Last night one of the board members who voted not to negotiate with Tischer Creek made the extraordinay claim that (after reading all) the email sent to him on the subject of selling Central to the DPSA he saw that they were running 50/50. Different people must have been writing him than me because my email was running close to 90% for us to sell the property. I’m not sure if that was a white lie or self delusion.
Here are some of the first few emails I’ve received today:
1.
“OK, the decision has been made not to consider a sale to Edison. Now it is time to be proactive in mitigating expenses.
Why are you spending approximately $15,000 per month to maintain the building and property?
Central High School building will not be used for a school, take the annual expense to maintain the school and use that money to demolish the building?
Or, turn the heat and power off to eliminate that expense? No need to plow the lot, other than maintaining the grass what is the reason for the great expense?
Now the suggestion is for different marketing or better marketing to sell the property?
You just received an enormous amount of publicity in regards to the School District’s wishes to sell the property. No mass marketing can give you the exposure you just received. The truth be told, the amount of potential buyer’s is such a small percentage that it could be years, not months before the next serious buyer surfaces.As an experienced real estate investor I can safely say that “MOTIVATION”, drives real estate transactions. Appraisal’s, valuations, idle talk, does not consummate transactions. It appears that it will be quite some time before a “motivated” buyer comes to the table but if and when that happens, the hope is that the seller is “motivated” as well? Thank you for your consideration on this matter.”
2.
I just read in the DNT that you will not negotiate with Edison for the Central site. I’m baffled by a couple of the arguments that the sale would take away educational opportunities for students who are “impoverished” and at the same time give the students in the central hillside a choice for a neighborhood school. Logic escapes me. My sister (a single mother) bought a house 14 years ago just below the copper top church so that she would be close to Grant and Central when my nephew went to school. We all know how that went since he was shuttled to Nettleton and then bussed to Ordean and East. He is one of the lucky children with a support system to help him get back and forth to East. But breaking into the East clique has not been easy. No activity buses means no after school activities for many hillside kids. Sports traditions are set. My nephew played on the ninth grade team. It was baffling at the end of the season banquet when Head Coach Rhett McDonald praised the ninth grade team for having played together so well for so many years — he obviously didn’t care/recognize that several of the players from the hillside were not part of that clique and had no opportunities when the Central programs were dismantled.
I realize that I am now ranting and that it’s all moot. The renovated/new schools are indeed a nice physical improvement. It’s just a shame that the students — the LIVING HISTORY — have been so shortchanged. Thank you.
3.
I wanted to drop a quick note to say thank you for supporting the policy to not sell District properties to other schools. The future of Duluth Public Schools depends on these tough decisions you have had to make. Hopefully the positive outcomes from this decision will surface soon. Good luck with the sale to a more appropriate buyer.
4.
It is difficult to believe that the sale of the central building was not negotiated. This building has been on the market for five years, price was above asking price. The building’s maintenance cost is $170.00/year. The school district has a $3 million deficit. This makes no sense, it is a bad business decision. Edison will have a high school without the Central building. Duluth has lost again. Where is the Boards common sense? To help make up the deficit, those that vote not to sell the building will give up their pay until the building is sold. All cuts made to budget will come out of the schools office positions and budget. You are punishing the children of Duluth in the same time making Edison schools look like the best option for education.
Please, sell the building!
5.
I could not be more disappointed in last night’s board vote to not work with Edison Schools to sell the vacant Central School. I have voted in the past to increase my taxes for the benefit of the Duluth Schools since I believe that education is so important. No More. I have had it with this school board. Last night’s vote by you was very self serving. You cannot help students without a well funded school system.
DO NOT come back and ask me for more money. As long as the four members that voted against working with Edison Schools are on the board I will never agree to any increases in funding for the Duluth School system.
Your resignation from the school board would please me. We need forward thinking individuals on the school board. You are not.
This is not exactly 50/50
