photo by Brie Cohen

Gail Batt, left, and Al Batt, right, exit the polling booth as Lorraine Nelson marks her ballot at New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva High School on Tuesday. The only item on the ballot was for the approval of an operating levy.

Levy passes in NRHEG

Measure is approved by 131 votes

By Tim Engstrom | Albert Lea Tribune

Published Wednesday, November 4, 2009

NEW RICHLAND — Voters in the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva School District on Tuesday approved an operating levy that will provide an additional $450 per pupil to district coffers.

The voting took place at two locations: schools in Ellendale and New Richland. Superintendent Kevin Wellen returned from Ellendale and went to the district office. He totaled the hand-counted results from both polls, then opened the door to tell the news to the collection of board members, ballot counters and staff in the hallway: “We’re good, people!”

Wellen then stated the Ellendale results: 239 voted yes and 251 voted no.

And he stated the New Richland results: 425 yes and 282 no.

The operating levy passed with 664 in favor and 533 opposed. Two ballots, one at each location, were left incomplete. The Ellendale poll had cities of Ellendale and Geneva, with townships near them, while New Richland had New Richland and Hartland and the townships near them.

“We’re very pleased with the community support,” said NRHEG school board chairman Rick Schultz of New Richland.

He said the board will decide how best to use the revenue come budgeting time. He noted one area kept likely will be all-day, everyday kindergarten.

NRHEG is the consolidation of the New Richland-Hartland and Ellendale-Geneva school districts. The New-Richland-Hartland taxpayers have one year left to pay on the school in New Richland. Ellendale-Geneva taxpayers have five years left on the Ellendale school.

School board member Neil Schlaak of New Richland said being close to paying off the building debt might have been one reason New Richland-Hartland voters were more in support of the operating levy than their counterparts in Ellendale-Geneva.

He said the successful levy also shows the voters approve of the board’s changes to make the district efficient, most notably the building configurations. The district had offered kingergarten-to-fourth elementary schools in Ellendale and New Richland, with middle school in Ellendale and high school in New Richland. In March, the board voted to have all students in kindergarten through sixth grade attend Ellendale and seventh through 12th go to New Richland.

“It shows the public approves of the elementary being moved to one building,” Schlaak said.

He said the additional revenue will help keep class sizes small and help keep all-day, everyday kindergarten.

“The state does not support it, but they are like sponges at that point,” he said.

Board member Lori Routh of Hartland said she was “absolutely thrilled” the referendum levy passed. She, too, said class sizes and kindergarten will benefit and said she is glad the district’s voters are behind their schools.

Wellen said the revenue will help weather a difficult time for Minnesota schools. He said the district expects no increase in state per-pupil revenue for the next fiscal year and all districts are dealing with deferred payments, a state budget-cutting measure that adds pressure to the school districts.

The superintendent said it is difficult to read voters, particularly in a tough economic year, but added that he thinks all communities within NRHEG are supporters of public education on the whole. He said the district is fortunate to have buildings in strong shape.

The district didn’t place any items on the line, should the levy fail.

“The board took the position of looking at the schools as a whole, not item by item,” Wellen said.

The operating levy goes into effect Jan. 1. The funds will be used starting in NRHEG’s 2010-2011 fiscal year, starts in July.

The NRHEG school board canvassed the results Wednesday morning.

There were 1,199 voters. The district reported having 3,095 registered voters as of 7 a.m. on Election Day. That’s a turnout of about 39 percent.

A $450 levy in New Richland will generate $464,000 a year. Of that, $290,000 will come from the local property taxes and $174,000 will come from state funds.

The tax increase would be about $94 a year on a $100,000 home — about $8 a month. A $50,000 home would pay half that and a $200,000 home would pay double.

The tax doesn’t apply to agricultural land, except for the house, garage and the first acre. Farmers will not pay additional taxes on their other farmland.

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