For school funding, every family counts

One of the big changes as students return to school at ISD 166 is the consolidation of offices at the Grand Marais campus. There is now one main entrance for all visitors to the school, from preschool to senior high. The reason for the consolidation is security—all doors except the main door will be locked. The preschool through high school office (PK-12) is what used to be known as the middle school/high school office. All PK-12 office tasks, such as bus passes, lunch accounts, attendance, student sign-out, etc. will take place in the new consolidated office. The ISD 166 district office—where Superintendent Beth Schwarz and administrative staff work—has moved to the old Sawtooth Mountain Elementary office.

While there is little that individual families can do to affect the state’s education budget, there is a way to help increase the funding that comes to local schools. By completing the “Application for Educational Benefits,” often referred to as the “Free and Reduced Form,” families increase funding for instructional materials, classroom support personnel, and other program enhancements. “It’s like a great fundraiser that doesn’t cost parents anything but the few minutes it takes to fill out the form,” says ISD166 Superintendent Beth Schwarz. The confidential applications are then compiled and the summary information sent to the state.

“That’s where the system gets interesting,” notes Great Expectations School Director Peter James. “The higher the percentage of students qualifying a school has, the higher the amount per student goes, so a school with 40% of their students qualifying will get more than twice the amount of a school with 20% of their students qualifying. That’s why it’s so important to get every form returned.”

The Application for Educational Benefits was sent out to all postal customers as part of the Viking Voice publication and is available at the offices of each of the schools in the county, including Birch Grove Community School, Cook County Schools, Great Expectations School, and Oshki Ogimaag.