North Branch is a city of about 10,000 people 50 minutes north of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The community was booming a decade ago, attracting families in search of good schools and affordable homes within commuting distance of the Twin Cities.
But the recession knocked North Branch onto its heels. Its downtown is forlorn, with vacant storefronts tucked between the taxidermist, coffee shop, barbershop and a thrift store. The dearth of commercial properties means homeowners shoulder a great deal of the tax burden. Last year, the county had one of the highest unemployment and home-foreclosure rates in the state. The drop in property values and taxes has had a profound effect on money for the schools.
Seven times in six years, the North Branch school board has asked voters to approve a local levy for schools. It’s failed each time, last year by a 2 to 1 margin.
The school board will try again Nov. 8, seeking a levy to raise $1.5 million annually for the next three years. The district is predicting a shortfall of $2.5 million next year, so the levy would only soften future cuts, not eliminate them. The average homeowner would pay $122 a year. Chances for passage appear slim.
“People here are angry,” said board member Randy Westby, who supports the levy even as he shares others’ economic worries. His three-bedroom home, purchased in 2004 for $500,000, is now worth $233,000. “I’m 61 years old,” said Westby, who owes the bank $400,000. “I’m not going to live long enough to see the market come back.”
Since the district started the four-day school week, North Branch has been hemorrhaging students. This fall, it lost 198 students, and along with each went about $5,800 in state subsidies.
Considering the lost income, some wonder if the four-day week is worthwhile.
“We know how much we’re saving, but we don’t know how much we’re losing,” said Jay Falk, a board member who pulled his daughter from the district to avoid the four-day schedule.
Mindy Lattimore teaches English at North Branch High School, from which she graduated. During a break on a recent school day, Lattimore pulled out her 1996 black and red varsity letter jacket. It’s an artifact now, covered with felt badges from activities no longer offered: French club, drama club, Future Leaders of America, marching band, Students Against Drunk Driving, Odyssey of the Mind.
“This is a North Branch problem,” said Lattimore, whose eyes well up when she thinks about her 4-year-old daughter, poised to start kindergarten next year. “But it’s also a state problem and a national problem. For the first time, our children are going to get less than we had. How is that okay?”
If North Branch voters reject a levy, more cuts and layoffs are guaranteed for schools. “It’s either that,” said Chas Bettendorf, a social studies teacher and union leader, “or a three-day week.”
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