Here’s one:
Dear Harry,
Good Morning, I know that you are doing all that you can in regards to trying to convince the other members of the school board to agree to sell Central, and I wish I would be able to attend your meeting tonight, however, I am unable to attend at such short notice. In the message below, I want you to know that when I refer to my disappointment in the Duluth School Board, I am not disappointed in you, I know you have tried over and over again to improve the western schools and all of the schools in our district, and I believe that you have the best interests of the students in mind.
Our family lives in Duluth Heights, when we purchased a home in Duluth Heights 14 years ago, we chose this location because our children would get to attend the wonderful Duluth Public Schools that my husband and I attended. Our children were supposed to attend Birchwood (Closed), Woodland (Closed), and Central High School(Closed). With these closures our neighborhood has been ruined. Less than half of the children who are supposed to attend the Duluth Public Schools are attending the Duluth Public Schools. This is disappointing for multiple reasons, but more than anything, it ruins the sense of community. I am not a supporter of Edison Schools, or any other school that isn’t in our district. However, families are fleeing. Why are they fleeing? Because the Duluth School Board does not listen to families. There are at least 5 children in my neighborhood that have chosen to attend Hermantown rather than Duluth. There are actually only about 4-6 students attending Edison. There are at least another 7-10 that are attending Holy Rosary, Lakeview Christian Academy and Marshall.
In our neighborhood, there are also students that are supposed to attend Lowell, Lincoln and Denfeld, but have chosen to attend Congdon, Ordean, and East. While I often hear that the Duluth School District is fighting with Edison, it is not only fighting with Edison, unfortunately they are even fighting with themselves. Just as dollars are “taken” from ISD 709 when students move to Edison, the Western Schools dollars are “taken” by their very own counterparts on the East side of town. While students continue to transfer East out of fear of not having an adequate curriculum on the western side of town, our western school dollars follow those students, and over and over again our students are having classes cut due to low numbers. My neighborhood is not alone, there are families throughout the city that are unhappy with ISD #709, and have students attending outside the district. In Piedmont, West Duluth, Gary Morgan Park, the families are choosing to attend Proctor (Proctor even provides busing to those students) Wrenshall, and Superior.
I am sending the following to each of the members of the School Board. I initially wrote this as a post on Facebook and numerous people encouraged me to send it to the Duluth News Tribune. I did attempt to send it to the Duluth News Tribune, however, since it is more than 300 words they would not publish my editorial. I want you and the rest of the school board to know that there are 100’s of families that have agreed with these comments and also believe that the Duluth School Board needs to re-evaluate the decision regarding the sale of Central High School.
The Duluth School Board has made another disappointing decision. As a supporter of the Duluth Public Schools, I have always believed in the
benefits of a public education, however, I can’t help but feel that The Duluth School District is not acting in the best interests of the citizens or the children of Duluth. Families are choosing to attend schools outside our district because schools in our neighborhoods are being closed, and they are unhappy with how our school district is performing. Families are choosing to send their children outside ISD#709, however they are not only sending their
children to Edison, they are also sending their children to Hermantown, Proctor, and Wrenshall.If the District would have sold Central High School to Edison there may have been a small increase in students attending Edison High School simply due to
location. Yes, Central High School is in a great location, which is why that site was chosen by the Duluth School District back in the 1970’s. It is close to
numerous neighborhoods, bus lines, and is in the Central part of town. However, the majority of the students who are choosing to go to Edison are doing so because they are unhappy with how the Duluth School Board runs the Duluth School District ISD#709. The Duluth School Board continues to make decisions that divide the students and families across the city. Time and again The Duluth School Board passes resolutions and makes decisions in a 4-3 ratio. This is simple math, there are 4 Representatives on the East Side of Duluth, and only 3 Representatives on the Western side of Duluth. Isn’t it ironic that the Eastern schools are overcrowded and the Western schools are getting classes cut every year?Our School District has a deficit of over $3 Million, contributing to that are continued operating costs of Central, these are “true costs” to our district and our tax base. Over the past 5 years there has been at least $1 Million put into the maintenance of Central High School. These are monies that will never be recouped, these are funds that could have gone towards actually educating our youth, and keeping our buildings safe and up to date. Duluth Central High School was built using Taxpayer’s money, Yet, during the past 5 years there have been multiple sporting activities and community involvement organizations that have tried to use the building and athletic facilities at Central High School, even offering to pay for the usage only to be denied. There are beautiful baseball, softball, and football fields, track and tennis courts, a gym, and auditorium that sit empty while the School Board tries to find the highest bidder. The best view in town is blocked off by barricades, Why? Those fields and athletic facilities were paid for by the citizens of Duluth with our taxpayer money, but rather than let the children and citizens of Duluth use those fields and facilities, the School District closes them down, does not do any upkeep and soon they will be ruined. As pillars of our community, The Duluth School Board members need to teach and show our children the right way to do things. They need to rise above the
“fear” of competition, and use it as a tool to improve the Duluth Public Schools. Do we really want our children to think that it is ok to be selfish
and not share with others when you think they might be better than you? No, we want our children to know that there will always be someone who is better,
but they should learn from their competition, and learn how to make their own success. Competition is a good thing. It forces everyone to do their best.Thank you,
