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~~ Otsego's needs met with plans ~, For K-8 facility ge lay tal ers ies ad- ing be- ar- ses ma mi- •ec- •ea. pes For- ide as- iity ise- ~ss- ind ngs the the nch lut- ing lon. ~ Bond calls for running separate K-5 and 6-8 programs in one building by Jim Boyle Editor The Nov. 6 bond referendum for the Elk River Area School District will, if approved, pour more than $56 million into construction projects -in the .southern half of the Elk River_Area School District. That dollar figure includes $32.5 million for a facility that will be designed initially to house ~ a IK five program and asix-eight program. Superintendent Mark Bezek called the K-eight facility the lesser of two evils. "The price tag of doing both (a full-size elementary school and" afull-size middle) was not realistic," Bezek said. The Elk River Area School District at a $133 million bond referendum is already pushing the envelope as far as tax tolerance for a school of sending eighth-grade stu- dents to Rogers High School once an $23.8 million addi- tion in the plan is added. They found the idea of a contained six-eight program more desirable. Jorgensen said to her it meets the criteria of commu- nity schools and avoids par- celing out eighth graders at a difficult time in their life. "Middle school is hard enough without throwing that at the kids," she said. The plan for a K-eight sce- nario had the backing from bond referendum, but there are district needs at both the elementary and middle school level as well as at the senior high level in the south. Eventually this K-eight facility would become sole- ly amiddle school, but not until more elementary school space can be approved by voters as part of the district's next phase of its 10-year, long-range plan. As parents in this com- munity know, Otsego Elementary School's enroll- ment has already shot past its capacity as temporary classrooms have been added. Rogers Middle School cannot continue to handle both the Rogers and Otsego area stu- dent populations. There are less than 100. ele- mentary school spaces left in the south part of the school district..-The lone middle school is less than 25 shy of capacity. Otsego to page 11 South Growth Mode! K_5 6-8 9-12 HE OE RE RMS RHS i50 750 720 2,225 960 960 1,200 1,200 `07-'08 - - - - - -`-2,152 - - - - - - 937 1,187... `08-'09 2,152 K-8 1,005 1,187 Open HE OE RE ~' RM` RHS °D os 's0 Ise .720 2,825 6QOraeO ~Fr.\ 1,440- x.200 ~ 1,800 ' 09-' 10 2;317 1,095 1;266 r `10-' 11 2,393 1,095 1,266 `11-'12 '2,491 1,271 ` 1,437 `12-' 13 2,592 1,345 1,540 `Y3-'14 2,725 1,372 " 1,691 , `~4-'15 2865 `fi-8 1.408 1,823 The above chart shows existing facilities south of the Mississippi River in the Elk River Area School District. It also shows enrollment as it stands now and its pro- jected growth. The numbers not attached to a specific year are building capacities. (Source: District 728) School Board members con- sidered building an elemen- tary school alone in Otsego, but that plan did not gather favor, given its desire to find suitable space for the bur- geoning middle school pro- . gram in the south. School board member Jolene Jorgensen, who lives near Otsego Elementary in this hotbed of growth that stretches from the east side of Highway 101 clear out to the Albertville Outlet Mall, said both the elementary and middle school populations presented legitimate needs. Board members, Jorgensen included, thwarted the idea Referendum aims to spread ECFE's wings by Jim Boyle Editor The Handke School on Main Street in Elk River has proved a good fit for community education and its complement of early childhood programming components. But the Handke Family Center is not exactly viewed as convenient for those liv- ing in the northern and southern reaches of the Elk River Area School District. That's the logic behind a $2.5 million earmark in the fall bond referendum to establish more adequate y' wt>R1p-CLASS SCHOOLS fOA DtSTRFCT 728 facilities in Zimmerman and Rogers for Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE). There are several tacks the school district could take to achieve that, and they are open to consider- ing the possibilities. They include, at the very least: • purchasing space, • converting space, and •building onto an existing school facility. "We recognize the need," said Jana Hennen-Burr, the assistant superintendent in charge of educational pro- gramming: "Our hope is to design spaces to take care of this need." In Rogers that might mean partnering with the com- munity of Rogers; where space for young families and seniors has already been on the radar. One concept being explored is developing a space for seniors and young fami- lies. That would dovetail with Main Street Family .Services, an organization working to provide and advocate for family pro- gramming and services. So far this group has had some success reaching the senior ECFE/ECSE to page 11 my a third of veterans apply for benefits ary ference Wednesday, Aug. 1. days-a-week line. with the third party. the State officials believe they LinkVet will staffed by LaBree, who is enrolled have a way of helping. A new Minnesota Veterans Affairs divinity school at Bethel .me state telephone help-line. Department staff and crisis College in Arden Hills, .~~. 111 ~-~r{~ ~ .