Duluth Denfeld administrators, parents discuss concerns over fights
October 25, 2012 at 7:00 pm in Duluth News Tribune
Something is different at Denfeld High School this year and students are scared. That was the sentiment from parents Thursday night as they met with the school’s administration to discuss fights involving students on and off school grounds.
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Maybe we should consult with Dixon on this one uh! Without stating the obvious, most of us know what the problem is, which was brought forth to the school board PRIOR to this red plan being implemented, and now the time is here, the poor kids have to pay the price for others idiotic decisions! Now, the BIG question here is this: Are the “Bad apples” that are causing the problems being given a short vacation (suspension)? The school may suspend the student for 1 week to a month, BUT is the situation being handled on the home front, or is that student just going to have some “fun” days off to sleep in, play computer games, and “HANG” with their friends? It’s so sad to hear that the High School I attended, and was so dang proud of, has come to this. I truly hope some of the parents do get involved and help out at the school, when they have time, and nip this in the butt; and to all of you “scrappers” that are fighting, it’s not worth your time and energy; there are better things to do with your time, because if your thinking school is like a prison, think again, AJC and jail will make school seem like a walk in the park!
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Go figure, dumping all of the gangsta thugs from Central into the blue-collar world of Denfeld and now you have problems. Gee, who would have thought there would be fights? The administration’s social engineering project is a failure. The problem is compounded by the fact that now you have 42 students per teacher. Great thinking school board! You saved $ on salaries so you could build shiny monuments but now the kids are paying the price with a worse education and social violence. The only thing that we as Duluthians can do is to tell as many people about this disgraceful job Dixon, Grover, Wasson, etc. have done so when they apply for that next job, the Duluth job is a strike on their resume instead of a feather in the cap.
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I did just that Mike, this evening, on Face Book! A friend of mine, who has a Great Grandchild, who is thinking of moving here, with her fiance, and unborn child; I told her ALL about this god-for-saken town, and it’s lack of school administration and city administration, and warned her to have them STAY away! And I will continue to do so, until such time those boards get cleaned up and get human beings on them that have a BRAIN! Between all the TAXES that are burdened onto the taxpayers, and the disaster the schools are in, I wouldn’t recommend this town for any new comers, until things change!
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Dixon/JCI must have a solution. They have solved all of the other district’s ills.
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All problems start at the top. Time to get a new School Board and Principal.
Word on the street is the “animals” are running the zoo.
Seems to be a lot of outside influence from newer “Duluthians”.
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I agree with all of the above – Dixon / JCI are mostly responsible for this mess and believe me there are other “messes” out there going on that no one is publicly talking about as well. You cram too many students together in a big school, make class sizes so big that the teachers can’t possibly keep track of what is going on in classes, not enough staff to watch over the student body in between classes – the list goes on and on. Crowding and poor supervision, in addition to lack of follow through / consequences with the kids causing the trouble is a recipe for trouble. The Red Plan created this recipe by splitting this city in two with a majority of the most troubled students going to Denfeld. I feel for the students there. This was predicted and could have been prevented . Why do you think that all the top players in the Red Plan send their own kids to private and other schools out of our district? Obviously their plan was good for their wallet but not good enough for their own children. Duluth News Tribune – did you ever do any of that research? No, I guess not.
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Elizabeth B…..I agree! I will bet ( without a doubt ), that id you were to ask a teacher, pricipal, or a school board member about what is causing these problems….they “will have to to do some checking into this, and get back to you” about this matter! If you tell them that the Red Plan is by far the major cause….they will tell you the Red Plan had “absolutely nothing to do with this problem”. They will never admit that the Red Plan had anything to do with this! As far as the DNT doing a “investigative report” on on all the Red Plan problems….we will never see an investigation into this! They are the biggest cheerleader for the Red Plan……and do not forget, the ISD 709…..spends a very substantial amount of money with the DNT…..thus insuring, that a investigation will NEVER happen!
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Surprised about this, given the new buildings and all.
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—- weapons, drugs and BULLYING —–
When liberals take on a problem sure as the sun rises in the east that problem gets worse.
Hot debate. What do you think?
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My heart goes out to the teachers who thought they were going to be able to teach students their field of expertise, and find themselves doing more policing and counseling than actual teaching heaped on top of paper work, and rules and more rules. No wonder the young ones are leaving the profession- and I don’t blame them.
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Anyone remember when the Red Plan first came out and everyone was all giddy about the prospect of shiney new schools? Until we realized that all the money was being put into buildings instead of funding what goes on inside the schools. I remember the author of SMALLER, SANER, SAFER, SUCCESSFUL SCHOOLS coming to Duluth and speaking to a group at the Central site. (Dixon was invited but apparently refused to come ..because, well, he knew that small schools made more sense but the “glory” was apparently in making a name for himself). Here we are 6 years later with big, big shiney schools, crammed students (some classes with 45-48 students in a class) -and all the problems associated with choosing buildings over funding for teaching – just as predicted. Remind me how Ann Wasson, Mary Cameron, Judy Seliga Punkyo and others involved are still sitting on the Board? I just don’t get it. Fire the bunch of them. My heart goes out to the students trying to learn, the teachers trying to teach and the taxpayers trying to manage the increases in school taxes that the Board simply takes because they know darn well that the public will never vote for an increase until they all step down.
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Elizabeth B…..I agree, again! As far as I know, the only way to get rid of Board Members….( between elections )….is to RECALL them, and being in the Duluth area…..that will never happen! Voting against them……again, that does not seem to happen around Duluth….they just keep re-electing them! Bet the Board Members ( we know who they are )….feel like “the cat who just swallowed the bird”…..with all their smugness, and having the power to spend taxpayers money…..against the will of the taxpayers and voters themselves! Unfortunately, we “HAVE CREATED A MONSTER” here!
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The problem of fighting and bullying will correct the problem with overcrowding, as parents take their kids out of “Dixons He**hole” and put the kids in outlying schools or private schools. As school population declines maybe the new additions to Denfeld can be torn down to conserve heat and A/C. Maybe that was JCIs’ intent for cost savings along.
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When my kids went to Denfeld (last one graduated last year) My dealings with Ms. Sconiers were less than favorable. We were lied to several times and I have heard from others she has done the same to them. It’s too bad Mr Crawford left because she Is NOT the right person for the job, and he was amazing! I have said that since they announced she would be there permantly that it was a mistake and it seems I was right.
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and the newest of the old Central is sitting empty? How about making it a “boot camp” for those who can’t get along in “regular school?
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I agree. It would make a great campus for a more “hands on” educational approach. There would be plenty of room to build dormitories on the existing site as well…
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That will be the new casino willing to bet on it
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I find it surprising that the principal would definitively say that there are no weapons at Denfield. It is not possible for her (or any principal at any school) to know that with 100% certainty. How could she possibly be so certain? It seems irresponsible for her to say that. When a large number of students are reporting that they feel unsafe and that they are afraid of students that might have or might acquire weapons, it seems they might know something she doesn’t. Perhaps she should listen to the students and parents more. Administrators not listening to students, parents, and taxpayers is one of the big problems with the Duluth schools. Why isn’t there an anonymous reporting system? Students are supposed to confide in a teacher they trust? When class sizes are 35-40 students, I am guessing not many students have a personal relationship with any teacher.
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That’s Sconiers for you. Always trying to paint a rosy picture that is not there!
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Tammi….That is part of her pay….to paint that “rosy picture” to the media, parents, students etc…..otherwise, the School Board would dismiss her!
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I’m surprised by the public response here. Perhaps there’s some “tongue in cheek” comments in here, but I’m surprised at how many people are blaming the administration and blaming this on the red plan.
Admittedly, I’m not a “native Duluthian.” I moved here in 2000, graduated from UMD in 2005, built a new house here, and have been working for Duluth employers since 2006. When people ask where I’m from, I tell them “I’m from Duluth.” While I understand that native Duluthians have a lot of pride over their respective high-schools, I don’t pretend to understand how deep that pride runs.
However, at what point are the parents the problem? Parents need to re-enforce the discipline issued from school. When I was a kid and got detention in high-school, I had a healthy fear of the additional punishment that would be dolled out once my parents found out. Parents need to keep their kids off the streets and keep their noses in the books or other after school activities. Granted the teachers and staff at the schools are having to deal with large class sizes and such, but when teachers receive no backup on the home front, how can you expect them to succeed? When kids see their parents blaming everyone else instead of looking inward first, what sort of message are we sending?
Maybe it’s time for all the hate, anger and blame being directed at the red-plan to be done. It’s here, and not going anywhere. Let’s figure out how to make it work the best for everyone involved.
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If the troubled students were put in a boot camp type of school instead of being suspended, they wouldn’t be at home unsupervised, out on the streets, and out of school. They would be in a supervised building and in school. It has worked in other places.
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No one should ever forget what was done to this city. The Red Plan destroyed neighborhood schools. Wasted scarce education dollars. Eliminated music, art, athletic opportunities for 1/3 of HS students. They did this by stealing the vote. So those people need to take responsibility. They haven’t. Maybe “Enron” doesn’t value the right to vote like every other district allows its citizens but it is important up here. UMD had the highest turnout of all college campuses one year. Enough with the “get over it” attitude. Families will be suffering the consequences of this disastrous plan for years. Never forget.
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dmo8: who are you referring to here? Admin or ??
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Enron,
I agree with you. Parents have to play a role here. Lots of parents showed up at this meeting, and this is a start. The next step is for the principal to listen to them. Of course we all know there are kids who were raised with bad role models at home and who have no respect for school. Unfortunately, there is not much that has been shown to be successful in changing the fact that those families exist. When these kids step into the schools, it DOES become the responsibility of the administrators to make sure these kids do not endanger others. There has to be blame going to bad parenting, but blaming the bad parents does not keep the other kids safe at school. Keeping kids safe at school means that the principal first has to admit that the potential for weapons on campus exists. She needs to listen. Having classes with 35-45 students in them does nothing to help existing tensions. I’m also not sure this has anything to do with the Red Plan, but this situation does point to the fact that the current state of Duluth’s public schools is not good and it points to the fact that many people simply do not trust the on-site adminstrators or the school board.
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I graduated from Denfeld and never once had a problem there. My daughter is set to graduate from Denfeld this spring and I have serious concerns about her safety. I want to pull her from school and let her finish on-line, even though she will lose the social activities associated with school. I feel terrible that she would have to miss out on the rest of her senior year but as a parent, and also a 17 year district employee, I do not feel that she is getting an adequate education nor do I feel that she is safe. Are there any other parents considering this option? Feedback would be appreciated!
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But Dixon said that shiny new mega-schools would solve all of our problems. How can this be? The projected savings in facilities management was a lie, the teacher to student ratios are worse, there are less activities for students to be involved in, the students have farther busrides, there has been no cost savings in fuel for bussing, they don’t have a single buyer interested in Central so it sits vacant, and on….and on…. The lies simply don’t stop. This is by far the largest fraud ever perpetrated against the Duluth taxpayers, hands down. If the DNT or a local news channel was truly interested in investigative reporting, they would follow the JCI money to Dixon, who ironically skipped town immediately after getting the Red Plan passed. Tim Grover, Dixon’s biggest puppet throughout the Red Plan ordeal (keep in mind Mr. Grover campaigned to his constituents that he would vote AGAINST the Red Plan, but then once elected he switched his vote and screwed them), well he also conveniently has disappeared. Follow the money!
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This to me is Sesame Street stuff: Bottom line has been the same for years but no one seems to want to deal with it. Not politically correct. FACT is, we have a MASSIVE family breakdown problem in this country. Instability in the family often creates insecurity. Insecurity in a child usually causes anger. Anger turned outwardly causes fighting. Anger turned inwardly is depression (teen suicide and depression is up and rising.) It is one reason why you will not deal effectively with the bullying problem (case in point: NJ has one of the toughest anti bullying laws in the country. This year cases tripled from last year). Bullying is simply a matter of bringing someone weaker down to build one self up; (i.e. insecurity) Remember when the school system spent MILLIONS of dollars to have someone go in and deal the with bullying problem? What happened to all that money? The family issue is also why you will see this kind of anger (outward) continue. What is needed? Two basic things: One are lessons on self respect. Not sugar coated lectures; but “tell it like it is and here how you can fix it” type lessons followed up in class. How do you deal with a lack of self respect when others around you tell you that you’re no good? Next, you need what are called youth advocates in the school. I’m not talking about school counselors. A counselors job is not only to deal with personal problems, but they also have the job is to help students prepare life after high school. They simply don’t have the time to give each student what they need. A youth advocate helps a student not only deal with issues, but offers a “carrott ” they can shoot for that provides motivation and a chance for a better life. This problem of “anger” must be dealt with aggressively in a positive fashion. And as a tv detective once said: “that’s the name of that tone!”
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Like I mentioned hear earlier….the Red Plan ( the whole plan, and it’s ramifications ) are a major source of the problem. Unfortunately, another major part of the problem is much more difficult to deal with….society’s problems….the economy etc….what with single parent homes, homes with both parents having to work….and a lot of them, having to work 2-3 jobs to make ends meet….these things do take a toll here as well! This is most unfortunate….in these types of situations….sometimes the kids go bad, creating a boatload of problems down the road…..for themselves and for others. We ( as a society )….have to recognize these problems for what they actually are…..and try to pull together and make some headway here! Unless we all take part in this……what kind of a future does the USA have?
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I agree- with many single parent homes and 2 parent families working 1 ormore jobs- some families consider it thier job to make the money and the kids job is to go to school and each does their job. With the economy of today that is the way for some families- kids are eating cold cereal for dinner becuase their parents aren’t home and won’t let the youngsters use appliances. did I read only 70 parents showed up at the meeting? And how many familes are there in that school? I don’t think 70 is a very large number. That shows parent involvement. I am sure there are parents out there who were working or just too tired to attend.
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“Denial” ain’t just a river in Egypt, I can’t believe the way Sconiers responded, she needs to go. Mike Hockerts you hit the nail on the head, Central thugs will be confronted in good neighborhoods, rightfully so. And dm08, post of the day!
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In March of 2009, Dr. Joe Nathan was invited by Let Duluth Vote to come and speak about the topic Smaller, Saner, Safer Successful Schools. Dr. Nathan is a world-renowned researcher and promoter of excellence in education. He has appeared on several hundred radio and television programs, including ABC’s World News Tonight, NBC’s The Today Show, CBS’s Morning Program, and PBS s McNeil/Lehrer News Hour. He writes a regular education column that appears in many Minnesota newspapers. He is the author of three books, including Free to Teach: Achieving Equity and Excellence in Schools.
The meeting was free and open to the public, and was held at STC. Although Superintendent Dixon (who knew Dr. Nathan) and each of the school board members were invited to attend, only Gary Glass was there. However, staff members from some of the surrounding school districts were present.
Copies of Dr. Nathan’s report Smaller, Saner, Safer Successful Schools were given to each Duluth school board member (as well as to Superintendent Dixon) later at a school board meeting. One has to wonder if they even bothered to read it, or at least seriously consider its findings. Just the comparisons made on page 12 of this report are pretty startling:
Teacher Reports of Daily, Weekly or Monthly Incidents by (traditional Urban) school size:
Type of Incident ………. 200-749 Students —> as compared to schools with —> 1200 or more Students
Robbery/Theft ………. 21% —> as compared to —> 50%
Vandalism ………. 18% —> as compared to —> 44%
Possession of weapons ………. 2% —> as compared to —> 12%
Verbal Abuse of Teachers ………. 30% —> as compared to —> 57%
Use of Illegal drugs ………. 5% —> as compared to —> 45%
Use of Alcohol ………. 4% —> as compared to —> 39%
Widespread disorder in classrooms ………. 15% —> as compared to —> 29%
You can read the rest of the report here: http://www.ncef.org/pubs/saneschools.pdf
Add to the above findings Duluth’s over-crowded classrooms, plus fewer teachers and supportive staff, and you get what Denfeld is experiencing right now. What type of learning environment is that conducive to?
It would appear that the district’s priorities were more about the buildings, swimming pools, and stadiums vs providing a safer and (truly) more successful learning environment for the students and staff. Is this what we paid $311 million for???
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Carol, I agree it was a very good meeting by Dr. Nathan. And both Art Johnston and Gary Glass were there. And now the classes are too large and the financial burden to Duluth is overwhelming. Rumor has it that several of the school board members up for election next year will not run again. Should they not be held responsible for this financial mess? We need good leaders. And I have another question for DNT. Why have you not reported on Mr. Kasper? You know what he is guilty of doing. I am glad I know and I can keep my daughter far away from him. Should he be allowed to visit any of the schools?
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Sherry S…..What is Mr Kasper guilty of? I know he is no longer with the City of Duluth……but, he is still a ISD 709 School Board member…..are you saying that he should not be a board member because of something he did? What did he do? This sounds serious!
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I feel all school board members must be a role model for the students and the community. This is a serious matter. And the administration must be honest if they wish to rebuild the trust of the city.
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Sherry S.
You’re correct, Art Johnston was there; he was instrumental in bringing Dr. Nathan to Duluth. However, he wasn’t a school board member at that time. Instead it was Cameron, Condon, Glass, Grover, Seliga-Punyko, and Wasson.
Btw, I’m a bit surprised at Enron’s remark re “how many people are blaming the administration and blaming this on the red plan.” After all, it was the administration/school board/JCI that implemented the $311 Red Plan in the first place – without a vote, and with little to no community compromises. Supposedly they couldn’t make any of those types of changes (compromises) to the Red Plan, but instead could include many/most of the items that were in the other two plans (the White & the Blue plans – which were the most expensive plans). No wonder why the “Red Plan” price tag has increased!
They’re also the ones who have authorized “borrowing” $5 million a year from the operations budget (which they originally said for months that they weren’t doing) to help pay for the Red Plan. Have they said how or when this money will be paid back?
They’re the ones who have made all these decisions – not us. If they’re not the ones to be held responsible for what’s happening now, then who is???
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*And Nilson (school board members)
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Carol…..the 5 million ( per year ) will NEVER be paid back to the General Fund. Each and every year, the board has to either cut services, teachers, supplies (operational) ….OR get an infusion of cash from the taxpayer ( either from a levy to be voted on by the taxpayer, or by them arbitrarily raising the levy (on their own…like they are doing again…in fact they already voted for another 11.9% increase….which MAY be lowered in Decembers meetings )…..OR taking more funds from their reserve fund…..which they have dipped into already, and depleted about 65% of the reserve fund totals from 2-3 years ago. There is nobody to hold accountable for all these shenanigans…..EXCEPT…..you guessed it……the taxpayer! I know…….the board members should be held accountable…..but, they will slide out of this…..when they decide NOT to run for re-election…….as the voters in Duluth just keep re-electing these people back into office! It is a crying shape Duluth does not learn from their mistakes….they just keep on making the same mistakes…..over and over and over again! Just like the definition of the word “insane”…….LOL!!
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Okay, enough whining about the past, let us move forward from today. Correct the internal issues of today, if there is a need to replace members of the board, search out individuals willing to place students in the forefront. Remember education is the goal. Let us set a goal of 100% graduation rate with all being able to read, write and add. Parents and Unions must get out of the way of personal agendas so the community may focus on education. With good education comes good discipline.
Are we ready for the task?
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“Parents and Unions must get out of the way of personal agendas so the community can focus on education”? I would bet that is not a Freudian slip. The parents have already been swept out of the way by the screwel board due to the personal agendas of the screwel board members. Perhaps parents SHOULD exercise their personal agendas, contrary to your recommendation, because the parents agends would probably include an education for their kids.
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No slip, parents quit pushing fluff and focus on basics, Unions quit looking for money at every turn and focus on their job of teaching these basics.
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Bob, I agree with this statement of yours but there is one problem. The very existence of the Red Ink plan is living proof that the agenda of the parents (for a good education for their kids) was steamrollered flat under the personal agenda of the screwel board members who wanted to build monument buildings to their inflated egos (while IMHO perhaps inflating their wallets too). Now the agenda of the parents does not matter because there is no way to dig out of the fiscal hole the screwel board has put this city into. 16 or 17 years from now when the Red Ink plan is paid for and the school district losens its’ grip on the taxpayers wallets perhaps the taxpayers will then have some money to pay for kids education but until then the taxpayers are overly burdened with paying for the monument buildings.
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LOL!! I agree….but, you forgot something. By the time thes buildings are paid for…..ISD 709 ( at that time )…..will be looking for money to replace the “just paid for buildings”……starting the whole process all over again…..LOL!! Seriously, long before then…..they are gonna be looking for more cash……several times between now and then! You know, gotta keep spending it……..otherwise they ( taxpayer ) will take it away from us!
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You are right Vern. The screwel board does not budget for repairs as is evidenced by their claims that our old schools were so run down that we needed the Red Ink plan just to make the schools habitable again. The new schools…well how many years was it before the new elementary school in the Gary neighborhood needed a replacement roof? Was it 3 years old or maybe 5? The screwel board does not have a good track record for hiring competence at any level for anything.
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Bob – Duluth has a proud history of supporting our students, teachers and schools but after 6 years of putting the buildings, and a for profit company AHEAD of the actual Education – this community has had it with School Board Members that would rather invest our money into elaborate buildings instead of what goes on inside – and I am not talking about the air conditioning that Johnson Controls felt was more important than music classes. I honestly believe that people will never completely move on until the last one responsible (and there are currently three still on the Board) has resigned or been replaced. Why trust them with another dime when they have shown such poor judgement?
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Ok Bob, Let me see if I understand what you are saying. You are advocating for 100% graduation rates, 0% drop out rates, and I believe, core education – the basics first, and the “fluff” after the basics are mastered. Certainly I would support the goal of 100% graduation rates, and 0% drop out rates – however unrealistic that is. So lets say we agree on a goal of increasing graduation rates. And I, too would prefer our money was spent on core education primary, – so now that we both agree -what I don’t understand is why you seem to support a Board who brought forth a plan that invested (without a vote) more money than as a community we could afford, to simply build buildings – leaving nothing for the teaching of that core education. Love the smart boards, but honestly, do we need those 15,000 per room smart boards for the core education? Do we need air conditioning in the rooms?, did we need to build not one but two new swimming pools when we can’t afford teachers? do we need to worry about the humidity of the band instruments when budget cuts have cause loss of music programs? Do we need copper schools with views that most duluthians would be envious of, yet not have enough funds to give our teachers small enough class sizes that they can connect with the students? Denfeld has a proud history of hard work and success – perhaps the Board should be concentrating a bit more on what is going on inside the schools for the safety of our students, then making sure you can see the clock tower through the skylight in the new addition cafeteria. It’s nice, no doubt, but just saying…
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Never have I stated I have any love for this Board, they are a despicable lot. Mr Glass & Johnson tried to tell the truth but not many listened.
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Sorry Bob – Guess I misjudged – I’m alittle touchy when I hear people say “move forward”- it’s been the Red Plan supporters way of pushing through their agenda. all in the name of “the children” – which hasn’t been for the children at all- The community does need to heal for the good of the students – but again, I personally don’t feel that is going to happen as long as Wasson, Cameron and Seliga Punkyo are still on the Board..
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Sorry Elizabeth I did not articulate my point well. But back to the issue at hand of the “violence” in the schools.
If we as a community do not stop this it will further degrade the educational quality of the Duluth schools. Much of it has been brought on by the big city students being meld with the working class families of the west. The Administration in place has coddled to this, and must be replaced. Again a poor choice by the Board.
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Elizabeth: I think we could rightly describe the current, and for the forseeable future, state of Duluths schools as being “All show and no go”. Thanks Red Ink plan and its’ supporters. If I had kids in the Duluth school system I would definitely pull them and place them into Edison or one of the surrounding communities schools. Leave the shiney new schools to the animals. After all Duluth itself is well on its way to becoming a rust belt ghetto city like Detroit, Gary, Akron etc. and the fate of inner city schools in those cities is what is going to happen to the Red Ink schools.
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The first rule of Denfeld is never talk about Denfeld. The second rule is never talk about Denfeld…
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Understanding that those that were against “The Red Plan” are still sore. But, there is only a few solutions moving forward. 1. Get rid of those responsible. 2. Roll up YOUR sleeves and get involved in these schools!
As a parent of 2 children who are successful in school, I only ask 1 thing of the schools my children have attended. “Continue to challenge my child educationally”. From there, my children’s success is MY responsibility. It is my job as a parent to make certain they apply and learn and also communicate with the educators themselves. Be proactive! Things tend to work out when the parent is committed to what THEY created!
Well-loved. Like or Dislike:
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If this continues organize a boycott. Don’t send your kids to this school until the school district cleans up the mess they made. Make some noise people. A boycott of this size would make nat’l news.
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There’s misconception as to why there are fights at Denfeld. It has nothing to do with the Red plan or the administration. But, read on. I’m not a red plan fan in the slightest.
70% of Denfeld’s kids qualify for free or reduced lunches, which means they come from families of poverty. Some are the working poor. Many move here because of MN’s fast and easy to get welfare. About 30% of Denfeld’s kids are not from here. I doubt their parent(s) moved here because of the outstanding job growth. I expect most of these folks moved here only for the assistance. Those that grow up here tend to have some pride in their town and school. Those that come from elsewhere, especially when there are large numbers, lack the cohesion. They live in the western part of town as that is where the inexpensive rent is, thus the kids go to Denfeld. Low wages = low education. The parents don’t respect the educational system and In turn, their kids model the same. On the lower end of the poverty scale, those kids have other things to worry about like if they are going to be able to eat that evening.
Beyond that, because of the extreme shortage of education dollars, the bad kids will not be weeded out. I knew a teacher that was physically assaulted by a student, and their punishment was a 2 week suspension. The schools are going to choose the per pupil dollars over expulsion, which seems like a more fitting consequence. Regretfully, 1 out of control kid can literally end learning for everyone else in a classroom.
MN was rated as the #1 or 2 school system in the nation for years up until the mid 1990′s. We are now 18th and falling. A combination of not enough money and more importantly, a culture of poverty and all that goes with that is the real culprit.
There may be little things that could help the educational system here. But, the western end of town in particular, which was a hard working, blue collar, decent pay area for decade up until the 1970′s, has transformed into a poverty stricken near ghetto, and continues to worsen.
What’s the solution with the actual school violence? Until those kids can be dealt with in a different manner ,these problems will remain. Right now, because of the possible loss of per pupil dollars, pretty much anything is tolerated.
Look at 2012 Duluth as 1980 inner NYC.
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Bus every student who lives east of the ore docks to East High School and watch how quickly the problem is solved.
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William – thank you for your comments. Many don’t have the courage to discuss the differences between students that have grown up together, and those recently moved to town with poverty issues. It’s the truth, not racist to discuss it. Can we help these students who get into trouble without hurting our own students? I think so, but it does take an administration and Board willing to administer tough consequences for bad behavior instead of worrying about the almighty dollar those kids bring in. This may not have been caused by the Red Plan but it was certainly exaggerated by the Red Plan. Closing some of the schools and combining large populations of students – in the case of Central where a majority of the students of lower income were sent to Denfeld – certainly changed the diversity. Plus add to that increases in class sizes (due to 5 million being transferred out of the general fund (teachers) to pay the Red Plan building payments – So even though the Red Plan isn’t responsible for bringing more troubled students into the District, or for the lack of consequences for students that cause trouble – it is indeed a big factor in changes we are seeing now at Denfeld, and I am told Lincoln as well.
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William…don’t you know it is not politically correct to talk about the flood of welfare cases coming in from large ghetto cities? Unfortunately, the ghetto welfare cases that are coming to Duluth are bringing their ghetto lifestyles and ghetto problems with them. As long as the flood continues Duluths’ problems will continue to grow and grow. But the bleeding heart libs that are encouraging the importing of this trash say we are not supposed to talk about that.
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