ST. CHARLES, Minn. –The St. Charles School Board has cut four full-time teachers at the high school and two at the elementary school for fall because of budget shortfalls. The budget is $1.6 million short. Superintendent Jeff Apse said that additional trimming is likely: “Every program across the district is going to be impacted.” There is hope, he said, that the Legislature will use some of the $17 billion state revenue surplus for schools. Many districts are in the St, Charles situation, Apse said. “We’d absolutely love to bring everybody back, but we’re not able to do that right now,” he said. The St. Charles district has 540 students in the elementary school and 490 in secondary with 77 teachers for a 13.3:1 ratio.
