[Update 12/8/2009: Mr. Gustafson, construction liaison, reports via e-mail that the errors leading to the need for a lift station will cost around $47,000 to correct and that the architects, ATS&R, “will be responsible for these costs.” The correspondence has presented an opportunity to ask about other error reports floating out there, so stay tuned.]…
Category: Dist 428
High School Construction Contracts
Here is the list of contracts awarded for the construction of the new DeKalb High School. School Board President Mike Verbic sent it to me and a few others in late July, but I didn’t put it up then because I expected it to show up on the revamped District 428 website. Well, either they…
Just the Facts: Obama’s Speech in District 428
I received two e-mails very early this morning that Dr. Evil Briscoe, Superintendent of Schools for District 428, has ordered all the school principals not to show President Obama’s speech to schoolchildren tomorrow morning. However, according to recorded school auto-calls placed to district families a bit after 10 a.m., the speech will be shown throughout…
Redistricting Open Thread
A couple people asked, “How do we get more of the community to attend these [redistricting] meetings?” It’s a tall order in view of the recent past. For what it’s worth, though, I will tell people that the discussion so far appears to be generally open to input of all sorts and free of predetermined…
“Make Whole”
For the record, I was not the first person to bring up the “make whole” agreement between the schools and the city over TIF. Here are some links, newest first: “Adapt, improvize… probably not,” January 14, 2009 “District 428: Defining Moment in Local History,” January 9, 2009 January 27, 2008 letter to the editor from…
Cortland’s Waste Treatment Lagoons are Near Full
I raised my concerns last year about Cortland’s ability to povide sanitary service to the new school. Here’s an update from attending DeKalb Sanitary Board Meetings. Cortland’s sewage treatment lagoons are nearly topping over. They haven’t been able to spray irrigate yet because of wet conditions. You might be able to see it on google…
Visitors
Note to District 428 administrators: Much as I enjoy the uptick in readership, I’m pretty sure you should be reading the blogs on your own time and on your own equipment. TIA, A. Taxpayer
School Games
School District 428 is looking to balance its budget. Last night the board considered a 4th proposal for doing so, which included cutting $83,000 from “differential money” that is, in part, used for music and art program components. Meanwhile, here’s some data that never gets talked about at public meetings: Paul Beilfuss $222,223 Andrea Gorla…
Plans for Injunction Against Dist 428
The first time we heard the “I” word, it was October. Now, it’s really happening. The District is aware that: 1) Enrollment projections by their own paid demographer are substantially lower than pre-referendum projections. 2) Pre-referendum projections on existing EAV have been lowered and are likely to decrease to reflect real market conditions. 3) Post-referendum…
How They Plan to Spend $110 Million of Our Money
We have almost reached the point of no return: A former coach at DHS told me that he thought the district would be nuts to spend $110 million and not build a football stadium. He wondered how any idiot could oppose the idea. This idiot told him that promises are important and the district and…