Inflation misinformation

This will be brief. I’ve got more of Lakeside to leaflet today. I’m about 75% done with the 2nd District.

I’ve heard it argued that because of the School Board’s neglect we now face this awesome need for $293 million in new buildings. I believe I’ve pointed out before that the argument that the Board has been neglecting buildings for the last fifteen years is nonsense. That may have been true in the 1970’s and 1980’s but starting with Mark Myles in the early 1990’s the School Board began putting roughly $2 million a year into long term maintenence. The ten year plan is still in effect. The District has spent about $30 million on maintenence and repair since the first ten year plan.

As for the idea that because we didn’t pass 1989’s $55 million building plan we now face the gruesome prospect of a $293 million plan because of inflation. That’s simply assinine. It presumes an astonishing 500% rate of inflation over the past 18 years. I found an online inflation calculator and although it only took me up to 2006 it showed that 1989’s $55 million dollars would be the equivelent of $90.3 million in 2006. That’s less than a third of the Red Plan’s cost.

Don’t blame neglect or inflation for the Red Plan’s extravagance. Blame foolishness. Blame greed. Blame inflated egos. The old school board did what it was supposed to.

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