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$437
First you lose your vote!
For the first time in
Duluth
’s history a major school building plan
is not being offered to the voters in a referendum. It’s six times bigger than
any previous bond. The Board didn’t think it would pass so, on a 4-3 vote, it
adopted it without an election. It claimed a survey proved
Duluth
didn’t want to vote on it.
Then you lose your shirt!(or
home)
At $293 million the Red Plan may be the biggest school bond in
Minnesota
history. It’s six times bigger than
the $55 million bond that was defeated in a referendum 18 years ago. With
interest it will cost $437 million. Its cost will sneak up on us because, unlike
your home mortgage, Red Plan payments (taxes) will triple over twenty years
increasing 5.5% each year.
Then you lose your schools!
This isn’t all the School Board is planning to do. It wants to renew
an excess levy for classroom expenses next year. Only three of four such levies
have passed in
Duluth
since 1993. When the excess levy failed
in 2001 the School Board cut one period from the school day - meaning
one-seventh of our high school curriculum. If people who don’t get to vote on
the Red Plan get angry and vote against next year’s excess levy, we will have
to cut $5 million each year from our classrooms. Since the School Board hopes to
double the excess levy next year failure seems all but certain.
It is ironic that the School Board should put so much faith in new
buildings to educate kids because one of our most decrepit elementary schools,
Lester Park, is ranked 13th out of over 500
Minnesota
elementary schools in math. So much for
brick and mortar.
It’s
been said that those who do not know the past are condemned to repeat it.
Our School Board hired Dr. Keith Dixon from
Faribault
without looking closely at his record. Under
Dixon
’s watch
Faribault
voters turned down two excess levies for classroom spending and the schools
suffered. They failed because of a tax revolt after a building bond passed. Dr.
Dixon’s approval rating in a
Faribault
survey fell to 37 percent.
But
Duluth
voters don’t have to look as far south as
Faribault
to see what happens to a school district once a tax revolt has begun. Just 25
miles to our north, Two Harbors has just laid off 25 teachers because of the
anger over the costs of their new high school. Two Harbors voters are voting
against classroom expenses even though they have only themselves to blame for
the new High School. Unlike
Duluth
, Two Harbors got to vote. How many teachers would the much larger
Duluth
School District
have to lay off?
Isn’t
this starting to sound like the
Duluth
Aquarium
all over again? Influential Duluthians giving birth to the Red Plan against the
City’s
better
judgment?
You
have five weeks until the election. Make your voice heard.
Write to:
Duluth
News Tribune
and you might want to tell
the School Board
Four 424 W. 1st
St
.
what you think of being denied
your right to vote!
Duluth
,
MN
55802
They told us no one wants to vote on the Red Plan.
Mary
Cameron 525-2362
Tom Hustad
728-5720
Nancy
Nilsen
628-2125
Ann Wasson
728-1931
And
know your candidates
For
the Red Plan and
Against the Red Plan and
against
putting it to a vote: for
having a referendum on it:
Judy
Seliga-Punyko 2nd
District vs.
Harry Welty 2nd
District Deborah Anderson 3rd
District or
Tim Grover 3rd
District
Bevan Schraw
At Large
Gary Glass
At Large
Used by permission of Steve Lindstrom
To
help call Brenda at: 390-7768. Donations
accepted at: Treasurer,
2610 E 3rd St.
,
Duluth
,
MN
55812
Paid
for by Let
Duluth
Vote
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