School Levy: passed but not perfect
By CORY CLAESON
DCN Correspondent
Duluth citizens passed one Operating Levy on Election Night while two others failed leaving the district continuing their search of a way to fix the budget.
The Operating Levy contained three questions that were voted on to determine how much in taxes citizens would have to pay to support the financial side of the school district.
“I’m pleased with the result,� said Mimi Larson, the Vote Yes for Kids Chair. “It shows that the Duluth community is committed to education.�
With the first question passing the school district will be saved of any radical cuts, but will still need to make some. The district will be able to avoid moving to a four-day-a week class schedule, which could have caused a child care nightmare for some. Closing Duluth Central early was also another option which was being considered.
“I don’t want cuts to the classroom and don’t want to increase class size or cut teachers,� said school board member Mary Cameron.
The cuts that will take place are still to be determined, but they will be more subtle than if the first levy would have passed. There would have been little to no cuts if the second levy passed. Most citizens have taken one side or the other on deciding whether the levy vote was a success.
“The people of Duluth bought into the school district’s large expensive scare tactic,� said retired Duluth citizen Harry Welty, a member the group “Let Duluth Vote�. “They said the sky would fall if the levy wouldn’t pass.�
The city of Duluth recognized that the first levy needed to be passed for the kids but may have voted no against the last two questions because they were upset over the school district’s handling of prior school referendums. The “Red Plan� wasn’t voted on although it taxed citizens.
“The Red Plan is an atrocity because voters didn’t approve it,� said Welty
Although the original tax will stay in place, there could be a couple of reasons why there wasn’t a tax increase. The current state of the economy in Duluth could be a huge reason with the huge budget deficit and the city struggling to keep its buildings open, such as the aquarium.
There are a large number of retirees in Duluth that could not afford to pay the tax and therefore voted against the levy. Welty estimates that 50 percent of the town is retired and that there is a decline in children.
“The cuts could directly affect the classroom,� said Larson.
Students from the colleges and universities in the area may have played a decisive role in rejecting the levy. Although the levy wouldn’t affect them, some continued to vote on the issue.
“The students have every right to vote,� said Cameron
The continuation of the Red Plan is the latest educational tax on the city, and it remains divided on the issue. According to Larson, the school district will need to cut $3.3 million from the school budget.