Okay, I admit, I just don't get it. I have read every post about the Minneapolis schools and its budget woes - I have read the articles about tax shifts and reductions in state aid and you know what, I still don't get it. Where is the money going and how much would be needed to do the job?
It appears the Minneapolis schools spend somewhere around $14,000 a year per student. Given a class of 20 kids, that is $280,000 a year for a classroom. Say, the teacher's salary and benefits takes $100,000 - that leaves $180,000 for facilities, etc. If transportation is the big bug-a-boo, for heavens sake, stop the buses and let kids got to schools in the neighborhoods. I'm not convinced we need magnet schools and all sorts of fancy programs, every school should be a warm, inviting place to learn. If, however, transportation takes $450 per student, that is another $8,000 and we still have $172,000 for books, administrators, utilities, etc. Can someone on the School Board or School Board staff please break down these costs so we can see where the money is going.
And if you can't do it, how about sending every kid to the Sylvan Learning Centers?
I am also not anti-tax and would be willing to spend money on income taxes to fairly pay for school costs. But property taxes are an ugly tax that hits people with limited means unfairly in this day of property value run-up.
Jan Del Calzo
Lynnhurst (whose kids were on the first buses that rolled for the paired schools of Hale and Field way back when - do don't yell at me for being anti-busing. I'm anti spending money we don't have.)
