It seems to me as it was not the keyboard sleeping, but the writer as this post is ridiculous. You are using the same scaremongering tactics that the school board and other supporters have been using for some time now. We are not talking about an apocalypse if the referendum does not pass! We are not talking the Book of Revelations! Let us all put things into perspective and not overreact to the psychobabble being spewed by the liberals who want a redistribution of wealth. 60% said they could not afford or did not want the referendum last November. But, as typical socialists, they cannot be happy with the results of that vote, so they will continue to bring the issue up until they get the election results that are satisfactory to them.

Now, as we read in last week’s paper and now in this blog, it is not just about an operating referendum, but they want to review whether we need a new middle school. As I have two children in this middle school, one that was in it just a couple years ago, and one that will be entering it in a few years, I do not believe it is bad as the naysayers want you to believe. Is it old – sure, but so are hundred of schools throughout the state and thousands throughout the country. Old does not mean that we throw it away. Why is it we fight so hard to preserve the old buildings of our communities as historical, but when it comes to a school, it becomes obsolete? You cannot have it both ways!

With this philosophy, maybe you also believe that any person over the age of 45 should also be euthanized because health care costs are higher and it costs too much to maintain these individuals. Are we not taught to respect the elderly and cherish the old? I know there is a big difference between a building and a person, but both concepts are leap in an unrealistic direction.

You touch on three areas – larger class sizes, less individual attention, and fewer fringe curriculum items. First, larger sizes does not equate to poorer education. So many of you that want redistribution of wealth keep trying to scare people with this concept; however, there is not a direct correlation. While there could be less individual attention, where are the parents? The school is a tool, it is not a replacement for the parental teachings, guidance and nurturing. Too many people believe that the school is the ultimate place to educate our children, but maybe we should look in the mirror and as parents, focus our personal time on our children and quit blaming the educational machine for its failures. Maybe the failure is happening at the homes! If parents would spend time helping educate their children, maybe the teachers could focus on more advanced curriculum instead of holding the entire class back to help the small minority of children that continue to struggle. If we would quit tying the teachers’ hands, maybe they could educate better than we possibly could imagine. Maybe parents should volunteer more so the teachers could focus on moving the class forward instead of reviewing all the time. As far as the “fringe curriculum items,” this again is a redistribution of wealth. Why should others that are not involved in these fringe items, pay so others can be? Within the corporate world, it is called supply and demand. If there is enough demand for these “fringe curriculum items,” then the parents of the students wanting them should pay the costs for it. End of story!

Please quit with the doomsday scare tactics. I do not know if you are old enough or not, but if you are you will remember that former President Lyndon B. Johnson used an election commercial of a little girl standing counting daisies before a nuclear bomb explodes destroying all life. The moral of the commercial was that if you did not vote for him, this is what would happen. Same methodology you are attempting here – scare people into the vote!

Do NOT be fooled by all this propaganda! The school can and will exist without the referendum! The city will not implode! The community will not be destroyed! If you are personally not satisfied with the education your children are getting in Jordan you have several choices:

1. You can get involved and volunteer to help the teachers and more importantly your children!
2. You can home school your children.
3. You can move your child to another District believing the grass is greener on the other side.
4. You can enroll your child in a private educational facility that has 15:1 student to teacher ratio and pay for all the benefits you want. As they are privately funded, if you want to add your “fringe benefit curriculum items,” simply donate the money necessary to add the new “fringe item” and you have everything you ever wanted for your children. You can trust them to educate your child without causing any personal sacrifice of time or effort to help.

Jeff Thorsfeldt
Just One Vote – For Freedom!

Wow, that's a rant.

I support the school levy referendum. I'm not a Socialist. I'm not among the "liberals who want a redistribution of wealth." Heck, I don't even agree with Dave Hanson on a lot of things.

But I think he and I agree on this - I don't want to see my home value go in the toilet because of a second rate school district.

You and I agree that parents should be more involved in their children's education. But not all parents are competent to home school their children. Not all parents can afford to send their children to a private school. And the coming levy referendum is not about "fringe items". It's about maintaining a positive operating balance, so that the state of Minnesota won't declare our schools under-funded, and take over operation, effectively removing local control. I sense that you wouldn't like having St. Paul running Jordan's schools. That may not be Apocalypse, but it's not Nirvana either, and it's a very real possibility.

Just to clarify, the school board has not yet decided how much money they will ask for.

When Springsted reps presented the summary of the survey results, they told the school board that, according to the survey, the residents of the Jordan school district would support a $106 tax increase on a $200,000 home. This was the survey company's recommendation, not the school board's decision.

(Katrina Styx is a staff writer for the Jordan Independent. She can be reached at kstyx@jordannews.com.)

No matter what side of the coin you’re on, putting out a story about how you spent money on a consultant to decide what to do with the middle school is not going to help their case in convincing taxpayers they are desperately in need of an operating referendum. This may have been the right move for their strategic planning, and they may believe they need the money, but the perception has done a lot of damage to their chance of getting it through.

Nobody wants an underfunded school, at least not that they'd admit.

Will they publish their financial records so that everything from wages to the price of pencils can be looked at? It's hard for me in these times to take at face value what anyone in anything closely related to public office says.

The "middle school" being spun the way it is now might be an example of that.

The decision to have a consultant involved in facilities matters is not that unusual for both public and private entities given the complexities of building codes and industry specs. Spending $7200 for a study is a relatively small expenditure considering the potential costs associated with a remodeling/construction project. I would agree that the timing may not be the best given the fall referendeum because to some it will be perceived as another example of the school board spending money needlessly.

My assumption is the referendum this fall is an operating referendum with the funds used to maintain programs, not pay for remodeling or construction. Generally, school districts needing funds for remodeling/construction will put out a bond referendum to fund those types of projects. Depending upon a number of factors, school districts may also qualify for alternative facilities funding or deferred maintenance dollars under state statute. The links below take you to the statute.

https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=123B.59
https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=123B.591

Right now, it appears the school board is simply gathering information about the middle school. I think they will probably need to answer the question, "Will any of the operating referendum revenue be used for middle school facility upgrades?"

The school district needs an operating referendum. The school board is not the reason why. It is the failure of the state to adequately fund public education. It is the unfunded mandates. It is the rising costs associated with running an organization, especially employee health care benefits.

Another failed referendum definitely has the potential to impact home values. For many comparing places to live, a community that does not support its schools is less desirable no matter how much those of us living in it and experiencing it know the quality that exists.

It is easy to use the tax increase and distrust in government as reasons not to support. I would hope members of our community at least take the time to get the facts, ask the questions, and better understand the state of the school district and its needs before making a decision. Those in elected office deserve at least that.

Vote no or attend a meeting?

That's hitting the nail on the head Mathias, which do you think is easier?

Me personally I'd rather scan over the financial and any proposal at my own rate versus having others explain it to me. Whether they decide to publish it or not, or devise in this day an age another method to get the method out. They'll need to find someway that's either easier or more attractive to so many than simply voting no.

I hope you didn't miss my point, and you lost me at the confusing part.

Two things will have to happen. First coming to grips with the fact that a lot of people don't attend meetings, they'll need to choose from a variety of methods to determine just how the district can get this need out to the voters [presuming they'll target likely voters not just all of us]. Second they'll have to insure the information is compelling enough to overcome the current tight fisted nature of the economy.

If they need it I hope they get it passed, I personally don't know enough about how the district is run to comment. Which I guess looking at this, is my point.