[Winona Online Democracy]
The district administration should study the election returns precinct by precinct and ascertain the primary source of opposition to the levy. The property tax increase undoubtedly played a major role in the defeat. I for one felt that the levy was by no means excessive, but clearly a large number of people did. Once the areas where these people live are identified--one hopes they do not cover all precincts--the administration should give specific attention to their complaints. Obviously, the property tax increase is the major source of opposition. A public benefit may be a private loss for some people. Persuasion of opponents to change their views would be a major task, but it should not be written off as impossible. The beliefs of opponents must receive specific attention, with particular attention to personal concerns. The administration and board members will have to realize that organized groups in Winona do not necessarily represent the views of a majority of citizens. They should also realize and that the traditional school supporters, industrious as they may be, are not necessarily the people who will be effective in changing views. The administration will have to give special attention to people that heretofore have been ignored. Certainly, if supporters of the school hold out any hope that a future levy might pass, they should refrain from attacking opponents as benighted. Attacks like this only harden opposition.
As for the immediate problem, the superintendent's announced freeze reflects a commendable response by the district. Ultimately, school closures will probably be necessary, but the economic ramifications should be studied carefully before any moves are made. The costs of closures, direct or indirect, may be much greater than they appear to be. Personnel costs, of course, clearly constitute the most significant source of the district's financial difficulties, and during the next contract negotiations the district will have to deal with salaries, including step increments, if it wants to ease its current problem and have at least some chance of changing the views of opponents of extra funding. I'd certainly try to avoid any program cuts, curricular or extracurricular. The consequences could very well be a more serious decline in enrollment and consequently support.
The changed composition of the Minnesota House of Representatives, combined with the plight of so many school districts in the state, could conceivably result in measures that ease the severity of potential cuts, although Governor Pawlenty's promise not to raise state taxes will make the reality of such measures highly problematical. Nevertheless, no matter what the Legislature and the Governor do, all the financial problems of WAPS will not go away, so plans for cuts must be continued.
Roy Nasstrom
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