Where District 181 can do better

District 181 is facing the same reality many school districts are facing: the cost of educating students continues to rise faster than the revenue available to support them.

The district is asking voters to consider an operating levy this fall. Unlike a building bond, which can only be used for facilities, an operating levy supports the day-to-day costs of school: teachers and support staff, classroom supplies, utilities, transportation, curriculum, and other operational needs.

This is not simply a budget conversation. It is a conversation about what kind of school experience our community wants for its children.

Without new revenue, the district has stated it would need to make approximately $15 million in cuts over the next five years to balance the budget. Potential reductions could include closing two elementary schools, relocating or changing alternative learning programs, and reducing activities, transportation, academic programs, and student services.

No one should take those possibilities lightly. Families value neighborhood schools. Students need activities and programs that help them feel connected. Staff need support to do difficult work well. And taxpayers deserve clear, transparent information about what is being requested, why it is needed, and what happens if it is not approved.

The opportunity is to move beyond slogans and have an honest community conversation about the cost of maintaining quality schools and the consequences of not investing in them.

Our community is hurting. Recent events have brought grief, fear, anger, and urgent questions about bullying, student mental health, and whether every child feels safe and seen.

The district has a clear responsibility to prevent and respond to bullying. District policy prohibits bullying on school property, at school functions, on school transportation, through school technology, and through off-campus electronic communication when it disrupts student learning or the school environment. The policy also applies not only to students who directly bully others, but to students whose indirect behavior condones or supports bullying.

That matters. But policy alone will not create the culture our children need.

Students are shaped in school, but also at home, online, in activities, in neighborhoods, in churches, on teams, and in the way adults talk about one another. If we want children to treat others with respect, adults have to model that same expectation. We cannot ask students to build a culture of belonging while adults normalize cruelty, exclusion, gossip, or contempt.

District 181's strategic plan is built around values that include belonging, respect, integrity, innovation, opportunity, success, accountability, grit, and connection. Those words are important, but the opportunity now is to make them visible in daily behavior, in classrooms, hallways, buses, group chats, school events, board meetings, homes, and community spaces.

The district also provides mental health resources for families, including school-based services through Northern Pines, crisis resources, and 988 text support. Those resources are important, but families need to know where to go, what to do, and how to get help before a child is in crisis.

The opportunity is to treat student safety, belonging, bullying prevention, and mental health as shared community work, led by the district, supported by families, and reinforced by all of us.

People want timely, transparent communication. They want to understand what decisions are being made, what problem the district is trying to solve, what options were considered, what the trade-offs are, and how families and community members can provide input before decisions are final.

That expectation is higher than it used to be. Families are receiving information through social media, texts, school apps, news stories, livestreams, word of mouth, and community conversations. When the district's communication does not keep up, people fill the gaps themselves, often with incomplete information.

The district has communication tools and public board processes in place, including board meetings, agendas, minutes, livestreams, ParentSquare, and district web resources. But communication is not only about posting information. It is about helping people understand.

In a year involving financial pressure, a new superintendent, community grief, questions about student safety, and a fall operating levy, communication cannot be an afterthought. It has to be a core strategy.

The opportunity is to build a stronger bridge between the district and the community: clearer explanations, earlier engagement, more consistent updates, and a willingness to listen even when the conversation is hard.

District 181 is at an important moment.

We can treat financial stability, student safety, and communication as separate issues. Or we can recognize that they are deeply connected.

A financially stable district can preserve programs, support staff, and maintain opportunities for students. A safe and welcoming district can help students learn, grow, and belong. A district that communicates clearly can rebuild trust and invite the community into shared responsibility.

The future of Brainerd Public Schools will not be shaped by the district alone. It will be shaped by families, staff, students, taxpayers, community leaders, and neighbors deciding what we value, and what we are willing to do together to protect it.

Our schools belong to this community. So do the opportunities in front of us.