If District 833 Acquires Crosswinds School, Keep It as a Middle School

At the April 25, 2013 South Washington County School Board meeting, Mr. Blane Huppert presented a compelling argument for SWC 833 keeping the Crosswinds School open with its current programming or consider it as an additional district middle school (if 833 should receive the building from the State of Minnesota.) 

His arguments included:

• Crosswinds' '12-'13 budget showed that the school receives state revenue of over $11,000/year per student, which equals more than $4 million a year for the school.  This funding follows students, so if District 833 kept the current programming, that $4 million/year would come to 833 from the state.
• It is said by some advocates for District 833 to receive the Crosswinds building and discontinue the current programming that Crosswinds, since it is at 60% of capacity, is a "failing" program.  This is hard to believe when one considers that without including district integration and Title I revenues, the school is within five points of breaking even this year.  
• Furthermore, the Crosswinds program, housed in an award winning middle school design building, is more successful in raising test scores and closing the achievement gap than District 833 has been.
• By keeping the current Crosswinds middle school program, District 833 could alleviate the overcrowding in the other middle schools because having Crosswinds would open up almost 300 seats desperately needed by the district's middle school students.  That provides more seats than one of the currently proposed options - adding eight classrooms to Woodbury Middle School - would provide the District.

Mr. Huppert also argues for District 833 utilizing the Crosswinds school as a "boundary area middle school:"

• Over 600 middle schools would be made available to relieve overcrowding in the district's other four middle schools.
• It will cost $2.5 million to add classrooms to Woodbury Middle School, which would be required if Crosswinds were to be converted into an elementary school for either Woodbury Elementary or Nuevas Fronteras.
• If the district were to use Crosswinds as a middle school, it would require an investment of $1.4 million to add classrooms to the Crestview/Nuevas Fronteras school.

As Mr. Huppert asserts, the need for middle school space to relieve overcrowding has been repeated numerous times; however, in my opinion, it seems that the focus for the acquisition of Crosswinds has been on converting a beautiful middle school into an elementary school, in order to give more space to a choice program.  

By maintaining the current Crosswinds programming or utilizing the school as another district middle school, the district would alleviate an issue that truly needs to be solved - more middle school space.  If Crosswinds is acquired and either Nuevas Fronteras or Woodbury Elementary are moved into the building, more middle school space would need to be built, and with the continued growth of our district, how long would it be before the extra eight classrooms at WMS would prove to be insufficient for our growing community?

Mr. Huppert also states, "In a time when we are cutting 22 teachers, this difference of $1.1 million should be considered, even if it's not being spent in the next year."

To watch Blane Huppert's full presentation, click here: (begins at 13:50 or at "2.0 Non-Agenda Items").

The following is the presentation transcript:

Two months ago when I testified before you, I spoke of why the Crosswinds building would make the perfect location for a choice middle school, perhaps even one that would attract the students who currently attend there.  Last month I went through some of the reasons that the building is not an appropriate elementary facility without extensive renovation.  This evening I’d like to address the issue of finances.  

At workshop two weeks ago, the question was raised as to how Crosswinds could possibly spend as much as $9000 per child to educate their students.  When you asked for clarification, you were told that the administration hadn’t looked at the details as to why they were spending so much, but only the bottom line to see that they were spending $9,000 per student.  By looking deeper you might find that part of that reason may be the makeup of their student population.  Crosswinds has a high number of students in special education programs.  As you know, Special Ed costs more.  However, to compensate for that, the state also provides the district with more funding. 

The EMID revised budget for 2012-13 shows revenues from the state of more than $4 million.  That’s more than $11,000 for each Crosswinds student.  The funding is in three categories – General Education Revenue, Basic Skills Revenue (Compensatory), and Special Education Tuition Revenue.   Without considering any of the district integration money, and any title I money, and while being at only 60% of capacity, the Crosswinds school is within 5 points of breaking even this year.  That is what is in the budget detail that administration had not looked at two weeks ago. 

It is my understanding that if we were to continue running the Crosswinds program, this $4 million in funding would continue to follow the students.  It would also open up nearly 300 middle school seats – That’s more seats than would be added in the proposed eight classroom addition to Woodbury Middle School.  Even if we were to forego keeping the program – forego the $4 million – and use the building as a boundary area middle school, it will then relieve 600 seats of overcrowding.  

Two weeks ago, you received copies of the budget for the four options for the Crosswinds building.   None of them contained the costs of additional construction.  The construction costs should be considered as you vet the options even if we are not spending those dollars in the next year.  If we convert it into an elementary school, we will need to spend $2.5 million to add classrooms to Woodbury Middle School.  Without it, we will not relieve middle school overcrowding, which you’ve been told numerous times is our number one goal.  If we use the Crosswinds building as a middle school, we will need to spend $1.4 million to add classrooms to the Crestview/Nueves Fronteras school.  Without it, we will not have ample space for their programs.  In a time when we are cutting 22 teachers, this difference of $1.1 million should be considered, even if it’s not being spent in the next year. 

Not only is the Crosswinds building an award winning middle school design, and not only is the program successful in raising test scores and closing the achievement gap – even more successful than we have been in 833 – but continuing to use the Crosswinds building as a middle school is the fiscally responsible thing to do.

 Thank you