By Kari Lucin, staff writer

WELLS &8212; The United South Central School District will ask its residents in November to pass an operating referendum levy that would replace its current operating referendum of $642.39 per student with one for $1,000 per student.

The new referendum would last five years. Meanwhile, the USC school board is discussing closing a school.

During its Tuesday meeting, the USC school board discussed a levy of $1,041.83 per student but wound up passing one for a round figure of $1,000. The $1,041.83 per student would have cost the owner of a $100,000 property an additional $128 each year and the owner of a $200,000 property an additional $257 per year.

Building referendums and operating referendums use different formulae for determining who gets taxed the heaviest. An operating referendum only takes into account the value of one&8217;s house, buildings and one acre of land. A referendum for a large capital investment like a building would tax all land, not just one acre.

The prevalence of rural landowners in USC&8217;s territory means that while three building referendums failed, an operating referendum may still pass. If the proposed referendum does not pass, the current $642.39 per student will remain in force.

Schools all over greater Minnesota are struggling with finances after the state kept the amount of money it gave to districts the same for three years in a row. Inflation continued and fuel prices and the prices of construction materials

continued to rise.

Compounding USC&8217;s problems are its two aging buildings &8212; one partly built in 1932 and the other with portions already condemned &8212; and the unwillingness of its voters to pass a referendum for a new building.

Rising costs have forced USC to consider moving all its students to a single facility, almost certainly the larger school in Wells. The board will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. Sept. 14 to discuss closing the Kiester building.

Now USC is looking at another solution for the Wells building&8217;s problems. Since its voters have shown they are not interested in a new building, Minneapolis-based SGN Architects have come up with preliminary designs for renovations to the Wells building. The new plans would keep every part of the Wells building that currently exists and add a gym as well as some classrooms and perhaps a new media center, enabling the building to serve as the sole USC school.

The renovations carry an estimated price tag of $16 to $18 million. About half that would be for the new construction and half for the renovations.

&8220;This is bare-bones,&8221; said Gary Nyberg of SGN. &8220;This is what it would take for this building to be a viable building for the next 20 years.&8221;

Last year&8217;s failed referendum for a brand new school to be built on the south edge of Wells carried an estimated price of $24.7 million.

USC officials are still looking for solutions.

&8220;We&8217;re looking at all the options,&8221; said school board member Julie Stevermer. &8220;Obviously, the last two committees have looked at all the options and have instructed the board that new is probably best. Our voters are not trusting us, and are looking at can we utilize what we have, and

that&8217;s what we&8217;re looking at, at this point in time.&8221;

Albert Lea schools are also seeking an operating referendum from voters in November, increasing their dollars per student from $497.87 to $957.87.