Duluth School Board may ask voters for more money
April 16, 2012 at 7:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
The Duluth School Board probably will ask voters to approve an operating levy again this fall, a year after voters rejected all three levels of a multi-tiered proposal last fall.
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NAY!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Oh this is just too easy.
There’s a definition of insanity that goes something like this – you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different result. I think the school board might need to ponder on that a bit.
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The school superintendent should be working more on the ISD money problems and spend less time with his social agenda wearing his ‘hoodie’!!
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Would you want to show your face in public if you were in charge of this mess?
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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I’m just surprised he doesn’t walk around with a paper bag over his head.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Sorry School Board, you just stole $300 Million from us. Our wallets are empty.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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I attribute Keith Dixon to a Seagull. He flew in, sh** all over our nice town, and then flew away. Just like he did to Faribault, MN. We were warned.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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well I have a tree in back yard that produces money. wait till it produces
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The article says…”The Duluth School Board probably will ask voters to approve an operating levy again this fall, a year after voters rejected all three levels of a multi-tiered proposal last fall.” They forget to mention in the article that the school board was still able to increace the levy by 4.9 percent. This was the maximum they could go by law without approval by the voters. Did anyone on here reading this get a 4.9 percent raise in pay last year? Didn’t think so.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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I double-checked my budget and nope…no extra money in it. I still have to live within my means while I figure out how to pay for the $300 million that the board’s already spent.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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I just received my property assessment and again the house valuation has gone down. Yet my taxes seem to be going up. It will be a cold day in hell before I approve any referendum the school board puts forth after the ineptitude many of them have shown.
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OMG! You have got to be kidding me! Duluth… Great place to visit but thank god I moved years ago. That whole school board needs to be replaced, and fast. Will the highway robbery ever end? Dear ISD 709, I have a better suggestion to your problem : Live within your means just like the citizens you tax to death have to!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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woops! I meant to say ” I have a better SOLUTION yo your problem” not suggestion. LOL, It’s early.
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Glad we decided not to move back
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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They never learn do they.
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Wouldn’t want that dollar from the sale from Lincoln Park to get mixed up in the General Fund. They have no savings from the Red Plan, thats why they had to go begging to the Dept of Education for more.
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Duh! Who couldn’t see this coming after they just raised (again) the amount they were spending on the two remaining schools? I also have watched my taxes rise (this year my property taxes went up over 500.00!) and I live in a very modest home – I am constantly adjusting to meet my own budget and cannot simply spend as I wish and go back for more money when I overspend – they need to do the same. I appreciate Art Johnston who is clearly the only watchdog on the Board at this time who cares about costs, restraint and living within their means. I love (not!) how the article makes it look like the General Fund is being filled with all those “savings” from the “efficiencies” of the Red Plan – that simply isn’t happening. Properties aren’t selling, building efficiencies aren’t panning out to the projected $$$ savings so that money (to pay for the new Red Plan buildings) is being pulled from the money for teachers, supplies, programs. I have yet to hear any of the Board members acknowledge that the Red Plan that was forced down our throats was perhaps way too big for this community at this time – and should have been put up for a vote prior to starting it. An apology and living within their budget would be a good start.
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I would like to see a few new board members first. Also dont trust there wont be more cost to come on this Red Plan, to many self interests on this board. And across the board pay and benefit cuts. If the Charter Schools and their students can thrive you have no excuses.
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Good point Mark – at minimum, the people on the Board that have been merrily spending out of budget for years (Wasson, Cameron and Seliga Punkyo )on wants instead of needs, need to go before the taxpayers give them anymore money – because they certainly have not been good stewarts of the money so far – and less we forget – Wasson was the lone signature (Board member wise) on the original non compete, no savings guarantee Johnson Controls contract that got us into this mess long ago. How is it possible that she is still on the Board???
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Where are all those savings the screwel board told us were promised by Johnson Controls? The school district should have been rolling in extra money by now with those savings. But wait…we needed olympics-sized pools, and we needed to copper plate the exterior of one of the new schools, and we can give away one school for one dollar, and we didn’t need to sell Central along with other extra properties stupidly purchased by the screwel board because taxpayers in this rich city have lots of extra money in their pockets.
Hey screwel board…try living within your means, like the rest of us need to do, especially now with us living under the back-breaking illegally imposed tax burden you forced upon us.
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“…member Bill Westholm wanted to make sure the district puts forth a request less confusing than last fall’s three tiers of questions…” We were not confused and are not stupid! We understood exactly what it meant and we voted the exact way we intended to. We no longer trust this board with our money. Disappointing that this guy got on the board with this kind of attitude.
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OMG! Seriously???? This school board has a lot of nerve, beggin’ for more money. What the hay have they done with the gobbs of money they have already been given??? Does anyone on this board, besides Art Johnson, have a clue about managing money? Time to wake up. VOTE THEM ALL OUT and start over again. And keep doing it until we get it right. It’s the only power that WE THE PEOPLE have anymore.
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Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
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dmo8: Are you serious? If the screwel board had the interests of the kids in mind from the beginning they would not have done the Red Ink fiasco. This has never been about the kids…it has been about board menbers inflated egos, their knowing better than all of the taxpayers, graft, corruption and kickbacks. Criminal fiscal mismanagement such as this should put some board members in jail but that probably won’t happen because they will all cover for each other and they will dodge an honest, real audit until the end of time because of the irregularities it would reveal. With this screwel board it is NOT for the kids and NEVER has been.
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Hidden due to low comment rating. Click here to see.
Poorly-rated. Like or Dislike:
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If it was really about the students, the administration would look to ways to cut their 40k annual benefits package.
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How are the parents going to be able to feed their children after paying their high property tax increases? High taxes as a result of poor decisions made by elected officials. I am a retiree…I receive 12 retirement checks per year. 1-1/2 of those checks goes back to the government to pay my property taxes. Just doesn’t seem right?
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Used to support Red Plan – not any longer. Will vote no on levy.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Time for an audit by the State.
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From someone who has, in the distant past, supported the board and voted “yes” to tax increases… this time “NO WAY!”
I don’t ask my employer for a raise everytime I need extra money – Take responsibility and figure it out without panhandling for my hard earned cash.
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Where are all the min-van driving soccer moms that were vehemently screaming that we had to go forward with the Red Plan “for the kids” – where are these fools now? I was personally confronted and accosted by a couple of these animals in their full fit of rage, but now they’ve been awfully quiet. Perhaps they’re realizing the magnitude of their folly. Their precious little kids will suffer (just like we told them would happen) from larger class sizes approaching 40, less sports and activities to be involved in and less budget for materials and field trips. But you got your shiny, expensive buildings with smart boards so little Johnny and Susie don’t have to pay attention and take notes from that outdated dry-erase board! Reap what you sow my fickle friends. Reminds me of a crow infatuated with a shiny piece of tin foil.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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how do you spell ‘maroons’ ? oops! now I went and did it! (I’m refering to them, not us!)
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Mike: Your last line struck me like a lightning bolt of revelation. A crow infatuated with a piece of shiney foil!!! Wow! So THAT is why the screwel board chose to clad one of the schools in copper sheets. The board has the same mentality of a crow!!! Now it is clear. The board obviously has less fiscal sense than a crow but none the less are still facinated with shiney school buildings.
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Also, why are my original comments awaiting moderation when everyone else gets the freedom of speech? Moderation? Really? Come on!
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Again, I want to know where my freedom of speech rights are!? You post everyone elses comments…..I will not give up on this, I have a right to voice my opinion just like everyone else and my rights are being violated! I have read some pretty sad statements on this sight ( sad being a nice word!) and you have posted those! For those at this sight, I am against the Red Plan as well….just so you all know that my comments are are under moderation! Moderation? Just what is that? It’s violating my freedom of speech!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Or should I say the DNT is violating my freedom of speech rights!
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Now the DNT has removed my comments on the Red Plan, Duluth, and what its doing to Duluth completely! Unbelieveable……..I will post my comments somewhere else on this matter and again My Freedom Of Speech Rights are being Violated by the DNT! This is not the end of it!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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Freedom of Speech rights only have to do with Government. They have nothing to do with Newspapers, employers or any other non-government entities. I’m not saying they’re right to remove your comments, just pointing this out because people make this mistake all the time.
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alrite queen now i do agree with the fact that everyone should be heard and their freedom of speech allowed, we are on a free site owned by a company that has the right to limit the speech we are allowed by them in their forum provided at no charge to us users. To think you have an unlimited right to freedom of speech is naive there are limits to said freedom. Now if you are posting legitimate comments (i have been moderated on other sites for completely normal posts as well) and still being moderated to death i suggest finding a new site or give it up altogether its not worthe letting your blood boil over it.
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Levi: I agree with you. I admit I was irrate at being not heard and removed from this site! I mentioned before that I have read some really bad, and sometimes hurtful comments on this site that were way more provacative than my opinion. I feel that this site is biased and unfair to certain folks who may be regulars or may be new and they just dont like the comments that are made at times. I find this very discriminatory!
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More money? You blew $300M and now need more. Go to Hell leaps to mind.
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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queenofgreen….you probably have a word or words in your text that they don’t allow. The website has a filter.
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I have said nothing that warrents this action! I have read some really uncomfortable, bad, & hurtful comments on this sight and what I said was nowhere near any of those provacative comments! I appreciate your attention and input tho!
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queenofgreen. – it’s strange how that happens sometimes. frustrating. This has happened to me in the past and not necessarily when I would think it would. Most my posts show clear frustration with the Red Plan & School Board – and I post often, yet they have only not shown up a couple times. Sometimes if I am on a roll & doing a longer post I will right click & copy it just in case I need to repost. Can you remember what you were writing & re-post what you said that didn’t get printed or summarize it for the rest of us?
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I saved it, and I posted the whole works on FB for all to see! Thank you for your kind words, I will keep them in mind!
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Come to think about it, we never gave Dixon an appropriate going away party. Can someone please invite him back while we still have money left for the tar and feathers.
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Isn’t this wonderful, they have their shinny new buildings but they can’t afford to operate them. This is what everyone told them but they were too busy turning off the mic. They had no problem listening to smooth talkers from Johnson Controls. Now they are cutting the programs, teachers, activities, transportation and other essentials. This will automatically cut students. Then they can do it again and again until the buildings are empty. But lets look on the good side, our school board can bring in $1 for each building, they better be careful not to flood the market or the price is likely to go down.
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Kids used to learn in one room school houses without running water and toilets. Funny how now days they need fancy buildings and the latest gadgets.
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I agree with you…319 million and counting for buildings that sit empty 4 months out of the year.
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queenofgreen: Did you forget the DNT was a very vocal supporter of the ill conceived Red Ink plan? Right now they have a major portion of egg on their faces and are embarrased when people do the “Told you so” to the DNT and to the public that the DNT mislead with their cheerleading. BTW, did you notice that the DNT bought a big new building recently? I wonder how they could afford that with a dwindling circulation that should be yeilding less revenue? Hmmmm.
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I have come to the conclusion that they (DNT) felt that my comments were right on the mark and are afraid that my comments will stir things up more than they are willing to deal with!
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queenofgreen: You are probably right on the mark with your suspicions. The DNT is famous for helping to push the Red Ink plan down our throats. On that issue and others rather than speaking your mind using the words you feel in your heart you might get more comments printed if you re-work your wording AND avoid any direct shots at individuals even if you know they are guilty as h*ll. Also remember certain words and names will automatically put your comment into “moderation”, never to be seen again. Remember, censorship is alive and well at the DNT and they don’t like to shown to be the radical left-wing fo*ls that they truly are. After all what can you expect from a small town newspaper that cannot afford to hire real reporters but instead hire those that can’t get a job anywhere else and are willing to work for the peanuts this little rag can afford to pay with it’s rapidly declining income?
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I agree!
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These message boards are provided by Forum Communications (see the bottom of the page.) I don’t think the News Tribune has anything to do with running them, including moderating individual posts. I think that’s all done by a few 20-somethings in Fargo.
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No, they are not moderated by the DNT. They are moderated by liberal extremists. It used to be a lot worse…many people I know with conservative views have been banned from these forums just for their opinion.
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Yeah…like Dead Inside…that still makes me mad. I’ve seen comments on the boards that were worse than some of his. But those people are still posting comments. I’ve sent e-mails to the moderators about it but they don’t respond.
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