1)      Why is our tax burden higher in Pillager than in Pequot Lakes? The 2009 ANTC (Adjusted Net Tax Capacity) for Pillager is $11,785,342, while Pequot’s is $40,062,956.  This is because there are more high end homes in Pequot to spread the tax burden out wider. That is why they can finance their larger referendum with less tax impact to residents.

2)      Is it the intent of the school board to stay local with the hiring of the CM and workers?  The school board has discussed this and desires to stay with local people.

3)      Should we build a more compact addition in order to make our energy costs less?  At this time (Feb.15), no final plans have been approved.  The school board is analyzing the pros and cons of a couple different plans.  There is much to consider as we look at the educational benefits to natural lighting in the classrooms, future expansions, operational efficiency and the site we have available to us to work with.

4)      Will the expansion be large enough to meet the district needs?  The thought was to build an expansion that could accommodate our average yearly growth (3%) for at least 15 years. This would include 13 classrooms, a computer lab, computer classroom, new gymnasium, music room, expanded space for cafeteria, couple specialty rooms, weight room and district offices totaling approximately 60,000 sq. ft. These projections are based on past growth and speculations for the future.

5)      Why are there 220 students within the Pillager School District open enrolling to other places?  Our high school principal has studied this question recently and has determined:

• Of the 220 students, 95% of these students have never attended the Pillager school.  For convenience, or reasons unknown, some parents have chosen to enroll their children elsewhere, beginning with Early Childhood or Kindergarten. 
• Only 13 current students have left our school for other nearby public schools.
• In the 2010-2011 school year, we had 34 more students open enrolling into our district than leaving.

6)      Financially, how will the operational costs of the new addition impact our present budget?  We are spending $1.96/sq. ft on our present facility.  Even though the new addition will be more efficient, this number would translate to about $117,000/ year in additional costs. We would need to add two more part-time kitchen assistants, and 1.25 custodians.  The total increased cost would be around $180,000/year.  We added $340,000 to our fund balance after the 2009-2010 school year, and we anticipate putting away about $225,000 this school year.  The addition of just 24 students also will provide the needed income to pay for the added operating expense.

7)      “I think that all the new space should be given to kids. Leave the District offices in the old space.” The drawings that were presented are strictly conceptual. The District office will be moved to a different space than it presently occupies in order to serve our district needs more effectively. A space will be chosen that best represents us to the community as a progressive educational district.

8)      Why do we need a new gym? Added enrollment increases the pressure on the physical education responsibilities we have as a district. New additions need to include more than just classrooms to accommodate the need of more students.
In addition, a larger meeting space, “a Community Event Center” is needed for assemblies such as Grandparent’s Day, Christmas programs, Veterans Day programs, and Graduation. As our student body grows, we must have a space that accommodates all of the students plus all of our guests from the community.

9)      Does the new gym have enough seating for two courts? Yes, the bleachers shown in the conceptual drawings can accommodate around 1075 people.
When the dividing curtain is dropped between the two courts to accommodate two PE classrooms or tournaments, adequate seating will be available for these smaller crowds

10)  Why don’t we put a small platform on the end of the gym to anticipate community programs?  A remodel of our present cafeteria will include revamping our current stage area into a program platform for theatre productions and smaller crowds.
Larger programs can be held in any of the three larger gyms, including the gym in the new addition. Portable staging can be moved between these three venues. This portable system is a financially conservative response to performance needs.

11)  Will we see an actual drawing before the vote?  We’ll only have conceptual drawings until the referendum vote. The process toward final drawings is a 3-4 month process and the funding for this work is included in the referendum. If the referendum passes, actual drawings will be constructed after continued discussion with input from many team members and consideration of concerns that arise during this process.

12)  “The awning out front is extravagant.”  The awning out front is a relatively inexpensive means of defining our new main entrance to the school. It also serves several functions in regard to lighting for the entrance and nearby classrooms. The vision for this outdoor space and entrance area includes added outdoor teaching area, outdoor “commons”, and a welcome area for guests attending events in our school.

13)  Why not build in the space between the two gyms? The main reason for staying away from building between the two gyms is that we lose our loading and unloading area for the district and kitchen needs.  We also have buried tanks and utilities that are in this area, as well as drainage problems if we disrupt this area.
Another consideration is land-locking ourselves for any possible expansion to the proposed plan. Parking is another major consideration by the committee who recommended the proposed location.

14)  Can we save the pine trees? It’s a part of our history. The pine trees to the west of the present school are a beautiful part of our current landscape. It was not without consideration for these trees that the committee recommends building in that space. If the addition goes in that direction, it has been discussed that we will create another grove of trees to continue to remember the history or heritage of the Pillager School system. The lumber from the current grove will be harvested; a portion of this lumber will be used to create something as a historical marker in honor of those who planted these trees.

15)  Is it true that we are one of 14 schools without an operating levy? Due to hard times in the educational systems in Minnesota, about 90% of Minnesota schools have needed to raise taxes for operational costs. We are one of a very small number of school districts in Minnesota who do not have an operating levy. The school board has worked hard to be fiscally responsible with the resources we have.

16)  Isn’t a rectangle building more energy efficient? Why are we proposing a building with “wings”?    Energy efficiency will be an important factor in the final plans, as will educational advantages of natural lighting for the students. As we make the addition more rectangular, we begin to minimize the natural light coming into the classrooms. This tends to have a negative educational impact on the students.  

17)  Does the referendum cover the costs to furnish this new building with additional computers, desks, tables, etc?     Yes it does.

18)  Does the new addition make us lose a ball field in front of the school?  We are planning to rotate the fields 90 degrees so that we won’t lose any fields.

19)  The conceptual drawings eliminate the outdoor modular classroom (current Millette and Pettit). Is that the plan? Our current thought process is to leave the modulars where they are, but with probable different uses than classroom space. This may well change with time as new needs become apparent.

20)  Are you building just because open enrollment numbers are increasing?  2010-2011 open enrollment numbers are only at 34 net students into the district.  Of bigger concern to the district would be our 0-4 year old MDE (Minnesota Dept. of Education) child count numbers that are as follows:  81 three year olds, 100 two year olds and 89 one year olds. These are Pillager children that will have to be given an education within these walls if they so choose.