Litchfield School Board Meeting

The Litchfield School Board heard a report last night from District Assessment Coordinator Stephanie Hansen regarding the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment and Minnesota Test of Academic Skills. Hansen talked about why the testing is done, when it’s done, and the requirements from the Minnesota Department of Education. Test results can be found on the Litchfield School District website.

Business Manager Jesse Johnson presented the preliminary levy information to the Litchfield School Board last night. The proposed levy is $6,629,247.16 – a decrease of .77% or a decrease of $51,645.04 from the previous year. The levy will be set in December, following the truth-in-taxation hearing which is set for 6 p.m. on December 8th.

Litchfield High School Student Council representatives Kelsey Palmar and Kalla Ziegler spoke to the board about homecoming activities this week which is “Dragon Week.” There are special observances each day, and 110 tickets have been sold so far for the homecoming dance. Supt. Susan Burris told the Board last night that enrollment this month is at 1,507 – up from 1,496 in May.

The Litchfield School Board has approved of the purchase of a fabrication mill for the CTE department from Productivity Tooling & Accessories of Plymouth for $35,982.50. Tyler Burgess says they are getting an education discount as this machine would typically cost about $70,000. He says the machine will enable students to produce and possibly sell metal fabricated parts and devices and develop career-related skills. Business Manager Jesse Johnson says the funds to purchase the machine will come from existing funds in the LHS CTE program.

Also last night, the Litchfield School Board approved of a resolution accepting donations, including $500 from the Darwin Community Legacy Foundation for the Litchfield High School Robotics program, and $200 from the Knights of Columbus for the Lake Ripley Elementary School Tradehome Shoes project.