Crookston Public Schools will host two events on Thursday, August 8. The first will be an open house to tour the current bus garage from 4:00 to 5:45 p.m. The second will be a public meeting on the November referendum questions at 6:00 p.m. at the Crookston High School.
Superintendent Jeremy Olson said the bus garage open house will allow the community to understand what the district is talking about with the current garage. “From 4:00 to 5:45 p.m. on August 8 we’re going to be allowing people to tour the bus garage,” said Olson. “And to see for themselves what we’re talking about in our current facilities. We’re still trying to ascertain the actual age of the bus garage. According to county records, they are pegging it as 1935. However, someone told us that there was a 1922 picture and it was in there. What we do know is it was certainly there in 1935. Whether that was its first year or it was several years old at that point, we don’t know. So, we’re having people come out and see for themselves the bus garage that we’re talking about. Our job at this point as a district is to inform people about the current situation we’re in with our bus garage. And about what we’re looking at doing in the future with our proposed bus garage and our operating referendum which is very important to our district. The operating referendum brings in more than $1 million a year for our district. So, obviously, without that operating referendum we’d have to make a corresponding reduction of about $1 million which would not be good for our district.”
Olson said that during the public meeting information on the referendums, the proposed bus garage and tax impact information will be shared. There will also be time set aside for the community to gets answers to their questions. “What we’re looking at is at 6:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium we’re going to be meeting with our community members to lay out the two questions,” said Olson. “We’re going to have our architects there to explain the particulars of the bus garage. We’re going to have some financial impact information for voters so they can understand how it would impact them personally. We’re going to be explaining the referendum questions, so everyone has that understanding and then transitioning to a Q & A session. We understand that it’s one thing to get information, but we also want to interact with our voters as well and get their questions and comments. We are prepared at this point to answer any and all questions that are brought up. There may be some questions we’ll have to say – I’m sorry we don’t have that information and will have to get back to you on it. But then we’ll be putting that information out publicly once we get the answers to those questions. Our whole point is to make sure that your questions are answered when you leave that meeting.”
The referendum is two parts, one for the proposed bus garage that would increase taxes. The second is for a reduction in the operating referendum. Olson said that information is also available online. “From a tax impact standpoint, question one is dealing with our operating referendum,” said Olson. “Currently our operating referendum is two parts. Part one is the larger part is about $1 million [a year] focused on the operations and enhancing the environment at Crookston Public Schools. The second portion was used to operate the pool and make improvements. That second part is going to be leaving. On the referendum format, it will say that – this may lead to further taxation – or some verbiage like that. But in essence, voting yes to question one will be a tax decrease. Question two, the bus garage, will be a tax increase. We have some tax impacts available on our school webpage. It has our tax impact and bus garage plans available to you there. Our job is to get that information to you, so you know how that impacts.”
Olson said he wants to get the information on the referendums out and answer whatever questions there are, so he hopes people will make it to the meeting. “It would be good to see community members come out,” said Olson. “I realize that is a summer day and we all struggle to give up those beautiful summer evenings. Our job is to make this informative and get you in and out. We are going to be available to answer questions and have a format that makes it easy to ask questions and hear answers.”
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