NEW LONDON-SPICER SCHOOL DISTRICT 345 Inspire Every Student, Every Day

Setting A New Direction

“The community voted and now it’s time to set a new direction for our schools. We are at a financial crossroads and looking to you, our community, for feedback about priorities. With the failure of the 2020 referendum, and without additional revenue, a reduction of over $1.2 million of our general fund budget for the current and upcoming school year was necessary which will result in reduced programming and increased class sizes. These cuts are a temporary fix. We need a long-term plan to avoid further significant reductions. Please join us in one of our community meetings. We look forward to engaging with you.”  - Lucinda Dahlberg, School Board Chair

The Urgent Financial State of the District New London-Spicer students make our community proud. We know the value our schools bring to our community, our businesses, and our lives. But our School District is at a financial crossroads. With the failure of the referendum, and without additional revenue, we are in the process of reducing our budget by over $1.2 million for the current and coming school year with additional significant cuts in the forecast.  Budget cuts impact every student in these ways: fewer programs, activities and opportunities, increasing activity fees, reducing staff (which results in larger class sizes) and cutting bus routes (which means longer bus times). We're engaging the community to learn about priorities for our communities' schools. Based on community feedback, we will set a new direction for our district.

Community Meetings Underway We started the conversation with New London-Spicer staff and school district families mid-April and have just completed our first Community Task Force Meeting on April 26. Next month, you may be called to participate in a survey. If so, we strongly encourage you to participate. Your opinions matter to us. The survey results will allow us to shape our upcoming Community Meetings in June and help the district set a new direction. Check out our website for more information on: Community meeting dates and locations Task Force meeting agendas and presentations Parent meeting summary notes - coming soon! The website will continually be updated as we move forward with this process.

Mythbusters THE MYTH: The District’s General Fund balance is just fine.  Myth-Busting Facts:  A 1.26% fund balance is too low – it is too close for the district to avoid getting into Statutory Operating Debt (negative fund balance). It does not allow for any unforeseen circumstances or opportunities – like the Covid-19 pandemic or another serious situation. A too-low fund balance ties the district’s hands to a reactionary position instead of a proactive one.  When the fund balance is low, the district has to borrow money to meet payroll and other expenses. The interest costs are an unnecessary waste of taxpayer dollars.  

Questions?  Here are 4 Ways to Get Answers:  Phone: Superintendent Bill Adams 320.354.1401 Email: adamsw@nls.k12.mn.us  Complete the Finance FAQ form: https://bit.ly/financefaq21 See the website for more detailed information: https://www.nls.k12.mn.us/commtaskforce21

DISTRICT SCHOOLS ACTIVITIES COMMUNITY

NEW LONDON-SPICER SCHOOL DISTRICT 345 Inspire Every Student, Every Day

Contact Us ‌ ‌ ‌

Address: 101 4th Ave SW New London, MN 56273

P: 320-354-2252

F: 320-354-9001