An advisory committee for the Austin-Southland-Hayfield Integration Collaborative has opted to deny Albert Lea Area Schools entry into its joint program for a year.

The collaborative — funded by 70 percent state integration revenue and 30 percent local dollars —  is aimed at desegregating school districts. Austin and Southland began their mandated planning process in December 2006 after being informed by the Minnesota Department of Education that the ratio of diverse students was significantly different between the districts. Hayfield officially joins during the 2009-10 school year. The plan is in effect for a couple more years.

“Integration revenue is a way of providing what the statute calls ‘interracial contact,’” said John Alberts, director of educational services at Austin Public Schools. 

Alberts said the revenue “levels playing fields when there is a large discrepancy of diversity.”

Although some districts are required to enter into collaboratives, others, like Albert Lea, do not meet the criteria with neighboring districts for a mandated agreement. However, Albert Lea can voluntarily ask other collaboratives for membership.

In the case of a district asking to join a collaborative, its advisory committee — a group of community and district members — must approve the request. The Austin-Southland-Hayfield committee denied Albert Lea’s request Feb. 19.

“At this time, the committee decided that we were having another district join us already,” Alberts said.

Because joining the collaborative required local levy — termed a desegregation levy — the Albert Lea school board on Feb. 17 approved a levy for the next school year that equals about $10 per year for a home with $100,000 taxable value. However, the board also approved lowering the health and safety levy by the same amount so the tax hike wouldn’t affect property owners.

However, because Albert Lea was denied membership, the levy passed last week is moot.

The collaborative would have brought $291,824 — an estimate based on expected 2009-10 enrollment — to Albert Lea to encourage greater student understanding of diversity and improve the academic standing of minority students.

Albert Lea Superintendent Dave Prescott said the school board likely will revisit the matter in preparation for the 2010-2011 school year. He said the collaborative wasn’t ready to take on a volunteer member.

“They are interested in having us on board, but they are a new collaborative and they want a year to figure out having a volunteer district on board,” he said.

Other districts eligible to apply for volunteer status, because they border Austin, are Glenville-Emmons, Lyle and Blooming Prairie.

 Pointing out that district demographics change from year to year, Alberts said Albert Lea could possibly see a more diverse population in the future.

“In that case, it’s an automatic,” he said. 

Alberts said he does not know if integration revenue will be affected by state budget cuts.

“I don’t think we can say anything is held sacred right now,” he said. “It’s a lot of money statewide.”

Prescott added that Gov. Tim Pawlenty has spoken about freezing the present membership of collaboratives because more members pulls money from state coffers. If enacted, the freeze could affect joining any collaborative.

Cultural understanding and competency programs started as a result of the collaborative have included the addition of success coaches in each school building; the Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools program; Youth Frontiers eighth and ninth grade retreat; and the seventh-grade trip to the Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center in Lanesboro.