Now, before I lose the interest of my transient new found readers. There are many challenges still facing the Robbinsdale Area Schools and its communities:
- 80% of the district expenses are personnel related, expenses will continue to rise. (ie pay and benefit costs increase)
- 2 Elementary school buildings need significant renovation, and should probably be demolished and replaced with one larger and more efficient building.
- Minnesota has frozen school funding for another year and a half, therefore cuts will need to be made somewhere.
- RAS citizens pay one of the highest school tax rates on a percentage basis. This is because operating/renovating schools in a diverse challenging district with older buildings costs more, and the community property is worth less. (ie higher percentage)
- The percentage of free and reduced lunch students within RAS continues to steadily and rapidly increase, due to the addition of these families and the flight of more affluent families. Though poverty is not a cause of poor academic performance or challenging students , there is a positive correlation between them. How do we keep the more affluent students while closing the academic performance gap?
- Are you going to stay involved and informed after the election tomorrow?
- Are you going to think beyond your own personal concerns, schedules, children, etc?
- Are you going to roll up your sleeves and help our community work through these challenges?
- Or not?
Tell your friends and neighbors to google Give2Attain and get involved. Then get out and VOTE tomorrow !!!!
6 comments:
District 281 has really abused the alternative facilities taxing, and that's one of the reasons I'm voting for change.
We pay a higher tax rate than Wayzata. Their per pupil operating levy is higher, but they have fewer students and a bigger tax base, so their rate is less. I'm okay with that.
However, I'm not okay with us shelling out millions for renovations through alternative facilities taxing, which requires no voter approval. They hope we don't notice our taxes going up, and then they wonder why the operating levy fails. The renovations at Plymouth Middle have run about $37 MILLION. Somehow, I think there had to be a solution out there that would have cost us less. We paid more for the renovations of some buildings than the cost of building new. I'm told by Linda Johnson that Zachary was one of those buildings. Zachary has a very poor layout and floor plan. Wouldn't it have made more sense to put it to the voters for approval, spend less money, and get a better end result: a new, properly designed modern building? We're spending more to get buildings that still have outdated floor plans and aren't energy efficient, all because the school district fears going to the voters. And, that's what the current board wants to do with Northport and Lakeview.
I want my tax dollars to be spent on small classes, art, gifted ed., etc. I don't want to pay for illogical, wasteful renovations, particularly when there are other options. It's terrible that the laws are written to allow that.
Mark Bomchill has been the only one running to address this waste.
They want to slam 2 more school rehabs on us
Vote for Mark
I wish somebody running for the Board would come out and say, "I agree smaller classes are preferable to larger classes, but our focus must be on the factors we know to be far more significant, starting with teacher quality. We need to measure it, reward the best, fire the worst. Otherwise, we're just not serious about education and the students know it."
Though I like smaller classes, all I have to say is. Alleluia, I'm with you brother Speed !!!!
Better yet, how about the teacher's union that professes to care about kids purge their own ranks of those that have grown weary of teaching or simply don't have the capability to handle the current classroom challenges.
Let me repeat, I think 97+% do a great job. I'm just frustrated at being warned by multiple parents to watch out for certain teachers in a grade. Or to make sure I keep a copy of my child's homework, because that teacher always loses it...
I think removing questionable performers would provide an incredible morale boost for the remaining majority. If you doubt me, think back to a time when you had a questionable co-worker and how it made you feel.
Speed/R-Five,
Any thoughts how the board/admin can do the house cleaning without the Union supporting it? When I've discussed this with different district personnel, they seem stymied...
Just wondering?
I totally agree with you Speed. I think it's tough, though, because a lot of the teachers are not terrible. They fall into the "okay" category, and there's a pretty big difference between "okay" and "great." I don't know how you get rid of them. I suppose these "mentors" are aimed at trying to get the "okay" teachers into the "great" category, but as I've said before, sounds better on paper.
My husband worked at a facility once where they did layoffs to save money. Every mediocre performer's position was somehow eliminated.
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