I most definitely agree that the discussion should be broader. However,
the important issue is not whether the decisions of 20 years ago were sound
but whether the proposals that will be presumably voted on in ten days are
good for Minneapolis. The evidence to support closing Kenny, for instance,
is scant. There are plenty of alternatives that would very likely make much
more sense and save even more cents in the both the short term and long
term. But, they need to be researched and discussed in the open. The
families of Kenny need to be included and the process needs the time
necessary to reach a fully informed decision, not one that might be
politically expedient at the moment. An empty classroom in a school
building is not necessarily that expensive, especially if it saves millions
in a few years when demographics and/or political power shift again. Each
of the buildings deserve the attention necessary to make fully informed
decisions.
Another piece of the ensuing chaos that has not had much discussion is
how many teachers will likely be moved by this reshuffling, and how will
they be moved, and is that a good thing or not. I suspect that more than
15% of the staff will be moved, if that is an accurate number for the
students affected. Reshuffling staff has costs that often don't make it
onto the proposal projections. My 20+ years in the telecom/computer industry
provided me countless examples when facilities openings, closings and moves
caused major staff related cost increases. I think that teachers and the
relationships they have with the families in their school communities have
every bit as much embedded value as long term account executives do with
their client/customer base. Anyone who has been involved with buyouts and
mergers in the business world knows the hidden costs associated with
personnel moves and the horror stories that go along with them. And we're
not talking about business customers in this case, we're talking about our
kids and the very important people in their lives.
Dan McGuire
formerly Ericsson
----- Original Message -----
From: "Barbara Lickness" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Michael Atherton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, February 13, 2004 10:18 PM
Subject: RE: [Mpls] Pratt parents appeal to school board
> I would like to take this discussion broader. When
> the MPS closed a group of schools in the 80's and sold
> them or tore them down, it wasn't but 10 years later
> that they needed to build new ones to replace some of
> the ones they tore down.
>
> My questions are:
>
> What did is cost to tear them down in the 80's?
> What did it cost them to transport these students to
> new schools?
> What did it cost to rebuild the schools in the 90's?
> What would it have cost to keep the buildings, lease
> them out and then reuse them when they were needed?
>
> Has MPS looked at that total picture to determine
> whether it would be more cost effective to keep the
> buildings and lease them out? or is it more cost
> effective to sell them or tear them down and build new
> ones in the future if necessary?
>
> Barb Lickness
> Whittier
>
>
>
> =====
> "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret
Mead
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