District 622 seeking levy renewal

Talk about it

This November Woodbury residents who live within the District 622 borders will be asked to decide whether or not to renew the district’s current operating levy.

A portion of Woodbury’s northwest corner resides within the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District boundaries.

District 622 will be seeking voter approval to renew its current operating levy at the level of $833 per student.

District 622 School Board approved a no-levy increase in July.

“While renewing the current levy won’t solve the district’s financial challenges,” District 622 School Board Chairman Mark Wheeler said, “we didn’t feel the time was right to ask the community for an increase.”

Instead, the board decided the no-tax increase renewal was the best way to balance student needs with today’s financial and economic realities.

“The School Board did spend several months gathering feedback and evaluating the options,” said District 622 Communications Director Jennifer McNeil. “But, given the economic climate we decided to balance our student need with the economic realities today.”

The levy would total $10 million, which is roughly 9 percent of the district’s budget.

If the levy does not pass by 2012, District 622 would have to cut $10 million from its budget.

“If the levy isn’t approved we’d have to have a discussion because that would be a huge cut,” McNeil said.

So far, the community has been supportive of renewing the levy, McNeil said.

“The levy is going to help us maintain, not improve, our current programs,” she said.

Three public hearings are schedule to comment on the levy renewal: Sept. 20 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Carver Elementary School, 2680 Upper Afton Road, in Maplewood; Oct. 10 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Cowern Elementary School, 2131 North Margaret Street, in St. Paul; and Oct. 17 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Eagle Point Elementary School, 7850 15th Street N., in Oakdale.

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