abandon that contract and pay them less or give them fewer benefits at will? That seems to be what many think the district can do with teachers and staff.
Anyone professing a business background or training might do well to sit down with Steve Lund sometime and talk about the complexity and lack of flexibility the district has to deal with on a daily basis, maybe we'd see less of the simplistic ignorance so often offered in the comments sections of the dispatch.
Really?
This is the road you want to travel down, Mr. Galt? This inaccurate belief has been thoroughly debunked several times on this website. Or, you can talk to any teacher and inquire about how much work they put in in those paltry 9 months. Or, you can join our ranks to live the good life (Robin Leach is due to come to this area any dya the way teachers are portrayed here).
Peace brother.
Go Big Blue...
I don't think a winning motto would be...Stop Big Blue...
Winning motto is...Go Big Blue...
Reminder that I received a decent education many years ago in the Brainerd School System and today's students deserve the same.
Mr. Galt
“You think the teachers will give me an objective idea of how much work they did?”
Response: Have you inquired with teachers, or have you just assumed? Does it help if I told you I was doing lesson plans from 11 am-1 pm yesterday, then again from 10 pm to 1 am later on? A bout 5 years ago I did a rough calculation of how much money I made per hour if I figured in the work I do at home. That number was less than $11/hour. (I am not complaining here, just trying to reinforce that we work more than the contracted hours)
“Did they go to college to earn a lot of money or to enrich the lives of children through public education?”
Response: Can’t someone go into this field with the best intentions to help others without having to go broke? Would you go into a field that required $20-$30k in student loans to work for peanuts?
“The teacher's union won this round. The taxpayers will pay the price.”
Response: I would say the kids and community as a whole won. which means you win in the end. Tax payers are paying the price, and you can thank an outdated state funding formula, Jesse Ventura’s change to school funding, and a smorgasbord of increased mandates on schools to create this problem.
“I wonder what the result would have been if the levy questions had been on a regular election ballot with the usual turnout?”
Response: So I guess the lesson here is to be civically engaged. The school district sent home information, the newspaper covered it, and if someone was too lazy or not up to date on community issues, that is life. Besides, in most elections, low turnout favors conservatives, so it’s ironic how all the sudden some people want to change the system. Besides, could the district have been financially sound enough to make it one more year without making huge sacrifices?
“This money will not be going to the children. It will be going to the union members of public education. Do you think they will teach any better with the additional funds?”
Response: Quite a generalized statement that is speculative at best and downright insulting at worst. I can think of all sorts of allegations I could make against others, but I prefer to the prudent thing and observe.
Again, join our ranks if you feel so wronged or underpaid. Peace brother. Back to my lessons . . . . . .
Thread continues...Galter...Falter...
Need we say more...
Sure, I'll take my time with my puzzle
and get my fax right...
GALT: Why do you say that? Do
GALT: Why do you say that? Do you really think liberals outnumber conservatives?
"Forty percent of Americans describe their political views as conservative, 36% as moderate, and 20% as liberal. "
Source: http://www.gallup.com/poll/123854/conservatives-maintain-edge-top-ideolo...
But how many of them vote? Even on a good year, you are talking 70%. Republicans have always been the more disciplined and streamlined party, which reflects in the dependability of the party faithful exercising their votes.
Democrats, being the party that tends to be more represented by the poor and those who don’t have influence on the system, have to do more to push their base to the polls.
.
GALT: "Minnesota is tenth on our comfort scale with starting salaries of $31,532 average salaries of $48,489."
Source: http://www.teacherportal.com/salary/Minnesota-teacher-salary
I think you may have misunderstood my post. I wasn’t complaining about compensation, but rather, trying to explain WHY teachers are paid that salary. I was simply answering the question you posed to me about motivations in becoming a teacher.
GALT: “I don't feel wronged or underpaid. I love my job. I don't go whining to my boss constantly that I simply cannot do my job without additional salary. I don't ask for a 3 month vacation in the summer either.’
Funny how it turns into whining whenever a teacher cites a concern. There’s a difference between giving a helping hand and being stuck with another uncompensated duty. If you want to take on extra duties and not ask for just compensation for that, more power to you.
.
As for the part time complaint (again) by you, all I can conclude is you have selective reading?
.
I do appreciate providing links, though. At least you have something on which to stand on . . .
Education and supporting the future
I don't think any of us has the crystal ball magic.
However, it's proven that education and the advancement of that is the best.
The best is what is to become.
Funding is one of those items that complicates the equation.
Throttle it, and you throttle advancement.
Stifle it, and you get stagnation. Nothing gained.
This nation needs to gain, and not stagnate.
There's no guarantees with more funding.
I'm placing my bet it does.