Duluth’s new middle schools ready for their debut
August 18, 2012 at 7:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
Goodbye to the mobile classrooms, meandering hallways and years of temporary fixes at Duluth’s Morgan Park and Woodland middle schools.
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And Central with its panoramic views sits wasting away. That middle school is a blight on the scenery. So much for Duluth wanting to be a green city with a good walkability factor. As the JCI remodeled district to the North is discovering, these schools don’t save energy and their budget is worse off after the big fix.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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Lincoln is a beautiful school and in MY opinion, is not a blight. It’s time to move on about Central and go the open houses for the new schools. It’s time to celebrate for our students and community.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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I’m hoping that the new middle schools make for a successful school year for the staff and students, and in time, that the Duluth community can once again have trust in the superintendent, the school board members, and Kerry Leider.
However, when time and time again plans continually change with the Red Plan, that supposedly weren’t part of the original Red Plan, that is when community members get irritated and frustrated.
Examples:
The new Lincoln Park Middle School site was supposedly the third or fourth option of the possible locations for a new Western Middle School. When this location was chosen though, it was announced that this spot was ideal, because so many students would be able to walk to the new middle school.
What has happened since then? This summer is was announced that all of the students living in the Grand Avenue area and west of the school, around the 40th avenue west area, that originally were within walking distance, will now be taking a bus to school. Additionally, a new 10 foot high fence around much of the proprerty has almost been completed, making sure that no one from these area can take a short cut and walk across the railroad tracks.
I applaud the decision to build a fence as hopefully it is a safety factor. However, I don’t believe this fence was part of the original plans, since it wouldn’t have been needed, as everyone was supposed to be able to walk to school from these areas.
As for the sidewalks that are supposedly built to the new school, they certainly aren’t along the main road to the school, so I’m not positive if the students at the bottom of the hill that live on Chestnut, Vernon, and Restormel streets, and the surrounding area, are supposed to access the school via Atlantic Avenue, which doesn’t have a sidewalk all the way up.
In closing, I hope all goes well this year with the school district, and I hope that Superintendent Gronseth does actually listen to the feedback that the community gives him, unlike in the past with Superintendent Dixon and the school board members.
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There also wasn’t much, if any, consultation with the DTA about coordinating bus access to the school.
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Public tran for middle schoolers?
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For Parents. If they don’t have a car and have to pick up a sick kid – how do they get there and home? If they are homeless, how do they get there from the shelters in another part of town? Also, for parents to get to school events if they don’t have a car. It’s amazing to find out how many folks don’t have personal transportation in Duluth! The DTA is not all that convenient.
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Everyone has “personal transportation” in Duluth. Everyone has legs and feet. If they don’t, they have a wheelchair. People are much, much too soft. Suck it up and try walking.
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