Swords/Plowshares 19 – Pro-Con email sent to the SB March 24

JR – I would urge you to accept the Edison Groups current offer for the Central School site. We as citizens have been feeling the pain of the “Red Plan” for far too long and it is time we put some of it behind us. This would be a start. My wife, I and five children are all graduates of Denfeld.

PP – Please sell the old Central High School and be done with it.. You have a chance to get 14 Million for it .. SELL IT !!! Don’t give it away like you did Morgan Park High School… That is totally insane what you did with that school… Grrrrrrrrrr I dont care if they put in 10 Charter Schools …

JM – The only question is do you want to make money or not? Take the deal, it would be foolish not to.

TH – I have 4 children , 2 of which are still in school. We have spent 850k on an empty building. We could have really used that money to improve our schools being used and to avoid cutting programs.

RV – In the grand discussions of educational competition versus finance

it is time to rewrite your rules on eligible purchasers of School District property. Accept the offer and apply the money toward providing the top quality educational programs ISD 709 was known for making available to its students.

CE – I also feel you are purposefully dragging your feet when the public has already given its opinion on this subject. No wonder why more and more Duluthians are loosing faith in the district and enrollment is declining.

MK – I think the chances of asking the taxpayers to agree to any further property tax increases without doing everything possible to keep the district solvent and prevent increased classroom sizes is very small. I am now retired, but have grandchildren in the district. My husband and I have voted yes to every request for additional tax dollars. The Board really needs to be sensitive to how much has been asked of this community. It is also vital that this community move beyond the Red Plan resentments, and I believe this would help.

DRBCT – When my husband and I moved back to Duluth in 2008, we had visions of our children going to Nettleton and then to Central High School. It was very sad to see Nettleton and Central close down. Neither school will be returning, but if Edison schools can breathe new life into that same building that so many of us proudly graduated from, please give them the opportunity.

TW – …as parents of two kids at East HS we are concerned about the zero hour cuts that were recently mentioned as Budget deficit cost saving measures. Both of our sons are in music and the zero hour option allows them to take part in music while allowing room for other key classes in their schedule. …We respectfully request that you: Cancel or Revise the policy prohibiting the sale of schools to another K-12 school, and Approve The Sale of Central High School to Edison Schools without conditions.

KK – Duluth has to leave the past behind and heal the wounds of a bitter debate over the Duluth Public Schools decisions. My personal belief is that there is no reason, short of sophistry, that would provide an argument against the sale.

TK – The Red Plan was the right thing to do and it will pay off over the long term. But right now the District needs the money and I feel it’s better to see a fine facility such as Central become the home to another school than to see the Edison group develop wetlands and forests unnecessarily to meet the same outcome.

MLP -Why don’t we sell it?? YES SELL IT!! The sooner u sell it the better!! We need to START thinking of our children and teachers.. SMALLER CLASS SIZES…how can one teacher take care or teach 30 children at once?

BA – My children’s public schools experience was negatively impacted by the distributive and costly red plan, loss of programming, and large class sizes. Do what is right for the children, the tax payers, and the environment.