Below are answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Long Range Facilities Plan. If you do not see the answer to your question, visit our Ask a Question page to submit your own.
What are the benefits of the Long Range Facilities Plan?
Behind all decisions surrounding the Long Range Facilities Plan is a long-standing commitment to two fundamental goals for Duluth Public Schools:
- Providing today’s students with an education that competes with the best Minnesota has to offer.
- Attracting tomorrow’s families with the best possible schools so Duluth can remain a growing, vibrant community.
The Long Range Facilities Plan was chosen because it is the best plan to help us meet these goals. The Facilities Plan provides four key benefits for Duluth:
- Critical Investments for Safety and Education Quality. The Facilities Plan will give our students and teachers classrooms and schools that maximize educational performance. State of the art science equipment, more robust curriculums and brand new learning environments will ensure that Duluth students have every advantage they need to succeed in the 21st century.
- Smarter Use of School Resources. Student enrollment in Duluth Public Schools has declined by 50 percent in the last 20 years. Today, we have 28 percent more space than we need. All that extra, unneeded space still needs to be heated, maintained and insured. The Facilities Plan will help keep our operating costs lower by eliminating unnecessary buildings and creating newer, more efficient schools located where the most students are located.
- Green Schools. The Facilities Plan will give Duluth the most energy efficient schools in the state. The Plan not only saves valuable operating dollars, it will also make better use of school land and require fewer buses traveling fewer miles.
- Value for Taxpayers. By investing in the Facilities Plan today, we are improving our schools for less than 50 cents on the dollar. This means that for every dollar we spend in new taxes we will get more than two dollars worth of improvements for the future. If we continue to wait, the cost of construction will increase and much higher taxes will be needed.