April 19, 2011 
At their April 14 meeting, the Eastern Carver County School Board passed a package of $2.4 million in budget cuts that cover the next two school years.
Here are some of the primary areas being cut:
Instruction ($765,000): Class sizes will be increased by 0.32 students, resulting in a reduction of 4.5 FTEs, there will be reductions in remedial help for middle and high school students, and reduced ELL staffing
Administration ($541,400): The Assistant Superintendent position will be eliminated in 2012, a reduction in deans for the secondary schools, a reduction in lead teachers for the elementary schools, and the Area Learning Program will now be administered by Chanhassen High School personnel.
Instructional Support ($426,719): Significant reductions in clerical and technical support, registration will be centralized, and the secondary redesign will receive less implementation funding.
Operations ($321,000): Staff reductions and restructuring.
Special Education ($204,200): Reflects new contract with the Carver Scott Education Cooperative.
Student Activities ($140,000): Activity and parking fees will increase, activities will be responsible for raising more of their own funding.
Ouch! What percentage of the budget is that? In 1976 the total budget for ISD 169 was about a million… or maybe I’m just not remembering. MY GOSH, though, that hurts. We’ll see kids falling through so many cracks, and sooner or later we’ll see a lot of hurt in our general society. We used to be Minnesota smart, but soon we’ll be Minnesota lazy and uneducated.
oops, I meant 191, not 169. Duh!
It’s about 2 percent, so it’s not draconian by any means, but there certainly will be impacts.