Tonight the Duluth School Board voted to close Lincoln Junior High.
The list of possible cuts brought out Mark Eskola the former Central High Orchestra teacher who now teaches at East. He implored the Board to go easy on music then thanked them for listening to him. Despite his thank you there will be massive music cuts if the Fall operational levy fails. If it fails it will be because of the Red Plan.
The Superintendent said for the second time in my hearing that the fall referendum had nothing whatsoever to do with the Red Plan. That may technically be true but politically its nonsense. The only way to save the operational levy would be to put the Red Plan up for a vote. Only the passage of Mike Jaros bill can save it. If the levy fails then the School Board will seriously consider two other items on the cutting board. They are considering adding two students to every classroom city-wide. And even if they made every cut on tonight’s list of $8.98 million in cuts they will have to come up with another three million more cuts if the levy fails.
The agenda was held off for two hours again to accomodate all the pro and con speakers on the Red Plan. Fewer of ours showed up than last month because, as I explained to the Board, people have figured out its a waste of time to talk to the Board.
One thing was clear when the meeting came to an end and all the Board members bloviated. Once the levy fails there will only be one school left standing between Laura McArthur at 54th Ave West and Congdon at 30th Ave East. Tim Grover’s third district will only have Grant school. So much for the central corridor of Duluth. No wonder people are turning to Hermantown in droves to enroll their children.
My bad, I forgot about Lowell. But it won’t be a music magnet anymore.
