Red Plan = Titanic

Today’s story about the 22 laid off tenured teachers provoked a friend to put together a little enrollment research: This is very much in line with figures I found last year but its more current. This was part of the email I was sent and its pretty arresting. The author of the email wishes that: “the media had the integrity to examine the
numbers and not let those statements [about why the tenured teachers are being laid off] stand alone.”

Plus as previously noted the plan is increasing in cost. More money, higher taxes, fewer teachers, fewer students. We better get some darned good schools out of the Red Plan. And the School Board authorized another one at Wheeler Field last night which we can soon look to for more cost overruns should history repeat itself.

On the plus side Board member Ann Wasson expressed regrets about all the teachers getting canned……..even though controlling expenses was supposedly a major incentive for proceeding with the plan.

Here’s the figures collected so far

There were 85 students that open enrolled INTO the Duluth Public Schools in
2008/2009 – this figure was down 25 from the year before

There are 428 students that open enrolled OUT of the Duluth Public Schools to
Outlining Districts such as Hermantown, Proctor, Lake Superior, Cloquet etc. –
this figure is up 75 students from the year before

In Addition to the 428 students who are open enrolling out of the District,
there are also
243 students ages 7-16 who are home schooled. (there are many more, but the MDE
does not keep track of the numbers for students under 7)
950 students that go to the Edison Schools – They have a waiting list presently
172 students at Lakeview
418 students at Marshall
425 students at the Catholic Schools – St James, St Johns, Holy Rosary, St
Michaels

This total is over
2630 students Who are Not Choosing ISD 709 Schools for their students.

In Addition, I did not include students that are going to the following Schools

Chester Creek Academy
Merrit Creek Academy
Harbor City
Montessori School
Summit School
Stone Ridge School
Northshor Community School