By Rich Larson, News Director
The Northfield School Board approved the school district budget for the 2021-22 school year at their meeting on Monday night. School
Superintendent Dr. Matt Hillmann said that the for the first time in recent memory, because of the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the district will run a deficit.
Hillmann said the year is budgeted for $59.8 million dollars in expenditures, while receiving $57.7 million in revenues. The policy of the district has been to hold 16% of the annual budget in reserve. Dr. Hillmann said that by drawing out of the reserves this year, the district will be able to make up the difference but will end the year with 14% of the budget in reserve.
He said the reserve policy has proven to be a very wise decision.
“Sixteen percent is an unusually high fund balance for a school district our size. But we have it to be able to accommodate unforeseen circumstances, and I think we’ve seen the mother of all unforeseen circumstances over the last year. And so, while you’ll read about dozens and dozens of school districts making significant, millions of dollars of cuts, because of the way we have managed our budget over the last several years, we do not have to do that.”
Hillmann said the budget was developed assuming an increase in state school funding by 0.5%. While the pending agreement in the legislature is to increase funding by 2%, that equates to about $500,000 dollars in new funding to the school. The extra money will help, he said, but it will not eliminate the deficit.
Dr. Hillmann also said that the district is expecting to see a decline in enrollment in the coming years, and because of that, there will be, as he called it, “budget prioritization” for the 2023-24 school year.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Dr. Matt Hillmann can be heard here
Community Ed publishes vast catalogue of summer activities
With summer fast approaching, Northfield Community Education has published its Summer 2021 brochure, offering a vast array of activities, classes and special events for all members of the community.
Community Education and Recreation is a partnership between the city and the Northfield School District. Mayor Rhonda Pownell said the collaboration and pooling of resources, with the city’s funding portion provided by Northfield Hospital + Clinics, has been a success that has benefitted everyone in the community.
The Community Ed Recreation Coordinator, Melissa Bernhard, said they offer a number of programs that are developed in-house, but they also contract with several outside resources which allows them to offer so many different options.
The seemingly limitless number of programs offered this year ranges from classes that are practical and necessary to activities that are fun and even whimsical. There are early childhood and family education programs. There are, of course the standard sports programs like soccer, baseball and softball, but there are programs in volleyball, lacrosse, tennis, golf, and track & field. Aquatics and swimming lessons are staples for many kids in the summertime, and a full list of options is available in the brochure, but there are also skating lessons for those who would rather focus on winter sports. Additionally, there are a litany of camps offered in basketball, baseball, football, cheerleading, dance, bowling, ultimate frisbee, fishing and even dodgeball.
This is to say nothing of the classes available to all ages. There are adult softball leagues and martial arts classes, there ae cooking classes and American sign language classes. The family pet can even get involved through the dog training classes that are offered.
Bernhard said for many of the classes they have developed an online component for those who would rather participate remotely.
While discussing the different options available, Mayor Pownell said that programs like this are very important to the development of the Northfield community.
“There are always new faces. And this is a chance [for] welcoming people to the community and giving them an opportunity to get active and engaged in the community through different activities. Not everything fits every person, so I just really love the diversity of the offerings that are there and the relationships that can be built.”
Registration for all programs is now open, and information can be found on the back page of the brochure. Brochures have been mailed to members of the community but can also be found at multiple locations around town.
Northfield Retirement Community to see leadership transition
The Northfield Retirement Community will soon see a change at the top. Kyle Nordine, who has run the NRC for 19 years as President and CEO, is
stepping down. His role will be filled by Tom Nielsen, who has worked at Nordine’s side for 27 years.
Under Nordine’s leadership, the NRC has developed almost 30 acres of land, and doubled in size with more than 400 residents and 250 employees. The organization has evolved from what was essentially a nursing home to offering a variety of assistive living services from independent living to memory care.
Nielsen and Nordine have worked together for more than 25 years, first at a facility in Red Wing and then when Nordine came to Northfield he recruited Neilsen to come with him. Nielsen said he could not have asked for a better friend and mentor than Nordine. And while he and Nordine share the same values and ides, Nielsen said they do have different personalities, so his leadership style will be different from his predecessor’s.
“Kyle’s taught me a lot of things that I can carry forward, but then obviously we have different personalities. Kyle can make pretty snap decisions and is able to do that because of his years of experience, where I usually say, ‘Let me think that over for a second and get back to you.’ I’m probably a little more inclusive in my decision making, but it’s not good or bad. It’s just difference in styles.”
Nielsen said he is excited for the future with the NRC. He sees the next phase of growth not in further development of the campus, but in the possibility of brining service to private home and developing some partnerships. Moreover, he said, after coming through a global pandemic, it is most important that things are stabilized.
For his part, Nordine is retiring from the NRC but plans to keep working. He has started a company that works with smaller, rural communities to use funds made available by the USDA to develop Assisted Living units.
Nordine’s last official day with the Northfield Retirement Community is June 30.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Kyle Nordine and Tom Nielsen can be heard here
