Stillwater Loses Pro-BOLD Majority on the School Board who Closed 3 Schools

On the Horizon of New Beginnings for Stillwater Area Public Schools, Loss of Lehmann Jeopardizes BOLD Plan

STILLWATER, MN - A Stillwater Area Public Schools Board Special Meeting was held early July to appoint an interim school board member to fill former Stillwater School Board Member, Tom Lehmann's vacated seat. In a tabulation vote performed by the remaining six school board members, the vacant seat was won by longtime educator and former Stillwater Junior High

Principal, Donald G. Hovland. Mr. Hovland was selected from a pool of nine candidates and he brings 47 years experience in education, including secondary and post-secondary education. In addition to serving as principal at Stillwater Junior High, Hovland has worked as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Saint Thomas in Saint Paul, and for school districts in Montana and North Dakota. He has volunteered on the Human Rights Commission for the Stillwater City Council and is currently working with the "One Room Schoolhouse" project in Oak Park Heights. Mr. Hovland has resided in Stillwater for more than 45 years.

Beloved, Closed Schools (Withrow, Marine and Oak Park Elementary) Sit Vacant and Tug Heart Strings of Stillwater Area Public School District Residents

Mr. Hovland's school board seat appointment will last until January 2019. Hovland ran for a school board seat in the 2016 election and finished in seventh place out of ten candidates. Mr. Hovland made clear during the 2016 Stillwater Area Public School Board Election that he was against the Stillwater School District Administrations BOLD (Building Opportunities to Learn and Discover), which called for the closure of Withrow, Marine and Oak Park Elementary Schools. Hovland joins School Board Member's Mike Ptacek, Sarah Stivland and Shelley Pearson who were against the BOLD plan.  

School Board Members Paula O'Loughlin, George Hoeppner and Shelley Pearson up for Re-Election This Fall

School Closing Advocates and Pro-BOLD School Board Members Paula O'Loughlin and George Hoepnner are up for Re-Election in November, along with Shelley Pearson, and Don Hovland's newly appointed seat. The filing for dates for candidates to register will be held July 31st to August 14th. Newcomers in the race and declaring candidacy early are Stillwater Township Resident, Tina Riehle and Grant Resident Liz Weisberg. 

-Shannon Bryant

Stillwater ISD834 Spends Nearly $250,000 per class, Only 1/3 Goes to Teachers.

By: DeeDee Armstrong

Stillwater School District ISD 834 enrolls roughly 8,300 students. 

In the 2015-2016 school year the revenue was $106 million dollars (p.21 of the budget pdf), 

In the 2015-2016 school year the average student to teacher ratio was 18.99(p.146 of the CAFR pdf) 

That's a per pupil cost of $12,771 a year. Multiply that by the current average student to teacher ratio of 18.99 you get: 

Stillwater Area Public Schools spends 

                  $242,522 

per avg class of 18.99 students...PER YEAR!

(this is assuming every teacher has their own class, which is not the case. Some teach special ed, some classes have two teachers like in early education. So this number is very conservative)

Given that 85% of the budget is spent on staffing, a classroom of 18.99 (based on $242,522), shows the staffing is $206,143 per classroom per year. Looking back at data, we see that Stillwater teachers are earning around $70,000 annually, plus benefits, so lets call it $80,000.  That leaves $126,143 for other staff... like school psychologists, secretaries... And Central Services. 

$80,000 of $242,522 on teachers is ONLY $33% of the money going towards classroom teachers. That's only 1/3 of the budget going towards the teachers in the classrooms.

Lastly, we budget $529,017 for Travel and Conferences this year in ISD834. In 2015-15 we spent $302,857. Which is a 74% INCREASE since 2014-15.

Compare that to 622 (North St Paul - Maplewood- Oakdale). They enroll 10,660 students (larger than 834). 
This year they budget $390,441 for Travel and Conferences. In 2014-15, they spent $403,587. They DECREASED that line when their enrollment decreased.

Perhaps part of the problem in Stillwater School District is a spending problem.