OK....one last point to make it blatantly easy and clear. The school district had income of about 90 million this year......we'd be lucky to see 70 million in 2009 based on what's going on in the economy....which would indicate a 20 million dollar shortfall in 2009! ANY unnecessary dollars being spent right now...travel, consultants, painting restroom dividers....would be IRRESPONSIBLE! I'm noy the State Treasurerer.....but I can work a calculator.....do the math, and you'll understand this issue is well beyond a non-responsive school board, and a few assumptions about what changes are needed to our school district....what is best for ALL EP students is that we deal with REALITY...and the REALITY is that state funding is going DOWN next year....period. This isn't about who's right or wrong anymore, it's a matter of financials........if you believe you can change them dramatically, we should hear alternatives to education.....if you believe that the economy is 20% worse next year, you should hunker down and live with what you KNOW works....and the debate about these issues ends with dollars and sense////////

One more set of points to make that should scare every parent, school board member and employee of the EP school district. 1) The number of unemployed Minnesotan's will likely go up at least 10,000 more than it sits today next year. 2) That means @ 1,000 more unemployed EP taxpayers next year, which ends up meaning significantly less tax dollars for the school district. 3) Because at least another 10,000 Minnesotan's will not be employed in 2009, the state unemployment burden will significantly rise which means less tax payers dollars for everything else, including schools. 4) The amount of money lost in the stock market in 2008, will result in refunds for tax payers for both federal and state in 2009 when people file. These dollars that are "currently in the bank" are not even being talked about yet in terms of shortfall to start 2009. With all that said, if we think a 10M shortfall expected in 2010 is a real problem, someone should seriously do the math for 2009.....10 million will seem like pennies against what's coming....

And.....what happens to this "smart" school district when the thousands that either are, or will soon be, out of work and their tax money disappears from the income of this school district....we already are projecting a significant shortfall in income over the next couple of years and that's NOT including the thousands of tax payers dollars that WON'T be coming in the future, that have in the past........then how "smart" will we look?

Interesting that with so many changes that are controversial that any parent would fully and blindly support a publicly voted school board who has given nearly full and complete decision rights to 1 individual in a city of 60,000 or so? If the school district was doing all the right things, a school that houses 1,800 wouldn't have 1,400 and other school buildings be bursting at the seams......

Wow! I am amazed at the hostility toward EHSI students and parents. As a parent of an EHSI student I do not have the final say over how much room is taken at Oak Point. However, as a fellow parent of an Eden Prairie student, I have the right to a proper building for my student just like Oak Point students. I do know that Oak Point can house 1800 students and it only holds 1400 currently. Maybe we should have converted our schools to K-6 and we wouldn't be having this discussion. There would be equal facilities for all our students and less transition and change to deal with, which seems to be a concern with parents involved with this website. The original long term plan for Oak Point was to help with the 90's peak in enrollment anyways. I wish people would be more open and have more positive solutions to what is best for all Eden Prairie students as a whole and not be so negative in thinking that anyone is getting special treatment! EHSI facilities are no where near on par with any of the other facilities in terms of space, playground/gym, lunchroom, art room, etc... And now we are being split into two buildings. I am proud of Eden Prairie school district and happy to be a part of it.