It’s out there
Tournament Central
Two-story outhouse is a convenience, curiosity
EPHS teams spent their breaks at Holiday tournaments
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www.edenprairienews.com
THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2012
EDEN PRAIRIE
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news
‘There are lots of ways to serve’ 2011 revisited Former School Board Chair reflects on time in the hot seat
School Board 2012 Eden Prairie News is profiling outgoing School Board members Carol Bomben and Kim Ross. This week, we feature a story about Kim Ross. In 2012, the Eden Prairie School Board will include new members Karla Bratrud and Dave Espe, along with re-elected members John Estall and Holly Parker and returning members Ranee Jacobus, Suzanne Kutina and Chuck Mueller. The first School Board meeting of the year is Jan. 10.
BY LEAH SHAFFER lshaffer@swpub.com
T
he day Kim Ross was elected to the Eden Prairie School Board in 2007 was the beginning of a new chapter in her life, in more ways than one. “I got offered my job and won the election on the same day,” she recalled. Ross’s time on the board coincided with one of the district’s most contentious periods, which culminated in the decision to change the elementary schools to a K-6 configuration and redraw the boundary map. This November she was not re-elected to the board. Ross does not feel the election results were a form of backlash from her support of the boundary decision. “The voters spoke and they have the right to do that,” she said. She knew it would be challenging: “I personally became associated with the change,” since she was chair in 2010, when a majority of the board (members Chuck Mueller, Suzanne Kutina, Carol Bomben and Ross) voted to support the boundary change. She stands by that decision, which went into effect this year, with approximately 1,000 students moving to different elementary schools and included rebalancing
PHOTO BY LEAH SHAFFER
Kim Ross plans to remain involved with Eden Prairie Schools. Ross served four years on the Eden Prairie School Board but was not re-elected in 2011.
the number of low-income students around the district. When asked what she is most proud of, Ross cites that K-6 change that will benefit all kids in the long run, she said. “When I got the results of the election, I was disappointed for about 20 minutes and then, immediately, I turned my thought process towards, ‘OK, what other ways can I serve?’ “There are lots of ways to serve.”
NEXT? Ross was chair of the governance committee and chair of the board during, “let’s just say,
some difficult times,” noted Board member John Estall, during the last Eden Prairie School Board meeting. Ross has “demonstrated unwavering commitment and passion to serving all students in the district,” said Estall. She always approaches from the perspective of what’s best for all students, he said. “Kim has had the courage to stand up for what she believes is fair and right for all kids and the board is very grateful to her for doing that.” Ross, who has a background in marketing, has volunteered to facilitate future board workshops. “Kim also has the talent to unscramble complicated conversations in clear and concise, succinct motions,” noted Estall. “It gets us moving along and we’ll miss that.” Ross fi rst got involved in the district through work on a 2004
Ross to page 11 ®
The Eden Prairie News presents some quotes and images that made the news from January to June 2011. See page 7 for highlights of the year.
FILE PHOTO BY LEAH SHAFFER/REPRINTS AT PHOTOS.EDENPRAIRIENEWS.COM
Ice form Pete Iverson took a shot during the annual Old Fellows Club’s ice bowling event on Mitchell Lake. The event was covered in the Feb. 10 Eden Prairie News.
CITY COUNCIL
City could recognize domestic partnerships Eden Prairie accepts first reading of ordinance BY KARLA WENNERSTROM editor@edenprairienews.com
Eden Prairie is set to create a domestic partnership registry. The Eden Prairie City Council approved the first reading of the ordinance Tuesday. A second reading is expected at the Jan. 17 City Council meeting. At an August work session, the Human Rights and Diversity Commission told the city that Minneapolis created a registry in 1991. Several other cities have since included a registry, like Duluth, Edina, Richfield and St. Louis Park. City Manager Rick Getschow said Eden Prairie’s ordinance was modeled on one in Hopkins, where those registering must live in the city. He said it would allow unmarried couples who live in Eden Prairie to document their relationship and might help them receive benefits of a documented domestic partnership. Getschow said it would not be an
MORE ONLINE VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR A LINK TO THE DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP WORDING. www.edenprairienews.com
administrative burden. According to the report to the city, since Edina implemented a registry in 2010, it has received about nine registry applications. The city would charge $20 to register. City Council Member Brad Aho said it’s not responsible or prudent for the city to become engaged in a social issue that’s going to be addressed by the state’s voters this year. He said the city should focus on the budget, infrastructure, safety and security of its residents, visitors and business people. The county is generally where marriages and deaths are registered. He said this would set a different precedent and be problematic. Aho asked how the city government would determine if people who sign up for the registry are respon-
sible for each other or committed to each other as the registry wording states. “For these reasons I plan on voting against the fi rst reading of this ordinance,” Aho said. “I really don’t think we should get involved in this as a city.” The other City Council members disagreed. Council Member Kathy Nelson said that it doesn’t really have anything to do with marriage. It would apply to domestic partnerships, for heterosexual and same-sex couples. Council Member Ron Case said domestic partnerships wouldn’t give a couple any of the rights given to a legally married couple. Case said it does go beyond the purview of what cities have done, but “it is very prudent or responsible to work for the freedom of all our residents to pursue happiness.” City Council Member Sherry Butcher Wickstrom also supported the registry, saying it strengthens the Eden Prairie Manifesto through actions.
FILE PHOTO BY LEAH SHAFFER/REPRINTS AT PHOTOS.EDENPRAIRIENEWS.COM
Polar Bear Plunge Eden Prairie’s Polar Bear Plunge raised more than $79,000 to benefit Special Olympics Minnesota. The event is organized by Eden Prairie Police. This year’s plunge is set for March 10.
Council to page 11 ®
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