We're not sure what the voters meant when they passed the excess school levy. So says uncertainty personified, the Duluth Board of Education.
Individually, school board members may be well intentioned, but collectively this bunch doesn't seem to have a clue on how to proceed.
They said they needed money or dire events would occur, so the public patiently gave them an extra $4.9 million.
However, the public also ousted three of the four incumbents who were up for re-election.
We're not sure what the school board thinks of that message, but it seems fairly clear to us that the public thinks that the new school board will ultimately spend the money.
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It is true that the current board decided Sept. 22 if the levy were approved that three high schools would remain open until declining enrollment triggers a closure, add some middle school programming, add some computers in the elementary schools and maintain all-day kindergarten, current class sizes and extracurricular activities.
We're not sure how that could be clearer. Either this board clings to the promises it made to the voters in September or it defers to the new board.
What's frightening, however, is that the returning incumbents seem so incapable of forming consensus that we're not sure anything will improve once the new board takes office.
