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Indian dance and Japanese drumming come to the Burnsville PAC. See Thisweekend Page 9A.
NEWS OPINION SPORTS
Thisweek Burnsville-Eagan OCTOBER 15, 2010
VOLUME 31, NO. 33
www.thisweeklive.com
Opinion/5A
Announcements/8A
Puzzle Page/10A
Sports/13A
Classifieds/14A
Senior Spotlight/18A
Envision enrollment down but not out Burnsville-Eagan-Savage’s performing arts magnet seeks to overcome growing pains by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Fewer students attend Envision Academy of the Arts in Burnsville this year compared with the previous year, but that does not mean it’s curtains for the BurnsvilleEagan-Savage School District’s performing arts magnet for grades nine through 12. Envision has around 50 students — one-third fewer than the 77 who attended last year (the school’s inaugural year). Carla Hines, the school’s new dean of students, said part of the
enrollment problem is simply promotion. “I think there was a lack of follow-up with those families that were interested,� Hines said. To fix this, she said, “we will send out informational flyers and announcement flyers to Burnsville and surrounding areas.� She added that the school is taking some proactive measures to attract more students, which includes attending open houses at other schools in addition to Envision hosting its own open house on Nov. 17.
Envision expanded this year to allow seniors to enroll. School Board Member Dan Luth said because of this the enrollment numbers are actually fairly static. That said, both Luth and Hines would like to see the numbers increase. “We have plenty of room to bring more people into the program,� Luth said. “You want to add a larger base of students that allows the sustainability of all those programs moving forward.� Hines said boosting enrollment is one of her primary goals, but not
the only one. She wants to “set a tone of academic excellence in the performing arts and core classes.� But reaching enrollment of 80 to 100 students — “solid students that really want to be there and really are focused on both performing and academic areas� — is important, she said.
Of two locales Students enrolled at Envision have a two-tiered school day. They start out at Burnsville High School at 7:25 a.m. and finish up at 4:15 p.m. at Envision,
Eagles set state record for consecutive wins Photo by Rick Orndorf
Apple Valley’s Tom Obarski, No. 3, passes the ball during the Section 3AA soccer quarterfinals against Hastings. The Eagles won the game 10-0, putting their winning streak at 42 games. The previous Minnesota record for a consecutive winning streak in boys soccer was 40, set by Stillwater in the 1990s. Apple Valley is the defending Class AA state champion, and the team upped its 2010 season record to 18-0 with the win over Hastings.
Trash-can scofflaws will get friendly reminders from city Because of budget cuts, Burnsville will pursue violators less fervently by John Gessner THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Thanks to City Hall budget and job cuts, trash-can scofflaws in Burnsville will find the city pursuing them a little less fervently. City Council members agreed Oct. 12 to ease up on time-consuming enforcement procedures for a common property-maintenance violation: leaving the trash can out after collection day. But council members rejected another staff suggestion to allow more permanent storage of recreational vehicles and trailers in driveways.
“I guess our No. 1 complaint is trash cans� being left out too long, said Jenni Faulkner, community development director. City ordinance requires trash containers to be screened from view if kept outside. Of the 686 new cases handled so far this year by code enforcement inspector Ron Anderson, 124 were trash-can cases, Faulkner said. Another 24 included trash cans among other property violations. “I can see why this could be terribly annoying for some neighbors,� Council Member Mary Sherry said.
The city has responded to trashcan cases, revealed mostly through neighbors’ complaints, by sending a letter giving property owners 10 days to fix the problem. Another letter follows if the problem isn’t fixed. About 80 percent of property owners fix the problem after the first letter, Anderson said. The city currently doesn’t issue citations for trash-can cases alone, he said. Maybe 5 percent of property owners who get letters never seem to comply, Anderson said. Tracking the violations has See Trash Cans, 8A
which is located in the Performing Arts Center (PAC) in Burnsville’s Heart of the City. One theory surrounding enrollment issues is that this dichotomy obstructs students from spending time with their non-arts-oriented friends and reduces the ability to participate in extracurriculars (Envision’s school day is longer than an average one). At least one student can attest to this. Senior Abbey Jaeger, the student council representative on the School Board and an actress, See Arts Magnet, 8A
Candidates for mayor, council square off at forum by Erin Johnson THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Two candidates for Eagan mayor and three candidates for City Council squared off Oct. 7 at a debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters. Mayor Mike Maguire is seeking re-election, as are council members Paul Bakken and Gary Hansen. Challenging the incumbents are Joey Browner, who is seeking the mayor’s seat, and Bill White, who is seeking a seat on the council. Council candidate John Weiser was not able to attend the forum. During the debate, candidates fielded audience questions on everything from budgets to business retention. Browner, a former Minnesota Viking who works for the Metropolitan Council, said his priorities for Eagan are education and wasted space. He said he’d also like to make Eagan more transit-friendly, invite businesses back that have left, and encourage new businesses to settle here. The incumbents have done a great job, he said, but “the difference with my perspective is diversity. We need to be more diverse in what we’re
doing with our community, because our community is very diversified.� Maguire has served the city for the past eight years, first as a council member and then as mayor. Eagan is a strong community and successful city, he said, and he has the experience and dedication needed to lead it. His highest priority, he said, is protecting quality city services at a low tax price. “I’m running for re-election out of a commitment to the core values that we all uphold of responsibility and stewardship,� he said. Bakken is a two-term council member whose priorities include preserving open space, supporting key infrastructure, providing common-sense leadership, and protecting the taxpayers’ bottom line by making sure to get good value for tax dollars. “Eagan already has a very effective management team in place, and I’m proud to be a part of that management team,� he said. Current Council Member Gary Hansen said he offers experienced leadership, including 10-plus years on city and county advisory commissions. See Eagan, 12A
Five define themselves at Burnsville schools candidate forum Rahn, boundary changes, financial concerns among topics discussed by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Broad-stroke budget cuts, student achievement gaps and school attendance boundary rewrites: such is the stuff of an election season riddled with profound challenges that loom on the horizon. For the first and presumably last time until the Nov. 2 election, the five candidates vying for four seats on the District 191 School Board came together to discuss issues at a candidates’ forum at the Diamondhead Education Center in Burnsville. The candidates (incumbents Dan Luth and Gail Morrison and challengers Peter Beckel, Jim Schmid and Paula Teiken) were General 952-894-1111 Distribution 952-846-2070 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846-2000
hit with a barrage of questions from moderator Tom Taylor, some students from a high school government class and the audience.
Strength and weakness One of the major questions of the night – defining the district’s strengths and weaknesses – revealed a candidate pool that for the most part agrees with each other on several key issues, though with some divergence. For the most part, they all agreed that district staff, children and the community as a whole are the strengths in the district. Luth, who is running for his third term on the board, said “we’re in the people business.� Morrison, also seeking a third term, applauded the community for its support of the public schools. “We have a committed
professional staff,� Morrison said. “We have a community who cares about students whether or not they have children in school.� Further complimenting the staff, Teiken added that “we are fortunate to have them. It’s best for us to keep on empowering them and supporting them in our role.� Schmid, who has run for a seat on the board in past elections, built off that theme and went deeper into the schools. “We have a strong curriculum. It’s stronger now than when I was a student,� said Schmid, who graduated from Burnsville High School in the 1980s. Schmid also commended the district for fiscal responsibility. “The district has done a good job of managing its budget,� he said. Beckel, who has also sought a seat in the past, See District 191, 11A
Photo by Aaron Vehling
Jim Schmid and Paula Teiken were among the School Board candidates at a District 191 candidate forum at Diamondhead Education Center on Monday, Oct. 11. Tom Taylor, president of Shippers Resource Center, moderated the forum that was sponsored by his company.
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