3-30-2001

Good morning,

After viewing most of the board meeting on TV the other night, I felt compelled to contact someone regarding the 6 vs. 7 hour school day. The reason NOT to have a 7 hour day seems pretty clear to me. The gentleman responding to your questions was very clear and informative. The 1.2 million/year figure is without doubt a hefty chunk of change, and hard to
ignore. What is unclear however is the reason to STAY with a 7 hour day when a reasonable and less expensive alternative exists. 

Since the vote was so close, I am picking on you two because I noted at the time that you voted differently at the meeting, so I felt I could get a fair opinion from both sides of the issue. (Plus, I happen to have your
respective email addresses in my email contact list :+)) Hopefully someone can clear this up for me.

First off, it appears to me that the reaction on the part of some parents and students to not having the extra electives is overblown. I asked a friend of mine who has a child at East whether this is a real issue to most kids and he responded by saying his daughter said "no". Although I have met his daughter and she seems to be a typical high school Junior, of course I realize this is only one person's account. Precisely how many kids, actual or in percentages, will realistically be negatively affected by the elective
cuts. Can this be tallied by surveying the kids? I do not mean to sound uncaring or glib about this, but how many kids in Duluth will truly use a fifth year of HS Spanish, let's say, to build a career in some
internationally based company who deals with companies located in Mexico or South America? It may be simplistic, but I think this is true in many
academic areas. My daughters seem to be bent towards the arts and literature, so I certainly would not want the entire arts program scrubbed, but I think I could live with the fact that they may not necessarily get the exact mix of classes they might want if it meant a 1.2 million dollar a year savings that will affect the entire district. Are there any financial benefits for parents/kids to take certain AP classes as they prepare for college? How pervasive is this? If we were not in this current financial bind, then of course we would ALL want our kids to have as many choices as possible. Unfortunately this is not the case, and for the common good of the district in toto, sacrifices should be made by all. Before you decision to remain on the seven hour schedule becomes engraved in granite, I implore the board to review this more carefully.

That's my spiel. The entire board and Superintendent Almanza seem to be greatly stressed, and there has been enough board-bashing for another decade, so, although I speak for only myself and my family, if there is anything you think WE can do, let us know

Regards,

J L

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