A radio call-in show about the school referendum Tuesday was final proof, if any more was needed: Tons of misinformation, misplaced anger and just plain spite are still floating around out there when it comes to the school district and its upcoming levy request.

Thursday, November 01, 2001

A radio call-in show about the school referendum Tuesday was final proof, if any more was needed: Tons of misinformation, misplaced anger and just plain spite are still floating around out there when it comes to the school district and its upcoming levy request.

As caller after caller used the show to complain about the old high school, the new high school, and whether high school kids should use calculators to do their homework, it was clear that some people in this community will oppose the referendum based on things other than the school’s current needs – much less the facts about school funding that district officials have tried so hard to explain.

This should be a wake-up call to those who support the levy referendum: If you want the referendum to pass, don’t forget to vote and ask others to do the same. Blind opposition is out there and will make its voice heard.

For those who are worried about the old high school, please know this: What happens to the building is a valid concern, but it is absolutely irrelevant when it comes to the matter of day-to-day school funding that pays for teachers, curriculum and supplies. The school has two separate funding systems – one for operating expenses and one for building or capital projects. By state law, money from one fund cannot cross over to another. Even if the district convinced Bill Gates to buy the old high school for $100 million, none of that money could legally be used to pay for teacher salaries and day-to-day expenses. It would be part of the building fund.

The levy referendum’s goal is to raise money for operating expenses. At stake are teachers, curriculum and programs. The old and new high schools have nothing to do with it.

It’s unfortunate for Albert Lea that so many people still do not educate themselves on a public-policy issue they are being asked to vote on.

Those who are concerned about how the district has dealt with the high school issue or how it runs the operation can effect change by voting for new school board members, or better yet, running for school board themselves.