I still don't like the Red Plan for Duluth's schools. It's too costly for a district with an operating budget bleeding red ink. I also don't like having one company -- Johnson Controls in this case -- plan, supervise and provide equipment to any public project.
I also still think, given its huge cost, the plan should have been put to a vote so residents could've had their voices heard.
After a recent meeting with Superintendent Keith Dixon and Kerry Leider, district property manager, however, I have fewer concerns about some aspects of the $296 million plan.
A district making substantial operating budget cuts simply shouldn't take on a huge bond debt. It's not true construction costs will automatically rise if parts of the project are delayed, and it's not certain bond interest rates will be higher in the future.
If I'd been on the School Board, I would have voted against giving Johnson Controls all its Red Plan roles. That said, I was assured by Dixon and Leider that the district has taken steps to avoid possible problems from this situation.
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Leider insists the district contracted with Johnson Controls only after checking with other districts that used that firm. Leider, who once worked with the state Department of Education on such projects, says there are big advantages to having one firm work on all aspects and deliver a "turn-key" project.
I also learned that Dixon and others have met with various critics of the Red Plan and at least listened to challenges from such knowledgeable people as former superintendent Mark Myles, UMD education professor Tom Boman and Tony Stauber, a former district administrator and ex-School Board member.
Dixon didn't say he turned them into Red Plan supporters, but their voices were heard.
The superintendent is also persuasive that the district didn't just blindly plunge ahead with the Red Plan without considering whether it could be done for less if ninth-graders were not included in the high schools.
Finally, I believe school officials have been watching the number of potential Duluth students not in district schools (and thus not needing classroom space) because they are being home schooled, enrolled in other districts, taking classes online or attending private or charter schools.
Dixon says the Duluth district attracts about 75 percent of all those eligible to its schools each year -- a figure he says has remained relatively stable and is comparable with other districts.
As I mentioned in an earlier column, I disagree with Red Plan foes who say the Ordean site is too small for an eastern high school, though the district must be wary of trying to cram too much onto that site.
If the Red Plan is completed, as it now appears it will, better schools will result -- and in itself that's a good thing. My concern isn't really with details of the new or upgraded buildings but with the project's cost and whether all these nice buildings are necessary.
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One aspect of all this money for bricks and mortar that still bothers me is the growth of online K-12 education. This is a relatively new phenomenon and was mostly used by traditional home schoolers in its early years.
But it is growing yearly, rising about 50 percent annually in recent years according to state officials. If that continues, fewer expensive buildings may be needed after Duluth pours millions into buildings designed to last for decades.
With young people increasingly using computers for many aspects of their lives and more districts offering them online learning, spending hundreds of millions on buildings might be unwise.
State law lets school districts create online classes and enroll students from across the state. Many districts have done this and at least three have enrolled students from Duluth.
One sign of growing interest in online education comes from a statewide conference of those interested in such learning. It was held in March in Chisago City and attendance was cut off early because more people signed up than the site could handle.
Increasing numbers of students of all ages are studying online. Though I still have some reservations about how well such distance learning works for some students, K-12 officials must account for this phenomenon in setting capital budgets.
