"No" vote paves the way for budget cuts at Moorhead schools

Moorhead, Minn. (WDAY TV) - The cuts are coming, but the question is where. That's the message Moorhead school leaders are giving today after a majority of voters said no to an operating levy. Without the levy, the district now has to trim off 1.3 million dollars worth of expenses. More on what that could mean for teachers, students and their education.

We talked to a mom today who has two daughters who go here to Moorhead High School. She's a member of the Our Students, our School citizens group, and she was really hoping the levy would pass. One of her concerns is class size; her 9th grade daughter is one of 42 students in her Spanish class.

“I don't know how the teachers get their message across to the students and make sure that all the students are learning the materials. Whether they're a student that's really a good student, or it's a student that's struggling a little bit and needs a little extra attention, I worry that that person is going to get passed over.”

Joppa says overcrowding is an issue all over the school. She says teachers have already been cut because of previous budget problems.

“And we needed to shore that up, we needed to continue to exist as a school district with the level of service that we have presently.”

District leaders have seen tight times before, last year they had to cut four and a half million dollars, and that meant turning down classroom thermostats, and taking a hard look at transportation. Now they have to do it all over again.

“But it comes down to we have to have money to operate our school district, we have to be able to run the buses to pick them up from school, we have to be able to heat the buildings. We have to pay the teachers.”

Kovash had real concerns about this operating levy actually passing; she says it was one of the worst times for it to appear on a ballot.

“For our students, I hope they don't see a major difference, I hope it keeps being school for them.”

There's no clear plan yet on which areas will be cut. Kovash says each department will have a fair shot.

“We’re going to have to look at programs, we'll have to look at activities, just everything is on the table, and we have to really go through it, roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

For now, district leaders will wait until the audit report comes out at the end of the month. Form there, they'll have to look over budget reductions and see where they sit.