Parents, kids speak out

  By Kate Bramson
News Tribune staff writer

The Duluth School Board got what it wanted Monday night -- public input, to the tune of at least 800 who packed Ordean Middle School's auditorium to tell the board what they thought of the plan to close schools, reconfigure school boundaries and reduce the number of classes for many students.

Most of the more than 30 people who addressed the board and administrators don't like the plan and encouraged the district to be creative in seeking ways to balance the budget and to seek input from Mayor Gary Doty, the City Council and parents and students.

"Where do you get the $4 million?'' asked the Rev. Philemon Sevastiades, pastor at 12 Holy Apostles Greek Orthodox Church, of the approximately $4.8 million the district projects it must cut from next year's budget. "You think creatively, and if you need help, ask someone.''

Sevastiades received wild applause when he said he won't accept the solution the board has reached at "such a rapid rate that (they) expect to vote'' on it before the Minnesota Legislature approves its budget for the next two years.

He was not alone in suggesting the district seek help from its community before making a decision at the scheduled March 28 School Board meeting, the date the board selected last week to vote on this plan.

The Duluth School District proposes closing three schools next year and two the following year. Birchwood, Lester Park and Rockridge elementary schools would close this fall. Piedmont and Chester Park elementary schools would remain open for one more school year. The administrative plan reconfigures much of the district by redrawing school boundaries and changes where many students would go to school. It creates three corridors that each has three elementary schools feeding into one middle school and one high school.

The School Board and district administrators head to Central High School tonight and Denfeld High School Wednesday night to gather more feedback. These community meetings are the first time the public has been able to speak to the entire board about the plan outlined by administrators a week ago.

On Monday, district administrators spent about an hour explaining to a mostly quiet audience how the district developed its proposal and outlining school boundary changes and district financial figures.

But when the district's director of special education, Linda Maron, told the public that some Rockridge and Lester Park elementary students would move to Ordean -- which would become an elementary school -- she received a chorus of "Nos'' from the audience.

Then, the district's business services director, Greg Hein, received loud cheers and applause when he said administrative cuts could equal about $1 million.

A few minutes later, as parents jumped up out of their seats when told to form two lines to address the board, people whooped and hollered -- it was finally their chance to address the school district. The lines were 15 deep in seconds. And the people kept stepping up to the microphone for more than two hours.

Lise Lunge-Larson, who has two children at East High School and one at Woodland Middle School, said that seven years ago when the district closed five schools, the public was told the buildings were too old, had fire-code problems and weren't appropriate for use as modern school buildings.

"Look at each of them today: Washburn, Kenwood, Cobb, Merritt and Lakeside,'' she said. "They are functioning as private schools, full of Duluth schoolchildren.... By closing them in the fashion you did, you drove families and children out of the public school system and into private schools.''

While parents and students argued against the loss of the city's neighborhood schools and the speed with which the board is moving forward with this plan, they also attacked the proposal to reduce the number of classes that middle and high school students would take.

Administrators say the district can save $1.2 million next year by reducing daily class periods for those students from seven to six. But that will affect what students learn, how much they're able to choose their schedules and their ability to get into good colleges, opponents said.

East High School student Jay Peterson questioned how the district could reduce the number of required math courses for high school student from three to two.

"The six-period day just shows how the School Board doesn't care for our children's education,'' he said. "How can you cut back on math credits?... I believe this plan is just wrong.''

Throughout the evening, the audience cheered for each other, clapped and held up signs encouraging the district to "Save our neighborhood schools,'' "Leave our boundaries alone!'' and "Don't close our schools.''

The proposed boundary changes would cause an estimated 300 East High School students to attend Central High School and an undetermined number of Central students to attend East, according to Superintendent Julio Almanza. As the district redrew boundaries, its biggest concern was to reduce overcrowding at East, but Almanza said last week that the second consideration was to make sure the district's low-income students weren't all concentrated in a few schools.

East parents said Monday that those boundary changes will affect property values of the homes no longer in the East attendance area.

But one parent with two children at Congdon Park said the proposal to reconfigure Duluth's low-income population was "bold and inspired.'' When Robin Downs said, "We need to stop hyperventilating over personal-loss issues and look at the big picture,'' she received a loud chorus of "Nos'' from the audience.

Later, Sevastiades addressed such issues of diversity as well. "You do not effect social policy through the manipulation of children,'' he said to wild applause.

After he spoke to the board, he said he agrees with the idea of teaching diversity, but the way to do that is to create programs between neighborhood schools where parents and students can interact with one another.

Parent and teacher Karen Kilpo urged the board to keep seeking solutions. "As I tell my students, your first try isn't your best try,'' Kilpo said.

Kate Bramson writes about education issues. Call her at 723-5321 or (800) 456-8282 or e-mail her at kbramson@duluthnews.com.