School board members help set legislative platform

Forest Lake school board members Julie Corcoran, Karen Morehead, and Gail Theisen participated in the Minnesota School Board Association’s Delegate Assembly on Dec. 3.
The MSBA Delegate Assembly is comprised of 142 public school board members, elected from across the state. The assembly debated and voted on legislative resolutions to help set MSBA’s legislative agenda for the 2017 legislative session. The MSBA is a leading advocate for public education, supports promotes and strengthens the work of public school boards.broadstreet.zone(48036);
Among the noteworthy resolutions, the Delegate Assembly urged the Minnesota legislature to consolidate all teacher licensure activities into one state entity, support policies that help and retain teachers, stabilize education funding by reducing the education cross subsidy by 25 percent, and create a new funding stream for Advanced Placement, College in the Schools and other college credit programs for high school students.

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Grant funding available for therapy dogs

All of Fairview Health Services’ volunteers have big hearts, but some have four paws and a tail.
Canines and handlers volunteer to help patients across the Fairview system cope with stress, anxiety and illness. Now, a grant will help to pair more of these pups with patients at Fairview Lakes Medical Center and Fairview Northland Medical Center.broadstreet.zone(48036);
With this new grant, Fairview is actively recruiting dog visit teams. Fairview will pay training and testing fees for the first 24 volunteers to sign up. Information sessions are intended for dog owners and handlers, who should leave their pets at home.
“The patients are so appreciative of us being there,” Fairview Ridges Hospital volunteer Sheila Hittner said. “They start talking about the dogs they’ve had and the joy their pets brought them. They reminisce. I can’t believe how many people say thank you. I think they’re drawn to the dogs because they’re drawn to the

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Dayton hosts pizza party for Project SEARCH interns

Gov. Mark Dayton hosted a pizza party luncheon at the Governor’s residence for the state’s Project SEARCH interns on Nov. 30. The luncheon served as both a time to connect and recognize the hard work the interns have been doing in order to become fully integrated in the competitive employment market.
Project SEARCH is a partnership between business, education, vocational rehabilitation, a community rehabilitation partner, a local developmental disability organization and families. The goal is to provide on-site internship experiences and marketable skill acquisition for young adults with disabilities leading to competitive employment.broadstreet.zone(48036);
An international program that began in Cincinnati, OH and has spread across the country, Project SEARCH currently holds seven sites within the state of Minnesota. Forest Lake Area Schools has been a part of Project SEARCH programs since 2009 and has been the district hosting the Project SEARCH Fairview Lakes Medical Center of Wyoming site since January 2014.
Forest Lake

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Washington County sets levy, budget

The Washington County Board of Commissioners set the county’s 2017 budget and levy Dec 13.
The board certified the following:broadstreet.zone(48036);
• a tax levy of $96.1 million for county operations and $1.05 million for the Land and Water Legacy Program
• a property tax levy set by the Washington County Community Development Agency at $4.718 million
• the Washington County Regional Rail Authority levy of $776,800
The board has been reviewing the 2017 recommended budget, which will be supported by the levies, since mid-summer.
The approved budget increases the county net tax levy (excluding Land and Water Legacy funding) by 3.49 percent, to $96.1 million. The county’s median-valued home is $243,200, up 1.1 percent in value from 2016. It is expected that the owner of the median-valued home would pay a county property tax increase of about $6, or about 0.8 percent, for 2017. The county’s non-levy revenue is expected to be $102.5 million, an increase

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