Back before Thanksgiving I mentioned during one of my South Metro News Roundup posts that the Burnsville school district was going to decide between hosting their performing arts magnet school in space already available in the Burnsville High School or leasing elsewhere. Last night was the vote and the District 191 school board members laid down their final plans for the school.
In a decision that is more mind boggling than the approval of Brad Meeks’ superintendent contract in District 192, the District 191 school board voted last night (4-3) to use other people’s money in an irresponsible and ridiculous way by planning to open the magnet school in empty retail space in Burnsville’s Heart of the City.
Obviously if commercial operations aren’t going to fill the empty retail space that plague all South Metro cities, then why shouldn’t the school district’s taxpayers assume the burden of paying *again* for the Heart of the City project? It’s not like Burnsville hasn’t tried and failed to attract businesses to the area, they have. Hell, the the Hilton hotel franchise said no way, the International Chefs’ Culinary Center closed up shop just a short while ago, and Anderson Builders also backed out. What better way to fill the empty retail space that makes the Heart of the City look like the joke it is but to convince the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage school board members to take up residence right there next to the twenty million dollar Performing Arts Center?
Burnsville knows that the “Performing Arts” Center is a fucking joke with such great acts coming as Bill Engvall. What better way to attract people’s attention than to jack their taxes while showing how wonderful it is to have a $1.2 million dollar performing arts magnet which may not even succeed. I want one of the four idiots on the school board to explain to the taxpayers how they can justify a $1.2 million dollar upfront cost and ongoing, yearly, operating costs for $800,000 a year when keeping the kids in Burnsville High School, without the need for busing or driving between sites, would have been 100% free?
Are you a District 191 taxpayer? What do you think about this school board decision? Is it right for you to have to pay $1.2 million and then $800,000/year for a very small magnet school when it could have been done for free in-house? Comment on, I want to hear what you have to say about the atrocious behavior exhibited by four of the seven District 191 school board members.
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December 12th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
More at the Star Tribune here.
December 12th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Bill, first of all the school district administration was against this proposal…. the district had room for this program. This was nothing more that a “heart of the city” BAIL OUT !!! The tie between Mayor Kautz and one of the school board members was the positioning of their political yard signs this past fall…… they were so close that they looked like they were kissing each other. Another board member who voted for this “bail out” happened to be the campaign chair for this board member……. go figure. This was a political vote NOT a responsible school board vote which will cost Burnsville property taxpayers millions of dollars. Who is going to use this art school anyway? I have talked to several parents who live in Lakeville…. their response is that they want math and science magnet schools……. the bottom line 1.2 million dollars dumped into the “hoc” MONEY PIT plus an additional $800,000 annually. You think the Farmington school board is nuts? Think again.
December 13th, 2008 at 5:07 am
And more from the Pioneer Press here.
December 13th, 2008 at 10:03 am
Methinks the school board has not recognized that the country is in a recession, perhaps. Why pay all that money for rent when there is Diamondhead one block away, or the high school which, since enrollment is down, has plenty of space? Frankly, the Mraz theatre at the HS is wonderful, so why the need to use the PAC at all – could it be that its going to be empty most of the time be a part of it? So now the school district will be paying Burnsville to use the PAC, and that money will go further down the endless money pit. And, where are all these “out of district” students going to come from to go to a 191 school – Lakeville? Savage? Good luck with that. This was not a smart decision by the school board. Traffic is horrible on Nicollet as it is – and this is only going to make it worse.
December 14th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
I’m not sure I would trust the education of my children to the same people that booked Bill Engvall as part of a “performing arts” event.
December 16th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
In this economy, the entire concept of a performing arts magnet boggles the mind. ISD 191 is apparently being forced (yes, forced) by the state to create these dumb-ass magnet programs in order to achieve a better racial balance between Burnsville and Lakeville.
Hmmm…. fire up the additional school buses. White kids from Lakeville are going to flock to Burnsville and an equal number of kids of color are heading to Lakeville’s new and even-more enticing programs?
It’s all so weird. There is obviously no such thing as common sense amongst MN lawmakers and our local officials. As usual, they have no problem spending my hard-earned money.
January 10th, 2009 at 6:20 am
I see the new School Bord members came in and reversed this decision, good for them!
http://www.startribune.com/local/south/37370949.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUX
January 10th, 2009 at 7:34 am
Greg,
According to this article over at Thisweeklive, the vote has not been officially reversed due to some technicalities. Which side of the story is correct, I do not know.
January 10th, 2009 at 9:42 am
it’s in todays st.p p.p. secton two, page two.
bb