Fergus Falls Schools makes cuts to get out of statutory operating debt

Fergus Falls, Minn. (WDAY TV) - At a time when a lot of school districts are dealing with budget deficits, Fergus Falls is getting itself out of debt, but it hasn't been easy. The road towards black has and will continue to be a rocky one.

Mrs. Abrahms has been teaching high schoolers Julius Ceaser war stories for 13 years and over that time, more and more kids have been behind their desks, but not necessarily by choice. It's because the Fergus Falls school district is trying to get out of debt. One way is by increasing class sizes.

"Statutory operating debt for a school district is the equivalency of bankruptcy."

District Manager Mark Masten says the district got in this hole after years of declining enrollment, insufficient state funding, and what he calls over-zealous spending.

"We had a desire to keep class sizes as low as we possibly could and we just couldn't afford it."

To get towards being fully out of debt, the school district has had to cut about five million dollars over the last two years. The school has been on a state mandated plan to cut its budget to get out of statutory operating debt and now these many, often rough, cuts are paying off. The school has slashed its debt to less than 300 thousand dollars.

"Painful. It's been very painful."

"We've laid off in some way shape or form, like I say, 12 out of the 13 years that I've been here."

School officials expect to be out of debt in two years, and have a 1.6 million dollar surplus in ten. To get there, Masten says they plan to continue curbing unnecessary spending a looking for other ways to cut, keeping classes like Mrs. Abrahms', packed.

To officially be out of statutory operating debt, the school board has to approve it. Its next meeting is November 9th.

The Fergus Falls new high school is well on its way to completion, but the wet weather has made it a bit tougher for crews. The Business Manager says the school should be finished next February or March.

The school, Kennedy Secondary School, will have sixth through twelfth graders. The old one will be a vocational and alternative school. The new building cost 28 million dollars.

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