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.
Why does Duluth need a Long Range Facilities Plan?
Disagreements over how to improve Duluth’s schools have resulted in more than two decades of delay on much-needed investments. After twenty-five years with virtually no improvements, all of Duluth’s schools are in need of significant investments if we are to provide students the 21st century education they need. In 2006, the Duluth community came together to discuss the future of our school district. The goal: to create quality educational programs and facilities for Duluth’s students in the most effective and efficient manner for taxpayers.
Here is what came out of those conversations:
- You believed Duluth Schools provide a quality education, thanks to great teachers and a supportive community. But Duluth has been changing, and with those changes have come reduced student enrollment and a need for fewer classrooms and facilities.
- You were concerned that too many of our current schools were built three or four generations ago. They no longer have the facilities to provide the modern education our students need, and some of them have been declared nearly obsolete by state education experts. We need to bring our schools up to code, make them as safe and secure as possible, provide better computer equipment and science labs, and meet state-of-the-art environmental standards. All of these measures will ensure our students have the tools they need to succeed.
- You agreed that we need to both close some schools and upgrade others. The best way to approach this is with one thoughtful plan – not doing a little bit here and a little there, and then finding out that we haven’t been smart or efficient with our tax dollars. Instead, we should have a single plan that reflects what the community needs from our schools, and uses taxpayer dollars wisely.
- You also told us that waiting 20 years to deal with these issues was too long. You wanted better schools now, so tomorrow’s families would start choosing Duluth.
- Most importantly, the community asked the School Board to do the right plan. Not the cheapest plan, not the one that is most popular. You told us you knew tough choices needed to be made.
The Long Range Facilities Plan is the right plan and we are already underway in making some of the exciting changes this plan will bring to Duluth Public Schools.