This lady nailed the District’s problem getting people to support its levy requests in a letter to the editor. Her conclusion:
Until the School Board can explain how the money will be spent and how increased personnel at schools can save taxpayers money in the long run, voters will have to guess, as I have done here. While the stakes are enormously high, the School Board cannot expect any blind faith among voters.
I have not yet concluded the thread on the Teacher’s Contract but I did explain How DFT Union President Frank Wanner wants to spend it all on existing teachers rather than hire more teachers to reduce class size. Considering that Supt Gronseth can’t promise that a bone head School Board won’t give it to Frank’s soon to be old pensioners its a tough promise for the Superintendent to make. I did conclude one of the Contract posts by saying I’d only Let Frank divvy it up that way “over my dead body.” Sadly, I can’t guarantee the other school board members would be willing to join me at the Alamo.
I can give a little history on the levies.
In 1993 Duluth was coming out of SOD a form of bankruptcy called Statutory Operating Debt. Supt Mark Myles had the chance to pass a levy with suspicious voters and pledged, with every school board candidate’s support to spend it only on building a reserve fund which would make borrowing unnecessary. Four years later we had a reserve fund which was 10 percent of the annual operating budget. With that promise pledged we asked for a renewal in 1997 to be spent on among other things new staff. That was the year Wanner wouldn’t support a levy because as he said “What’s in it for us?” He didn’t want new teachers. He wanted more money for existing teachers. That levy passed too with the pledges of School Board candidates to abide by that spending.
Since that time no promises have been made as to how we might spend the money. Not all our referendum requests have passed.
Once again we are asking for a levy with no pledges as to how we will spend it. And as I keep pointing out Frank Wanner doesn’t give a fig whether we reduce class size and we have to presume he’s quite willing to lead the teachers out on a strike to keep the money for existing teachers. Can a voter trust that these levies will go to keeping class sizes down. Well, if it was up to me I’d guarantee it. However, I’ll only be one of seven School Board members after January if I’m elected. That decision will be made by all seven of us. I’m confident we will use the money to reduce class size. I can’t guarantee it.
