The District will really have to pull out the stops to campaign in the schools now. The State Department of Education has just approved the evil Plan B for a referendum. Despite all the obstacles thrown in the way of Let Duluth Vote the District was unable to make our alternative plan unpalatable to the Dept. of Education.
I’m frankly amazed. Amazed that the Dept. would OK the Plan and Amazed that the plan would be OK’ed just before the election. Its a testament to the hard work of a number of locals especially Art Johnston now a candidate for the School Board. I just got a call from WDIO’s Laura Kennedy. I hadn’t heard it yet. I suggested she call Art for a comment.
Here’s the very preliminary information about the decision reported by the Trib’s Sarah Horner.
Published October 23 2009
Duluth Plan B approved for ballot – but when?
The alternative Duluth school facilities plan known as Plan B has received the green light from the Minnesota Department of Education.
By: Sarah Horner, Duluth News TribuneThe alternative Duluth school facilities plan known as Plan B has received the green light from the Minnesota Department of Education.
It is still unknown at this time if the plan will appear on the November ballot.
According to documents released by the department today, the plan was deemed “educationally and economically advisable” and can now proceed forward to a nonbinding referendum.
Plan B calls for closing fewer schools and doing less construction than the red plan for a cheaper sticker price. Depending on how much of the plan would be implemented – it is split in to two phases – the plan would cost between $113 million and $190 million. If both phases are eventually implemented, the cost to taxpayers would be about the same as the cost of the red plan.
Several challengers running for seats on the Duluth School Board support at least portions of Plan B. Candidate Art Johnston was a lead author on the plan.
Check back for more information on the plan and what’s next for it.
For what its worth you can go the the Tribs website and vote on whether you want the referendum on the ballot on Nov 3rd. I find it hard to believe that it could actually be on the ballot by then. Its non binding so anything in it that was no longer feasible because of work done on the Red Plan could easily be set aside.
Frankly electing a new school board is all the referendum on a revised plan that I would need.
