[speedgibson] Speed Gibson: District 281 - We Have a Decision

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Posted by Speed Gibson:
District 281 - We Have a Decision
http://speedgibson.powerblogs.com/posts/1200457161.shtml


   Tonight, the Robbinsdale Area School Board elected not to close
   Northport Elementary or any other school next year (2008-2009). As I
   understand it, they essentially swapped some cuts from 2009-2010 for
   the savings closing a school would have generated in 2008-2009. Yes,
   we'll have to go through all this again a year from now unless more
   money is found, possibly from another attempt at passing the failed
   Referendum in some form.
   Tonight's action enacted over $5 million in budget cuts. The school
   closing was only about 10 percent of that, so while the decision was
   jubilantly received by the 50+ in attendance, the other 90 percent of
   the cuts remain unchanged and will be painful, district wide.
   Last night's straw poll 4-3 result favoring closing Northport changed
   to the official 5-2 vote against tonight. In the end, I think the
   Board realized that it just wasn't prepared to properly close
   Northport. The ripples would seriously affect 2 or 3 nearby elementary
   schools and drawing new boundaries with the remaining schools clumped
   to the west would have been challenging.
   I also think the Board realized that this is the wrong time to
   aggravate the already strained feelings across this large district.
   Robbinsdale residents and leaders are still brooding about the closing
   of the Robbinsdale High School 25 years ago, for example, even though
   it now serves as home to the Spanish Immersion program and as a middle
   school.
   What's needed is vision, to take this process beyond a one or two year
   viewpoint. That was part of the passing resolution, that the "vision"
   process interrupted by the levy failure be resumed, and drawing on the
   considerable input received the past few weeks. Remodels and updates
   will be deferred until this is complete, except for Plymouth Middle
   School's projects already in progress.
   It's been interesting and informative, and the Board made the right
   decision in my opinion.