Enrollment
Several weeks into the school year, enrollment numbers have solidified.

According to District Financial Officer Marlene Mann, there are fewer students in Luverne this year, following a projected trend toward declining enrollment.

Last year, there were 1,348 students in the district. This year there are 1,327. The largest class is the ninth grade, with 124 students. The smallest class is the third grade with 87 students.

While some Luverne students attend school in other districts, open enrollment has helped Luverne with 121 students coming in from other districts. The most come from Hills-Beaver Creek (64), Jasper-Pipestone (26) and Ellsworth (24).

Personnel
In personnel matters Thursday, the board:

Approved the contract for Tina Egland as math teacher for $26,744. Her additional assignments will be academic league and prom adviser.

Approved the contract for Katia Lopez Petrovich as Spanish teacher in the amount of $29,511. Additional assignments will be extra class and prom adviser.

Approved the contract of Louise Thorson moving to full time to accommodate a larger-than-expected number of special needs students in the elementary school.

Approved medical leave of absence for Leo Brady, effective Aug. 15.

Approved the resignation of Josie LeBrun as Title I paraprofessional.

Approved hiring Brandee Nowka and Elizabeth Moe as Title I paraprofessionals.

Other business
Middle School Principal and Athletic Director Dave Deragisch reported that seventh- and eighth-grade football helmets will need to be replaced. The lifetime use allowed for liability is expiring.

Nancy Kaczrowski has volunteered to coordinate the Adopt-A-Grandparent program, funding for which had been cut this spring.

Parents of all grade-level students are sought to serve on the district's Curriculum Committee. "This committee should be one of the most important committees we have in the district," said Curriculum Coordinator Jan Olson.

By Lori Ehde
After 20 years in the same robes, Luverne High School choir members are looking forward to a new look, thanks to approval from the Luverne School Board.

Choir director Beth Behal has been shopping for new robes and presented School Board members with her request and some options at the Thursday, Sept. 13, board meeting.

She said her choir has grown from 45 members in 1993 to nearly 100 members now, but that's six more students than she has robes for.

Last year she borrowed some robes from Edgerton High School, which uses a similar style. That worked for a few events, but Behal said she's hesitant to do that this year for a full year.

Also at issue is the fact that the current robes were purchased in 1981, and Behal said 20 years is the average life expectancy of the robes.

She estimates the cost of purchasing 100 new robes may be $8,000 to $10,000, but she's ordered several sample robes to find the best quality for the money.

"I'm going to look at the craftsmanship to see if the quality is reflected in the prices," she said.

High School Principal Gary Fisher supported Behal in her request. "It's been a very positive program for our students," he said of choir.

Behal said appearance is important in concert performances. "If we have a choir that sounds good, we want them to look good, too."

The current red and white choir robes will be kept to use for graduation ceremonies.

The board directed Behal present them with price quotes after she's had a chance to see some samples.

Nov. 1 is the first concert choir performance, and Nov. 5 is the Southwest Conference Festival of choirs in Worthington. Behal hopes to have robes purchased by then.

By Lori Ehde
In an effort to balance decreasing revenues against increasing costs, Luverne School District is joining districts statewide in proposing an excess levy referendum.

During their regular meeting Thursday, Sept. 13, Luverne School Board members agreed to put the proposal to district voters, and during a special meeting Monday night, they decided on an amount.

Voters will be asked to approve a $400-per-pupil excess levy that would amount to approximately $234,000 asked of Luverne School District property owners.

What could make the excess levy more palatable is a proportionate property tax reduction.

"If you put down 37 cents you get 63 cents back," said district financial officer Marlene Mann.

If the excess levy is approved by voters, it will generate roughly $635,000 for the district. The local effort would be nearly 37 percent of that, or $234,000, with the balance coming from state aid.

"It's important to know it's a matched effort from the state," Mann said.

The levy would be in effect for 10 years.

According to Mann, district residents are already seeing a 38-percent decrease in the amount they'll pay for education next year. That decrease is due to a state shift of school funding from property taxes to sales and income tax.

If the excess levy is approved, local property taxes will still decrease by more than 30 percent. "You're still going to have a huge reduction in our local effort," Mann said.

She said the excess levy will be relatively painless for local taxpayers, but it will be priceless for the district in terms of guaranteed revenue when all other sources are shaky.

She said shifting school funding to sales and income tax looks good to local property tax payers, but she said those funding sources are vulnerable to the economic health of the state.

Further, she said the district's own revenue sources are uncertain when student enrollment is projected to steadily decline.

Despite last year's $328,000 in cuts, the Luverne District's revenues still fall short of expenses by more than $100,000. Expenses such as fuel and health insurance have affected all districts.

That, combined with state support not meeting inflation and rising expenses, adds up to a projected $120,000 shortfall by the end of this school year.

For these reasons, the board hopes voters will approve the excess levy to hedge the district's revenues against an uncertain future.

"It seems to make good business sense to have some guarantee from local voters that we'll have some revenue," said Superintendent Vince Schaefer. "Especially since we're down to one-month's operating reserve."

If it's not approved, the district stands to lose more than $75,000 in equity aid from the state.

If the $234,000 excess levy is approved, the local tax burden for education would be nearly 37 percent. The rest by law would be paid by the state.

District residents will vote on the excess levy in a special election Nov. 6. They will be asked to answer the question, "

Fifty percent of the voters, plus one, is needed for the referendum to pass.

By Sara Quam
Commissioner Jane Wildung voiced concern over Lyon County Regional LandfillÕs future at the Tuesday Rock County Board meeting.

Rock County hauls its garbage (except for demolition material) to the Regional Landfill, which has applied for an expansion.

Wetlands and how they are assessed during the application could stop that expansion, and Rock County, along with others in southwest Minnesota, would have to find another landfill.

Landfill expansion requires completion of an environmental assessment worksheet, which is reviewed by the state.

As it is planned, the expansion would move into an acre of land that is a part of 12 acres of wetlands. The land was developed into a wetland with the help of the Department of Natural Resources.

Now the Army Corps of Engineers is asserting that the landfill has to be moved because of what Wildung called "damp ground."

To move the landfill would cost $5 to $7 million.

The Army Corps of Engineers says that the wetland is a "navigable waterway." Some of the water, through a series of ditches and culverts, trickles into the Minnesota River, which is a navigable waterway.

The landfill has applied for the expansion because it has run out of other space. The decision will be made by March.

Wildung said the wetland is about the size of a large room. "It is so small," she said.

County Administrator Kyle Oldre said, "There was less objection to the Hoover Dam than this."

Wildung said that some area legislators have toured the area in question and support the landfill expansion, saying they don't fear for water contamination.

In other business Tuesday, the board:
Passed a resolution condemning the deadly terrorist acts and supporting President Bush and the National Security Team in defending the nation.

Approved the removal of some trees on the courthouse lawn and additional landscaping worth about $1,600.

Put values on tax-forfeited properties in Steen and Beaver Creek. These will be advertised and auctioned.

Hills resident Norm Sjaarda joins many Americans Monday flying their flags at half-staff to honor the victims of the World Trade Center and Pentagon incidents on Tuesday, Sept. 11. As a mark of respect for those killed by the Sept. 11 acts of violence, flags will fly at half-staff at the White House and all public buildings and grounds, military posts, naval stations and naval vessels until sunset on Saturday, Sept. 22.

Photo by Jolene Farley

Church services and flying of the American flag characterized local response to the Sept. 11 attack.

Story inside.

By John Rittenhouse
A slumping Hills-Beaver Creek volleyball team dropped its fifth consecutive match in Rock Rapids, Iowa, Tuesday.

Playing the Central Lyon Lions on their home floor, H-BC was unable to end the skid after dropping three straight games while being outscored 45-21.

The Lions prevailed 15-7 in Game 1 before nipping the Patriots 15-13 during a competitive second game.

H-BC was unable to stay with the Lions in the third game as CL rolled to a convincing 15-1 win.

Although the Patriots did receive some spirited performances by team members, a short-handed H-BC squad struggled receiving serves in the match.

In the mind of Patriot coach Nicole Fey, that led to the team's undoing.

"We did not serve receive well again. We also had some girls out who were injured or sick, and we didn't do a good job adjusting to our new rotation," she said.

Fey cited Tonya Leenderts and Melinda Sandstede for playing hard throughout the match.

Erin Boeve played well at the net by registering a team-high 10 kills.

The 2-6 Patriots will try to snap their losing skid when they play two road matches.

H-BC plays Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin in their second Red Rock Conference test of the year tonight before playing a league match in Adrian Tuesday.

By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek fell out of the unbeaten ranks in Red Rock Conference volleyball play after taking a 3-1 loss from Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin in Mountain Lake Thursday.

The teams split the first two games of the match before the home-standing Wolverines emerged as the winner by taking Games 3 and 4.

Although H-BC slipped to 1-1 in the loop, Patriot coach Nicole Fey liked what she saw from her team.

"I think we broke out of our slump. We missed a couple of crucial serves; otherwise the match could have gone either way. I was really happy with the way our girls played," she said.

ML-B-O drew first blood in the match by securing a 15-6 win in Game 1, but the Patriots battled back to knot the score with a 15-11 victory in the second game.

The Wolverines controlled Game 3 by posting a 15-4 win.

Game 4, however, was a hard-fought battle. H-BC, which trailed 5-0 early, gained a 15-14 edge and served for game point a couple of times without success. ML-B-O rallied to notch a 19-17 win.

Erin Boeve recorded a team-high 17 kills and had 12 digs for the Patriots. Tonya Leenderts led the way with 13 digs while going 18 of 19 in serving and scoring 14 points.

Kathleen R. Johnson, 44, Hardwick, died Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, in Luverne Community Hospital.

Services were Saturday, Sept. 15, at St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne. The Rev. Andrew Beerman officiated. Burial was in St. Catherine Cemetery.

Kathleen McLellan was born to Harold and Joyce (Walker) McLellan on June 6, 1957, in Trimont. She graduated from Trimont High School in 1975.

She married Randy Johnson on July 27, 1990, at Zion Lutheran Church in Hardwick. After their marriage the couple lived in Hardwick. They owned and operated KJÕs Korner Bar in Hardwick.

Mrs. Johnson was a member of St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne. She was also a member of the Luverne Eagles. She enjoyed billiards, bowling and sports.

Survivors include her husband, Randy Johnson, Hardwick; one son and daughter-in-law, Cody and Manda Henrichs, Luverne; two daughters and one son-in-law, Stacy and Jeremy Olson, Hardwick, and Kelly Henrichs and special friend, Ryan Halverson, Kenneth; her mother, Joyce McLellan and special friend, Andrew Skavlem, Trimont; five grandchildren, Ashley, Jakob and Rylee Olson, Dallis Henrichs, and Alexis Henrichs; two stepchildren, Chris Johnson, U.S. Army, and Corey Johnson, Luverne; two brothers and sisters-in-law, H. David and Bonnie McLellan, Burnsville, and Douglas and Karen McLellan, Welcome; two sisters and brothers-in-law, Deborah and Mike McPadden, Norwood Young America, and Patricia and James Morey, Trimont; and several nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Johnson was preceded in death by her fathers, Harold McLellan and Louis Mathues.

Dingmann Funeral Home, Luverne, was in charge of arrangements.