Re: [Mpls] Question about school closings

[Dan McGuire]

[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
"sb" == Steve Brandt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
           

   sb> But the estimate was that we would save one-half
   sb> of 1 percent of our budget this year if we did that closing plan,"
   sb> Your conclusion depends on whether you consider $3 million significant
   sb> or not.
Thanks for the quick response.  I guess I'm not sure how to evaluate
the significance of a savings of $3 million against the disruption
imposed on the children in question.  How many children will have to
be relocated?  What's the cost divided over that many children?
3,000,000 /40,000  (a close round number) is $75.00 per student.  BUT 
that doesn't take into account the extra costs that will most certainly 
be incurred to move students and staff.  Moving that many people will 
cause plenty of upset.  It also assumes that the closings will not have 
an even further negative effect on enrollments and thus erode 'savings' 
even more.  It is difficult to argue that  putting students into fewer 
schools will attract more students and increase achievement;  the 
opposite is much more likely.  When parents are forced to make decisions 
about schools, they will surely look beyond the MPS.

Your questions are right on target, Robert.  Closing schools will likely 
make matters even worse in MPS.  The Facilities Utilization Plan is a 
very poorly justified plan.  It looks like a justification for 
somebody's idea that closing schools would be a bold way to restructure 
public education in Minneapolis, but not necessarily one that will 
actually work to the benefit of the majority of Minneapolitans.  We need 
more evidence that this will do good and not harm.
Dan McGuire
Ericsson

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