Community Services is a division of the Northfield Public Schools. It includes…

• community education programs including lifelong learning programs from early childhood through adulthood
• facilities scheduling
• the community’s recreation program, funded in part by the City of Northfield.

The purpose of Community Education funding is to allow school districts to “make maximum use of the public schools of Minnesota by the community and to expand utilization by the school of the human resources of the community.” (MN Statute 124D.18).

The budget for Community Services is contained in Fund 04. It is completely separate from the General Operating budget for the school district which is Fund 01. As stated in the statute, revenues in Fund 04 cannot be used to fund K-12 programs and must be kept separate from the district’s General Operating Fund 01.

Revenues in Fund 04 come from a variety of sources

• state aid and local levy dollars based on a funding formula established by the Minnesota State Legislature
• participant fees (enrichment, recreation, early childhood family education (ECFE), driver education, special events, child care and preschool)
• grants
• other local sources

The current budget for Community Services is $1,770,774.00.