Your Schools Your Community

summer 2012VoluMe 4, NuMber 3

iNsiDe . . .student and staf f achievements — page 2science standouts — page 2rec ycl ing ef for ts at s ioux tra i l — page 3budget process cont inues — page 4

NoN-ProFit orGu.s. PostAGe PAiD

twiN Cities MNPerMit No 32254

100 river ridge Ct. burnsville, MN 55337

Joe Meyer named one of state’s top teacherseagle ridge Junior high language arts teacher Joe Meyer was one of 10 finalists for this year’s Minnesota teacher of the Year Award. the accolades continued, as he was also named as one of nine Fox 9 top teachers.

For more, scan or go to http://bit.ly/He2aWL

Career Center becomes more prominent resource at BHS

For more, scan or go to http://bit.ly/JRwI0R

by Melanie TeachoutThe prominent question of what to do after

high school now has an equally prominent place for Burnsville High School students to answer it.

The new BHS Career Center opened earlier this school year, near the main office to offer more space and resources for students to conduct career and other post-graduation exploration.

Now in her sixth year as the career center coordinator at BHS, Marcia Sexton believes this remodel will increase the success of students’ research with more computers and workspace.

“It’s really about building off of passion with the resources available once the student knows where their interests lie,” Sexton said.

The career center started out with little information and began in a small room hidden behind the guidance

office, but it is now more visible than ever.According to BHS Principal Dave Helke,

the location and visibility of the remodel were purposefully chosen to promote future success.

“If you’re going to say post-secondary planning is the focus of what you do here as a school, then the career center has to be prominent,” Helke said. “It has to be a place where kids are welcome because that really is where they get all the details to help them achieve post high school goals.”

The space is now much more flexible, since it can be used as a meeting site for after-school tutoring and allows for a range of group sizes to work simultaneously in the space, he said.

Sexton is also now able to reach more students at a time when initiating their career search.

“Sophomores come in for orientation to learn where the career center is, what its functions are and how I can help them with their future career and college goals. Then, when they are ready, they will know where to return for help.” Sexton said. Students conduct research on the computers in the career center.

Members of the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 Board of Education have worked during the 2011-12 school year to develop a Strategic Roadmap for the district. After building a draft plan in the fall, Board members received feedback from residents and staff members, and approved a final revised Roadmap in January.

“The Roadmap is important because it will align and give direction to all work across the district for several years to come,” said Superintendent Randy Clegg.

With a focus on student achievement and preparing students for successful futures, the district’s mission statement or core purpose is: “Our schools will

empower learning, energize achievement and embrace community so each student is real-world-ready.”

The Roadmap also includes core values, which are drivers of words and actions, along with a vision of what is to be created and experienced. Strategic directions will focus the allocation of all district resources.

Following approval of the Roadmap, groups began work on implementation plans and accountability systems needed to move the organization toward the vision the Board has established. For more information, go to the Board Information section of the district website at www.isd191.org.

roadmap will drive district’s future

Filing dates are July 31 through Aug. 14 for the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 Board of Education. Candidates can file for one two-year term or three four-year terms and will be asked to specify what term they would like to run for when they file.

Candidates can file from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. from July 31 through Aug. 13 and from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Aug. 14 in the Business Office in the lower level of the Administrative Services Center, 100 River Ridge Court, Burnsville. The filing fee is $2.

Read more at http://bit.ly/KXrcG7.

school board filing period opens July 31

our schools will:

empower learning,energize Achievement,

embrace CommunityEach Student

real‐World‐ready

Achievement: we are focused on learning and we get resultsstuDeNts suCCeeD

� Burnsville High School seniors Adam Rein and Zach Godfrey placed fourth in this spring’s statewide 2012 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition at Hennepin Technical College in May.

� Matthew Helke, a seventh grader in the STEM magnet program at Metcalf Junior High School in Burnsville, is the 2012 National U1000 Junior High Chess Champion.

� Dan Motl, a senior at Burnsville High School, was recently named a finalist for the Lions Male Amateur Athlete of the Year Award. A panel of St. Paul Pioneer Press Sportswriters determined the six finalists from high schools throughout the St. Paul Area.

� In the first year of the program at Burnsville High School, Olympic-style weight lifter Zach Gigstad quali-fied for the Junior National Championships when he successfully lifted 124 kilos (273 pounds) in the clean and jerk at a meet in Northfield this winter.

� Hidden Valley Elementary was among 136 schools in the state recognized this year by the University of Min-nesota Center for Reading Research (MCRR) for show-ing significant improvements in reading achievement among students.

teAChers AChieVe � At a May 15 reception honor-

ing Teachers of the Year from all Burnsville-Eagan-Savage District 191 schools, Metcalf Junior High social studies teacher Sharon Shelerud was named the District 191 Teacher of the Year for 2012. A 30-year veteran of teaching in District 191, Shelerud has served in several leadership positions both within the district and in statewide situations.

� Burnsville High School teacher Kathryn Wendling was selected and appeared on the “Jeopardy!” teachers tournament in February. She earned a wild-card spot in the semifinals, but fell short of making it to the tourna-ment’s final round.

� Jodi Dempsey, science specialist at Vista View Elementary School in Burnsville, is among 200 highly-qualified teachers from across the country selected to participate in the national 2012 Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy in New Jersey during July.

national Science campTwo students are selected each

year to represent Minnesota at the National Youth Science Camp and this year both students are from Burnsville High School.

Seniors Carissa Kloncz and Ryan Pinkalla earned all-expenses paid spots at the camp in West Virginia which features lectures form top research and academic scientists, daily hands-on seminars and other activities, as well as opportunities for students to explore the Monongahela National Forest and visit the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank.

Read more about their research at http://bit.ly/J7PCOz.

international Science FairFor the 18th time since 1992,

students from Burnsville High School have been selected to participate in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) — the

premiere science competition in the world for students in grades 9-12.

Laura Landgraf and Maggie Green were selected to present their research. Scott Svare and Krista Bain were selected to attend as alternates based on their presentations at the 2012 Twin Cities Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

ecybermission champsStudent teams from Metcalf Junior

High’s STEM magnet program took first and second places in this year’s state eCybermission competition, a web-based science, technology, engineering and mathematics competition where students identify a problem in their community and use scientific inquiry to propose a solution.

Ninth-grade students Suraj Shah, Leo Bingley, Raul Valverde and Katie Smith placed first with their studies of “green roofs.” The Metcalf team comprised of Tessa Nania, Sydney

Botz and Sarah Jacobson (pictured at right) placed second with their studies on nutrition and childhood obesity.

Sixth-grade SuccessHarriet Bishop Elementary

sixth grader Sophia Feller was “wildly successful” at the 2012 South Central/Southwest Minnesota Regional Science and Engineering Fair, according to Cheri Warmka, the school’s science specialist.

Her project — “The Effect of Different Concentrations and Number of Hibiclens Washes on the Amount of DNA Extracted from Oreochromis (Tilapia Fish)” — won 9 different awards at the fair, qualified her for the state competition, and made her one of only 10 middle school (grades 6-8) students in the nation to earn a trip to the International Sustainable World Engineering, Energy and Environment Project Olympiad in Houston, Texas.

Science Standouts

harriet Bishop sixth-grader Sophia Feller earned national recognition for her scientific research.

The 191 Classroom Blog highlights interesting work that students and educators are doing throughout Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 with words, photos and video. Here’s a peek at one article that appeared recently in The 191 Classroom.

When You Grow Up ...

Sixth grade is probably too early for any student to really know what she’ll do when she grows up. But it’s a perfect time for students to start learning about different careers, and thinking about their interests and talents.

During the first week of April at Vista View Elementary, sixth graders were doing just that, and teachers Jennifer Bordonaro and Mindi Limberg brought in the experts to help the process.

191classroom.wordpress.com

For more, scan or go to http://bit.ly/HZIiUM

Burnsville High School seniors Brita Preus and Allie Waters are among finalists in a student essay contest spon-sored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and were honored at a luncheon in May. Each will receive a $100 U.S. Savings Bond.

Their essays responded to the question: “What is the value of higher education?”

Both are students in a College in the Schools (CIS) Economics class taught by Matt Eppen at Burnsville High School. They will head to college next year where both plan careers related to economics. Waters will study actu-arial science while Preus will study accounting.

Read their essays at http://bit.ly/IsqMZg.

bhs seniors are finalists in Fed reserve essay contest

allie Waters and Brita Preus

Market research project manager lexa hoffner “interviews” students at Vista View to demonstrate one method of market research.

Elementary band students in Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 had a unique opportunity this spring to perform a musical composition dedicated to them.

The piece, called “Spirits Ablaze,” was created by Dr. Timothy Mahr, a nationally-known composer and director of bands at St. Olaf College in Northfield.

He dedicated the composition to “the stalwart young musicians and band parents of ISD 191 (Burnsville-Eagan-Savage, Minnesota) in appreciation of their dedication and perseverance.” The piece will be published nationally, and will always carry this dedication.

“It was an amazing opportunity for our students to play a brand new piece of music that has our community’s name on it,” said Nicholas Ellison, band director at Vista View, Neill and M.W. Savage Elementary Schools.

Scan the code to watch a video or go to http://bit.ly/I2kije.

Elementary band students involved in world premier

Band Director nicholas Ellison works with students during rehearsal at Vista View Elementary.

Sharon Shelerud

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Thirty-eight individuals were nominated for 2012 John Coskran Volunteer Awards in Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 and seven were selected to receive it.

Recipients are:Students: Johnny Nguyen, a fifth-grade student who

volunteers in many ways at Vista View Elementary School in Burnsville; Moony Vuong, a Burnsville High School junior who tutors many hours at her school and at Neill Elementary School in Burnsville while carrying a rigorous course load.

Parent: Tara Kruger, who volunteers in classrooms and makes a multitude of school events and activities happen at Edward Neill Elementary School in Burnsville.

Alumna: Holly Banwarth, who began volunteering in the “BrainPower in a BackBack” program when she was at Burnsville High School and has continued to be an integral part of the effort since she graduated in 2010.

Community: Diane and Jay Beal of Burnsville, community residents who continue to volunteer in the theater program at Burnsville High School long after their own children have graduated.

Employee: Norm Frederickson, long-time custodian who takes exceptional care of students, staff and the building itself at Marion W. Savage Elementary School

in Savage.This is the 11th year of the awards which are named

in honor of John Coskran, a long-time advocate for volunteerism who served 34 years at Catholic Charities and retired as associate director in 1993. Coskran also served as a member of the District 191 Board of Education.

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Community Connections: together everyone achieves more

PArtNers iN eDuCAtioNStudents benefit when individuals, businesses and organi-zations in the community join partnerships with Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191. There are many ways to become involved in the schools and/or to make contri-butions. All partnerships are greatly appreciated. For more information, please contact Communications Director Ruth Dunn at 952-707-2020 or rdunn@burnsville.k12.mn.us.

� The DARTS Learning Buddies, an intergenerational program that matches adult volunteers with the needs of school classrooms, recently celebrated its 15th anniversary in a special way at six schools in Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191. The program pur-chased books and presented them to classrooms at Gideon Pond, Sioux Trail, Sky Oaks, Vista View (photo above), William Byrne and Rahn elementary schools.

� In recognition for nearly four decades of behind- the-scenes support for Burnsville High School athletics, District 191 employee Greg Wendorf was honored with the 2012 Region 3AA Distinguished Service Award this spring. Wendorf manages many aspects of sporting events including ticket sales, sched-uling referees, working lights and sound, etc.

� The Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 Board of Education officially named the varsity softball field after longtime coach Pat Feely. He coached Burnsville High School varsity softball for 20 years and during his tenure won six Lake Conference champion-ships, three section titles and two state titles.

CoMMuNitY eDuCAtioN

Principals will be ‘rockin’ readers’Students and parents can stay connected with their school principals this summer as they read on Thursday mornings at the Nicollet Commons Park, 12600 Nicollet Ave. in Burnsville. Principals will be reading starting at 11:15 a.m., just prior to free outdoor concerts.

June 21: Jeremy Willey – M.W. Savage PrincipalJune 28: Elaine Mehdizadeh – Rahn PrincipalJuly 12: Rob Nelson – Harriet Bishop PrincipalJuly 19: Kristine Black – Gideon Pond PrincipalJuly 26: Kay Fecke – Sky Oaks PrincipalAug. 2: NO SHOW – Rain-out makeup dateAug. 9: Tom Umhoefer – Community Ed. DirectorAug. 16: Elizabeth Vaught – Edward Neill PrincipalAug. 23: Taber Akin – Sioux Trail Principal

For more details, go to http://www.communityed191.org/page/2735.

the eDGe offers summer programs for students in grades 6-9Attention all students who will be in grades 6-9 next fall ... WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS SUMMER?

The EDGE is gearing up for another exciting summer! Do you like to go to beaches, water parks, malls, movies, horseback riding, Minne-sota Twins games, bowling, canoe-ing, plus much more? Join the EDGE for a sum-mer to remember!

The EDGE offers a flexible sched-ule full of exciting activities and we do not want you to miss out!

For more information, contact Shar Lattery at 952.707.3289 or slattery@burnsville.k12.mn.us.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided to all children, ages 1 to 18, free of charge this summer at three schools in Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 through a federal program. Children do not need to be residents of the district in order to participate.

Breakfast will be served from 7:45 to 8:45 a.m. and lunch will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Just show up to eat. Groups of 20 or more are asked to call ahead of time. All sites will be closed on July 4. Adult meals will be available for pur-chase at each site. Menus will be available on the district website at www.isd191.org.

Meals will be served at three sites:• Hidden Valley Elementary School, 13875 Glendale

Road, Savage, Monday through Friday from June 13 to Aug. 24. Phone: 952-707-3806

• Sky Oaks Elementary School, 100 East 134th St., Burnsville, Monday through Friday from June 13 to Aug. 24. Phone: 952-707-3706

• Vista View Elementary School, 13109 County Road 5, Monday through Thursday from July 9 to Aug. 2. Phone: 952-707-3406

Free meals available at District 191 schools

by Melanie TeachoutA new recycling program being piloted at Sioux Trail Elementary is the latest step in that school’s ongoing

efforts to reduce waste, conserve energy and lower costs. Called the Enhanced Recycling Program, the effort is a partnership with Dakota County, Dick’s Sanitation, the Burnsville High School Environmental Club, and District 191 Food Service to greatly reduce waste and increase the amount of recycling in schools.

Sioux Trail’s goal to minimize the amount of garbage and maximize recycling began with a trash sort in April. Student council members led the school through an explanation and sorting of the school’s trash.

“The program is important to save money, but bigger than that is helping society and teaching students to be responsible and do their part for the environment,” said District 191 head custodian Donley Johnson.

Sioux trail Elementary focuses on increased recycling, savings

For more, scan or go to http://bit.ly/InivEC.

2012 coskran Volunteer award winners, from left, Johnny nguyen, Moony Vuong, holly Banwarth, Diane Beal, Jay Beal, tara Kruger and norm Frederickson.

seven volunteers recognized with Coskran Award

Sioux trail students donned goggles and gloves to sort recyclables from trash.

Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 Community Education will host the eleventh summer Gifted & Talented Institute (GTI), which is provided through a partnership of south metro school districts.

Students, who are entering kindergarten through grade 12 in Fall 2012, can select from a variety of topics such as music theory, chemistry, museum exploration, paper making and geo-caching skills,

as well as a wide array of science and technology offerings. Classes are offered from June 18 to July 27. This year’s program includes courses specifically for high school students seeking to improve Spanish skills and learn about health career options.

Students who are currently enrolled or identified in a gifted and talented program in their school district are eligible to attend. In addition, students who demonstrate specific talent or

high ability in classes being offered may also enroll.

The institute is supported by fees paid by parents and by grants. Registration can be done online at www.giftedtalented.org. Call 952-707-4150 for further information about the program. Most classes will take place at Eagle Ridge Junior High School in Savage with a satellite site at Kenwood Trail Middle School in Lakeville.

registration open for summer Gifted & talented institute

A b o u t t h i s N e w s l e t t e rthis newsletter is sent periodically to all residents in burns-ville-eagan-savage school District 191 to keep residents informed about the schools, which are a cornerstone of the community. the newsletter is published at the lowest possible cost with stories being intentionally brief. longer versions of the stories and additional information are available on the district’s web site at www.isd191.org. if you have comments, send them to ruth Dunn, district communications director, at rdunn@burnsville.k12.mn.us or call 952-707-2020.

boArD oF eDuCAtioNroN hill, Chair ....................................................(952) 440-1016 rhill@burnsville.k12.mn.us

sANDY sweeP, Vice Chair .................................(952) 250-7097 ssweep@burnsville.k12.mn.us

PAulA teiKeN, treasurer ...................................(952) 846-4106 pteiken@burnsville.k12.mn.us

JiM sChMiD, Clerk ...............................................(952) 882-1651 jschmid@burnsville.k12.mn.us

DAN luth, Director ............................................(952) 440-1290 dluth@burnsville.k12.mn.us

DeeDee Currier, Director ...............................(952) 882-7746 dcurrier@burnsville.k12.mn.us

bob VANDeNbooM, Director .........................(651) 454-9516 bvandenboom@burnsville.k12.mn.us

MAGGie GreeN, student Advisor

randall Clegg, superintendent ......................(952) 707-2001 rclegg@burnsville.k12.mn.us

school District 191 does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, disability, marital status, sta-tus with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, age, family care leave status or veteran status.

Phone: 952-707-2000 web: www.isd191.org e-mail: info@burnsville.k12.mn.uswelcome Center: 952-707-4180

M A r K Yo u r C A l e N D A r

Wednesdays in the Park opens on June 20the wednesday in the Park free outdoor concert series is back in 2012 and opens June 20 with the white-sidewalls rock ‘n’ roll revue at 6:30 p.m. Concerts take place at Civic Center Park located at Nicollet and Civic Center Drive (by the arena). in the event of severe weather the show will move inside to Nicollet Junior high. help local food shelves by bringing a nonperish-able food item to any concert and you will receive a can of Pepsi to enjoy during the concert. Check out the entire sum-mer line up at http://www.communityed191.org/page/2585

Enroll your child in District 191looking to register your children for school next year? All student registrations are handled through the District welcome Center. Call (952) 707- 4180 or send an email to welcomecenter@burnsville.k12.mn.us for more information.

2012-13 calendar is available onlinethe 2012-13 school year starts on tuesday, sept. 4. You can see the full-year calendar online now by going to www.isd191.org and clicking on “Calendar” on the left side menu.

C o N N e C t w i t h u sburnsville-eagan-savage school District 191 strives to keep residents informed and involved in their public schools.

to get news, pictures, events and more deliv-ered to you where you want them, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on twitter, or connect with us through a new online community portal called our Common Place.

www.facebook.com/isd191 www.twitter.com/isd191

Community members are also invited to connect with District 191 through a new, local social network called CommonPlace. it’s designed to be an online bulletin board for the burnsville and District 191 community. Go to www.ourcommonplace.com/pages/isd191.

residents may also sign up for the District 191 e-Newsletter or any of our school-specific e-Newsletters.

The comprehensive annual financial report for the 2010-2011 school year in Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 has received a “clean, unqualified” stamp of approval from the firm that did the audit.

“That’s the best rating a school district can receive from an auditor,” said Dennis Hoogeveen of LarsonAllen in a report to the Board of Education.

Actual revenue came in slightly

over budget in the General Fund, mainly because final student enrollment was higher than budgeted. Meanwhile, expenses stayed within budget.

“There were no year-end surprises because your financial people are paying attention,” Hoogeveen told the Board.

Overall, the district’s financial position has improved slightly. The unassigned balance in the General Fund increased from $10.8 million

to $11.5 million, which amounts to a little more than five weeks of operating expenses.

“We do a lot of school district audits, and this is on the low side of what school districts are doing,” he said. “Districts are trying to increase their fund balance above their usual minimum because of uncertainty in funding from the state.” Legislators have shifted and delayed payments to school districts as they try to balance the state budget.

District 191 gets top rating from auditing firmFinancial StEWarDShiP

s u P e r i N t e N D e N t ’ s C o lu M N

All-day kindergarten is a wise investment for District 191

Dr. randy clegg

Vicki Roy was recently honored by the Minnesota School Boards Association (MSBA) for her years of service on the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 Board of Education.

MSBA presented Roy with a 20-Year Service Award during a recognition luncheon at the organization’s annual Leadership Conference. She was one of 19 board members to reach the milestone. Roy recently retired from the District 191 Board of Education. She is also a former MSBA Board Director.

“The 20-year board member is a rare commodity,” said MSBA Executive Bob Meeks. “With demands on everyone, it is rare to see someone devote this much time and energy to making sure all of our children achieve.”

He said that Roy and other recipients of the award are committed to student achievement, determined to build support for their local schools and unwavering in their pursuit of what’s best for students.

“They also show a connection with the community — they wouldn’t be re-elected over and over again unless the community

knows of the board member’s dedication,” Meeks added.Read more online at http://bit.ly/AjO0pT.

roy receives service award from state school board group

Vicky roy

You may know that full-day, every-day kindergarten will be offered at no cost to parents beginning this fall at our 10 elementary schools. What you may not know is the “why” and “how” of this decision.

The “why” is easy to explain: the time has come. Kindergarten provides children with a solid foundation of knowledge and skills upon which all future learning will be built. Our schools are preparing students for suc-cess in a competitive, global economy so expectations for every grade level — including kindergarten — have increased. A half-day of kindergarten (2.5 hours) does not provide enough time to diagnose learning needs and provide more individual attention and support to all students whether they are struggling or soaring.

The “how” is a little more complicated. School districts receive most of their funding from the state of Minnesota, paid on a per pupil basis. This funding has been stagnant for several years. School districts also receive what’s called “compensatory” funding from the state for specific purposes. Our compensatory fund-ing has been increasing as our percentage of families who qualify for free- or reduced-price school meals has increased. This year, we received $4.6 million to use specifically to benefit disadvantaged children; next year that funding will increase to $5.5 million. We will use the increase from this year to next to offset the cost, about $1.5 million, of full-day kindergarten. The steady

increase in compensa-tory funds allows us to begin implementing district-wide programs such as full-day kinder-garten to benefit ALL students.

Full-day kinder-garten is an effective way to leverage our limited dollars to maximize student academic achievement. This investment in early learn-ing will increase student success for years to come. All of our school principals — even those at the secondary level — see the value in full-day kindergarten and real-ize the benefits will continue on through the system all the way past high school.

Twenty-nine states now fund full-day kindergar-ten, including Wisconsin, Iowa and South Dakota, but Minnesota does not. At least 207 of Minnesota’s 341 school districts offer full-day kindergarten in some of their schools. Some metro districts, including St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Stillwater, Fridley and North St. Paul-Maplewood, offer it in all their schools. Like those districts, we see the value in providing full-day, every daykindergarten and believe it will be a good return on investment.

With revenues expected to stay the same at $107 million for the next two or three years, members of the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 Board of Education have been looking for ways to lower costs as they create a General Fund budget for the 2012-13 school year.

“We must live within our means and provide a high quality educational program with the revenue we receive,” said Superintendent Randy Clegg. “That requires creative ideas so we can be more efficient and effective in achieving our mission.”

Board members discussed budget ideas with community residents at three public meetings this spring, as well as elementary school Parent Teacher Or-ganization meetings.

“The turnout and conversations have been excellent,” said Board Chair Ron Hill. “We appreciate people taking the time to talk with us and let us know what they are thinking.” Others emailed feedback to Board members.

After those discussions, Board members took a proposal off the table that would have extended the school day and eliminated 17 days from the school calendar, in order to save transportation and other costs. A proposal to extend walking distances for elementary students was also removed by the Board.

The proposed budget:• Maintains average elementary class sizes for the fifth consecutive year;• Provides universal full-day kindergarten;• Continues support for Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), Col-

lege in the Schools (CIS) and Advanced Placement (AP) courses;• Upholds a commitment to arts education, and• Sustains a commitment to gifted education.

The state of Minnesota requires that school districts finalize their budgets by June 30. For more specifics, go to www.isd191.org.

Public feedback guides 2012-13 budget

A negotiated agreement with the District 191 employee health insur-ance provider and a competitive bid process for busing service will pro-vide the district with an expected $1.3 million in savings during the 2012-13 school year.

In April, the district announced that there would be no increase in health insurance costs for next year through a higher deductible plan, which may result in $900,000 in savings over expected insurance in-creases.

Also in May, the Board of Educa-tion approved a busing contract with provider Durham School Services for 2012-13 and 2013-14. Reached through a competitive bidding pro-cess, the district expects to save $400,000 in student transportation costs each year due to the new con-tract.

District saves in health insurance, bus contracts

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