TO THE EDITOR:

 It’s been the warmest, and driest winter in decades. Home owners across the City are cleaning thier yards in anticipation of an early spring. Homeowners taking pride in their yard appearance has always been the practice here in Big Lake. I wish businesses and commercial properties owners would take the same pride making sure winters trash is picked up. Just travel the down town and industrial areas an witness the amazing amount of trash in and around buildings. From storage facilities,  restaurants, bars, gas stations and free standing businesses the trash and debris is disgraceful. Trash bags, bottles, food containers, furniture and boxes litter the area. It’s always amazing how the city will  go after Mr. and Mrs home owner but won’t touch a local business for trash and debris. Boulevards and wooded areas are covered in trash from fast food restaurants ,gas stations supermarkets and local auto and repair shops. The city isn’t off the hook...engage Sentanced To Serve more and get our boulevards greenways and downtown area cleaned.

George Quinn

Big Lake, MN 

TO THE EDITOR:

On behalf of the Monticello School District 882 Board of Education and Administration, we appreciate this opportunity to communicate with the public about some of the funding challenges we, and all districts, are facing. Our school district’s funding increased this past year with an allocation in 2023 from the legislature, and we are grateful. Most of the “new” money provided to us was needed to simply catch up from years of underfunding, and to pay for new mandates. Last legislative session, 65 new requirements for school districts passed. We are now evaluating the impact, and what we have found may surprise our community members.  School districts across Minnesota lost federal revenue and we have had decades of under-investment. Doing what we are already doing will simply cost more, due to inflation. Non-negotiable costs (transportation, utilities, insurance, learning resources) continue to rise- almost 5% year over year, the last five years. The new requirements passed last year came with some revenue, but didn’t completely fund all of the mandates that we as a district must implement. Therefore, we will need to pay for these out of our general education fund. We humbly request that our community reflect on our growing fiscal needs. The new discretionary money is far less than what some think. 

Kathy Ziebarth, Monticello District 882 School Board Chair

Eric Olson, Superintendent, Monticello District 882