It Only Takes Nine

The ninth time is the charm for Brooklyn Center School District 286! They passed a referendum! Yippy!!!

From KARE 11 news;

After giving the thumbs-down in 8 previous referendums, voters in Brooklyn Center have approved renewing the district’s operating levy. The renewal, passed on a vote of 513 yes votes to 196 no votes (72 to 28 percent), will continue to provide $337 per pupil for ten more years. That amounts to a total of approximately $600,000 per year.

Wow look at that voter turnout! They finally decided that if they hold a vote right before Christmas enough people will ignore it for it to pass!

“We are so grateful that our community approved this levy renewal,” said School Board Chair Cheryl Jechorek. “Stable sources of funding are critical to our ability to provide students with quality educational programming.” Because the renewal will generate the same level of funding the Brooklyn Center schools currently receive, it will not improve district programming nor will it solve the district’s overall financial challenges.

It will help the district keep classroom teachers and aides, maintain technology for learning and provide support for students at all levels. The Brooklyn Center School District has cut more than $10 million from its budget in the past decade because state funding is not keeping pace with educational costs.

Instead of throwing money at the problem, we AGAIN call on the state to eliminate this district!!!!