I just sent out my last fundraising letter to 55 folks who mostly know me through church. It pretty well sums up my thoughts. Of course my recent loyal readers are always encouraged to help out as well. They can make a donation online. Someday the folks who didn’t order my snow sculpture trading card decks will kick themselves when they realize they’re worth a thousand bucks on Ebay.
Here’s that letter:
October 19, 2017
Dear Friend,
I am running for the school board again because I think I am needed there. Twenty years ago, when I served on the board I didn’t realize that it was a golden age for our public schools. Local taxes poured $14 million dollars of the total 23 million levy into our school’s operations. Today, although our levies have been raised by $8 million for a total of $31 million, only $2.5 million of this goes into operations and by extension into the classroom. That is why you have read news stories about 40 and more students to a classroom; inequity between eastern and western schools; children whose families have no cars who can’t be bussed to school and a growing educational gap between have and have-not students.
Behind my sense of humor and light touch there stands a fellow steeped in history with a stubborn desire to set things right – no matter how challenging the problem. And the Duluth Public Schools have a big problem. These stresses require more revenue from a weary revenue providing public that has felt cheated by the School Boards of recent years. That public demands an honest accounting of what has gone wrong and will need reassurance before voluntarily surrendering more taxes to solve these problems. That will require a leadership from our School Board which has been sorely lacking in the past.
I think I might just have what it takes to win the public’s trust and move our public schools in the right direction. I’m a fellow who has read history, lived the school board for a quarter century, is not afraid to speak up and who can find the elephant in a block of snow – literally. I also am capable of prodigious quantities of good natured work. I’ve been putting in twelve-hour days campaigning through most of the Summer and Fall.
I could use some help. I’ll keep doing the leg work but some financing would amplify my campaign. A donation would be greatly appreciated.
With best regards,Harry Welty
