A Message from the Superintendent
Lewiston-Altura School district, like many public schools in Minnesota, has been experiencing significant budget challenges impacted by declining enrollment and aging facilities. The School District has spent the past two years exploring options to balance the budget, improve operating efficiencies, improve our curriculum and instruction, and address our school facility needs.
After careful research and planning, community engagement sessions, insights from a Facility Task Force, and a community scientific survey, several options for addressing our challenges with an increased operating levy and facilities bond referendum were developed.
Ultimately the District, with stakeholder input, developed a plan that will:
- Address operational budget shortcomings.
- Improve school safety, security, and accessibility.
- Replace aging and failing building systems.
- Renovate spaces and finishes that are more than 40 years old.
- Update and expand classrooms to meet state guidelines.
- Add gym and performance space for school and community use.
The Lewiston-Altura school board approved a resolution on Monday, July 10th, to move forward with a special election on November 7, 2023. This 3-question ballot will ask voters to approve a new operating referendum authorization and two bond referendum questions to support construction projects to improve school facilities.
We appreciate the input and support for our long-term vision from each of our constituents. A referendum in support of addressing budget gaps and facilities needs is the next step in a progression of school board decisions that places the Lewiston-Altura School District on sound financial and infrastructure footing to provide quality educational opportunities long into the future!
Sincerely.
 | Gwen Carman Superintendent of Schools |
The Process
The district informally investigated potential opportunities to alleviate budget challenges including consolidating buildings to reduce operational costs, increasing class sizes, eliminating low participation activities, offering fewer electives at the high school, and reducing support staff and administration full time employees.
Recognizing the need to uncover all factors impacting the district’s general fund budget, the Lewiston-Altura School Board in April 2021, officially selected a consulting firm to lead the district through a comprehensive process to both identify needs and better understand how to “right-size” the district for the future.
The planning process included:
- conducting a facilities infrastructure and educational adequacy assessment conducted by professional firms with expertise in education and educational infrastructure.
- obtaining input from students, staff, administration and the community through facilitated small-group and public engagement meetings;
- working with the board and administration to review all deficiencies;
- engaging community through community engagement meetings to review facility and educational deficiencies and potential solutions;
- working with a community task force to review identified needs and proposed solutions;
- a scientific survey soliciting community feedback on proposed solutions.
Process Planning Timeline
The Need
What are our operational needs?
The Lewiston-Altura’s current operating levy of $52 per pupil unit is significantly below the state average of $850 per pupil unit. As enrollment declines, the District will receive even less revenue from the state.
Financial challenges have been addressed by one-time pandemic dollars, reducing program budgets, delaying facility updates, and adjusting staffing. The District has also utilized cash reserves, a practice not sustainable, as the District needs cash on hand to properly fund daily operations.
General Education Formula Allowance
DID YOU KNOW?
School districts receive the majority of their funding from the State. The largest portion of this funding, which comes from the basic general education formula, has not kept up with inflation, resulting in school districts receiving $1,263 less per student than they did 20 years ago. This is a major reason why many school districts across the state are facing significant budget challenges.
The closure of the Altura building will provide approximately $255,000 additional savings, as the District will have one less building to heat, clean, and operate. Even with this savings and the reductions that have been made to-date, the District is anticipating annual budget deficits in the years ahead.
Increasing the levy will allow the District to continue to provide quality education, attract and retain quality teachers and staff, maintain current opportunities for students, and reduce future budget cuts.
What are our facility needs?
It has been 27 years since District voters supported school facility updates through a bond referendum. As a result, the District has been unable to address major projects nor renovate educational spaces to current needs.
Historical Timeline of Elementary & HS Improvements
1966
High School Built
1975
Elementary School Built
1996
Successful Bond Referendum:
- High School Addition - Classrooms and C Gym
- Grade 3 & 4 wing & lower level additions
2008
Failed Bond Referendum
2008/2009
Early Childhood Addition (Paid for with district's existing funds)
2010
Partial HVAC Upgrades at High School (Health & Safety Levy Authority Used)
2014
Successful Operating Levy Renewal
2017
HVAC Upgrades at Elementary (Health & Safety Levy Authority Used)
The District has identified the following needs and opportunities to address with a bond referendum:
Safety + Security
The school entrances need to be redesigned to better regulate school visitors. Visitor entrances are needed at the main office so that guests are welcomed by staff before accessing the school. In addition, traffic flow in and around the parking lots needs to be redesigned around both schools to improve safety.
AGING INFRASTRUCTURE + WORN FINISHES
The high school was originally built in 1965 and the elementary school in 1974. Many of the building systems and finishes are from the original construction, have far reached the end of their service life, and are in need of replacement.
Outdated Educational Spaces
Many classrooms and the high school science labs are undersized and outdated. As a result, they lack the adequate infrastructure to support existing equipment and technologies, as well as student collaboration areas and flexible learning spaces needed for today’s educational programming.
Lack of Gym + Performance Space
The amount of gym space in the District does not meet school and community needs. In addition, a performance space with appropriate sound and lighting is needed for student and community performances, presentations, and large group events.
Proposed Solution
Click to view any of the following concept plans:
Elementary Concept Plan
(Question 2)
High School Concept Plan
(Question 2)
Gym & Auditorium Plan
(Question 3)
Operating Levy and Bond Referendum
The Operating Levy is needed to provide the school district with additional revenue for basic operating expenses. Without these additional funds, the district will be forced to make significant reductions in expenditures for the 2024-2025 school year and beyond.
Budget reductions would include but not be limited to larger class sizes, fewer class options for high school students, fewer extra-curricular activities, staffing reductions and we would be less able to provide competitive wages to hire and maintain staff.
Question 1
Question 1 proposes to renew the district’s current referendum revenue authorization of $52 per pupil unit and increase revenue by $708 for a total referendum amount of $760 per pupil unit. This authorization would be applicable for ten years and include an inflation factor.
After reviewing all of the potential needs, the district is proposing Bond questions that address the most critical academic and building needs of the District:
Question 2
Questions 2 of the district’s proposed project will ask for funding to address the identified infrastructure/deferred maintenance and educational adequacy needs.
At the Elementary improvements include:
- upgrades to electrical systems
- plumbing
- tuckpointing
- windows replacements
- door and hardware upgrades
- gym equipment and flooring upgrades
- site improvements
- new playground equipment
- remodeled office space
- a small addition to create a secured entry, remodel existing space into a family restroom
- classroom casework and wall upgrades to address sound issues, remodeling of existing space to create larger kindergarten rooms
- remodeling of group restrooms to increases capacity and meet ADA requirements; and a new bus and parent drop-off area.
At the High School improvements include:
- upgrades to electrical systems
- fire alarm system replacement
- plumbing
- tuckpointing
- roofing replacements
- windows replacements
- door and hardware upgrades
- classroom casework replacements
- main gym flooring replacement
- new C-Gym bleachers
- site improvements
- an addition to create a secured entry and provide adequate office space
- a new multipurpose space for wrestling/dance/community use, a new music addition and remodeling of existing band space to be used for choir
- remodeling of the staff workroom and restrooms to meet the ADA; renovations to update the science and art classrooms
- renovations to update the locker rooms
- a CTE addition and minor remodeling to existing CTE space
- and a new bus drop-off area.
- A new bus garage with adequate bus storage, maintenance bay and wash bay
Question 3
Questions 3 of the district’s proposed project will ask for additional funds to renovate the existing B-Gym at the High School into an auditorium with approximate seating capacity of 400 and remodel existing locker space into auditorium support space. To replace the current undersized gymnasium and outdated locker rooms, a new gymnasium (with 2 full size perpendicular practice courts), locker rooms, lobby, restrooms, concessions will be constructed.
The Cost
How would approved referendum questions affect property taxes?
An investment in our public schools is an investment in our communities. Residents of Lewiston-Altura Public Schools have a history of being strong supporters of their School District. We thank you for your dedication to our students and ask that you look at this financial investment in our community’s schools as a priority to support our youth and their futures. Click the Tax Impact button to determine your property tax impact.
(click on the red box to calculate your Tax Impact)
If Question 1, the operating levy, is approved, the estimated property tax impact is $183 per year, or $15.25 per month, on a home worth $150,000 (median home value in Lewiston School District).
If Question 2, a bond referendum is approved, it would have an estimated property tax impact of $290 per year, or $24.17 per month, on a home worth $150,000 (median home value in Lewiston School District).
If Question 3, a bond referendum is approved, it would have an estimated property tax impact of $111 per year, or $9.25 per month, on a home worth $150,000 (median home value in Lewiston School District).
If all three questions are approved, property taxes for the owner of a $150,000 home, the average value in the district, would increase by $584 per year, or $48.67 per month.
Will we get any assistance from the state?
Approximately 38% of the project costs will be paid by the state. The proposed Lewiston-Altura plans generate aid from two sources: State Debt Equalization Aid and the Ag2School credit. 3% of the 38% is from state debt equalization aid, while the remaining 35% is generated from the Ag2School Credit.
The Ag2School credit provides agricultural property owners a credit for school district debt service. This is an automatic reduction of property taxes paid. The legislature successfully passed this legislation in the 2017 session and the current Ag2School credit is 70%. This is permanent law. 62% of the L-A district’s tax base qualifies for this credit.
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Election Information
Vote on or before November 7, 2023
Register to Vote
In Minnesota, you can register at your polling place on Election Day
- Same day registration checklist (Minnesota Secretary Of State – Register on Election Day)
- If you would like to update your registration, or create a registration prior to election day click this link to Register online (Register to Vote or Update Your Registration – MNVotes)
Absentee Voting by Mail
Early voting for the General Election starts September 22. You can vote early with an absentee ballot. Process for mail-in ballots:
- Request your mail-in ballot with a mail ballot application
- Fill out the application completely.
- Submit the request to your local election office. (Minnesota Secretary Of State – Find County Election Office)
Election Day Voting
- Polls are open Tuesday, November 7 from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Vote at your regular polling location. Click below to find your polling place
Find your polling place:
Minnesota Secretary of State Pollfinder (Voter Information Portal (state.mn.us)
Additional Voting Details Available
Specific questions regarding elections in Winona County, please contact the Winona County Auditor/Treasurer’s Office at (507) 457-6300 or email at autr@co.winona.mn.us
Absentee In-Person Voting
In-person early voting begins September 22 to November 7, 2023. You can vote via absentee ballot which can be mailed to you directly, or you can vote absentee in-person at:
Absentee Voting Information Location
Lewiston-Altura Elementary School
115 Fremont Street South
Lewiston, MN 55952
Days/Hours for Absentee Voting
September 22-November 3, 2023 (CLOSED: October 19 & 20)
Monday-Friday
7:30am-3:30pm
November 6, 2023
7:30am-5:00pm
November 7 Voting
Any eligible voter residing in the School District may vote at said election at the combined polling places designated below for the precinct in which he or she resides. The polls for said election will be opened at 7:00 o’clock a.m. and will close at 8:00 o’clock p.m. on November 7, 2023.
Altura City Hall
25 Main Street N.
Altura, MN 55910
This combined polling place serves all territory located in Independent School District No. 857 located in City of Altura, Whitewater Township, Mount Vernon Township, Elba Township, and Norton Township, in Winona County, Minnesota.
Lewiston City Hall
75 Rice Street,
Lewiston, MN 55952
This combined polling place serves all territory located in Independent School District No. 857 located in City of Lewiston, Hillsdale Township, St. Charles Township, Utica Township, Warren Township, Fremont Township, and Hart Township in Winona County, Minnesota.
A voter must be registered to vote to be eligible to vote in this election. An unregistered individual may register to vote at the combined polling place on election day.
Ballot Questions
FAQs
Operating Levy & Bond Referendum
What is an Operating Levy?
When communities support an Operating levy, they are providing the district general funds to use for salaries, textbooks, co-curricular programs, transportation, computers, utilities and the general operation of the district. The average operating levy in MN per pupil has increased: in 1993 it was $332 per pupil and in Fiscal Year 2021-22 it was approximately $850 per pupil unit.
Why is the district considering an Operating Levy?
The district’s current Voter-approved Operating Levy of $51/pupil unit is due to expire in FY 2026. In the past three years, the district has filled some budget gaps with federal and state pandemic dollars. However, these are one – time funds that will not be available to the district in the future. As enrollment declines, the district receives less revenue from the state to maintain curriculum, course offerings and staff. Roughly $255,000 of annual operational savings will be realized by closing the Altura building and downsizing to two sites. However, additional funds are still needed to adequately provide quality education, maintain current opportunities for students, and reduce future budget cuts. These are priorities that the community, staff, and students identified in the 2021 community strategic planning survey.
What is a Bond Referendum?
A Bond Referendum provides school districts dollars to only be used to make significant improvements to facilities and building infrastructure. Bonds can be used for major construction such as renovation, building an addition, building new schools or for projects such as addressing deferred maintenance and ventilation deficiencies. Bonds, however, cannot be used to pay staff, buy textbooks, pay utilities or for the general operation of the district.
Why is the district considering a Bond Referendum?
The Elementary School and the High School are both aging and have infrastructure and renovation needs. Addressing facility needs will also reduce annual maintenance and operating costs, allowing the district to re-direct the savings to student programming. Additionally, updating our facilities will ensure the buildings will be safer and provide improved educational spaces for 21st Century learning into the future of the district.
What if the operating levy doesn’t pass?
The Operating Levy is needed to provide the school district with additional revenue for basic operating expenses. Without these additional funds, the district will be forced to make significant reductions in expenditures for the 2024-2025 school year and beyond.
Budget reductions would include but not be limited to larger class sizes, fewer class options for high school students, fewer extra-curricular activities, staffing reductions and we would be less able to provide competitive wages to hire and maintain staff.
District Needs
Why is there a need for an Auditorium?
Auditoriums provide a comfortable setting with quality acoustics, lighting and seating with clear viewing of a stage. The district regularly hosts student band and choir concerts, plays and other performances, however, rely on our gymnasiums with bleacher or folding chair seating, and limited lighting and acoustical equipment. On days of concerts and plays, often the gym is set up and requires rearranging of phy-ed classes and sports and practices. Rehearsals and other performance preparations are limited due to using an unsecured stage that is also easily accessed by users of the cafeteria or gym. Production choices are limited because of our restricted stage size and support spaces. This limits the depth of benefits for students from not experiencing more complex and engaging drama and musical performances.
The proposed auditorium would be multi-purpose. It would be used for student assemblies/events, music performances (band/choir), plays, and large group academic presentations. It would also be used for community events with visiting musicians, speakers or larger audiences for Fools Five, Heartland Days or other community activities.
Why is the district proposing a new activities gymnasium at the High School?
The existing gyms at the High School are undersized and currently, the wrestling team practices in the lower level of the elementary school. Also, Junior High School teams must travel to the Elementary for practices in the fall (volleyball), winter (basketball) and spring (baseball and softball until the outdoor fields are ready).
A proposed activities gymnasium will eliminate the need to transport High School students to the Elementary for practices as well as enable the district to have in-door practices in the spring in spaces more adequately designed for indoor throwing and hitting without damaging lights and walls. An additional gym would also enable the district to host tournaments, which would generate revenue for the district by charging fees for participating teams and/or admission to events.
If we closed the Intermediate School, why are we proposing adding more space?
The primary reasons the district closed the Intermediate School were because it too, needed major physical improvements and also to realize the savings from downsizing to two sites as the district can accommodate the 5th and 6th graders in the elementary and high school.
Most of the proposed elementary and high school classroom renovations are to improve and update existing classrooms. Any additional new spaces would significantly improve the quality of the classroom for educational purposes when the existing classrooms do not meet MDE standards for size. A new music addition is being proposed at the high school because the existing space (a former storage area) doesn’t adequately support choir and band instruction. New science classrooms are being proposed to replace the original 1966 classrooms that are undersized and in need of significant updating. Combining existing undersized classrooms into (fewer) larger classrooms and small group learning spaces is proposed to provide more spaces and for individual and small group instruction within the existing building footprint. Under the proposed plan, there will be three fewer classrooms in the high school than currently at the Intermediate and High School.
Why is there a need for a bus garage?
The district’s buses are currently parked outside on the south side of the Elementary School where they are unprotected from the weather and are not secured. When the yellow color of the buses fade, the district is cited by the state and is required to repaint. Cold temperatures are hard on buses and drivers must manually clear them of snow and ice. The existing bus maintenance building has a dated and inadequate office, one inadequate restroom, and no meeting or training room for the drivers. Locating the bus garage at the high school would significantly improve the options for safer and separate student bus and parent pick up and drop off at both schools.
Why is the district contracting with a Facility Management Company?
In June 2023, the district transitioned from having an employee as our Facility/Grounds Director, to contracting with Dashir Management Services, Inc. for complete facility management. This change integrates building maintenance, custodial services, grounds management and project management. Dashir’s services provide the district cost savings through bulk purchasing of supplies, staffing consistencies, high expectations for quality services, safety trainings, shared expertise from their staff on best practices, guidance on options to address facility needs and expertise in understanding the legal requirements we must adhere to.
The annual contract includes the employment of five on site staff, in addition to our continued employment of two full-time custodians. Previously, we contracted with a private cleaning company for much of our evening cleaning needs which has been limited in services and unreliable. In this competitive job market, it has been challenging for the district to hire and maintain quality custodial staff. Our contract with Dashir will assure consistency and quality of custodial and maintenance services for the future.
Financial
Why were our neighbors able to build a brand-new school for less than the options being explored?
Current proposed option estimates include construction inflation, which over the last several years has been extremely high. Historically, construction inflation has averaged around 5% per year. Over the last several years, inflation has been in the 15-20% range. When taking this into account, a school that began construction in 2015 would experience nearly double the cost in 2024 – the earliest year construction would begin if a project is approved for Lewiston-Altura this fall.
Will the district get support from the state if an Operating Levy and Bond Referendum is passed?
Approximately 38% of the project costs will be paid by the state. The proposed Lewiston-Altura plans generate aid from two sources: State Debt Equalization Aid and the Ag2School credit. If both bond questions 2 and 3 are approved for $38.7M, property owners would pay 62% or $23.4M, while the state picks up the remaining $15.3M. 3% of the 38% is from state debt equalization aid, while the remaining 35% is generated from the Ag2School Credit.
What is the Ag2School Credit?
The Ag2School credit provides agricultural property owners a credit for school district debt service. This is an automatic reduction of property taxes paid. The legislature successfully passed this legislation in the 2017 session. The credit is for Payable 2023 (Current) is 70%. This is permanent law. 62% of the L-A district’s tax base qualifies for this credit.
An Ag2School Credit increase to 80% from 70% is part of the governor’s proposed budget in the current 2023 legislative session.
Connect With Us
Lewiston-Altura School District
100 County Road 25
Lewiston, MN 55952