…it let’s you save all that money on shoes.
That’s one way of rationalizing connected events. Sometimes however the silver lining has no connection like the remarkable statement by Duluth’s new Superintendent of Schools. Asked about being relieved of the onerous burdens NCLB imposed upon Duluth Mr. Gronseth said this on WDIO last night:
“The waiver will get rid of the No Child Left Behind Act in terms of funding,” said Gronseth. “We don’t have to put as much into reserve because of the some of the restrictions,”
I wasn’t really listening to the news when this was said. I was busy organizing all those interview notes while sitting on the sofa. I only noticed because my wife gave a big derisive laugh. Of course, I asked her what she’d heard and when she told me I said, “you’ve got to be kidding.” She told me that maybe she was wrong and that I should check again on the 10 O’Clock news.
The District halved its reserves last year before NCLB was scotched. Its expenses are such this year that it has little choice but to spend them down again or make further dramatic cuts. Postponing the cuts is just that. Once the reserves are gone the cuts will be made. Even if the District continues to spend too much it will simply put itself in SOD (Statutory Operating Debt) and be forced to borrow money to maintain the program. That will only be permitted by the banks and the states for a short time and incur the additional expenses of paying interests on borrowing.
No Child Left Behind has nothing to do with this fiscal calamity. Its just a pathetic excuse that tells me our green Superintendent plans to go ahead and spend the reserve down.
As for the NCLB story Jana Hollingsworth contributed to a pretty good summary about the effects of its cancellation in today’s DNT.
If I were to recommend any amputations for the District before it sinks any further into fiscal desperation it would be to remove public relations from the budget. Of course, that would mean that school board members and the Superintendent would have to write their own op-ed pieces for the Duluth News Tribune and its wart the Budgeteer.
