Finances will force Annandale and other school districts throughout Minnesota to look at the possibility of consolidating with neighboring districts in the next few years, Supt. Steve Niklaus says. He raised the issue at a joint meeting of the school board and Annandale City Council on Monday night, June 21, and discussed it in an interview later. A suggestion that a volunteer effort be undertaken to build new ball fields in Annandale also came up during the 75-minute session in Annandale City Hall. Niklaus told the 11 elected members he believes a lot of school consolidation will take place in the next decade and "it’ll be interesting to see if we’re part of that." "Schools are going to be faced with these questions without a doubt over the next five years because the schools don’t have the money," he said. "That’ll be part of our future." People don’t want to see their schools go down the drain, he said, but they are interested in saving money. Niklaus also suggested districts might share things like equipment and personnel. "There’s no doubt that we’re going to be forced to investigate all of those options." He added in an interview that schools have been told not to expect significant or any increases in budgeting levels, and consolidation is one of the options state officials have proposed. "It’ll have to be a discussion" in Annandale as well as other districts in the state, he said. "The majority of districts will have to investigate and see if it makes sense as a cost-cutting means for them. "The question is, does anybody want to talk about it?" Consolidation can occur between districts that touch each other, Niklaus said, and there are seven that border Annandale – Maple Lake, Kimball, St. Cloud, Monticello, Dassel-Cokato, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted and Litchfield. The Annandale district’s student population peaked about 1998 at 1,960 children, the superintendent told the combined boards. In the 12 years since, it’s lost a significant number and has less than 1,700 now. The district’s future is kind of uncertain, he said, and tied to the city of Annandale since outlying areas are pretty much built up. "We’re at a point where we’ve got to start looking seriously at our school facilities," he said. The district has to correct the mistake made in 1972 when it built Bendix Elementary School, and it needs to relieve the pressure for ball fields. He called Bendix "the biggest detriment to the school system." Families shop around for schools, and Bendix "doesn’t pass the test for most people," he said. "Bendix should be replaced." Niklaus said later the Bendix building doesn’t support a good learning environment. Its lack of interior walls creates distractions, space for the gymnasium and cafeteria is undersized compared to state standards and the outside brick is crumbling. "It’s just a poor facility." Twice in the last 18 months voters have rejected school district requests for millions of dollars to build a new elementary school that would have replaced Bendix. Voters in the same elections have also turned down proposals to construct an athletic complex on the site of the city’s former sewage treatment ponds behind Annandale High School. Ball fields School board member Mary Barkley Brown told the group she hated to see that opportunity to develop needed ball fields go by the wayside and suggested a volunteer effort. She referred to the library and Cardinal Kingdom, which were built with contributions of money, labor and materials, and said a lot of things have happened that way in Annandale. "I really do believe in us building some ball fields," she said. "I still think it’s a most worthy cause." The city lost a ball field a few years ago when the new fire hall was built on that site, Barkley Brown said after the meeting, and even before that there was a shortage. "I think it’s something that we need to at least try," she said. "I think we just need to get a start." School Board Chairman Mike Dougherty said in an interview that "there appears to be a high level of interest by many different people to do something like that" and preliminary efforts are taking place. City administrator Mark Casey told the meeting it will be at least a year before anything can be put on the 80-acre site, which is drying out after a new treatment plant opened in Albion Township last fall. Mayor Brennan "Buck" McAlpin said in his personal opinion the site should be used only for sports. LGA cut On another issue, McAlpin said he anticipates another reduction in Annandale’s local government aid from the state next year. Even if a DFL candidate is elected governor in November and the state raises new revenue, he can’t see how there would be enough to avoid cutbacks. Niklaus said the meeting of the two groups was the first in his 17 years as superintendent. School and city officials believe it’s important to get together twice a year, he said, so that school board and council members know each other, stay connected and can investigate services and equipment they might share. The next session is planned in January or February.
