Board Members, AS a parent with a student at East and one to planning to attend East in two years I am troubled by this latest attempt to bring the district costs under control.
We live on redwing street. Our back yard borders on the city limits of Duluth. We couldn't be farther from Central or Lowell and still live in the city if we tried. We chose our area over others for the simple reason that we liked the schools in this area. Since moving here we have seen the district close our neighboorhood school (Cobb) in 1993. 

The Woodland neighborhood is a close tight knit group of families who have endured the the fiscal mismanagement of the Board with great patience, but our patience have run out. This latest attempt to eviserate this area by bisecting it with bizzare boundary lines is unacceptable. Your pin maps for population will shift if this plan for Woodland is put in effect and you will be back at the drawing board again. Woodland residents have accepted high property values and taxes as part of  the bargain to be able to attend schools reasonably close to where we live. This plan breaks that pact. I doubt however, that as a result of your pending action that our taxes will decrease. 

Many parts of this plan do have merit and if implemented do have the possibility of helping to solve your financial woes.As a child, I was read the old tale of The emperors new clothes and this problem you have created is a bit like that story. Parents know or will soon know why you are in this pickle. You as a Board gave out labor contracts that were out of line with the budget but like the fable, no one wants to talk about it. Frank Wanner, reminded you often that there was plenty of money for these contracts and it looks like you believed him. I suggest you ask him now where the money is. This isn't about the governor cutting funding. You as a Board thought he would give you more to bail you out. Well, he didn't and here you sit coming to us with your woes. I am sure that Central and Lowell are fine schools but that isn't why I chose to live where I do. I have no intention of participating in this plan and will relocate to a neighborhood where possibly for the next five years I can be comfortable my children will be safe from you poor fiscal planning. Get ready to move the pins on the map again.