[Winona Online Democracy] Rich/all:
"least painful cuts" is an oxymoron. I was surprised by the support of the referendum. I expected it to be much worse. I think school superintendent Paul Durand should be allowed to manage the district and the school board should govern it - not try to manage it. I understand moving the programs/offices out of Lincoln school will actually cost more than the money the district will get for the property. Those kinds of decisions are what keeps the community's faith in the school board low and why any incumbent on the board will have a tough time getting re-elected. I think the board felt it had to close some buildings and two buildings were sacred cows - Central and Madison. So Dakota - arguably the highest "neighborhood" school in the District, was closed. The district lost most of the students and the revenue that accompanied them. And the Lincoln building and its new elevator will be razed to make room for WSU's softball field - or so I hear. Rollingstone school should be closed. Yes, it's the newest elementary, but there aren't the students to support it- so we ship students and staff out there to subsidize a very bad decision. I know we are still making payments on the building, but it's small potatoes compared to the resources it's draining from the district. Programs are tougher to cut, but the ones that get cut should be ones that can easily be restated. Football for example, can't be cut for 5 years and then brought back without a lot of trouble. The district should make wise cuts and the programs it cuts should the kind that can come back as soon as the money is available. And the district should ask for another referendum after the board has proven it can govern -- not manage -- the district. While the referendum failed by 2,000 or so votes, you only need to get 1,000 of those voters to change their minds to get a referendum passed. It's sad some things will have to be sacrificed, but some fiscal prudence has to be displayed to impress upon the community that the need is genuine. Education is complex. I wouldn't want to guess at what needs to be cut, but I'd trust the community experts - the school district administration. _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
