The Litchfield School Board has approved of a list of budget reduction items that were put together by the administration. The cuts for next year’s budget total $368,005.
On February 9th, the Board approved of a motion assigning the administrative team the task of finding $350,000 or more worth of cuts for the 2026-27 budget. The list includes one full-time equivalent literacy lead, one full-time equivalent focus teacher (student success coordinator), a point-4 Spanish teacher position, three full-time equivalent para professionals (2 Title-1 and 1 special ed.), one full-time equivalent clerical position, special projects support for district reduced days, a varsity assistant wrestling coach, and a middle school track coach. Marcia Provencher voted against the measure as she did not want cuts to be made to the paraprofessional positions.
The Board heard a report last night from Peter Leatherman of Morris & Leatherman regarding a telephone survey that was conducted with 400 random school district residents from late January to early February to help gauge the feasibility of going to voters in November with either an operating levy and/or a building referendum. Leatherman went over the results and determined that residents have positive feelings about the school district, but there is a solid 25% who would not support any property tax increases.
The Board also heard a report from Jennifer Ridgeway regarding the Crisis Management Policy and Comprehensive School Safety Guide which had a first reading approved as part of the consent agenda. Litchfield School Board member Greg Mathews also reported on a meeting that he and fellow board member Darrin Anderson had with a group of community members who are concerned about bullying and he proposed having a community forum to allow people to air their feeling on the topic, but the idea failed on a 3-to-3 tie vote with Stephanie Danielson joining Mathews and Anderson on the idea. The other members wanted to check first with the Minnesota School Board Association on some of the legal issues involved with holding a public forum and taking a different approach to addressing the issue.
The Litchfield Downtown Council, Litchfield Golf and Community Partners and Prospects presents “An Evening in Front of the Radio” – a dinner reader’s theater production about the golden age of radio. It’s coming up this Saturday, March 14th, at Prospects in Litchfield.
Betty Allen says doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with a 2-meat buffet at 6 p.m. and the show at 7. She says tickets are $35 and there were 70 seats available, so get your tickets soon. Carl Minton from the Litchfield Golf and Community Partners Board says they are providing the materials for a stage at Prospects along with the labor. He says this is a new venture at the golf club.
Darlene Kotelnicki says tickets are available at the Fieldgate Cheese Store, DeAnn’s Country Village Shoppe, Farm Bureau or by calling her at 320-535-0034; and it’s cash or check only. She says the cast includes Art Elson, Erika & Michael Buller, Paul White, Beckie Simenson, Karter Cunningham, Jeff Woods, Scott Nelson, Betty Allen and herself and they’ll be portraying news and other events that people would have heard on the radio back in the 30s, 40s and 50s.
Kotelnicki says there will be items like the crash of the Hindenburg, Charles Lindberg landing in Paris, the Kentucky Derby, a Joe Lewis fight, Abbott & Costello’s “Who’s on First” skit, Norma Berke doing the 10 a.m. news from her home in Litchfield, Betty Crocker, George Burns & Gracie Allen and more. She says they will also have sound effects and signs for the audience to follow such as “on air,” “laugh” and “applause.”
Kotelnicki says they are raising funds to help with this summer’s musical line-up in Central Park. She says it’s a family-friendly show and if it goes well, they’ll try it again.
The Grove City Area CARE program has a couple of events this month – on successive Wednesdays. The first one is coming up this Wednesday – a Minnesota Farm Advocate meeting with speaker Jim Molenaar.
CARE Volunteer Coordinator Rosie Dilley says the program will begin at 11 a.m. in the Cardinal Room at 205 South 3rd Street in Grove City, and lunch will follow. She says anyone is welcome – no RSVP is needed – and Jim will talk about financial planning, lender negotiations, legal services and more.
Dilley says on the following Wednesday, March 18th, the We Care About You Senior Health Expo will be held in the Trinity Lutheran Church Fellowship Hall on East Highway 12 in Grove City from 9-to-11:30 a.m. She says there will be a continental breakfast, door prizes and information available from 35 vendors. She says there will be some of the vendors from past expos, some new ones, and they are going to also have a time of music therapy.
Dilley says if anyone would like more information about the Farm Advocate meeting this week, the health expo next week or about any of the other services available through the Grove City Area CARE program, they may call the CARE office at 320-857-2274. She says donations to the program are always welcome and may be sent to Post Office Box 192 in Grove City.
The Minnesota State Patrol responded to a one-vehicle crash on Saturday afternoon at 4:49 near the intersection of Highways 12 and 22 in Litchfield Township. A 2002 Ford F150, driven by 39-year-old Christopher Alan Griggs of Atwater, was westbound on Highway 12 and left the roadway near the Highway 22 intersection.
Griggs was taken to Meeker Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Also responding to the scene were the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office and Mayo Ambulance.