[Mpls] Citizen advisors tell board: close schools

[Dan McGuire]

>The Minneapolis school board got a blunt message Tuesday from its citizen
>budget advisers: Close schools, and don't fumble the job this time.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1592/4853342.html

It wasn't the board's fault that it was a poorly researched and even more
poorly timed plan.  The board did what it is supposed to do - listen to its
constituents.  More facts and a more thoughtful plan were and still are
necessary.  Just because it didn't happen the way Jennings wanted it to
happen doesn't mean that it is the board's fault.  Mr. Jennings should be
taking more responsibility for the inept execution.

How many more families will be calling private or charter schools after
reading the paper this morning?

>The Citizens Budget Advisory Committee delivered that message as the board
>adopted a $429 million operating budget for next school year, down 7
percent
>from last school year. It's a budget that spreads too little money over too
>many schools, "according to Interim Superintendent David Jennings."

-Not necessarily according to the citizens that the district serves.  That
opinion is yet to be determined.

>"It seems obvious that we are spending resources on space instead of
>students," the budget group said in a statement read to the board by its
>chairman, Eli Kaplan.

How is that obvious ?  Please share the facts - all of the facts, and do it
qucikly.


>"The group expressed concern that the district isn't moving fast enough on
the planning groundwork needed to make school->closing decisions as
scheduled in October."

Except that is was Jennings who sent out 22 rfps and got only one
unsatisfactory response and then hired a mish mash of consultants who
haven't put anything on the table yet.  The board doens't need to take the
blame for that.  They moved pretty qucikly this last month to correct that
situation.  Let's see how Ms. Peebles works with the consultants.

Dan McGuire
Ericsson