Newsletters 2017-18 Focus newsletter, [2] Fall | Page 2

WHAT IS FIT FOR THE FUTURE?
PAGE 2
How the referendum makes Anoka-Hennepin Fit for the Future
The total cost for districtwide facility construction and renovations will
be $249 million, which is what will be asked for in question two on the
November ballot. If question two is approved by voters, it will be depend-
ent on the approval of question one, which will ask voters for $226.20 per
pupil, or approximately $9.5 million annually over 10 years. Those dollars
will fund operational needs of the new spaces, and provide relief to class
sizes across the district.
The tax impact will be about $11 a month for the owner of an average
home in Anoka-Hennepin, which is valued at $200,000. A calculator is
available on the Fit for the Future website, ahschools.us/FitForTheFuture,
for taxpayers to learn their property’s specific impact.
Safety and security
Thousands of students at nine district schools attend classes in portable
classrooms in yards and parking lots because the permanent building they
go to doesn’t have adequate space.
On Tuesday, Nov. 7, residents of the Anoka-Hennepin School District will have the
opportunity to make district schools Fit for the Future by addressing facility needs for
students today and in the future.
The ballot will include two questions that, if approved, will provide funds for Anoka-
Hennepin to create safe and secure learning environments through the removal of
portable classrooms; construct additional schools and classroom space where student
populations are significantly growing; offer solutions for maintaining quality schools
by improving science labs, media centers, and flexible learning areas throughout the
district; and address class sizes at all levels — elementary, middle and high school.
There are 62 portable classrooms in all, and each and every one of them
poses a safety and security risk to students and staff. During the school
day, doors to the portables and the school building need to be open so
students can access them.
If the referendum is approved, additions will be constructed at nine
schools: Andover, Anoka, Blaine, Champlin Park, and Coon Rapids high
schools; the Washington and Fred Moore campuses of Anoka Middle
School for the Arts; River Trail Learning Center at L.O. Jacob; as well as
Champlin Brooklyn Park Academy/Jackson Middle School. All to add
classroom space, in part, so portable classrooms can be removed and
learning environments, such as science labs, can be added.
Additional classroom space addressing class sizes
Estimated monthly tax impact of proposed ballot questions
Taxable
market
value Question 1 Question 2
Operating referendum
increase of $226.20
per pupil $249,000,000 general
obligation school
building bonds
$150,000 $6.21 $200,000 Offsetting
decreases in
other tax levies Net
monthly
impact
$3.78 ($1.86) $8.13
$8.28 $5.41 ($2.67) $11.02
$250,000 $10.35 $7.05 ($3.47) $13.93
$300,000 $12.42 $8.68 ($4.28) $16.82
$500,000 $20.69 $14.98 ($7.38) $28.29
$750,000 $31.04 $24.33 ($12.00) $43.37
A calculator is available on the Fit for the Future website, ahschools.us/FitForTheFuture,
for community members to learn their property’s specific figure.
Note: Data provided by Springstead Incorporated. The figures in the table above are based
on school district taxes for the proposed referendum only, and do not include tax levies for
other purposes. Monthly figures are estimated and may vary by a cent. Across the Anoka-
Hennepin School District, more than 80 percent of homes are valued under $300,000.
The average home in the Anoka-Hennepin School District is valued at $200,000.
According to recent community surveys, large class sizes are one of the
biggest concerns residents of Anoka-Hennepin have about the district.
During lean years when the School Board had to make adjustments to
the budget, the School Board increased class size guidelines. In the years
since, the School Board has looked for ways to buy back staff to once
again address class sizes, and following the recommendations of the Fit
for the Future task force, is looking to do so, in part, with the construction
of new schools and additional classrooms.
With explosive residential growth in Blaine and Ramsey, if the referen-
dum is approved, new elementary schools will be built in those communi-
ties, and will allow the at-capacity schools in those areas to address class
size issues. Combined with the additions at the other schools, the district
will be able to significantly address class sizes.
Maintaining quality schools
Anoka-Hennepin is well regarded for having wonderful, well-maintained
facilities. And it’s not because the district's buildings are new. To the con-
trary, the average age of Anoka-Hennepin’s schools is 50 years old. The
newest schools — Andover High School, and Oxbow Creek and Rum
River Elementary Schools — are nearly 20 years old.
Most schools aren’t equipped with adequate learning spaces like
science labs and media centers. If the referendum is approved, all district
schools — every elementary, middle and high school — will receive
improvements to science labs, media centers, and other learning areas. ■
A community engaged: the Fit for the Future facilities task force
Anoka-Hennepin has a long history of engag-
ing with the community and asking for guidance
on the direction the district goes. The last
couple years the district also recognized the
need for space to accommodate the influx of
students new development is causing, as well as
the need to remove portable classrooms. In
February of 2016, the School Board formed the
Fit for the Future facilities task force to look into
the matter. The group was made of 32 people
from around the district. It included parents,
business owners, civic leaders, non-parent
members of the community, and staff. Board that the group felt would address the
district’s long-term facility needs. The task force was charged with looking into
Anoka-Hennepin’s long-term building and
classroom needs. Over the course of eight
months, the group studied community growth
and district enrollment projections, school
capacity and condition, future program needs,
finance, special education, and a number of
other topics. The group also recommended the district go
to the community for a bond referendum to
enact the recommendations. in Blaine and Ramsey; and there is a lack of modern learning spaces
like science labs and media centers in nearly all district buildings,
which average 50 years old districtwide.
The findings that lead the task force to their
recommendations: the continued use of
portable classroom spaces, mostly at secondary
schools, continue to pose a significant safety
and security risk; the district is experiencing a
dramatic imbalance of population growth,
which is putting significant pressure on schools Throughout Anoka-Hennepin’s 65-year history, countless community
groups and task forces have been formed, just like Fit for the Future,
and their work continues in that tradition. Its members devoted more
than 752 combined volunteer hours toward the task force’s work.
In January of 2017, the community task force
presented nine recommendations to the School
Chief among the recommendations present-
ed was the building of safe and secure learning
environments through the removal of portable
classrooms; construction of schools and addi-
tional classroom space where student popula-
tions are significantly growing; solutions for
maintaining quality schools by improving sci-
ence labs, media centers, and flexible learning
areas throughout the district; and addressing
class sizes at all levels — elementary, middle
and high school.
The Fit for the Future task force meet in January of 2017 to finalize their
recommendations to the School Board, which were formally presented Jan 23.
Meeting agendas, minutes and reports on the task force are avail-
able on the district website at ahschools.us/fff, including the full and
final report. ■