Compared to a $3.3 million levy, $9,000 doesn't sound like much, but it does reflect a small decrease in the Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City School District’s annual property tax levy.
ACGC School Board adopted this proposed levy during its Sept. 25 meeting. The slight decrease, amounting to about a quarter of 1% is spread across ACGC’s general levy — which at $1,787,824 is almost the same as last year’s levy — and the debt service and community services levies, approved at levels of $1,404,377 and $148,255, respectively. It is possible for the board to decrease the levy further before adoption of its final levy in December, but the amount cannot be increased.
Prior to the board adopting the levy, Business Manager Blake Stoltman explained reasons for fluctuations in the various funds. The formulas for state aid to schools and for the state's levy limits, he said, are based on a number of factors, most significantly the school district’s enrollment and the market value of property located within the district.
State aid accounts for most of the money public schools spend. Stoltman noted that the total value of property in the ACGC district rose by 18% this past year, meaning that local government levies will be spread across a larger tax base in 2024.
Stoltman's levy explanation will probably be the last the ACGC district hears from him, as he will soon be leaving the SMS firm, with which the district contracts for financial management services.
Superintendent Kip Lynk told the board that this would be a good time for the board to evaluate whether it wants to stick with its contract with SMS, which will assign another of its accountants to the ACGC district, or to hire its own business manager as a district employee, or to share a business manager with another district.
Overall enrollment at the ACGC schools is up by 27 students over the numbers last May. September enrollment figures released by the district office report that high school/middle school enrollment stands at 527, compared to 513 in May, and elementary K-4 enrollment is 347, compared to 334 in May, for a total of 874. This is the highest ACGC September enrollment in the past five years.
High school/middle school Principal Robin Wall and elementary Principal Kodi Goracke presented data from the Minnesota Department of Education's most recent North Star Report. They noted that ACGC students have made significant progress in academics and in attendance rates. However, at 43.5% proficiency in reading, ACGC still ranks below the state average of 47.6% proficiency. Nevertheless, more ACGC students are proficient, by 3.5 points, over last year’s 40% rate at ACGC.
ACGC students perform significantly better than the state average in math, at 47.6% proficiency compared to the state’s 42.7% proficiency. This is a 7.9-point increase over last year’s performance.
Wall noted that year-over-year improvements have been noted at all levels of student ability. A sole exception is among English language learners, who performed at approximately the same levels as last year. She cautioned that there are not enough ELL students tested at ACGC to meet the minimum level to be included in the state database, however.
When it comes to student attendance and graduation rates, ACGC is significantly ahead of state averages. More than 95.5% of ACGC ninth-graders graduate within four years, compared to a state average of 75.67%.
ACGC also has many more students who attend class regularly, defined as more than 90% of the days school is in session. The district’s 2023 attendance rate was about 94.1%, compared to 89.3% in 2022 and 81.27% statewide.
Attendance rates statewide and at ACGC dropped during the COVID epidemic.
- The school board terminated a district employee. After reviewing confidential allegations against a staff member during a closed session, the board voted 5-0 to terminate the individual.
- The board hired several paraeducators, including Jessie Read, Amy Self, Sabrina Sackett, Pam Narragon, Amy Pederson and Lila Snavely. One paraeducator, Jennilee Pearson, and head cook Jessica Lovell resigned. Nancy Marcks was hired as school musical choreographer.
- The board amended several district policies, including one related to corporal punishment and prone restraint. During discussion about this policy, it was noted that law enforcement officers at the schools are employees of the Meeker County Sheriff’s office and/or the Atwater Police Department and are not school resource officers.
The state attorney general’s office has established more clarity about the use of prone restraints, so that law enforcement organizations understand it better, school officials noted. They added that no regular deputy had been at the high school/middle school yet this fall because the assigned individual was still being trained, but he should be in the building in October.
- The board reviewed student participation in fall extra and co-curricular activities and noted that participation is back up in football. Sixty-two students are participating in football, 51 in volleyball and 23 in the fall play.
