Your Schools Your Community

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iNsiDe . . .student and staf f achievements — page 2bhs senior earns study tr ip to bangladesh — page 2Ar t park makes per fec t c lassroom — page 3Communit y gives distr ic t h igh marks — page 4

NoN-ProFit orGu.s. PostAGe PAiD

twiN Cities MNPerMit No 32254

100 river ridge Ct. burnsville, MN 55337

Voters in Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 approved the renewal of an existing levy by a wide margin on Nov. 8.

The levy, which was originally approved in 2002, received 68 percent support from voters. It provides the district with $845 per pupil in revenue, amounting to approximately $10 million annually.

“We appreciate the continued support of the community in renewing this levy,” said Chair Ron Hill, speaking on behalf of the seven-member Board. “This levy provides about 10 percent of the district’s General Fund and is essential to providing educational opportunities for students.”

Superintendent Randy Clegg said the results of the referendum reflected the support residents have shown for local schools over recent years.

“I’m not surprised that residents showed this kind of support for education in this community but I am extremely grateful,” Clegg said. “Although we will still face cuts in the future because state

funding has not kept up with inflation, this local support means we can continue to focus on providing excellent education to our students and doing it in a fiscally responsible manner.”

The final vote total of 4,280 ‘yes’ votes to 2,046 ‘no’ votes reflected the support shown in a community survey conducted during the summer. The survey of 400 homes showed 84 percent of residents supported or strongly supported the levy renewal. In addition, residents gave the

district high marks for performance in the survey, with 78 percent of respondents agreeing that the community receives a good value from its investment in District 191 schools.

“We have been working hard to develop and support an entire system that will meet the needs of all our students, and we’ve been trying to communicate that work to our residents,” Clegg said. “I think the survey and election results tell us the community is supportive of those efforts.”

Voters overwhelmingly approve levy renewal two in District 191 named teachers of excellence by tiesLevy Renewal Results

Emily Robb and Lisa Christen from Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 have been named 2011 TIES Excep-tional Teachers and will be honored during the TIES Education Technol-ogy Conference in December.

They are among teachers nominated by their principals and selected by their s u p e r i n t e n d e n t s for modeling best practices in using technology in their classrooms to engage students in learning.

Robb, a language arts teacher at Nicol-let Junior High, was nominated by Princi-pal Renee Brandner, who noted that she engages students through technology in a number of different ways, but remains focused on learning as the primary goal.

Christen is a second grade teacher at Marion W. Savage Elementary School. She was nominated by Principal Jeremy Wil-ley, who said she models life-long learning for her students, especially as it relates to technology.

To read more and see a video of these exceptional teach-ers, go to http://bit.ly/ pzebYs or scan this QR code.

lisa christen

Members of the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 Board of Education are creating a Strategic Roadmap, a plan that will guide the district’s future.

The Roadmap will align and give direction to all work across the district for several years to come. It will help answer questions like: How can we improve academic results over the next three years? How can we continue to attract and retain top talent? How can we continue to provide a high quality education with limited resources? How can we make sure we’re meeting the needs of our students, our families and the community?

The first step in creating the Strategic Roadmap is to determine a mission statement, core values and vision for the district. Board members want your input on this.

They are asking for feedback on what they’ve put together so far. You

can comment on their proposal through an online survey at www.isd191.org or by paper (available in school offices). Board members hope to hear from students, parents, nonparent residents and employees.

‘strategic roadmap’ will help guide District 191

on tuesday, Nov. 8, voters in District 191 approved renewal of a 10-year, $845 per pupil levy that provides approximately $10 million in general fund revenue annually.

‘Yes’4,280

‘No’2,046

Lights, camera, action!on camera or behind it, students in the burnsville high school video production class are learn-ing professional-level skills before they graduate. under the direction of teacher tyler Krebs and with the help of burnsville Community television, the students have launched a weekly news television show called “blaze weekly.”

For more, scan or go to http://bit.ly/uVAI1F

emily robb

Achievement: we are focused on learning and we get results

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stuDeNts suCCeeD � The Burnsville High School girls’ soccer team took

second place at the 2011 AA State Tournament. Blaze players Alyssa Blahnik, Hannah Freden, Tiana Kham-vongsa and Meghann Rudolph were named to the All-Tournament Team.

� The BHS boys’ cross country team took second place at the state AA meet on Nov. 5. The result qualified the team to compete at the Nike Midwest Regional on Nov. 13. The team includes Cole O’Brien, Abdul Salan, Ali Ahmed, Faysol Mamoud, Shawn Wong, Jake Stevens, Sam Houchins, Justin Duda and Johnny Walker.

� Burnsville students averaged 23.2 this year on the ACT college admission test, once again topping the state average of 22.9, which was the best in the nation.

� BHS seniors Alec Bunnell, Henry Grittner and Alex Odom were named Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship program, a designation that goes to fewer than 3.5 percent of students in the nation.

� Jada Pulley, a senior at Burnsville High School, was selected to be one of the Outstanding Participants in the National Achievement Scholarship Program.

� District 191 was one of only 11 Minnesota school districts named to the College Board AP Honor Roll, which honors districts that increase students’ access to Advanced Placement courses while still maintaining or increasing the percent-age of students who receive a ‘3’ or higher on AP exams.

teAChers AChieVe � Instrumental music teacher Greg Sylvester was given

the Community Builder Award from the City of Burns-ville in October. The award recognizes those that made outstanding contributions to the city.

� Hillary Johnson, a math teacher at Burnsville High School, and Kevin Morrissey, a physical education teacher at Gideon Pond and Sioux Trail elementaries, were selected to receive $1,000 scholarships from the Hanson Scholarship Fund to further their own educations.

Jada pulley

Burnsville High School senior Kelsey Larson has always been fascinated by the world, but so far she hasn’t seen much of it.

That’s about to change in December when she’ll travel 7,775 miles from her Burnsville home to Bangladesh.

Larson is among 30 students from across the country selected to participate in the American Youth Leadership Program (AYLP) sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

During a four-week trip in December, she will study the effects of climate change. She will be involved in workshops, field trips, and service learning activities to explore the environmental, social, economic and political impacts of climate change in Bangladesh and globally, including possible solutions to address the issue.

To be selected for the all-expense-paid program, students had to demonstrate strong academic and leadership skills in their school or community, as well as a commitment to volunteerism or civic participation.

Larson has already connected through Facebook with the 29 other students who will participate.

“Considering I have never been out of the country, this will be an entirely new experience, opening not only my eyes, but my heart,” said Larson. “I find it compelling to have the opportunity to witness climate change first hand and discover what people are doing to combat the forces they are being faced with.”

Next year, she hopes to attend Macalester College in St. Paul, major in international relations and definitely study abroad at some point.

bhs senior selected for bangladesh study trip

Burnsville High School senior Kelsey larson will be traveling to the other side of the world this winter.

Twelve Burnsville High School students are taking advantage of an opportunity to study nanotechnology through a course at Dakota County Technical College in Rosemount.

The rigorous course has students studying ultra-small structures, prepping them for what college-level courses will be like when they graduate high school and for future studies in science and engineering. Plus, the chance to earn college credits makes this a big opportunity for these high school students.

“We’re working on the scale of molecules and atoms; it’s really, really small,” said teacher Dan Balder. “Laws of physics that are important on that scale are different than the laws of physics that are important on this scale that we live in.”

Class on small things is a big opportunity for bhs students

Students measure the volume of sugar cubes during a nanotechnology class.

For more, scan or go to http://bit.ly/slnF8R

In District 191, we are focused on learning, so it made sense to create a place where parents, students and community members could see that mission come to life in everyday situations. This summer we did that with the creation of The 191 Classroom blog.

The blog highlights interesting work that students and educators are doing throughout Burnsville-Eagan-Sav-age School District 191 with words, photos and video.

Here’s a peek at one article that appeared recently in The 191 Classroom.

SMART Boards in the Classroom

Parents may have seen SMART Boards in their children’s class-rooms recently. If you think it’s just a fancy whiteboard, think again. They are changing the way teachers teach and the way students learn. Check out a short video on how they are being used in District 191 classrooms.

191classroom.wordpress.com

William Byrne Elementary School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) was one of nine schools recognized as “Magnet Schools of Merit” by Magnet Schools of Minnesota.

The award recognizes Byrne’s innovative instructional strategies, student assessment techniques and parent and community involvement.

Magnet Schools of Minnesota is a non-profit

organization whose purpose is to promote goals of desegregation, equity and excellence, increase public school choice through the promotion of magnet schools, improve student achievement through effective magnet schools, and otherwise promote effective magnet schools. This is the second year that Magnet Schools of Minnesota has presented merit awards.

byrne elementary steM named Magnet school of Merit

technology changing instruction

For more, scan or go to http://bit.ly/tUYTty

Meggan Malone was the assistant director of marketing for the Minnesota Vikings and worked for the organization for nine seasons. Now as a teacher, she brings the private sector into her Burnsville High School classroom.

“It’s important to bring real-life aspects into the classroom to make learning relevant,” said the business education teacher. “That’s why we have outside speakers come in once a week for discussions with students.”

Malone and co-teacher Tyler Krebs provide a unique opportunity for high school students to question and discuss marketing with representatives of advertising agencies, top companies (Pepsi, for example) and professional sports teams including the Vikings, of course. When three Viking marketing executives met with students in small groups recently, they talked about their jobs and current marketing projects and also offered career advice.

Students in the class are developing a marketing plan using resources Malone has pulled from her experience with the Vikings. They will visit TCF Stadium at the University of Minnesota in November. The students

will design their own NASCAR car using the tools they learned in a sponsorships unit. Students are working on advertisements using the same software that graphic departments typically utilize.

The intent is to give students experiences that prepare them for future career success.

students learn from the pros in bhs business class

Minnesota Vikings marketing executive J.p. paul spoke with BHS students this fall.

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Community Connections: together everyone achieves more

PArtNers iN eDuCAtioNStudents benefit when individuals, businesses and organizations in the community become partners with Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191. There are many ways to become involved in the schools and/or make contributions. All partnerships are greatly appreci-ated. For more information, please contact Communica-tions Director Ruth Dunn at 952-707-2020 or rdunn@burnsville.k12.mn.us.

� As part of Fire Prevention Awareness Week, members of the Eagan Fire Department, above, took time Oct. 12 to be the “Mystery Servers” at Rahn Elementary School lunches. Firefighters served and sat with students, encouraging them to eat healthful foods and answer-ing whatever questions they might have about being firefighters.

� Sioux Trail and Gideon Pond elementary schools are partnering with Valley Natural Foods this year in an innovative effort to educate families about healthful eat-ing, while also fund-raising for the schools. “Community Night at the Co-Op” includes scavenger hunts, cooking demonstrations and more. It takes place the fourth Tues-day of each month at the Burnsville grocer.

� More than 2,500 children throughout District 191 participated in the year’s “Read for the Record” event on Oct. 6. The event had families, classrooms and commu-nity groups reading the same book - “Llama, Llama, Red Pajama” - as a way to focus attention on the importance of early literacy in academic success. Guest readers in District 191 included Minnesota Department of Educa-tion Commissioner Brenda Cassellius, Savage Mayor Janet Williams, and Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz.

� A partnership with the Cedar/Diffley BP has greatly benefited Metcalf Junior High, which receives five cents for each gallon of gas pumped on the first Friday of each month. Over the past two years, more than $2,000 has been donated. (Photo above: Metcalf Associate Principal Bill Heim with Cedar/Diffley BP owner Jacque Johnson.)

� Thanks to a donation by the Parent-Teacher Orga-nization, three classrooms at Neill Elementary School now feature SMART Boards, which are helping teachers engage students in new and interactive ways. Read more at http://bit.ly/uVAI1F.

CoMMuNitY eDuCAtioN

Group for parents of young childrenDistrict 191 Early Childhood Family Education and Early Childhood Special Education are joining to offer a new group for parents of young children. Free for District 191 residents with children 5 or younger, “Families Growing Together” will meet the second Thursday of the month in November, Janu-ary, February and April. Parents and children will enjoy activities together before parents have an opportunity to listen to a featured speaker and participate in a discussion, while children play and learn together. Read more at http://bit.ly/u8yR6y.

Community members looking to spread holiday cheer can donate their time to seniors in need by participating in the Be A Santa To A Senior program.

The program allows those interested to suggest isolated seniors to receive gifts. Volunteers can also shop for gifts, help wrap the gifts and deliver gifts to homes of seniors.

“Christmas is so much about kids and there are so many programs for kids out there that, unless they have family, the elderly kind of get left out that time of the year,” said Vitaly Salo, executive director of Home Instead Senior Care. “We have had a tremendous response because we have that population that kind of gets forgotten.”

Holiday shoppers can help by finding trees in

participating locations and choosing an ornament that suggests the type of gift a specific anonymous senior would appreciate. The shopper can then return the gift where they picked the ornament.

Their purchase would then be wrapped at the annual ‘wrap party’ at the Burnsville Senior Center on Dec. 7, and then delivered to seniors.

To participate or for more information, contact Senior Center Coordinator Michele Starkey at (952) 707-4120.

Community members can ‘be a santa to a senior’

For more, scan or go to http://bit.ly/smRPoQ

If you want to learn about art, what better place to go than an art park. Cara Slattery, magnet program coordinator at Rahn Elementary School of Art and Technol-ogy, certainly thought so. Fortunately, Caponi Art Park in Eagan provided the perfect opportunity. Rahn students in grades 4, 5 and 6 toured the park between Oct. 4 and 11. For the older stu-dents, at least, the trips included a guided tour of the sculpture garden, where they learned about art concepts including texture, shape, and negative space, and how those aspects of a sculpture can convey a message, story or feeling.

caponi art park makes perfect classroom for rahn students

For more, scan or go to http://bit.ly/nN24Aq

Stephen Fiebiger, president of Foundation 191, announced at the Board of Education meeting on Sept. 1 that 11 grant proposals submitted by employees have been selected for funding during the 2011-12 school year.

Altogether there were 27 applications requesting $91,000 in grants.

“The applications were outstanding in quality, variety and innovation,” Fiebiger told the Board.

A committee reviewed all applications and selected 11 to receive a total of $10,459.

This is the second year of the grants awarded by

Foundation 191, a not-for-profit organization created in 2005 to enhance, enrich and expand educational opportunities within Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191. During its first four years, the foundation sponsored residencies at the preschool, elementary, junior high and high school level.

“We are so grateful for the ongoing support from Foundation 191 on behalf of student learning,” commented DeeDee Currier, the Board’s liaison to the foundation. “Foundation 191 truly does make a big difference.”

For a full list of recipients, go to http://bit.ly/norXnC.

Foundation 191 announces grants for 11 projects

lars akerberg sorts through fresh produce during a delivery to Burnsville High School.

local farmers providing fresh, healthful produce for schoolsWith the knowledge that healthy

students are higher achieving students, Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 bought fresh produce like potatoes, sweet corn, watermelon, cucumbers, green beans and tomatoes from a local farm this year. Akerberg Acres, a family run vegetable farm about 30 minutes west of the district in Belle Plaine, will be providing the produce, which will be used in school lunches throughout the fall.

“Healthy students are better learners,” said Roxanne Williams, director of food services, “so we’re doing everything we can to promote healthy choices, including getting some great local produce for our students.”

The farm is operated by Darcy and Lars Akerberg, who along with their two young sons, have been farming about four acres of fruits and vegetables for the past nine years.

“We are just so excited to get our vegetables to students,” Darcy Akerberg said. “There is nothing more fulfilling than seeing the vegetables that you grew being enjoyed by kids.”

The family also sold produce to the summer school lunch program this past summer.

The local produce purchases are part of District 191’s Smart Choices program, which supports student nutrition and physical activity initiatives in the District.

A b o u t t h i s N e w s l e t t e rthis newsletter is sent periodically to all residents in burns-ville-eagan-savage school District 191 as a way to keep residents informed about the schools, which are a corner-stone of the community. the newsletter is being published at the lowest possible cost with stories being intentionally brief. longer versions of the stories and additional information are available on the district’s web site at www.isd191.org. if you have comments, please send them to ruth Dunn, district communications director, at rdunn@burnsville.k12.mn.us or call 952-707-2020.

boArD oF eDuCAtioNroN hill, Chair ....................................................(952) 440-1016 rhill@burnsville.k12.mn.us

sANDY sweeP, Vice Chair .................................(952) 250-7097 ssweep@burnsville.k12.mn.us

PAulA teiKeN, treasurer ...................................(952) 846-4106 pteiken@burnsville.k12.mn.us

DAN luth, Clerk ..................................................(952) 440-1290 dluth@burnsville.k12.mn.us

DeeDee Currier, Director ...............................(952) 882-7746 dcurrier@burnsville.k12.mn.us

JiM sChMiD, Director .........................................(952) 882-1651 jschmid@burnsville.k12.mn.us

bob VANDeNbooM, Director .........................(651) 454-9516 bvandenboom@burnsville.k12.mn.us

sAM wehliNG, student Advisor

randall Clegg, superintendent ......................(952) 707-2001 rclegg@burnsville.k12.mn.us

school District 191 does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, disability, marital status, sta-tus with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, age, family care leave status or veteran status.

Phone: 952-707-2000 web: www.isd191.org e-mail: info@burnsville.k12.mn.uswelcome Center: 952-707-4180

M A r K Yo u r C A l e N D A r

BHS Theater presents “Blithe Spirit”A smash comedy hit by Noel Coward, this much revived classic comes to the Mraz Center this winter.

shows are Dec. 1-3 and Dec. 8-10 at 7:30 p.m. ticket information at www.MrazCentertickets.com.

Magnet school applicationsDistrict 191 magnet schools offer enhanced learning opportu-nities for students in addition to the District’s core curriculum.

Current magnet programs include:

• Gifted & talented at harriet bishop elementary and eagle ridge Junior high;

• science, technology, engineering and Math (steM) at william byrne elementary and Metcalf Junior high;

• Arts & technology at rahn elementary; • Advancement Via individual Determination (AViD) at

Nicollet Junior high.

the application period for these programs opens during the winter. Program-specific information and application forms can be found on each school website, or by going to www.isd191.org and clicking on the Magnet schools icon.

C o N N e C t w i t h u sburnsville-eagan-savage school District 191 strives to keep residents informed and involved in their public schools.

to get news, pictures, events and more deliv-ered to you where you want them, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on twitter, or connect with us through a new online community portal called our Common Place.

www.facebook.com/isd191 www.twitter.com/isd191

Community members are also invited to connect with District 191 through a new, local social network called CommonPlace. it’s designed to be an online bulletin board for the burnsville and District 191 community. Go to www.ourcommonplace.com/pages/isd191.

residents may also sign up for the District 191 e-Newsletter or any of our school-specific e-Newsletters.

The financial health of Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 was affirmed by the Aa2 rating it received recently from Moody’s Investor Services.

“That is an excellent rating, with only eight school districts in the state being rated higher,” said Joel Sutter, executive vice president of Ehlers, Inc.

“Any time bonds are sold, a district’s rating can go down, up or stay the same,” said Lisa Rider, the district’s executive director of business services. “This recent evaluation solidifies our rating and is definitely good news for our bond sales.”

A bond rating is similar to credit scores for individuals. Better ratings result in more favorable borrowing rates. Bonds being sold now are for $16.5 million for deferred maintenance at Burnsville High School over the next two summers.

Moody’s noted that strengths of the district include its large tax base in a favorable location and the district’s

improved financial operations supported by operating levies.

“This is a reflection of the board’s financial stewardship which has navigated the district through very tough financial times and maintained a high bond rating,” said Superintendent Randy Clegg.

According to the Moody’s report, the district’s challenges include recent declines in taxable value of properties due to the recession, declining student enrollment, and the uncertainty of funding from the state.

“We expect the district’s large tax base to begin to stabilize in the near term despite recent declines in valuations,” noted the Moody’s report. “Also favorably, the district’s largest employers and taxpayers remain relatively stable.”

The purpose of Moody’s ratings is to provide investors with a system to determine relative creditworthiness of securities being sold.

Continued favorable bond rating reflects fiscal health

The Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District 191 Board of Education has approved an annual operating levy that slightly reduces the school district’s portion of local property taxes for next year.

The board set the proposed property tax levy, payable in 2012, at 0.1 percent less than 2011.

“We’ve done the best we can to keep any change in the levy to near

zero for the past three consecutive years,” said Lisa Rider, the district’s executive director of business services. The 2011 levy was only 0.38 percent more than 2010. The levy for 2010 was just 0.06 percent more than 2009.

The annual operating levy, which will raise about $33.8 million for the 2012-13 school year, represents 20 percent of the district’s total

revenue. School districts receive most of their revenue from the State of Minnesota.

The effect of the school district’s levy will vary for property owners depending upon individual circumstances. Property owners will receive tax statements from their county in November with details of their specific situation.

District property tax levy dips slightly for next yearFinancial STewardSHip

s u P e r i N t e N D e N t ’ s C o lu M N

I’m not surprised that residents showed support for public education in this community on Election Day. Results from our levy renewal reflect the support that residents have shown for local schools over recent years.

I am extremely grateful for your willingness to extend an existing tax levy for another 10 years. Although we will still face cuts in the future because state funding has not kept up with inflation, this local support means we can continue to focus on providing excellent education to our students and doing it in a fiscally responsible manner.

The final levy renewal vote total of 4,280 “yes” votes to 2,046 “no” votes reflected the support shown in a community survey conducted during the summer. The survey of 400 homes showed 84 percent of residents supported or strongly supported the levy renewal.

In addition, residents gave the district high marks for performance in the survey, with 78 percent of respondents agreeing that the community receives a good value from its investment in District 191 schools. Residents perceive that the district is spending its funds effectively, efficiently and responsibly.

The majority of respondents (63%) said that the state Legislature does not provide adequate funding and 40% said the financial outlook is likely to worsen as the state faces its budget deficit.

This was the first community survey that we’ve done in four years, and our ratings increased in many areas. Residents who rated the quality of the education provided by the district as “excellent” or “good” increased from

68% in 2007 to 81% this year. Performance ratings for the Board of Education, district’s administration, principals and teachers have all

increased since the last survey. Another trend is that those polled know more about the district in general. Back in 2007, there were significant

numbers of respondents that didn’t know enough about the district to answer survey questions. We have been working hard to develop and support an entire system that will meet the needs of all our students,

and we’ve been trying to communicate that work to our residents. I think the survey and election results tell us the community is supportive of those efforts.

Planning for the next two budget years has begun in earnest and will include a process for gathering feedback and ideas from community residents and employees.

Our Board of Education will continue to be fiscally transparent and responsible in using the resources provided to the district. We recently switched to a program-based budget that is much more simple and easy to understand than traditional school district budgets. For ongoing information, visit the district’s website at www.isd191.org.

survey shows improved perceptions of District 191

dr. randy clegg

Burnsville High School was showing its age, but now is looking good following the completion of the first stage of a three- year overhaul. deferred maintenance projects have included updating science and math classrooms, improving air quality through new HVac systems, replacing bath-room fixtures, and moving the main office to the front of the building (pictured at left).

updates continue at burnsville high school