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Thisweek Farmington-Lakeville AUGUST 27, 2010
VOLUME 31, NO. 26
NEWS OPINION SPORTS
This year’s Lakeville Art Festival opens with an evening of blues music. SEE THISWEEKEND PAGE 7A
www.thisweeklive.com
Announcements/4A
Sports/5A
Opinion/6A
Public Notices/10A
Puzzle Page/8A
A fresh start:
New school year set to begin Excitement mounts as new school year nears, but challenges lie ahead for Lakeville’s school district by Derrick Williams THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Photo by Rick Orndorf
Seventh-grade science teacher Bill Boecher greets students and their parents during an open house at Century Middle School in Lakeville on Tuesday, Aug. 31. Students toured the building, checked out their schedules, opened and arranged their lockers, and greeted teachers during the annual open house. Students in the Lakeville Area Public School District begin school on Tuesday, Sept. 7.
Lakeville’s streets, parks and beaches will be a little less crowded starting Tuesday, Sept. 7, when 11,100 of Lakeville’s students head back to school. And while students had nearly three months away from classes, the Lakeville Area Public School District’s teachers and staff had no such break. Barbara Knudsen, the district’s director of teaching and learning, said 120 teachers have been working all summer crafting
new curriculum in a variety of areas. “Some people think teachers only work nine months a year,� she joked. The main areas of change students and parents will notice include new honors classes that are part of the district’s new gifted and talented program, as well as a district-wide retooling of essential learnings in science. Knudsen said teams over the summer crafted honors courses in English, See School, 15A
‘We’re all mortal creatures’ White family spans four generations of funeral directors serving south metro area by Aaron Vehling THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
For four generations, the White family has built a business centered on an inevitable conclusion, which many are loathe to fathom until that inevitability hits. “We work with people under stress all the time,� said Jim White, a thirdgeneration funeral director and patriarch of the fourth generation of the family that runs White Funeral Homes, which has five south metro locations. “We know this is the last place people want to be, but we have to be there for them and help them get through the trying times.� Jim’s three sons, Mike, Jim Jr. and John, own and manage White Funeral Homes while Jim, now re-
tired with more than 50 years’ experience, offers occasional help with funerals and mediation between his sons. Sustaining a funeral home business for four generations is not easy, said John. It’s an industry in which 50 percent of those who enter it leave it after five years, according to the December 2009 issue of Mortuary Management magazine. Toss the precarious nature of the family dynamic into the mix, and the continued success and expansion of White Funeral Homes appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel for an industry that is having trouble replacing its retirees. The secret to their success? Both Jim and John, 40, say it is a straightforward concept: boundaries. “I tell the ‘boys’ we’re father and sons after work,� Jim said. “During work,
we’re fellow employees.� John used a family cookout last week for his 40th birthday as an example. “The brothers always say that when we are with the family (outside of work) we try not to talk about business,� he said.
Community White Funeral Homes started more than 100 years ago in downtown Lakeville. Daniel Gephart, Jim’s grandfather, ran a furniture business. He added caskets to his inventory, which led to a full-fledged foray into the funeral business. At that time, a good chunk of the procedures for preparing a body were conducted in that person’s home. For example, Jim said, the Whites would haul equipment to the home and do the embalming on site. Afterward, the wake would be held in the living room of the house.
Photo by Aaron Vehling
White Funeral Homes is in its fourth generation serving Dakota County. Jim White, left, is semi-retired but still helps his three sons (including John, right) run the business. Jim’s father, Bud White, married Gephart’s daughter, Louise, and ushered in a new era, separating the furniture and funeral businesses by building a full-service funeral home in town in 1950. Then came the third generation. Jim, the thirdoldest boy, would help his dad with what he could. His brothers were not interested in the business, but Jim sure was. He gradu-
ated from the University of Minnesota in 1956 with a degree in mortuary science. He tried his hand at working outside the business, but the funeral business was calling. He purchased a site in Farmington, he said. “I helped my dad run the home in Lakeville and I ran the one in Farmington,� Jim said. Business was steady. See White, 10A
Jerry Erickson a ‘pioneer’
Mitch Scott
Dave Bellows
Sheriff’s Web domain name purchase raises questions Bellows: “I’m sorry I did it� by Laura Adelmann THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
Last June, months before Apple Valley Police Sgt. Mitch Scott announced he was running for Dakota County sheriff, his opponent, Dave Bellows, purchased the domain name mitchscottforsheriff.com. Bellows, who was appointed Dakota County sheriff by county commissioners after the surprise General 952-894-1111 Distribution 952-846-2070 Display Advertising 952-846-2011 Classified Advertising 952-846-2000
retirement of former Sheriff Don Gudmundson in February, said he regrets the purchase. He said he did it to find out if Scott was going to run against him for the sheriff position. “I heard he was thinking of running, and this was my way of determining if he was going to run or not,� Bellows said, adding, “If someone goes to use it, you’re notified.� Bellows emphasized that he later released the See Sheriff, 11A +&//: 800%4 $,&3." / 45"$&: " "/%3&8 .*--&3
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Federal aid dollars will allow district to add science specialist, at-risk reading specialist by Kara Hildreth THISWEEK NEWSPAPERS
In 60 days, the Farmington School District 192 expects to receive $1.3 million in federal aid from the Education Jobs Fund to create new teaching jobs. The federal one-time funds will help meet some immediate teaching and staffing needs, and perhaps create new educational jobs. The funds will also help the district since there is no new state education funding coming in the next year. “As a district, we will work to develop a plan to ensure we are investing these one-time funds in a manner that can have a positive long-term impact on learning for our students,� said District Superintendent Brad Meeks. Across the country, the Education Jobs Fund will provide $10 billion to states after it was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Aug. 10. The bill is designed to preserve or create 160,000 teaching and education-related jobs nationwide. Minnesota is expected to receive $167 million to create early childhood, elementary and secondary education jobs for the 201011 school year. The Minnesota Department of Education submitted its application on Friday, Aug. 27, and when the funds are received, the department will allocate money to school districts and charter schools based on the state primary funding formula. The expected $1.3 million federal aid will provide about $190 per pupil in the Farmington School District. The district is looking to add a district science specialist, or coach. The science job would organize science instruction across the district and provide professional development for teachers at all levels, Meeks said. Before making any final “green light� decision on the science specialist position, the district will sit down with cabinet members and teaching and learning staff to discuss district needs. The Farmington School Board will also most likely discuss the federal aid funds at the next school board meeting on Monday, Sept. 13.
Secondary stafďŹ ng additions
Photo submitted
Martha Erickson unveils a plaque dedicated to her late husband, Jerry Erickson, on Sunday, Aug. 29, at Pioneer Park Plaza. Jerry, who died July 30, was recognized as a “pioneer� by the Lakeville City Council earlier this year. Jerry founded downtown Lakeville’s Erickson Drug and Ben Franklin store, and helped found Lakeville’s Pan-O-Prog celebration, the Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce and the community’s youth baseball program.
Other educational staff that will be added by using the federal funds at the secondary middle schools and high school level: A full-time reading specialist to provide reading interventions for high school students who are at risk of not passing state tests in See 192, 9A
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District 192 expects $1.3 million for teaching jobs
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