Judy Spooner
Judy Spooner is the longest-serving staff writer at the South Washington County Bulletin. Spooner, who covers education and features in addition to writing a weekly column, has been with the newspaper for over 30 years.
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School District 833 planned to finalize a contract on an addition at Liberty Ridge Elementary School that will house from 160 to 180 kindergarteners and pre-school children. The current site is approximately 10,000 square feet and is being leased by the district for $14,000 a month to house kindergarten classes.
If the plan to approve new school start and end times is approved by the District 833 School Board Thursday night, some parents are not going to be happy about it. The board is considering changing start and end times in elementary schools and starting middle schools 10 minutes earlier to save money and balance the transportation budget. Elementary time changes and those of non-public schools would vary from five to 50 minutes. Some parents said their work schedules will be disturbed by school beginning at 9 a.m. instead of 8:10 a.m.
Some District 833 students' daily schedules may change next year in order to balance the district's transportation budget and stop a run of deficit spending. South Washington County School Board members are leaning toward changing elementary and middle school start and end times this fall to save $480,000. The three main high schools would not be affected; some private schools in south Washington County would be affected. District administrators had recommended waiting to change the times until the 2013-14 school year.
District 833 School Board members did their math homework at last month's meeting, adding and subtracting spending to tentatively approve $1.2 million in budget cuts and changes for the 2012-13 school year. The list of budget adjustments includes adding $150,000 from the Community Education budget and adding $300,000 in state aid to the general fund. Budget cuts include reducing contracted special education services by providing the same services within District 833 to save $500,000. Board member Jim Gelbmann said he's concerned about special education cuts and doesn't want reduced services
From changing school start times to shifting funds, the South Washington County School Board is weighing a number of student busing options to address a transportation department that is deficit spending. Two board members said during a workshop last Thursday that they want a proposal to change District 833 school start times for the 2013-14 school year to begin this fall instead, to save money and end the leasing of five buses.
The District 833 School Board is set to approve $1.2 million in budget changes, but rejected a proposal to cut nearly $100,000 in district music staffing and another measure that would have slightly raised class sizes. The board is poised to approve budget transfers and spending reductions on March 22 to help balance next year's budget. Board members tentatively approved the budget-balancing plan last Thursday.
Doug Ballinger said he researched school districts and decided to move to Woodbury from out of state because his family was impressed with South Washington County Schools. But there could be improvement, Ballinger said at a Tuesday meeting hosted by School Exec Connect, the search firm leading the District 833 superintendent hiring process. Ballinger was among fourteen people who turned out for the meeting at Woodbury High School, the second such session to get input on what qualities should be sought in the successor to Superintendent Mark Porter, whose contract was not renewed by the Scho
Parents of Liberty Ridge Elementary School students can uncross their fingers because the District 833 School Board has approved a deal to buy space for a site expansion. With approximately 900 students and more slated to come from new home construction, the school is currently full and no outside or inside the district transfers are being allowed. At a school meeting a month ago, parents said they want to keep their children at the school and feared the deal might not go through. The deal, which was approved over strong objections from board member Jim Gelbmann, is for $2.37 million to buy
The District 833 School Board is considering having middle school students start class earlier to save $190,000 in busing costs. The board is discussing changing the start time for the district's four middle schools from 7:55 a.m. to 7:35 a.m., which would eliminate the need to lease 10 buses.
The District 833 School Board is considering having middle school students start class earlier to save $190,000 in busing costs. The board is discussing changing the start time for the district's four middle schools from 7:55 a.m. to 7:35 a.m., which would eliminate the need to lease 10 buses.