By Meryn Fluker, Correspondent

A standing-room-only crowd filled the room Monday night (March 15) during a public hearing on the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District’s proposed budget cuts for the 2010-11 school year.

Some of the 50 attendees wielded band instruments while others wore bright, yellow stickers proclaiming “Synergy is important.” Many members of the audience did both.

By Meryn Fluker, Correspondent

The Prior Lake-Savage Area School District’s 2010-11 budget plan document includes some financial jargon referencing allocations and cash flow borrowing fees. But between the five-dollar words are some pretty clear sentiments:

“Increased class size K-5.”

“Eliminate high school Synergy.”

“Additional increase in class sizes.”

Members of the community will have a chance to voice their concerns tonight at the Prior Lake-Savage Area School Board meeting, where the board will host a public hearing regarding the district's proposed budget cuts for the 2010-11 school year.

At the board's February 22 meeting, Director of Business Affairs Margo Nash unveiled a list of planned budget cuts totaling $3.7 million. These reductions include cutting 22.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) teaching positions and eliminating the Synergy program for gifted and talented students at Prior Lake High School.

Prior Lake-Savage Area Community Education Services and Burnsville-Eagan-Savage Community Education will co-sponsor two events that feature Pam Smieja, a domestic abuse survivor, speaking about her experiences.

The Prior Lake High School band will perform at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 18 in the commons area at Prior Lake High School, 7575 W. 150th St., Savage.

The performance will serve as a dress rehearsal for the students as they prepare to travel to Spain for spring break. While in Spain the students plan to visit Madrid, Zaragoza and Barcelona.

WASHINGTON - More than 1.7 million American children attend “private public schools” where low-income pupils make up less than 5 percent of the student body, a new analysis finds.

“By serving only well-off children, these schools are arguably more private than many private schools,” said Michael J. Petrilli, a co-author of the report and vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, the nonpartisan education policy think tank that published it. “Perhaps they should stop calling themselves „public‟ schools, because they are hardly open to the public.”

Grainwood Elementary School and WestWood Elementary School are among 38 Minnesota primary schools to be honored for their gains in reading.

The Minnesota Center for Reading Research recognized the schools for their significant improvement in reading as measured by state tests and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) status.

By Meryn Fluker, Correspondent

For students in the Prior Lake-Savage Area School District, September brings new classmates, new teachers and even new classrooms. Last September also brought a new face to Twin Oaks Middle School in the form of Sheri Kuntz, the school’s new guidance/attendance secretary.

“I really enjoy students,” Kuntz said. “Each one is so unique, and they all have their own personalities.”