| 1. This is
the School Board's decision to make.
2. We're tired of waiting for a
decision.
3. Any plan we're offered will cost
about the same.
4. We want the best education for our
children.
5.We like the Red Plan.
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1. No its not. At least its
never been before. Only two school districts have been given
special authority to bond at this level without referendum, Minneapolis
and St. Paul. No one knows whether it is legal yet until the State
Department of Education rules on it. And even if its legal that doesn't
make it right. It took smart lawyers at Johnson
Controls analyzing many recent changes to Minnesota's statutes to find a
way to steal our votes.
2. but if the decision is a bad decision it would
be better to continue waiting. School Board members of the past like Harry
Welty have long advocated closing a high school because, he says, we have too many
facilities. It is hard to believe that closing a high school should cost
293 million dollars. If there is a better plan it will be worth the
wait.
3. Nonsense! The first thing Johnson Controls did
was report that making all our buildings meet the basic educational requirements
would only cost $41 million. Where was this plan when they did a survey?
The Red, White and Blue plans were all a quarter-of-a-billion dollars or
more. Why? Was it to guarantee that which ever plan was selected would
it would reap
Johnson Controls generous earnings?
4. Ironically forcing the Red Plan on Duluth
without a vote will almost certainly do just the opposite. The new
school finance system for Minnesota requires all districts to beg for
money by offering excess levy referenda. In Duluth we raise $5 million a
year this way. These taxes were approved by local voters in referendum elections.
Without this revenue there would be drastic cuts in Duluth's curriculum
and the Red Plan jeopardizes this money. Angry voters will not pass them
so we could get shiny new buildings and a crippled curriculum. This is just
what happened in Dr. Dixon's previous school district Fairbault.
5. And many of us don't. For one thing the Red Plan is
vague. It switches students populations around East to Ordean and vice
versa. This is hard to explain. Furthermore, the Ordean site is a very
small site just like the East site. This is not an improvement.
Furthermore, the Ordean site was plotted by Johnson Controls to have a
250 parking site. This is ridiculous as the additional Central students
attending it will give the school a student population of 1,500. That's
barely enough parking for the staff. Its no wonder that the people who
live by Ordean have put up so many Let Duluth Vote lawnsigns.
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