High school government student tackle district referendum

Luverne district residents will vote Nov. 7 on a $23 million bond referendum for school building upgrades and improvements.
While property owners study its impact on their taxes, students are studying the referendum as a class project in their high school government class.
Teacher Dave Rysdam said it’s the perfect opportunity to apply a real-world local case to a local government assignment.
“It coordinates with a variety of our standards using real-life illustrations of issues that affect them,” he said. “Since it’s real and it’s now, I want them to have the conversation.”
The 87 students, mostly high school juniors, are asked to learn about the Luverne School District referendum and prepare a cost-benefit analysis.
He asks them to consider the specific cost of the current proposed project compared with what it would cost to delay the work 15 years.
And what are the tax implications on an individual level for a house in town versus a farm in the country?
“I like the idea of the kids being able to decide from their own perspective,” Rysdan said. “It allows them to define what the intangibles are, rather than just the tangibles.”
For example, he said the tangible considerations are the costs of the school facilities project and if it’s worth it.
An intangible consideration might be the project’s effect on the community as a whole.
“How does this relate to a better school system?” Rysdan said.
He said the assignment on the district referendum is similar to a class project last year when students studied the economic impact of truShrimp coming to Luverne in 2018.
“I was so impressed by the students and what they came up with,” Rysdam said last year when that assignment was complete.
Now he said he looks forward to a youthful perspective on Luverne’s school referendum.
“It’s totally student-driven,” Rysdam said. “They’ll survey staff and the community and they’ll compile that information and develop a list of questions.”
Those questions will be put to Superintendent Craig Oftedahl in the three class sections of high school government class Friday.
“He’s been totally on board with this,” Rysdam said about Oftedahl. “He can’t give them a sales pitch, but he’ll answer questions.”
Regardless of the assignment outcomes, Rysdam said the exercise is worthwhile.
“I want them to think about community, citizenship and about being part of something that’s larger than yourself,” he said.
“And at the end of the day, I hope they talk to their parents about it — not to sway them one way or the other, but to have a conversation.”
Rysdam said he enjoys using community issues to teach government and economics classes.
“It’s an issue that has absolutely everything to do with them,” he said. “And from my perspective, why not?”
The students’ final projects are due Wednesday, and Rysdam said may share some of the top grade earners with the Star Herald.