Moose Lake Schools

Information may not be reliable

MLWR will play Braham in football Section finals on Thursday, November 4th at 7pm at Public School Stadium in Duluth

A public flu shot clinic will be held in the High School Library on Thursday 11/18/10, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. during parent teacher conferences.

Located 40 miles from Duluth and 90 miles from the Twin Cities, Moose Lake offers the tranquility of the outdoors with easy access to the metro area. Moose Lake Community Schools is proud to serve the communities of Moose Lake, Kettle River, Sturgeon Lake and surrounding areas.

For updates on school happenings, visit the Superintendent's Blog at http://timcaroline.blogspot.com

The Arrowhead Leader recently published an unsigned Letter to the Editor from an alleged group called Citizens Aligned for Responsibility in Education (C.AR.E.). I am not sure such a group really exists, as the letter did not give any contact information or location of their monthly meetings. The letter basically states that the Moose Lake School does not have their priorities straight in that they spend more than the state average per pupil on administration and athletics and less on kids.

It is important to compare apples to apples when looking at data. Per pupil costs and revenues across the state are going to vary based on the number of kids in a school or district. As an example, let's take two elementary schools, one with an enrollment of 300 students and one with an enrollment of 500 students. Each school has one principal. When you calculate the per pupil costs of administration, the larger school with more kids will have a lower per pupil cost because there are more students to spread the costs over. The smaller school will have a higher per pupil cost because they have fewer kids, but still need a full time principal.

A more accurate comparison would be to see how we compare to schools our size. The following information is from the Minnesota Department of Education.

Districts Our Size- 4,526
Note: Our district receives less revenue per pupil compared to the state average so we have less money to spend.

When compared to schools our size, a number of the points made by the letter writer do not hold up. We do not spend more on administration and athletics, and actually do spend more on Instructional Support and Career and Technical Education for our students.

Lastly, the Minnesota Department of Education presented the Moose Lake School District with their 2010 School Finance Award in recognition of outstanding accomplishments in financial management, including compliance with state statutes. We are proud of this award and tax payers should be too knowing that our district is, and will continue to be, responsible with the tax dollars given to us.

Here are just a few reasons why you should consider enrolling in the Moose Lake School District...

Selected as the school of choice by over 140 Open Enrollment students.

Honored as a Minnesota Elementary School of Excellence.

Environmental activities and courses enhanced by a school forest and on-site lake and river system.

Designated as a Governor's Fit School for promoting physical activities and healthy eating.

A very active Kids Plus After School Program for elementary students.

Lifelong activities taught, such as canoeing, snow shoeing, archery and bowling.

Numerous College in the Schools as well as On-line course opportunities.

A model Health Occupation program in partnership with Mercy Hospital & Health Care Center.

The Moose Lake Community Schools Wall of Fame committee is seeking nominations for the 2011 Wall of Fame. The mission of this committee is to annually recognize outstanding Moose Lake alumni, coaches and staff who have achieved distinction in athletics, academics, or the arts, made significant contributions to the school and community, or through personal achievements in their career.

Nominees to the Moose Lake Community Schools Wall of Fame shall be selected based upon the following criteria:

1) Nominees must either be a former student/graduate of the Moose Lake Community Schools, or a member of the school or the community who has made a significant impact or contribution to the school.
2) Alumni nominees are first eligible for selection ten calendar years following their graduation. Coaches and staff members will be eligible for selection five years after the end of their employment.
3) Selection is based on achievements, including a worthy record in more than one and exemplary achievement in at least one of the following: Contributions to the school while a student, coach or staff member; Job-related achievements; Professional honors and awards, professional affiliations, publications; Civic or community involvement; Personal achievements/accomplishments; Other appropriate qualifications which the committee believes merit consideration.

Anyone may submit a nomination for any person meeting the minimal eligibility criteria listed above. Every person nominated shall be eligible for a period of three years. Individuals may be re-nominated. Nomination forms are available on the district's web site under the Wall of Fame link located on the left side menu bar, in the Moose Lake District Office, at the Moose Lake Chamber Office, or directly from the link below.

The Moose Lake Community Schools Wall of Fame Committee is in need of sponsors to keep this recognition activity going. Please consider the following sponsorship levels:

Members of the Moose Lake Kiwanis served as polling judges for the Kids Voting program at school.

The Moose Lake Kiwanis sponsored the Kids Voting program for all students in grades 1 through 12. The results of the student votes are below.