There was a debate for at large and the eastern district school board candidates at the Lakeside Community Club tonight. There were about twenty witnesses who weren’t attached to the candidates or the League of Women Voters.
At the end of the forum I reiterated my contention that the old School Board claimed there would be a $5 million per year benefit from the Red Plan. Nancy Nilsen is as long time readers will know the person this comment is directed at.
Nancy pleasantly explained this to me after the debate. She told me that the five million per year savings would only come into being after the twenty year bond payoff was accomplished. I mentioned the first of my two quick reactions to this news that this would be little consolation to any parent with children who would graduate anytime in the next twenty years. She agreed pleasantly. I commented something to the effect that this wasn’t much of a selling point to today’s students and parents. Once again Nancy pleasantly acknowledged this.
The Second quick thought I mulled over as I walked to my car. Since I’ve been caustically pointing out the dearth of this five million in savings for the past several years and my conviction that it was a dubious claim for years longer than this why did no one in the District explain the twenty year delay to me. I guess that like so many other question people had about the Red Plan the powers that be never deemed this important to address.
After the debate an old Let Duluth Voter came up to compliment me on my handing of questions. This person has evidently paid close attention to my recent posts. Perhaps this person is one of my long time eight loyal readers.
At any rate vis a vis my post expressing skepticism that 2,000 people had attended the recent meetings to figure out the future of the schools my reader had the goods. It was a story in the Duluth News Trib covering the meetings. Apparently it lists generally who attended. There were 2000 people but most of these were staff. Only 300 of the attendees were regular Duluth civilians. 300! At least the District’s flyer figure of 2,000 was about 2 per cent of our population. 300 attendees is about 3 tenths of one percent of our population. You can’t even call that sad.
That’s what the Red Plan did for this community’s “trust.” It evaporated. That’s why I can’t put any faith in the hope that 74% of voters want to put the Red Plan behind us. It’s why my argument that the upcoming levy vote will decide whether or not we are going to let the Titanic sink to the bottom of the sea is important. Jaded voters might ignore another cry wolf over our children by the Think Kids group. I don’t think they will refuse to plumb the house just because the contractor ripped them off building it. And they will have to pay off that house whether its still floating or lying useless a hundred fathoms below sea level for the next eighteen years.
