Mayor's Memo: KARE

As I noted in my last Mayor Memo the “simulated conversations” taking place in the DCI in regards to the Old School need to be looked at objectively and within the context of the original document or conversation.  In last week’s edition of the DCI, KARE, has liberally taken my words out of context.
The letter and offer to partner with the City was refused by KARE.  I did reference a public-private partnership, however, KARE chose not to accept because, in their words, they did not want “ownership”.  So, I met with two of their board members and offered to remove all ownership from the offer AND it would have still allowed them to go and get all of the grant money and do all of the fundraising they could to save the building.  This was a simple 50/50 partnership in which the City would have had all of the risk.  We would have owned the building; we would have maintained the building.  We would be responsible for the building and its tenants.  All KARE was responsible for was to fund/raise 50% of the cost to remodel.  I did not feel this was unobtainable due to their repeated statements that grants and tax incentives are readily available.

So why would they refuse to work with us?  Even after ownership was removed upon their concerns, why did they not wish to work with us? Why would those board representatives state they would gladly take my proposal back to the KARE Board but never get back to me with the results of their meeting?  Could it be that even though they continue to state that there are all of these grants available that even they understand there is a competitive market for them?  That $100,000 grants sound great and some may be higher but many are much less?  And that even at $100,000 each they would need 39 grants to cover their 50% of the partnership. Just think about that - 39 grants at $100K each.  Does that sound so simple and easily obtainable?  Furthermore, I find it interesting that KARE rarely mentions the cost to remodel the building from the Lauber study – $7 million to $8.2 million depending on year in which the project would begin. (The cost rises each year.) You don’t see Flo or Jo “chatting” about that.  On another note, I need to point out that the City Council never approved the Lauber study.  We simply received the report from the consultants at their presentation.  From the City Council perspective there are issues that the study did not address adequately.

I personally find it interesting that in the five years or so since the failed referendum, both the city and I have often asked KARE to come up with a plan, find a development partner, work on creative financing, basically do something to show us they actually want to do the work needed to save the building. All the fancy drawings and articles in the paper unfortunately do not do anything to forward their stated goal of saving the building -- it only distracts from the larger tasks at hand.  Such as, what is best for the community as a whole?  How long do we wish to continue “chatting” and delaying the work needed to turn that almost perfect setting into a larger and fully functional library? 
So, residents of Kasson – how long do we wish to continue debating this issue as we watch the costs to do anything with that area rise? 

While “Flo & Jo” may be “entertaining”, I encourage you as responsible residents to research the facts.  As always feel free to contact myself or City Hall if you have questions.

In your service,
Mayor Tim Tjosaas
mayor@cityofkasson.com

Letter to the editor: Government Shutdown II

­­Letter to the editor:
With the state shutdown well under way and the government officials trying to appeal to the individual voters to be reelected in the next elections, I feel as though, we the proud people of Minnesota are being somewhat ignored. We all seem to work hard to put food on the table and have a strong sense of community values. I personally have seen people around our area when the Red River comes up in the spring, to tornados ravaging cities, the people of Minnesota have come out to lend a hand to show that together we the people can climb the highest mountains, we the people have the ability to correct the wrongs.

Lately I’ve been listening to MNPR and they’ve talked about how our state government needs to budget, how they need to cur costs in order to maintain an effective government. One day I walked into the local library and the local women who work there are volunteering their time to insure a brighter future for generations to come. By insuring the people in our local community get the books they need to become knowledgeable about the world around them. ( I thought; wow, these people understand the importance of knowledge, which, in turn brings people together.) From farmers to bakers, to children to the elderly, of any race, or gender; this is a place for all people to come and benefit for the good of all. This is just one of so many other services in the state budget that doesn’t just affect one group, it affects us all. From people helping others find work, to public parks every service is a part of our American life; sure it’s easy to say we don’t need it, we could manage without it, but they’re still pieces of a whole without those services we wouldn’t be American. We could be Afghans, we could be Somalians, and we could be North Koreans; without strong public services the weak get weaker and the strong get stronger. Long has blood been spilled for the freedoms we hold so loosely today, we the American people have the ability to change, to grow, to invent, and to speak freely. As the great societies that have stood before us we ought  not to make the same mistakes. We should understand that educated populations are most acceptable for the longevity of a republic. As the Greeks educated all of their citizens to make a stronger nation, so we should do the same as inventors and entrepreneurs, engineers and architects, we ought to have painters and sculptures, but it is impossible with an under educated community of citizens. The more everyone knows and understands the better we all are to stand to make a world a better place for generations to come. (Instead of passing the debit to one generation to another, our forefathers understood this well and until the early nineteen hundreds the taxes for the rich were 92%.)

Rome on the other hand at its time of destruction decided to heavily tax the masses and the rich ruled in key family units. They cut out public bath houses and educational centers, they cut out places to make and produce stable incomes. The general population became angry and the nation of such great feats came crashing down. What we have is worth fighting for, for most it’s worth dying for, but we aren’t Greeks and we’re not Romans. We are Americans we can vote and every vote counts. We must increase the taxes for the rich in times of depression, in order to push them to invest in the working classes, so you and I can keep working and we may keep the freedoms we have. The rich make their money on the backs of the poor and middle class so it is only fair for them to pay more.

If ten people were stuck on an island and one person counted and distributed the wealth to all, from the fish caught, clothes made, houses built, to the inventions, that person didn’t sweat all day working his heart out. That one person decided who got what and everyone was ok with how much he should get, just a little bit of everything. Sadly if a rich man has three hundred businesses and he’s taking a little from everyone he should stand to be highly taxed but with recent tax laws he’s not, he’s taking a majority of the wealth for himself and what was to be taxed and go back to the public as a whole is cut. Increasing the taxes on the richest Americans will force them to hide their money and most of them will be smart enough to invest it in you. If a rich man is being taxed at 32% now and the taxes go up to 72% that man will try and hide his wealth, he most likely will invest in small businesses or new inventions, and by expanding our tax revenue we can pick up and begin to grow again. Please I ask you call or email Governor Dayton to stand up and fight for what’s right, tell him Don’t Back Down.

Contact info: Email: mark.dayton@state.mn.us
        Telephone: (651) 797-1850
        Website: http://mn.gov.governor/contact-us/
Physical address: Office of the Governor
               130 State Capitol
               75 Rev. Dr. Matin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
               St. Paul, MN 55155

Your Friend,
Hallock City Councilman
Alex J. Gustafson

Letter to the editor: food fight punishment

Letter to the editor:

As many of your readers are undoubtedly aware, there was a food fight at K-M high school on June 3, 2011, the last day of school. From a lunch room of dozens of participating students, 21 were identified, by staff and video surveillance, and singled out for punishment. Seven of these 21 students were issued citations by Officer Peck, in collaboration with Principal Reker and Superintendent Grant, for misdemeanor disorderly conduct and will be referred to the criminal justice system for those charges. A misdemeanor conviction requires disclosure on job applications, college applications, student loan forms and military service. Examples of other misdemeanor crimes are: DWI, driving on a suspended license, assault, and minor drug possession. The remaining 14 students received letters from Officer Peck indicating the need to complete four hours of community service with the K-M school maintenance staff before August 1st in order to avoid disorderly conduct citation and court referral.

Student athletes were subsequently called for a meeting with Activities Director Wilke, under the direction of Principal Reker and Superintendent Grant, to sign a Notice of Violation of MSHSL extra-curricular bylaw(s). Consequences for the violence range from missing two-nine athletic events and at least two weeks of school activities. This penalty is equivalent to or exceeding recommended sanctions issued for "mood altering chemical violations.''

There were no school wide warnings made to the student body regarding the consequences of the food fight which has been a recurring event at K-M High School for years. Likewise, no announcements were made to parents using the automated system about the event or its possible consequences. It is evident that the administration and staff were aware of the plans because there was a notably increased staff presence for that lunch period. Parent requests to view the surveillance video have been denied. Staff statements were taken by Officer Peck; student statements were not collected. A report is on file at the Kasson Police Department.

There were no injuries or destruction of property resulting from the food fight. Although one staff member, an excellent and well-liked teacher, was hit with food, this was undoubtedly the result of mere proximity to the activity rather than malicious intent. Staff who remained on the periphery of the lunch room avoided a similar experience.
The school board meeting scheduled for July 18, 2011 at 7:00pm at the middle school is an opportunity for parents and students to gain information and express their concerns. Superintendent Matuska is planning to be in attendance.

As a parent of two high school students, this letter is submitted for publication with  significant reservations about future prejudice.

Respectfully,
Polly Lewis

Letter to the editor: Peter Grant

Letter to the Editor:

As I complete my last few days at KM, I want to make sure I thank the many people of the community for their great support of the District.  The KM School District is a recipient of many people who provide support with their finances, volunteerism, great kids, and attendance to the many of the events the schools put on.

I have enjoyed my six years working with so many great employees and members of the community.  Working alongside individuals who are dedicated to the education of our youth is the reason why I have been in education for 34 years.  KM has wonderful teachers, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers and assistants.  All of these people help make possible the successful efforts to educate our students and provide for them great facilities and opportunities to succeed in the and out of the classroom.

The last few months the District has had to deal with some controversy.  An article in the DCI the week of June 27 mentioned the results of an investigation due to accusations made by some former employees.  It is the second investigation since 2004 with similar claims of wrong doing.  And the result of the investigation produced the same results – the District and administration have performed within the boundaries of its policies and conducted appropriate actions addressing personnel issues or complaints.
Public employees have an entitlement to due process when accusations of harassment or if job performance issues invoke termination procedures.  Those entitlements are in state statute.  However, once the results of the investigation or a hearing officer’s determination for termination have been divulged, and the outcome is not in favor of the complainant or employee, that entitlements ends.  Then it is time to move on and accept the outcome.  The employer needs to move on as well as the individual.  The outcome should not be considered successful or a failure upon the personal perspective of the employer or individual.  Independent investigations and hearings serve the purpose of finding the facts and making a decision.  Those decisions need to be respected for what they are.  

The KM School District is a very good District.  Those who serve on the School Board provide great service to the students, parents, staff and members of the community.  It is a thankless service.  The present times we are seeing in education make serving on a school board very difficult.  It is critical these people are supported for the decisions they make which are in the best interests of the District.  At times it may not be easy to give that support, but it must be done.  

District 204 has a great future ahead.  Be sure to take pride in what is being accomplished.  If you look throughout the state, the KM School District is one of a handful that is showing growth, producing outstanding student achievement results and managing it finances in great fashion.  Yes, there will be challenges, but those should be looked at ways to improve and not obstacles.    

Peter Grant