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Correction: The phone number for giving input on budget reductions was incorrect in this article. The correct number is (651) 674-1080. The article has been changed to reflect the correct information.
By Patrick Tepoorten
Responding to what Superintendent Deb Henton referred to as a “mandate” from teaching staff voiced over the last year, the North Branch School Board endorsed the elimination of two administrative positions.
The decision was made at the board’s working session Thursday (March 27) night, and is expected to be made official at upcoming meetings.
The positions, Primary School Principal and high school Assistant Principal, are currently held by Matt Dorschner and Dean Gunnarson respectively. They were chosen based on seniority and their elimination is expected to make up between $200,000 and $250,000 of the projected $2.9 million deficit in the district’s 2008 - 09 budget.
Site administration was made aware of the personnel cuts on Thursday morning, and Henton called it a “day of shock and awe in North Branch schools.”
Henton noted that the reduction in administrative staff was necessary to keep cuts “out of the classroom,” and will save four or more teaching positions. Still, she called Dorschner and Gunnarson “very valuable employees” and their loss “disturbing news.”
Board member Donna Setter approved of the cuts, noting that the district had been cutting not from administration, but from teaching staff “for years, and years, and years.”
Board chair Kim Salo responded that, although the district hasn’t made outright cuts to administration historically, there have been cuts by attrition and duties have been added as a result of other cuts.
To cover the positions made vacant by laying off Dorschner and Gunnarson, Director of Teaching and Learning Jan Ashlin will maintain her current duties and also become the Primary School Principal, and Middle School Assistant Principal Lora O’Hern will become the High School Assistant Principal.
Current ALC Director and Distance Learning Director Lori Zimmerman will continue to be in charge of distance learning and take over for O’Hern at the middle school. Carol Beckerleg will continue to be Special Education Director and will assume Zimmerman’s position as ALC Director.
During the discussion, Henton noted that her visits to the state legislature have not made her confident things will change anytime soon. “There is no encouraging news there,” she said, and concluded the matter by warning the school board, rather ominously, that these cuts were just “phase one” of a larger process.
Phase II will be a recommendation for facilities reconfiguration, and phase III will address building and programs. Both are expected after March 31. Henton added that, in total, she believes the district has pared the 2.9 million down to between $70 - 80,000.
Another much smaller portion of budget adjustment, but one that directly affect families who live close to school, was also proposed at the work session; the creation of a mandatory “walk to school” zone (see graphs at bottom). Extra crossing guards will be added at some of the crossings.
The measure, which would be phased in over two years as improvements become available through the Safe Routes to School grant recently received by the city, would eliminate bus transportation within a certain distance from school with a few exceptions:
• No students shall cross I-35;
• No students shall walk along Hwy. 95 east of North Branch;
• No elementary students shall cross County Road (CR) 30;
• No students shall walk along CR-14 until sidewalks are installed.
Using those guidelines, the district has created the walking zones based on state law, which allows for elementary students (grades K through six), to walk from within one mile of a school building, and secondary students (grades seven through 12) to walk from within two miles. Extra crossing guards willbe added at some of the crossings.
The measure will affect about 440 kids next year, and is expected to save the district about $36,500, with another $11,000 to $22,000 the following year based on grant provided improvements.
It could also lead to some confusion though, with some families being in the odd position of having one student eligible for bus transportation and another forced to walk to school.
Board member Karen Saltis proposed the district explore continuing to offer the transportation using fees to cover the cost. Henton agreed to look into it, but warned that other districts have tried it with mixed results.
The district will be accepting comment on proposed budget reductions until April 21. Suggestions can be e-mailed to
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
; leave a voice-mail at (651) 674-1080 (number corrected), or send comments to:
Budget Input, NBAPS
6644 Main Street
North Branch, MN 55056
Another listening session has been scheduled at the Main Street School on April 10, at 6 p.m. As well, there will be a public meeting on the issue of budget cuts at Sunrise River School on April 17, at 6 p.m. Child care is available by calling (651) 674-1025.
Below are graphs showing the proposed walking zones for students in the North Branch School District. The blue areas represent the area the district is legally allowed to have students walk to school. The red is the proposed 2008 - 09 walking zones, and the green the proposed expansion based on Safe Route to School grant improvements.
Graphs, top to bottom: The primary school walking zone, the Sunrise River School walking zone, the middle school sixth grade walking zone, the middle school seventh and eighth-grade waling zone, the high school walking zone.
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