More On The Referendum

As some of you may know, the board adopted a resolution to bring a referendum question to voters in this April’s election.  We are bringing the question to voters this April due to the fact that there is no planned election in the fall of 2013 and if the referendum does not pass, we can make changes and bring the question a second time in the spring of 2014.  To be clear, this referendum will replace the two that expire at the end of next year (2013-2014) and will take effect in 2014-2015.  The two referenda we currently have total $450,000.00 per year in additional revenue cap authority; the resolution adopted by the board will ask voters to approve a four year, non-recurring referendum for $500,000.00 in the first two years and $550,000.00 in the second two years.  The rationale behind the increase of $50,000.00 from the current amount, and again in the second two years of the new referendum is largely due to the increased costs of doing business in addition to multiple facility improvements and upgrades planned over time.  The positive news regarding the slightly larger amount is that district residents will see a lower mill rate than in recent years primarily due to the district becoming debt free at the conclusion of this year.  Initial estimates indicate that if the new referendum is approved, the mill rate would range between 11.0 and 12.0 with a worst case scenario at around 12.5 and a best case scenario around 10.0.  Once the State’s biennial budget is unveiled, we will have a much better grasp on specifically what we are looking at for the immediate future and subsequently, the forecasting of what is to come throughout the years of the new referendum.  I am confident that the range described above is a solid estimate.

As in the past, the district will be conducting informational meetings to discuss the referendum and its effect on residents.  These meetings will be held in the High School IMC at 7:00pm on Thursday, February 21^st; Tuesday, March 12^th; and Monday, March 25^th.     

Please contact me at any time with questions.

Sincerely,

Craig G. Broeren

District Administrator

715-455-1683 ext. 119

broeren@prairiefarm.k12.wi.us

School Security Update

Due to recent occurrences, school security has become an issue on everyone's mind and our board is no different.  At our regular board meeting last month, the board heard from concerned parents and also discussed many aspects of our security district-wide.  As a result of that meeting, I wanted to take some time to share with you some of the things that have been transpiring in addition to some plans for the future.  To begin, on Monday January 21st, the board will consider two bids from security companies which would modify our main entrances to have both electronic locks (which would be locked throughout the day) as well as video interfaces.  Visitors to the district would have to buzz the office to be let in after they are identified via the video.  In addition to this, we have also conducted a comprehensive review and update of our emergency management plan, evaluated all interior doors and locks and made changes where necessary, labeled all exterior windows and doors (in process) for easy identification, and will be conducting "active shooter" training for all staff in the near future.  In addition to these changes/ updates, the board is also considering other facility changes including modifying the entrances further to funnel all visitors to the offices prior to entry into the building and a potential re-key and security update to all exterior doors.  Clearly, these processes take time but I assure you that our focus is the safety and security of EVERY individual in our schools.

If you have any questions, please contact me at any time.

Craig G. Broeren
District Administrator
715-455-1683 ext. 119
broeren@prairiefarm.k12.wi.us

Referendum Update- January 2013

Happy New Year!  I hope that 2013 brings many great things for you and your families.  The purpose of this article is to notify the residents of the Prairie Farm School District that we have to accelerate our referendum planning and proposal to be ready to bring a question to voters for this April’s election.  This is a result of the fact that there are no elections planned for the fall of 2013 when we had initially planned on conducting a referendum to replace the two that are set to expire at the end of the 2013-2014 school year.  The rationale behind this decision is that the district will still have the opportunity to bring the question to voters a second time in the event the first attempt fails this spring; in addition, we will not have to conduct a special election which would cause district taxpayers to incur the additional cost of paying for polling workers, ballots, and all of the other costs associated with conducting a special election.  The board and administration is currently working out some of the details of the proposed referendum question and I intend to provide information to the community as it becomes available through the news media and by conducting public meetings in the near future.  At this time, I do know that the board intends to propose one referendum question which would replace the two we currently have out totaling $450,000.00 (one for $200,000.00 and the most recent one for $250,000.00); however, I do not know specifically the quantity we will seek or the duration.  It is safe to assume that the new referendum would at a minimum replace the $450,000.00 we currently have; in addition, the board will NOT seek a recurring referendum rather a non-recurring and would decide on a reasonable time frame of 3 to 5 years.  Taxpayers should also note that the final building bond the district is currently paying will have been paid in full by April of 2014 which means that the district will have no debt payments when the new referendum (if passed) is in place beginning the 2014-2015 school year.   

The district will provide all of the relevant figures to residents in the coming weeks and months.  There will also be further correspondence regarding the dates, times, and places of informational meetings regarding the referendum and its potential impact to taxpayers.     

As always, please feel free to contact me anytime.

Sincerely,

Craig G. Broeren

District Administrator

715-455-1683 ext. 119

broeren@prairiefarm.k12.wi.us

Letter Home

In the wake of the tragedy in Connecticut, we have drafted the following letter which will be sent home with students today; I have also included a link to resources courtesy of the U.S. Department of Education for helping students of all ages deal with grief: http://rems.ed.gov/HelpingYouthandChildrenRecoverFromTraumaticEvents.aspx

December 17, 2012

Dear Parents and Guardians,

On Friday, the nation learned about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims’ families and the Newtown community.

We consider the safety and well-being of our students and staff to be a top priority. While there is no indication that this is anything but an isolated incident in a state far from Wisconsin, we do want to remind all of our families that we have a comprehensive emergency response plan in place to ensure the safety and security at our school. Some of our safety procedures include:

·        - During the school day all exterior doors to the school building are to be locked with the exception of the entrances by the elementary office and the high school office. The only point of entry into our schools should be through the school offices.

·       -  Visitors and parents are expected to check in with our school office each time they visit.

·        - We follow a comprehensive crisis plan and conduct emergency drills including practicing lockdown and fire drills during the school year. Emergency drills provide the opportunity to practice preparation and safety procedures.

·        - We regularly review our crisis plans and work closely with local emergency agencies.

We recognize that news such as this can be very difficult for all of us, especially children. We encourage you to limit the amount of media/news coverage of this tragedy; overexposure to media in regards to this incident may heighten any anxiety your child may feel. Attached is a useful resource to assist you in helping your children cope with an event of this nature should it be necessary. Please do not hesitate to contact the school should you have any questions, concerns, or need for support in helping your children to process this information.

In closing, we ask that you continue to assist us as we promote a culture where everyone has a responsibility to be vigilant and focused on safety. Often our parents and community members can be our best eyes and ears in the protection of our students, staff, and school community.

Sincerely,

Patrick Olson                                                              Craig Broeren

PreK-12 Principal                                                        District Administrator

8 Player Football Champs!

Congratulations to the Prairie Farm Panther 

Football Players and Coaches

2012 WIAA State 

8-Player Jamboree Champions

Prairie Farm Panthers

Please visit: 

http://www.prairiefarm.k12.wi.us/School_News_Updates.html

The SAT Report on College & Career Readiness: 2012

Jennifer Karan, the Executive Director of the SAT program at The College Board, contacted me and asked that I share the following link regarding a write-up she did in response to the findings from the College Board's annual "College Bound Seniors Report". The write-up and the links included are worth a read:

http://media.collegeboard.com/homeOrg/content/pdf/sat-report-on-college-career-readiness-2012.pdf

DPI Issues NEW High School Report Card

DPI has posted the new HS report card and as we thought, the score is a 67.4 "meets expectations" after the appeal.  I have forwarded this to the area papers in the hopes that something gets printed...  The direct link to the new report card is:

http://reportcards.dpi.wi.gov/files/reportcards/pdf/SRC_Public_Prairie_Farm_Hi_2011-12_016021-016020.PDF

If you attempt to access the report card through the same browser you used in the past, you will likely come up with the "not rated" version; be certain you delete your cookies and browsing history to ensure that you are getting the updated report card if you access it through the DPI School Accountability site. 

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Thanks,

Craig G. Broeren
District Administrator
Prairie Farm Schools
715-455-1683 ext. 119

broeren@prairiefarm.k12.wi.us

Follow me on Twitter: @SuptBroeren