Plans to close Crestivew Elementary School in Cottage grove at the end of this academic year drew protests and a petition.

As a result, District 833 plans to close Crestview were dropped from planned budget adjustments. The district approved several plans to save money, including district- wide cuts at all school levels and proposing a referendum vote to help the district budget.

A petition on the change. org website promoted by the Crestview PTA had 2,545 supporters and a protest was held prior to Thursday night’s meeting of the school board.

The petition stated: “We, the undersigned, assert that voting to close Crestview is a direct violation of District 833’s Code of Ethics II.B.1 which states that an Educational Administrator must make the well-being of students the fundamental value of all decision- making and actions. “Poor budgetary planning by the current School Board and Superintendent’s predecessors does not absolve any of the current Board Members or District Administrators of their mandated responsibility to protect the well-being of students. “We further assert that: -closing Crestview is projected to solve less than 6% of the $18 million dollar deficit -the District has no immediate plans for the Crestview building and the empty school will still cost ~$250,000/year just to own & maintain -if the District closes Crestview, they will then put forth a proposal for building a brand new, multimillion dollar school while taxpayers foot the bill -proposing to permanently close any school during this pandemic is unconscionable and will directly and negatively impact the mental, emotional, educational, and possibly even physical well-being of students in South Washington County.

-closing Crestview will increase enrollments at other area schools that are already crowded and will result in moving even more students from the 80th Street apartments that are being built -closing Crestview will result in next year’s 4th & 5th grade students changing elementary schools for a THIRD time due to District re-zoning, all while their families have remained in the same homes. SCHOOL CUTS

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-Crestview has the most diverse student body, and this is a direct assault on the most vulnerable members of our community, violating the District’s own Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion policies.

-closing Crestview and splitting its students & educators will permanently destroy the sense of community that the Crestview faculty, staff, students, and families have worked so tirelessly to create.

“In closure, we, the undersigned, demand with the utmost vehemence that the South Washington County School Board reject the proposal to close Crestview Elementary.”

While Crestview as saved, the district had to make some serious budget adjustment decisions. Following is a district statement on the meeting. Charts with budget decisions are included with this article.

School Board Action Update During its regularly scheduled business meeting on Thursday, Jan. 21, the School Board approved several items from a three-year budget adjustment plan that included a combination of cuts and enhancements (increases in revenue).

Following a request for more information during the board’s Jan. 7 workshop, administration presented additional details about Reading Recovery, elementary band and orchestra, middle and high school class size and the recommendation to close Crestview Elementary. A summary of input from virtual staff and community budget information sessions was also shared.

Following the presentation and discussion, the school board:

•Approved budget adjustments for the district (unanimous) •Approved budget adjustments districtwide (unanimous) •Approved the following budget adjustments for elementary schools ◦Reduction in a Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) (unanimous) ◦Restructure of office assistant and media clerk hour allocations (unanimous) ◦Eliminate Gateway third grade section for the 2021-22 school year due to lack of testing in fall 2020 (unanimous) ◦Move band and orchestra to begin in the middle school (4 to 3)

•The School Board also directed district administration to restructure reading interventions at the elementary level to save $500,000 over each year for the next three years.

•Approved budget adjustments for middle schools (unanimous)

•Approved adjustments for high schools (unanimous) •The School Board did not approve the process to begin considerations to close Crestview Elementary (unanimous). This recommendation was removed from the budget adjustment recommendations and will not move forward.

•Approved the process to begin procedures for an operating levy referendum (unanimous) ◦A motion was made to direct administration to proceed with preparations and necessary notices to conduct an operating levy referendum for the Nov. 2, 2021, election.

The School Board originally approved the budget adjustment process on Nov. 5, 2020, which resulted in the creation of a budget adjustment committee of school and department leaders. The committee developed the ideas on how to increase revenue (such as fees) and reduce expenses. The committee’s goal was to cut $18 million over the next three years. Of that $18 million, the goal was to reduce the budget by $12 million in the 2021-22 school year with other reductions for the remaining two years (2022-23 and 2023-24). The final amount resulted in $9.3 million in adjustments for the 2021-22 school year. If voters approve an operating levy, and with sustained cuts, the three-year budget impact is estimated to be $18.7 million.

Over the last four years, the cost of educational services in SoWashCo has continued to outpace the funding available to fully support our operations. The COVID-19 pandemic has created additional unexpected costs, declining enrollment districtwide and uncertainty for state aid.

A sign protesting plans to close Crestview. Photo by Crestview PTA Facebook page.