I’ll be tuning in this week to find out the latest from the non-grassroots pro-consolidation folks at coststoomuch.com (A special hat tip to Brian at MDIschools.net for being all over this!)
I hope you’ll try to find out as much as you can too.
In the spirit of democracy, and especially because we want to do what’s right by the children (and by the lighthouses, and by the long-disused but still photogenic one-room schoolhouses*), I’ll be trying to let their arguments in favor of consolidation sway me. Yes, I want them to take their best shot, unleash their full force of persuasion, and let me thus waver in my opposition to consolidation.
I’m willing to be persuaded that consolidation has been a success! Convince me that from almost 300, the number of school units has been reduced to 80, as projected. Or that the actual reduction to 218 has been a great victory even so!
Or that significant money has been saved. I mean actual savings here, of course, not just a shift to the locals of $36 million or so that formerly came from the state.
Most of all, convince me, please, that the quality of education has increased, will increase, and that through consolidation mediocrity is being shown the door!
Oh bring me doubt!
* Very snippy reference to the attempt by coststoomuch.com to pluck at our heartstrings with their not-very-subtle graphics!