White Bear Lake profile

Enrollment: About 8,500 students.

The problem: After years of flat state funding, declining enrollment and a failed operating levy referendum last year, the district is seeking this fall to increase its operating levy from $841 to $1,470 per pupil. If it fails, the current levy will expire and $10 million in budget cuts will be made this spring.

The consequences of a failed levy: Five schools would close and 110 of 500 teachers would be cut. Class sizes would increase and librarians as well as music and physical education teachers would be eliminated from the district's eight elementary schools. One class period would be eliminated from the school day and students would be let out as early as sometime between 1-2 p.m. on school days.

The future: If the levy fails, the district plans to "mothball" its five closed schools, hoping to reopen the buildings if they ask taxpayers again for an operating levy. Property is too valuable and undeveloped land is scarce in the metro area to sell the buildings if in the future they need to build more schools.