Ahead of the 2020-21 school year, desks were spaced out in this Park Elementary classroom to keep students as far apart as possible in a situation where all students are in school. Students are likely to see additional safety protocols in place when they return once more to in-person learning Jan. 18.
Daron VanderHeiden
Minnesota schools can invite K-6 students back to school starting Jan. 18, regardless of local COVID-19 data.
Gov. Tim Walz announced the decision Dec. 16, but left determinations for each school district in the hands of its administrators. Hutchinson Public Schools Superintendent Daron VanderHeiden said Thursday he anticipates students in fifth grade or younger will be allowed to return to school the week of Jan. 18. Students in sixth grade make up one grade level at Hutchinson Middle School, and so the district intends to focus on its elementary buildings.
“We’re also hoping to bring secondary kids back shortly after,” VanderHeiden said. “But we’re going to continue to monitor local numbers here to make sure it’s safe at that time.”
It’s uncertain if secondary students will return for full in-person learning or a hybrid model as before.
Administrators want to have more information available to parents before Christmas break and were combing through rules and guideline from the state through last week.
State mandates will not allow schools to bring elementary students back to school from distance learning before Jan. 18. When they return, they’ll notice teachers are now required to wear both face coverings, such as a mask and face shield. Districts must also have testing clinics for employees every other week. Staff members will not be mandated to attend the clinics, but they must be able to if they desire. The state has said it will provide tests.
In elementary school buildings, students will not be able to transfer to art, music and other such classrooms.
“All those specialist classes will be brought to them in their classroom,” VanderHeiden said.
State rules also suggest students will have to eat lunch in their classrooms.
“We’ve got some things there to work out and plan for,” VanderHeiden said.
Busing should function as it did before, but the district has asked for clarification regarding populations allowed on buses.
NDMA STUDENTS RETURNING FEB. 1
New Discoveries Montessori Academy Executive Director Dave Conrad said the public charter school intends to follow a course it had set earlier this month.
“We’re finding ourselves in sync with most of what the governor is recommending,” he said. “We had already planned and announced to families we would remain distance learning for the month of January.”
On Feb. 1, the school will switch back to full on-site learning.
Though the school has followed a distance learning model, state guidance has allowed for it to make some exceptions for students for whom such a model would be especially hard to accommodate. Since Thanksgiving, four to seven students have been in each classroom Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings. That practice will continue through January.
“That has been a godsend for students and staff, as well as families,” Conrad said. “It has allowed us to help those students stay connected.”
If you're looking for a holiday extravaganza of lights, head to 735 Spruce St. N.E, where Seth and Amy Jo Hopkins have gone all out for the holidays with everything from a lit-up narwhal to The Bumble and his Christmas star. Their efforts earned first place in the Real Life In Hutchinson Christmas Light Contest. Check out more light displays on Page A7.
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Brian Gauger, owner of BG Jewelers, a new store in downtown Hutchinson, offers custom creations, in-house repairs and more.
Airplane exhausts and fine jewelry may not seem to have much in common, but for Brian Gauger, the similarities are as clear as diamonds.
Gauger, 31, is the owner of BG Jewelers, downtown Hutchinson’s newest jewelry store at 45 Washington Ave. E. He opened in late November, and so far things are going well.
“I’ve been very happy with people coming in and getting a lot of feedback,” the Burnsville-area native said. “People really like the store.”
Gauger and his wife, Jenna, have lived in rural Buffalo Lake since 2015 but have gotten to know the Hutchinson community well over the years as Jenna coached hockey and the two joined the Jaycees.
Jewelry wasn’t Gauger’s first profession. He started out making airplane parts as a welder/fabricator in Eagan. After several years of that, he grew tired of “doing the same thing over and over again” and was looking for a change. It was Jenna’s father who introduced him to the world of jewelry craftsmanship.
“We were dating and her dad owns his own (jewelry) shop in New Prague, and I got interested in that because I like working with my hands and making things,” Gauger said.
Under the apprenticeship of his eventual father-in-law, Gauger learned the techniques of a jeweler. He realized that much like making airplane parts, crafting quality jewelry requires precision and an eye for details.
“My fabrication skills grew immensely, and it just transferred over, obviously on a smaller scale,” he said. “But it’s virtually the same thing. You’re sanding on this and sanding on that, filing this and filing that to make everything right and perfect."
“With airplane parts, it has to go through quality control,” he added. “They can’t have airplanes falling out of the sky. Quality control, that’s how I like things, to make sure it’s right so it lasts as long as it possibly can for every customer.”
Gauger spent years working on his craft and even began a small jewelry business out of his home. But as word got out and his customer base grew, it was time to find a brick-and-motor location for his budding business, and Hutchinson was where he wanted to be.
BG Jewelers is open on Washington Avenue, next to the State Theatre. Just follow the sound of musical teddy bears.
“We just kind of like the area and were sick of the suburbs,” he said. “Being close to the cities is not where we want to be, and I think the Hutchinson community has been really great to us. The people around here have kind hearts and have welcomed us.”
Gauger boasts two different techniques for making custom jewelry. One is the traditional method of creating molds from hand-carved wax, and the other uses a computer and 3D printer to design molds. He does all his own casting and setting in his shop, as well as repairs.
“Having me be able to do everything in-house, nothing gets shipped out, is a huge factor for a lot of people," he said, "especially when it’s family heirlooms, precious stones and things that are of great value."
Gauger admits that opening a new business was nerve-racking at times, and he wasn’t sure what to expect with the pandemic. But he’s confident in his work and his product. And besides, he and Jenna had another urgent reason they didn’t want to wait to open the store. The couple were expecting their first child any day.
“I wanted to get open and get started before that happens,” Gauger said with a chuckle.
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Hutchinson Public Schools' portion of the 2021 property tax levy is $9.3 million, an uptick of $184,464, or 2%.
The levy was approved by the School Board following a Dec. 14 Truth-in-Taxation hearing. It accounts for numerous factors, such as a decline in debt service because the district received bond sales that were better than expected for projects to renovate Park Elementary and West Elementary. The sales reduced voter approved debt by $130,680.
The district also made additions to the budget, such as $43,116 due to unemployment expenditures caused by COVID that were higher than anticipated, and $250,000 for health and safety projects such as asbestos abatement.
The impact of the levy on property owners will vary based on the type of property and the property value. According to Rebecca Boll, director of business and finance, the owner of a $150,000 home in Hutchinson will see $23 less in school district taxes compared to last year. On average, residential property values increased by 6% in McLeod County.
The school's 2020-21 budget forecasts expenses of $30.8 million, with 78% going to salaries and benefits, 12% to purchased services such as for transportation and special education, 6% to capital expenses, and 3% to supplies and materials. Revenues are expected to be $29.6 million, with 83% from state aid, 13% from local property taxes, and the remainder from other sources, such as federal funds.
The school also received more operating capital than anticipated for long-term facility maintenance, alternative program funding and other needs, leading to an increase of $1.5 million for unassigned fund balances.
However, the school felt the squeeze elsewhere. It had expected to be hit hard by the decline in enrollment in the current school year. In June, a decline of 65 students was forecasted. By October that decline had increased to 107. On Dec. 14, Boll saw the decline had reached 123 compared to the prior year.
"Had it not been for the federal stimulus money that will be factored into the budget revision, we would have had enrollment decline by more than $1.5 million in revenue. This is almost a million dollars more of a decline than we were anticipating back in June," Boll said. "We really need to have our students return to us next year, otherwise we need to reduce our expenditure budget or we need to plan to spend some of our savings account, or perhaps a combination."
If per-pupil money the state distributes to schools had kept up with inflation over the past several years, District 423 would receive about $7,000 per student. Hutchinson currently receives $6,560 per student. The difference comes down to about $1.25 million. Local residents cover the difference with their property taxes.
