In November, the Duluth School District asked voters for more tax dollars for necessities like Chromebooks, cybersecurity, math and reading interventionists, and refinancing debt to save money. There were two referendum questions on the fall ballot, and while Duluth district voters said yes to the interventionists and the debt refinancing, they said no to addressing technology needs.
But the no was by an oh-so-close fewer than 300 votes out of some 33,000 cast. So, almost immediately, district officials vowed to be back, to ask again, because very real digital and technology needs remain, to help Duluth students keep up in a competitive and rapidly evolving high-tech world.
Sooner than expected perhaps, another referendum vote is scheduled this spring — a spring election a rarity in Duluth — on May 14, with early voting beginning later this month on March 29.
Before then, a wealth of information will be shared and a series of community meetings is scheduled. It's up to all of us as involved and active members of our community, as taxpayers, and as responsible voters to do our part to bone up on the issues and the details so we can cast informed ballots. This is that important.
We can begin by spending time at the district's referendum webpage, futureforward709.org/vote, and by watching the district's social-media presence, especially Facebook, Instagram and Nextdoor. Those of us with kids in the Duluth Public Schools can watch for the district's weekly newsletters, which will contain even more information. And all of us can expect fact sheets to arrive in the mail.
We can plan now to attend an informational meeting in our neighborhood, too. Scheduled by the district for 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., they begin this coming week: Wednesday, March 20 at Stowe Elementary; Thursday, March 21 at Lincoln Park Middle School; March 28 at Ordean East Middle School; April 1 at Denfeld High; April 3 at East High; April 10 at Laura MacArthur Elementary; April 11 at Lester Park Elementary; April 22 at Congdon Park Elementary; April 24 at Myers-Wilkins Elementary; April 26 at Homecroft Elementary; April 29 at Lakewood Elementary; April 30 at Lowell Elementary; and May 1 at Piedmont Elementary.
"We want to make sure that our Duluth students, the children in Duluth, are well prepared for the future," Superintendent John Magas said in an exclusive interview with the News Tribune Opinion page that also involved other district officials. "We want to make sure that our students are given the tools to really gain those skills that they need for the types of careers that they'll be seeking. Not everybody is taking the straight-to-college track. A lot of students are more interested in technical education, and we're also finding that those careers are really, really lucrative and can support a family and are much needed in our community."
In addition to mailings, community meetings, and other efforts to share information about the referendum, the superintendent will make presentations to the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, local Rotary clubs, and other community groups, he said.
For the Duluth district, preparing students for our modern means investing, regularly and appropriately, in updating, upgrading, and maintaining digital security, Wi-Fi, software, and learning technology, things like Smartboards, audio-visual gear, cameras, telephones, and the laptops issued to students.
While November's yes vote meant about $1 more to the district each month for the owner of a median-valued $315,000 home, a yes vote in May will cost the same property owner another about $10 in taxes to the district. To determine your impact, go to futureforward709.org/cost. About $5.2 million annually for 10 years will be added with voter approval for technology, cybersecurity, and learning.
Worth it? That's up to each of us as voters and district residents to decide. Is it worth it for our community? For Duluth to be the kind of place where we want to live? For our shared economic future? So we thrive and grow?
With only a couple of weeks until early voting begins, our research and number-crunching now are critical.
As Magas said, "Businesses don't move to Duluth unless we have good schools." And, "(Our students) are the future. When we think about who is going to serve you, do you want somebody who is well-educated and well-trained? Or do you want somebody who is maybe not up on the latest technology?"
This is that important.
©2024 the Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
