Steve raised some questions about the responsibilities of the MPS Superintendent and the new COO. Apparently he feels unable to understand the concept behind this new hire because as he puts it, he is not a "caring and sharing Liberal."
As an avowed Middler I would like to respond. First of all I do not see this as a political issue, of an either liberal or conservative nature. I see the hiring of an individual who has responsibility of recommending to his boss what he feels are proper financial decisions, as a rational choice. Leftists I am sure would feel there is no reason for such a position, after all any true leftist knows we must make decisions thinking only of the children. A recent post on the Park Board demonstrates this thinking stating that concerns with the proposed budget cuts are not a political thing, it is "about the kids". I suppose true rightists would argue that the COO should admit the truth from their point, that public schools don't work, and that we should therefore switch to a voucher system supporting private schools. Reality from the middle appears to be that the system as run today in Minneapolis is not adequately funded, at least according to the powers that be. I can second this point from a personal perspective, after seeing the new science room my son was in last year I was very impressed, Until I heard they had no money for equipment and supplies to do any science experiments. Most of us in the middle being able to read, we are also aware that although the system is not failing all students, or failing students equally across all economic lines, it does not have the level of success we expect of our schools. We are concerned about our children, but we are also concerned about our tax dollars being wisely spent, and I believe for the most part we are supportive of the continued role of public schools in our society. That said, the hiring of a fiscal conservative (is this a proper label for our new appointee?) to work with additional outside sources to evaluate and make recommendations on improving efficiencies of the current operations seems sensible, as well as politically savy. My assumption is that a COO will not make final decisions on where cuts or improvements need to be made, but they should bring a new viewpoint to the administration that will have to make those choices. I've personally wondered with the so called return to community schools why I have not noticed a reduction in buses. Perhaps an internal review of the sytem, from a financial perspective, will point out savings that might be accrued by reducing the amount spent on transportation. Perhaps this might even lead to those savings being spent on improving funding at the educational level of community schools, rather than the trsportation level. No proof here, just an observation. But perhaps that is the type of question that needs to be asked. Once his reports are made public and discussed, we will hopefully have the basis for a plan to move forward. People of Minneapolis are supportive of their schools. If the money is needed, and we feel confident that good minds have looked over the books from more than one point of view, than I believe our city schools will get the community support they deserve. I guess we are asking them to prove they deserve that support, and I believe this apointment is an attempt to lay the foundation for that proof. Middlers like investments in our community's infrastructure. Schools are a vital part of our city's assets. Bringing sound financial analysis to the management of those schools makes sense. Bob Gustafson MMM __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Check out Yahoo! Shopping and Yahoo! Auctions for all of your unique holiday gifts! Buy at http://shopping.yahoo.com or bid at http://auctions.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
