Are DNT editors making things up?

Someone who paid closer attention to me noticed when the Trib editorialized as follows:

Even Duluthians’ impressions of their public schools are improving, from 49 percent who responded favorably to, now, 56 percent.

After skimming through 78 pages of the damn $10,000 survey commissioned by the City of Duluth which is posted online here the closest thing I could find to the Trib’s reported survey findings of the public’s attitude toward our schools was this:

Please rate the quality of each of the following services in Duluth:

Public schools: Excellent 8%-42, Good 32%-170, Fair 29%-153, Poor 12%-64, Don’t know 18%-97, Total 100%-526

Please! Someone go through the survey results and show me where 56% of Duluth residents think our schools are improving. I add 8% Excellent and 32% good and only come up with 40% who think our schools are at least “good.”

What I recall more vividly is the result of the School District’s recent survey which showed that only 17% of Duluth’s residents thought the Red Plan had been a good idea. That’s less than one in five people. Are the Trib’s editors delusional or are they preparing to justify their endorsement of Dr. Dixon’s most loyal school board member by exaggerating how happy people are with our schools with invented evidence? If so this darn near merits a post on Thugs for better schools.

I will certainly post a correction if my tired eyes missed the proof justifying the Trib’s optimism.

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