Board expects minimal school tax bump

The Cloquet school board approved its preliminary tax levy increase to a maximum of 0.2 percent over last year’s levy during Monday’s meeting. However, unless something changes at the state level in the next few days, district finance director Candace Nelis said she expects the actual levy increase to be closer to 0.17 percent.

That’s less than three-tenths of 1 percent, superintendent Michael Cary pointed out.

“I think the first year I was here [the increase] was 34 percent because of the new bonding,” Nelis said, referring to the $49 million building bond referendum approved by voters for construction of the new middle school and other school building projects. “I think it’s gone up by 4 percent the last couple years.”

The total levy last year was set at $6,958,705. This year’s levy limitation is $6,970,211, an increase of $11,505. Approximately 17 percent of the district’s revenue comes from the tax levy

The board certified the maximum levy amount on Monday, because the state has until Sept. 30 to make any adjustments.

The board will hold a public hearing and make the final vote on the proposed 2019 school levy for taxes payable in 2020 at 6 p.m. Nov. 25. The amount could decrease between now and then, but it can’t increase.

Only one citizen addressed the board about the tax levy.

Former school board candidate James Mallery II asked the board not to approve the maximum, citing the fact that Cloquet’s school district taxes are significantly higher than the surrounding school districts. He suggested some people will not move to Cloquet because of the high property taxes.

“Every year [the local tax levy] comes up, but every year I ask the auditors if education in Cloquet is a bargain and they say ‘yes.’ For what we spend, we get excellent results,” board chairman Ted Lammi said later.

Crowley pointed out that the schools benefit the greater community, not just the students, because the district opens up its buildings for community members and the Community Ed Department provides activities, classes and more.

Lammi said the new middle school is a large part of the reason for the difference, but it was needed and voters approved it.

“Many of the surrounding school districts have turned down building referendums,” Lammi said. “We knew we had to have a middle school and we built it. And it’s a good one.”

Mallery also asked how much longer taxpayers will be on the hook for a $3 million mistake made by public finance company Springsted — when it got the tax impact wrong because it overcalculated the amount of state aid (debt equalization) on the building projects.

The payback period on that mistake was originally calculated at six years so next year would be the fourth.

All grades closed

School board members voted to close the final six grades (second, fifth and 9-12) to open enrollment for the 2019-2020 school year, as requested by the superintendent. That means that no more students who live outside the district will be allowed to enroll in Cloquet schools this school year.

Cary said the district currently has 2,608 students enrolled. That number is up from the start of the prior school year.

Winter bus route

In response to concerns from parents of students who would normally walk to school this year, the school district and the Cloquet Transit bus company will try a winter-only bus route during the coldest months of the year.

As proposed, a bus would stop at approximately 30 designated bus stops at a certain time to pick up middle school and high school students who don’t normally qualify to ride the bus because they live too close to the school.

Under current school district policy, busing services are unavailable to the following students:

• Elementary school students (grades PreK-4) who live a mile or closer to their school;

• Middle school students (grades 5-8) who live within 1.5 miles of their school; and

• High school students (grades 9-12) who live within 2 miles of their school.

The winter bus would pick up students who live between a half-mile and 1.5 miles from the middle school or high school.

Part of the problem is that fifth-grade students used to fall under the elementary category and the 1-mile radius rule, but now that they attend the middle school, they must live at least 1.5 miles from the school to qualify for busing.

The list of 30 stops, for example, includes six stops along Selmser Avenue from Third to 21st Street, with stops every three to four blocks.

Board members voted unanimously to “try” the winter bus route, which will cost the district just under $300 a day. The superintendent said he thinks it’s the first time Cloquet has tried such a route.

Cary said he’s already gotten calls from concerned parents.

“The safety is well worth it,” said board member Jim Crowley.

Churchill music teacher and union rep Regina Roemhildt suggested the district also track and see if attendance is improved by the new bus routes, because some walkers stay home on the coldest days.