Bob,
No you're not. The pot shots are much easier to take than
working towards real solutions.
Regarding Rollingstone, let me put some questions
forth:
1. Is there enough communications infrastructure in
place to support a major administration in Rollingstone (i.e. fiber optic)? If
not, what are the costs of moving or adding such infrastructure?
2.What other community resources would be used up if we
had to drive 22 miles (round-trip) every time we needed to go to an
administrative office? What is the ecological cost alone?
3. Has the letterwriter (whoever it is) actually
measured the available space at Rollingstone? Upon what basis does the
letterwriter contend that "no remodeling necessary."?
4. I feel comfortable assuming that there are other
concerns that neither I nor the letterwriter has considered and that these
concerns might impact such a decision.
I have grown tired of the atmosphere of cynicism and distrust
of the decisions of our educational administration/governance in this community.
Through several administrations and numerous school board members, the
unchanging component has not been the school boards and administrations and what
they are attempting to do. Rather the unchanging component is how we as a
community have responded to their efforts.
When the environment changes (school choice) this cynical
component in our community continues to replay the old solutions (such as close
schools) and refuses to even "hear" the reasoning behind a decision not to.
Instead, they charge the school board with failing to carry out a course of
action that had been promised.
There is much evidence that in an environment of school
choice closing schools will end up costing the district more than it
saves.
There are strong arguments for holding on to buildings for
possible future needs rather than selling and building new.
It took several years to renovate the old middle school
buildings. Much of that time was spent just making the building safe from
asbestos. What would the district have done during that time; cancel middle
school?
Simplistic answers to difficult questions don't
work.
The Superintendent articulated a considered process for
bringing programs back on line and the community responded with even more
conspiracy theories - fearing they had been misled yet again! Yet I remember
these same people clearly articulating the need for the administration to "be
accountable." How is that ever to happen if every action to plan and be
accountable is met with such instant and unjustified criticism?
Thanks to the voters, we now have a public school system that
will be able to reinstate many of the undesireable educational program changes
that it had to make. The voters did manage to hold on to the maintenance piece,
however. Perhaps that way the naysayers will have something to target next time
(the poor maintenance record of the district). Will those who were so insistant
that referendum money be spent "for the kids" be critical in the future if
program expansion must be slowed in order to perform needed
maintenance?
Regarding technology there is one issue that did not come out
during the election. Beginning in the year 2010, state testing will be computer
assisted. Every student from grade 3 and up will be expected to complete the
state MCA tests on a computer within a two-four week (not yet
specified) period. Every public school district, regular and charter, will
be expected to have sufficient current technology in place in order to support
that change. Think about it.
-Leslie Hittner
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, November 13, 2005 12:01
AM
Subject: [Winona] Paul Durand in
Rollingstone
[Winona Online Democracy]
Unless I am very much mistaken, dissaproval of
the facilities levy question will not impact WSHS/Administration
plans.
By the by, I get tired of perennial
naysayers...taking potshots is easier than solving problems.
Am I wrong (on either count)?
Bob Sebo
Winona
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