I got this question from an unhappy West Ender this morning.
I was not understanding about the red plan injunction. Do we get to vote on it or not? I know about 20 people who are more than willing to go down and vote to prevent the travesty that is the red plan.
J O
Where does one begin? This is how I summarized things.
J,
I wish it was that simple. Here’s a very brief history.
What the Board has done has never been done by any other school board on this scale. They are using laws which were never originally meant to give them this power. It is a power only four school boards in Minnesota have and Duluth is the only one ever to use it.
These laws also allow them to do this without a vote. That’s why we circulated petitions last year and the year before. The School Board has ignored both. The second petition requires them to put a smaller proposed plan on the ballot but they have managed to delay this so that it is doubtful this smaller plan will be voted on. We are still fighting to put it on the ballot. I don’t know if we can force them to do this.
In the meantime we’ve raised contributions from over 2,000 people for a lawyer and are in court now fighting to have the contract to build the Red Plan ruled illegal. We are hoping the judge grants us an injunction to stop it. We don’t know if he will.
The closest we may ever come to voting on the Red Plan might end up being voting on the four school board members who voted for it when they run for reelection this Fall. If we can hold up the Plan or parts of it until a new board is seated in January then that new board will surely give us a vote on the Red Plan or on a smaller plan.
Harry
