- Details
- Written by: Jesse Thorstad
- Category: Districtwide News
- Hits: 846
Catch the Court of Appeals activity at Kennedy School today on the Media Center's YouTube channel.
The stream will start at 9:30.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6BYr76V-HQ
Â
- Details
- Written by: Jesse Thorstad
- Category: Districtwide News
- Hits: 1388
Register for any of these fun summer opportunities by calling the Community Education office, or via the School Store!
- Details
- Written by: Jesse Thorstad
- Category: Districtwide News
- Hits: 1186
The Spring 2026 district newsletter is now available!
- Details
- Written by: Jeff Drake
- Category: Districtwide News
- Hits: 8128
The Fergus Falls Public School District values the long-standing service Children’s Corner has provided to our community’s families. We recognize that access to high-quality childcare is a cornerstone of a thriving Otter Tail County. To ensure our community has a clear and transparent understanding of the current challenges regarding our facility partnership, we offer the following information.
The Lease Agreement & Financial Stewardship
In approximately 2019, the District and Children’s Corner began talking about Children’s Corner utilizing a specialized portion of Lincoln Schools. After negotiations between the District and Children’s Corner, the parties reached an 18-year lease that started in April 2021. Â
Favorable Terms: As we have seen in the last 5 years, the costs of goods and services have increased. The amount of base rent that Children’s Corner pays to the District under the lease has not increased since April 2021 and will not increase during the 18-year term of the lease. The District did not include an annual increase in the rent to help Children’s Corner be successful. By not including a typical 2% yearly increase in the rent, Children’s Corner is saving over $600,000 over the life of the lease.Â
Obligation to Taxpayers: The District uses the lease payments from Children’s Corner to service the debt on the Lincoln School. If the lease is not honored, the District remains legally obligated to pay that debt. If Children’s Corner stops paying its rent and/or does not honor its lease, any lost revenue would, by necessity, have to be diverted from funds currently dedicated to student education.
Children’s Corner has requested a significant reduction in rent for the remaining 13 years of the lease. The District wants Children’s Corner to stay, but the District cannot use taxpayer-funded educational dollars to subsidize a private business while significantly reducing Children’s Corner’s lease payments.
Fiscal Responsibility and Facility Management
Our primary mandate is to ensure that educational funds reach the classroom. The potential loss of $2.6 million in lease payments from Children’s Corner necessitates difficult, preliminary conversations about all District assets and options.
We are currently analyzing the efficiency of our smaller facilities, including the potential closure of McKinley School. Operating multiple small sites comes at a cost. Closing McKinley would provide the operational savings necessary to offset the potential revenue losses from Children’s Corner and help to protect the high quality education our students deserve and our families have come to expect.
We want to be clear: no final decisions have been reached. These evaluations are based strictly on financial and educational needs.
Commitment to Communication and Mediation
Contrary to recent reports, the District is, and has always been, open to constructive dialogue.Â
The District has made multiple offers to engage in professional mediation to find a path forward. To date, these offers have not moved forward because Children’s Corner has declined to share the cost of the mediator. The District maintains that for mediation to be successful, both parties must be equally committed to the process and its costs.
Moving Forward Together
We understand the anxiety that uncertainty in childcare causes for parents and employees. The District remains dedicated to the well-being of the Fergus Falls community.
Our preferred outcome is for Children’s Corner to continue their tenancy in one of the region's premier early childhood facilities while honoring the terms of the lease. We reiterate our willingness to enter mediation immediately, provided there is a mutual commitment to the process. We welcome civil discourse and encourage residents to attend our scheduled Board meetings, where public comments are always heard and valued.
- Details
- Written by: Missy Hermes
- Category: Districtwide News
- Hits: 2366
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.Â
The regular meeting of the School Board of Independent School District No. 544 was held in the Community Ed Room at the Roosevelt Education Center. Chair, Melanie Cole, called the meeting to order at 5:15 pm. The following members were present: Kirby Anderson, Jeney Christensen, Melanie Cole, Kelli Graff, Missy Hermes, and Stephen Vigesaa. Jeff Drake, Superintendent, was also present.Â
Missy Hermes, acting clerk, established a quorum.Â
 Stephen Vigesaa made a motion to approve the agenda as presented. The motion was seconded by Jeney Christensen and carried unanimously.Â
Kirby Anderson offered the resolution of acknowledgements for the following and moved for its adoption:
    Thank you to the following:
-
FM Bank and the Fergus Falls 544 Education Foundation for their donations to the “Future Otters” onesie project at Fergus Falls Public Schools
-
Fergus Falls 544 Education Foundation for their donation to the Roosevelt Gym at Fergus Falls Public Schools
-
West Central Initiative for their donation from the Inga M Johnson Endowment Fund for the Fergus Falls Bike Rodeo with Partnership 4 Health at Fergus Falls Public Schools
-
West Central Initiative for their donation from the Inga M Johnson Endowment Fund for student experiences at the Area Learning Center
-
West Central Initiative for their donation from the Inga M Johnson Endowment Fund for Homework Help through Community Education at Fergus Falls Public Schools
The motion was seconded by Missy Hermes and upon roll call vote being taken, the following voted in favor thereof: Kirby Anderson, Jeney Christensen, Melanie Cole, Kelli Graff, Missy Hermes, and Stephen Vigesaa;Â
and the following voted against same:Â
None.Â
Whereupon said motion was declared duly passed and the resolution adopted. Â
Subcategories
School Board
Minutes from the meeting of the Fergus Falls Public Schools School Board.
KSS News
News from Kennedy Secondary School, our grades 5-12 building.
ALC News
The Fergus Falls Area Learning Center is a choice alternative education program. “Our mission is to foster a caring and respectful environment with a focus on real world learning.”
The Area Learning Center of Fergus Falls has a long history of providing educational options, and has been in existence since 1982. Students and their parents have a variety of program options to choose from when enrolling at the Area Learning Center of Fergus Falls. These program options include: Middle School ALC; High School Day Program; Independent Study; Credit Recovery; and Credit Recovery Summer School. All students must meet state criteria for participation in an alternative school. Students are eligible to participate through age 21.
Relationships and challenging curriculum are a key components of the programs the Area Learning Center. The ALC is committed to establishing and maintaining relationships with students, parents, and community supports, along with working to meet individual student needs. The ALC applies a variety of techniques to support students in earning their high school diploma.
-
Advisory: Students enrolled in the day program are a part of an advisory where students participate daily in discussion topics, team building/leadership activities, community building activities, and skill building activities.
-
Restorative Justice Circles
-
Structured day program with feedback to students on classroom behavior and credit earned toward graduation every class period of the school day.
-
Credit Recovery built within the school day.
-
Individualized curriculum pace.
-
MAAP Stars participant for 10 years at the high school level.
-
Community Service Projects: Toys for Tots; Pay it Forward
-
Work Experience and On the Job Training
The REACH program is a school within a school model, alternative education program for middle school students. The program is located within the Kennedy Secondary School.
Academic skills are emphasized in conjunction with workplace and community living skills needed to be successful in the community. Learner performance is monitored and encouraged through daily and weekly monitoring of individual progress. Academic, social, and communication skills are evaluated daily.
The Day Program is designed to meet the needs of students not successful in the traditional high school setting ages 14 to 21. Students attend a traditional length school day that is a combined class schedule of structured classes and independent study classes. In a structured class, a student works in a small classroom setting to meet the course objectives to earn high school credit. In an independent study class, the student works individually on a course facilitated by a certified instructor at their own pace to complete a course. Student progress toward graduation in the areas of attendance, behavior, and course credit earned is evaluated with each class period. The Day Program operates on the school district calendar and is in session from 8:25 – 3:20 daily.
The Independent Study program is designed to meet the needs of students that are unable to attend a traditional school day program. Students choose this option when they are already attending an educational program full time and still need additional credit to graduate, have passed their graduation year and only need a small amount of credit to graduate, are working full time, parenting, or have any other obstacles preventing them from attending the traditional school day but aspire to achieve. Digital curriculum is used to meet the varied student academic needs. A certified teacher works with students to facilitate learning.
To be considered a full time student, a minimum of 20 units of work must be completed at a passing grade level each week. Independent Study students have the freedom to choose which classes, and how many classes they will work on each day. Some coursework can even be done from home. This flexibility can help cut out some of the stress of trying to juggle keeping up with school along with other obstacles that may be in place.
If you are interested in enrolling in an alternative program please contact your high school counselor.
For more information please email or contact the Area Learning Center at 218-998-0544, ext. 9230, or email the Area Learning Center at: