A handful of Duluth community members drove down to the Minnesota Department of Education in the Twin Cities area Wednesday to try to convince officials to put the kibosh on the Duluth school district's long-range facilities plan.
Implementation of the district's proposal, known as the red plan, hinges on approval from the department, which is scheduled to issue a decision by Monday.
The trek to Roseville is the latest in a string of attempts by "Let Duluth Vote" to thwart progress on the district's red plan. The group, spearheaded by Duluth School Board hopefuls Harry Welty and Garry Glass, sprung up after the School Board voted to approve the red plan last spring without a referendum.
The group is responsible for circulating a petition demanding the right to vote on the $293 million plan, which garnered about 3,000 signatures. Members also have been passing out "Let Duluth Vote" yard signs, T-shirts and fliers.
Five members attended the meeting with department officials Wednesday afternoon to ask them to consider giving the plan an unfavorable or negative review, which would make moving forward with the red plan much more difficult. The media were not allowed to attend.
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According to the group, members took turns presenting their concerns with the red plan; topics ranged from the effect on property taxes to what members considered an exclusive planning process. It also touched on possible segregation the plan could cause in Duluth. The group also had time for a question-and-answer session with department personnel, which included the deputy education commissioner and the department's director of finance as well as a few other employees.
At the end of the hour-and-a-half meeting, Let Duluth Vote members walked out pleased.
"I was very impressed with the commissioner's office," said Roberta Pascuzzi, a community representative on the Duluth district's desegregation committee and member of Let Duluth Vote. "They were very straightforward and honest; they seemed to want our information to see how this plan would impact Duluth."
Welty said he was excited about information he learned about ways a newly comprised Duluth School Board might halt the red plan, even if the state approves it. One of the statutes the district is relying on to pay for the majority of the project without a referendum, called lease levy, has an escape clause that would allow a new board to get out of funding those pieces of the plan, according to Welty's understanding of the department's interpretation of the statute.
"That means that about three-fifths of this plan could be jettisoned if we have a new school board in January," Welty said. "It essentially means the lame duck school board cannot force this down Duluth's throat; there are still means by which we can escape this red plan."
Randy Wanke, the department's communication director, issued a statement after the meeting.
"The Department of Education appreciates the fact that these individuals traveled from Duluth to provide their input," he said.
He also pointed out the department's limited ability to force a referendum on a building project, despite its review of the project's parameters.
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"During this process, it's important to note that while the department has the authority to review the financial and physical feasibility of the proposal, the Education Commissioner does not have the legal authority to place it on the ballot."
SARAH HORNER covers K-12 education. She can be reached weekdays at (218) 723-5342 or by e-mail at shorner@duluthnews.com .
