By Aaron Vehling

A proposal to change kindergarten in North Branch from an all-day, every other day setup to half-day, every day was defeated when the six-member school board issued a tie vote March 10.

Board members Mary Jo Ahlgren, Jeanne Walz and Kirby Ekstrom voted against the change. The remaining board members, Kim Salo, Donna Setter and Donna Hubbard, voted for the change.

Hubbard, who had expressed reservations in the past about changing the schedule, told the board at the meeting that she agonized over the decision. She has a child in kindergarten.

ìI want to do what is in the best interest of the children,î she said before the vote. ìI would have to say that I have to go with my moral thoughts and feelings: consistent half-day, every day kindergarten is the way to go.î

Ahlgren, the boardís chairperson, said before the vote that she wanted to see more data regarding the issue.

ìWhat I would like to see in the future is the opportunity to explore other options and gather some more information,î she said. ìPersonally, I would like to approach things using comparisons and data.î

The move to change kindergarten was short-lived. As was reported in the March 2 edition of the Post Review, Primary School principal Jan Fischer first proposed the idea at a Feb. 24 work session. At the time, the board was not convinced that a change was necessary, though Salo and Setter were proponents early in the process.

One of the problems was that there is no concrete data that suggested that half-day, every day was better than all-day, every other day or vice versa, Fischer said at that work session. The only data available praised all-day, every day, an option that would have seen more support from the board but ultimately be unattainable because of funding.

Just before the vote Thursday, Ekstrom told the board that he would have been in favor of all-day, every day kindergarten; but he said he did not feel this particular change was needed at this time.

ìThere needs to be other avenues looked at,î he said. ìI donít feel change is good for the sake of change.î

Muffy Hejny, who has been teaching kindergarten in North Branch for 20 years, said that she has taught both methods and finds both appealing.

ìI donít think any of us kindergarten teachers feel strongly either way,î she said. ìI see advantages to both systems.î
Also at the meeting, demographer Hazel Reinhardt gave a presentation designed to explain the 1.38 percent dip in enrollment that the district experienced this school year.

Reinhardt, a former state demographer who conducted a study on the North Branch Area School District in 2000, said in her study that the decline in enrollment was an anomaly and that enrollment should continue to grow; but that growth will depend on how much residential development occurs within the district.

She said in her presentation that the school district lacks any competition for students, except for a small number of students who are homeschooled, defect to another district or attend private school. The primary effect on enrollment will be the residential population.

ìIf the county continues to grow,î she said, ìthe North Branch School District should see public school enrollment growth.î

Also at the meeting:
ï The board, based on the recommendation of finance director Randi Johnson, awarded Minnesota Playground of Golden Valley the contract to build a playground at Sunrise River School. The bid was $210,458.

ï Third grader Erin Toohey was recognized for being chosen as a finalist in national book competition. Tooheyís teacher, Connie Blomquist, said that every student in her class got a book published through a company that publishes the original work of youngsters, but that Tooheyís work was chosen as a finalist in a nationwide publishing contest.

ï The board recognized the North Branch High School one-act play participants, who reached state for the first time ever. Their names: Eric Aufderhar, Jon Bahnemann, Erin Blodgett, Matthew Driscoll, Cassie Endriss, Jennifer Hall, Elise Holmstrom, Emily Kelly, Bryan Kukkonen, Amanda Lindquist, Meagan Lindquist, Rebecca McAuliffe, Donald Narow, Angela Olson, Blake Regnier, Dustin Rothmeier, Kirsten Vaughan and director Mindy Swanson.

In other school news:
ï Governor Tim Pawlenty released a revised budget plan on March 10 that increased the funding to public schools from 2 percent to 2.5 percent. This amounts to an increase of about $100,000, Johnson said.

ìItís a good sign that he is acknowledging he needs to give more to schools,î she said.

The increase is not enough to come close to solving the budget problems, though, she added.

ìThe problem is not that 2.5 percent is not a good increase,î she said. ìWe have not had increases in so long that it doesnít address the problem.î

Top of Page

©ECM Post Review

6448 Main Street
North Branch, MN 55056
Telephone: 651-674-7025
Fax: 651-674-7026
E-mail: editor.postreview@ecm-inc.com