Speed Gibson

Brad Brown, Lynne Osterman and Robin Smothers were the chairs of this year's "Vote Yes - Be a Hero" District 281 referendum committee. They wrote a rather acrimonious guest column in the December 6 Sun Post. They are too quick to blame others for the defeat and I conclude a bit too unwilling to examine their own performance.

We know that many people who support public education were deceived by the blitzkrieg of disinformation sent out by referendum opponents in the last two days before the election. Even though it is too late to change the outcome of the election, those false claims are damaging to the students, staff, and parents of the district, and must be corrected.

Blitzkrieg? Like it would have passed otherwise? First of all, I received nothing from the "vote no" forces, not even a phone call. Given their limited finances, it was hardly unexpected that they would spend most of it in the last few days. Were they the difference? We have no good way of knowing. Were their claims false? Let's see. I'm accepting their characterization of the "false claims" at face value.

False claim: Robbinsdale students are not learning and perform worse than students in other districts.

The facts: Robbinsdale Area School's students score higher than state and national averages on the ACT college entrance exam. Seventy more students took the ACT this school year than the previous. Districtwide, students met No Child Left Behind targets in 429 of 463 separate demographic categories for a 93 percent success rate.

The claim is admittedly a broad brush, but the facts cited are far too specific to address how 281 compares to other districts overall. I'm sure that the other districts could make similar specific claims.

False claim: Robbinsdale wastes taxpayer dollars.

The facts: The district spends 96 cents of every dollar it receives on instruction, student-support services and facilities and just 4 cents of each dollar on administration. In the last two years, administration expenses have been cut by $260,000. The district has cut $7.3 million in programs and services over the past seven years, closed an elementary school, and sold three surplus buildings, reinvesting the capital dollars in building renovations. The district cannot, by state law, use the proceeds from the sale of school buildings for operating expenses.

Everyone unit of government wastes taxpayer dollars so the claim is certainly not false. But is the waste significant? This answer provides no clue one way or another, and falsely implies that administration is waste. Maybe 281 needs more administration, not less, to solve its problems.

False claim: Robbinsdale recruits students from outside the district at district taxpayer expense.

The facts: The district does not actively recruit open-enrollment students. However, last year, Robbinsdale Area Schools 1,304 students from other districts chose to open-enroll into our district. The result was a net financial gain of $1.3 million. Transportation for students that open-enroll in our district is not paid for by the district.

If Open Enrollment brings net money into the District as they say, why wouldn't 281 recruit such students given its currently under-utilized facilities? District 286 (Brooklyn Center) actively recruits for the same reason and makes no secret of it. The word "actively" in the response is curious. Does 281 "passively" recruit? With an Open Enrollment of 10%, it would seem so. If anything, the claim would appear to be true to some extent.

To voters who voted "Yes," we thank you for your support of our students and teachers; and to those who voted "No," we want you to know that we will work diligently to show you that our students and teachers truly are worthy of your support in the future. Contrary to the message of the anti-public school organization, education is never a waste.

You don't me to fisk this Parthian shot. It does illustrate part of the attitude problem that is making it difficult to get this referendum passed.