Last week, the Northfield School Board approved an increase to the district tax levy of 5.63% over last year. Northfield Superintendent of 
Schools, Dr. Matt Hillmann, said the increase is largely a function of the inflation factor in the voter approved operating levy.
Public school funding, as Dr. Hillmann has pointed out several times, is heavily regulated by the state of Minnesota. There are no opportunities for fund drives, private fundraising efforts or creating monetary partnerships with area businesses. Public schools in Minnesota are tied to funds that come from either money allocated by the state legislature or voter approved tax levies. In 2017, the voters of the district approved an operating levy that is tied to inflation, meaning the district can increase the amount it levies from the taxpayers that keeps up with the inflation rate.
“The board has actually quite little discretion on how much the levy is because there are two parts to it. There’s the state approved levy. And then the bulk of what we have – a significant portion – is the voter approved levy. So, unlike other governmental bodies, we either get permission to levy from the state or we get permission from the voters. And so, a 5.63% increase is one of the higher ones we’ve had in the last couple of years because of that inflationary factor.”
The money the district receives from the state is tied to enrollment. As has been pointed out time and again, the enrollment of the district is contracting, and it will continue to do so over the next several years. The district has taken a hard look at the budget over the last year in order to identify priorities and cut $4.5 million from the budget to facilitate the shrinking class sizes. While the enrollment has not gone down as sharply as had been expected, it is down this year. That decrease, along with one other factor, has caused the board to decide to retain less money than had previously been anticipated
That other reason for the smaller Reserve Fund, said Hillmann, is an increase to the premiums of the district health insurance plan, which the district had been able to avoid for many years prior to 2022.
Hillmann said the Reserve Fund this year will be at 12.9% rather than the standard 14%.
Overall, however, he said the district’s finances are in good shape. The board will hold a special meeting tomorrow, in fact, to hear the report on this year’s audit, and then accept those results. Having seen the initial report, Hillmann said he believes the way the district does business will be rewarded with a very good report.
“The audit is just another great story of how awesome our finance team is. With the amount of federal funds that were in and out, and with all of the regulations that went with that money, the audit report that we anticipate hearing on December 22nd is really a testament to the great processes and systems that we have in place to make sure that we’re using those funds.”
The audit was delayed this year, due to the backlog many accounting firms are dealing with after having to take special care for the amount of federal funds that were moved through school districts from the various Covid-19 relief packages.
Tomorrow’s meeting will be held in the School Board conference room at 5:15pm.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matt Hillman can be heard here
Elliott asks all to take care on the roads
Yet another round of snow, high winds and cold temperatures is expected to arrive today, just in time to wreak havoc with holiday travel
plans. The Northfield area is expected to receive anywhere from 3”-8” of snow over the next few days, but the wind on Thursday and Friday is the thing that has made the authorities the most nervous.
Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott said, as he has many times, it is very important for drivers to respect the conditions, slow down, and be constantly aware of their surroundings.
“It’s better to be going slow and wish you were going fast,” he said, “than going fast and wish you were going slow.”
He also suggested that drivers, and younger drivers in particular, approach their driving as if their grandmother was sitting next to them in the car.
“You have to drive like your grandma’s sitting next to you,” he said, “and she’s got a cup of coffee with her filled to the brim. You don’t want that coffee to spill on grandma’s lap. So, it’s got to be easy and smooth on the brake and easy and smooth on the gas and easy and smooth with your turning motions.”
Elliott said it is very important for motorists to be ready and to plan ahead. This means first making sure the vehicle is prepared for the winter weather. Check the tires to make sure they’re ready, and also check the winter survival kit. This kit should include things such as blankets, water, gloves, hats, an extra hat, and snacks such as a granola bar or nuts. A phone charger and a window scraper should be in every car as well.
Another factor in holiday driving safety, said Elliott, is to be prepared. Those who are celebrating and imbibing need to be aware of the fact that local law enforcement has extra patrols out right now.
“Make plans ahead of time if you’re going to be partaking in alcoholic beverages. Make sure you have a plan for either staying or having a designated driver. We do have extra DWI patrols out throughout Rice County, and certainly here in Northfield, and really throughout the state, too. So, we want everybody to have fun, and have a good holiday season with their friends and family and do so safely.”
Those extra patrols are being funded by a grant from the State of Minnesota. The Northfield and Faribault Police Departments are taking full advantage of the grant as a way to better enforce the law, as is the Rice County Sheriff’s Department.
The grant is intended to fund extra patrols through the end of the year.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Northfield Chief of Police Mark Elliott can be heard here
Rich Larson is the KYMN News Director. Contact him at rich@kymnradio.net
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