Linda - previously unsure of supporting FO/OV/CI - now is in support.
John - I to do not have any reservations about FO/OV/CI.
Steve - I think it is time to move forward and vote on the whole budget and a path for healing. I ask that we vote on the matter.
Final vote - Full proposal is voted in - Dean and Linda voted no -- all others yes.
That's it.
45 comments:
It's done??????
Oh my gosh they did it.
Good to see Susan got her precious magnet school and ECFE programs. I hope she's happy.
Unbelievable...I'm stunned.
sick to my stomach - I am sick to my stomach in disbelief
Thanks for the information. Not happy with the results but so glad that I could be home with the kids and read what is going on. Thanks Derek! CI & BW parent
This is a digrace....my house will be on the market within the next month!
I am stunned; sickened....
thank God it's over...the suspense was killing me...the board did the right thing!
Why wouldn't they support breaking out the $800k into a separate proposal? I just cannot understand the logic. Why does it have to be all or nothing?
In an unfortunate situation the board did what needed to be done.
Now I live for the day their little "project" at WL fails miserably and we can all say a collective "told you so!"
Now is the time to move on to support what is important- our students and staff. They will need all the support we can show to help with the changes to come.
I am proud of the board. Way to not cave under pressure.
To those who wish failure on the district or who are racing to find a realty company it is painfully obvious you were looking out for your own interests....can we assume you will still be "involved in the process" moving forward? The board meets again next week....see you there!
true, true....,,
Well...this is the beginning of the downhill process for our district. Our children will be getting pulled soon, and we will look to leave ASAP. It was a good district....but no longer.
We will never vote yes again for a proposal/levy. They cannot be trusted to listen to the people who voted them in, etc. It's a disgrace....
I still do not believe they are doing this in the name of "saving money", but I guess in many ways it makes my life easier. The District will now have to pay to bus my 4 kids across Maple Grove to go to school everyday. We are walkers at Weaver Lake but now they will be responsible for our transportation needs. Thanks Taxpayers!
When the levy failed, wouldn't you say that they did listen to those who voted no?
I will vote yes and continue to support students and staff in 279. Voting no only will hurt them more. Moving out would only hurt my kids more. I am not happy that these cuts had to be made but I knew what would happen if the 3 levies did not all pass. I attended meetings before the vote and saw what could happen and now has happened.
To the post above, thank you. I am a teacher that will be cut. I appreciate that even though you are upset (as many of us are) you support us to go on!
As a staff member of the district and a resident of 279 I can only hope that we will get as much support from the community as possible. Many of us don't know what our jobs will look like in the fall but we are there for the kids and will always be there with their best interests. Please help us as we all adjust. Thanks!
those pointing to the levy as showing what the community wanted need to read the levy brochure. Q1 implied no school closings. You can point fingers at parents wanting to move from the district as selfish but I would say these parents made their issues known and the potential ramifications and the board ignored them. Therefore when they leave the district, the board has no reason to cry about the lost revenue. The board has to live with the consequences of their actions. BTW, what did all this "community comment" cost us? a total waste of time and money and ultimate show of disrespect to the community!
I also am a 279 staff member. I appreciate all of the hard work that was put into the proposal and the subsequent work than went into making it a reality. My job will be greatly affected by increased numbers of students I serve, however, I will continue to endeavor to be the best teacher I can be for students of district 279. Cuts are always painful, now we must move on and continue to do our best for our students! I give kudos to the board for making this difficult decision.
anyone with kids knows the teachers and involved parents are what makes these schools work/or not. However, if the board doesn't wake up to their fiscal responsiblity and focus on non-classroom budget cuts then we will soon be facing more teacher layoffs and school closings.
It's sad to see all the great teachers go that are truely great, and helped our kids so well over the years and we say thanks. Now we must decide on what we do with our kids, etc. For us...leaving is looking good as well as Private school. We were walkers...but..time to move on...
I am very disappointed with tonights meeting. This is not our district anymore it is Hintz. I am glad my children only have 2 years left till they graduate. I will continue to vote but it will be many years till I am able to vote yes again.
Not pointing fingers (as you say) at anyone...the comments do the pointing. The "back to normal" with school board meetings will do the pointing. All the board members said they did take the public comment into consideration. The decisions tonight were not easy. But to say that no one listened when they all said they did and made a decision that was not popular with a group....comes across as well.....I'll let the comment speak for itself.
WL school and surrounding area just went down the drain
How so? What drain....there are probably still news crews around....shall we notify Channel 5? Who's the adult?
Yup, instead of walking our 2 kids to WL next year for their first day of school we get to walk them to their bus stop and give them a kiss and say goodbye. I will miss seeing their happy little faces waiting in line with all their friends for the school doors to open.
I don't understand the comment about ch 5 news..
the reason i say the board didn't listen is because they rubber stamped the original proposal and i don't assume they are all knowing. when this thing was 1st rolled out even the Teamworks guy said he never had a proposal that was not changed in some way along the way. the only small changes were made by the admin. the board added no value in the process
It was in response to the surrounding area going down the drain. I'm not sure how or what drain it's heading down. Look I know and appreciate the passion that has been put into this. The problem is that when comments are made about areas going down the drain, open enrolling, a downhill process, not supporting another levy if asked....we're in a forest, but can't see the trees. By that I mean, the board made a decision tonight based on seeing a bigger picture. Everyone looks at that picture differently. Some think it looks great, others not so much. They made the decision that in their opinions is in the best interest of most of the kids in the district. Let's not get carried away with areas of Maple Grove down the drain though.....
I know my house value just went down tonight. I agree...that is the highlight of the first day is to walk the kids to school, and see the faces as they wait by the door, etc. You learn a lot when you walk with your child, take time out, etc...that is gone now.
I don't think they made a decision in the best interest of most of the kids. All the kids in the district will feel this impact for years. Kids that haven't even entered school will also been affected. It is a shame that it has to be this way.
Yes, every student will be affected by this!!! Not in a good way at all... Our beutiful children who we all cherish will now have overfilled classrooms, less opportunity to strive with less teacher attention... Thats not the teachers fault, its the cutting of teachers by the board's decision and the voting of yes!!! Its really sad..... Thanks to all the wonderful teachers out there in our district that try so hard with our children, and do a great job.....
Mr. Antolak you said tonight we are a driving (cars) community and I can say by the way you look you drive more then you walk......
It is now a time to show support to the teachers we love so much. Let your kids know it will be ok they will take cues from our behavior.
The board made the right choice. We need to be fiscally responsible, there is no chance of a new levy passing in this economical environment, and there will be no additional money from the state due to the deficit there. The majority of the board showed true leadership and courage.
BW Parent - I do not look at the board as being brave under pressure but rather just the opposite. I'm not arguing the right or wrong decision was made (although I was opposed to the plan).
Those who give kudos for the way the board handled the situation should think twice! The four who remained unified were hiding behind their solidarity and felt strong knowing the four controlled the end result.
Is it easier to stand alone such as Dean and be a force of one, or easier to hide behind a unified front as the 4 board members did that would not even consider other options.
Successful businesses accept input, ideas and creativity. The board exemplified none of this. Kudos to Dean and Linda for thinking outside the box.
We need to continue to support this school district. ALL school districts have cuts. This is Hopkins last year... The grass is NOT greener on the other side. I work in a metro school district it is the same issues there. We need to support the teachers and volunteer and be involved in our children's lives at school. I am not happy about class sizes expanding but I know that I need to be more involved to stay on top of things. We are blaming the school board when we should be blaming the Govenor! Check out the funding for schools in MN and you will be shocked. You will see why we need to make so many cuts!
I had chills when I heard that they were going to combine the three schools. That is crazy. Then to take Weaver Lake and make it into a magnet school. Gee...they won't know what they got until it's gone. Very disappointed.
The school board owns the fiscal responsibility of managing funds and anyone who listened to Dean explain this last night would understand that there is sufficient funding. The spend is out of control which ties back to the board and their poor leadership with funds.
The board contradicts themselves by asking the parents to support the decision and help the administration with the change (you've got to be kidding)! Now we are good enough and they want our help - No Way.
We'll continue to see an increase in school capacity because parents like us will be sending their kids to private schools where our money and opinions count and other parents will be moving out of the city to other cities which was one of our City Council's concern.
Those who think this decision just impacted the kids are wrong - it affected the entire city!
Let's face it this blog is nothing more than a venting station at this point! We should use this energy to continue to fight and let the board know our feelings and disappointment.
"Sponge Bob Squarepants"
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