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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017.09.18 (4) ……………...……………………….…………… Hugo City Council meeting 9/18/17 WHITE BEAR LAKE AREA SCHOOLS Strong Schools, Strong Community, Strong Tomorrows Strong Schools, Strong Community, Strong Tomorrow's - a theme you’ll likely hear quite a bit starting this fall Convocation, Local Operating Levy Renewal, Strategic Planning process, Facilities process WHO WE ARE District serves 10 communities, as far north as Hugo and as far south as Maplewood 46 square miles WHO WE ARE The K-12 number is projected to rise to as high as 9,430 in the timespan of 10 years. Enrollment projections •Factors that could make projections too high: –More open enrollment out, Fewer nonresident students, Fewer kindergarten students •Factors that could make projections too low: –Less open enrollment out, More nonresident students, More kindergarten students, More rapid residential development Side note - We gained students from October to the end of the school year. interesting to note when looking at these two tables that we gained 76 students from October 2016 (when enrollment data was pulled) and July 2017. WHO WE ARE The K-12 number is projected to rise to as high as 9,430 in the timespan of 10 years. Enrollment projections •Factors that could make projections too high: –More open enrollment out, Fewer nonresident students, Fewer kindergarten students •Factors that could make projections too low: –Less open enrollment out, More nonresident students, More kindergarten students, More rapid residential development Side note - We gained students from October to the end of the school year. interesting to note when looking at these two tables that we gained 76 students from October 2016 (when enrollment data was pulled) and July 2017. 8 Year Enrollment Trend WHO WE ARE Slide 4: 6 Year Enrollment Trends This slide shows enrollment trends from previous seven years to current enrollment. Early in the decade we had slightly declining enrollment. That began to shift in the 2013/14 school year. We expected to see enrollment growth this year (1.15%) to be a little more than last year, but we are seeing quite a jump (over 4%) NOTE - Oct 1 data vs opening week data WHO WE ARE In fact, there is an almost 10% decrease in the percentage of white students from 2008-09 to 2016-17 (84% compared to 75%). WHO WE ARE Our students are also coming to us from more varied backgrounds. In 2016-17, students in our district had 49 different home languages. WHO WE ARE This is almost twice as many home languages of our students in the 2010-11 school year. ……………...……………………….…………… WHITE BEAR LAKE AREA SCHOOLS Strong Schools, Strong Community, Strong Tomorrows We have a great story to tell of “Strong Schools, Strong Community, Strong Tomorrows” as we begin this fall, with a some important events and initiatives on the horizon: Local Operating Levy Renewal - 15% of the district’s budget is dependent upon the local operating levy last renewed by the community in 2011. The School Board is expected to act upon a resolution to call for a special election at Monday’s School Board meeting. Strategic Planning process - We’re ready to talk about what the next years will look like for the district. Facilities process - to be pursued after the Strategic Planning process. STRONG TOMORROWS - LEVY RENEWAL It’s important we’re all aware of key messages as the local operating levy renewal information campaign begins in earnest this fall, so we’ll go over main ideas this morning. OUR COMMUNITY SUPPORTS OUR SCHOOLS 83% of survey respondents who shared an opinion gave the District a grade of A or B. Our students continue to benefit from a comprehensive education. They find success in academics, arts and activities. We continue to look into recently-released MCA results, for which the district saw some dips, but we are optimistic about a variety of initiatives we’ve recently implemented to increase student achievement in the long-term - elementary literacy and instructional technology coaches, staff collaboration around student data, RtI, and college and career readiness opportunities. We are one of a small number of MN districts with a AA bond rating. Awarded a AA bond rating from Standard and Poor’s in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014 and again in 2015. Refinancing debt this fall so we will have an opportunity to go through the S&P ratings process again Our district received excellence in financial reporting awards from both the Association of School Business Officials and Government Finance Officers Association for 17 consecutive years. Our high school students can choose from 42 college-credit courses. The total value of credits earned by WBLAHS students was more than $1.9 million at U of M tuition rates last year. Career Pathways programs are available to our high school students in four areas: Manufacturing, Construction, Information Technology and Healthcare. Innovative programs provide individual advancement and support for students. District-wide world language, orchestra and gifted program offerings have expanded. The district’s impressive graduation rate has continued to increase. Innovative opportunities for students through: Program and facility community partnerships with YMCA, MacPhail Center for Music, White Bear Center for the Arts, and Tamarack Nature Center. Academic partnerships with local universities and international schools. This spring, our school board reviewed our current and anticipated needs for the local operating levy and surveyed our school community: Community showed strong support for the White Bear Lake Area Schools and a belief that “the district could be trusted to properly manage additional local tax revenue.” More than 80% of the community expressed support of the local operating levy renewal, which will not increase current taxes. We are in a great place to be as we look forward to the district’s strong future - our strong “tomorrows.” Speaking of our “tomorrows”... The district’s student enrollment numbers are strong, with continued growth projected in coming years. The district will begin work on a new Strategic Plan in the fall of 2017. We will go through a Comprehensive Facilities Planning process later in the year. ……………...……………………….…………… WHITE BEAR LAKE AREA SCHOOLS Strong Schools, Strong Community, Strong Tomorrows Questions?