Where has the money gone?

Over five years have passed since White Bear Lake Area Schools received approval for a large building bond by a narrow margin.  Despite the rhetoric you may hear from board members and the administration, it was not widely supported by the community.  The vote was only 57.4% in favor of the building bond.

To make matters worse, there have been numerous changes that were not part of the original presentation.  Based on “Twelve Facts Every Voter Should Know” the combined high school could work with existing district property.  Instead, the final project required the district to buy multiple neighboring homes as well as moving the district transportation center.  The transportation center not only required unnecessary construction dollars to be spent, but has caused long-term expenses because the new facility is no longer centrally located.

The bond was passed at $326 million yet Kraus-Anderson published the project at a price tag of $463 million.  I understand some of this may be attributed to long-term facility maintenance, but that is almost 50% more than taxpayers expected.  The high school alone was $226 million which includes a significant amount of sports fields and facilities.  I have nothing against athletics, but that shouldn’t be the focus of these projects.

When presenting updates, the focus has been on pictures and not the price tag.  Although the school board has voted on numerous contracts, I haven’t seen a single presentation that includes whether projects were completed as budgeted.  Dan Skaar has asked for these numbers and been told they aren’t available.  Seeing as numerous projects are completed, I see no valid reason there wouldn’t be numbers available for those.  Taxpayers deserve to know where our money is going, and that it is being used in a fiscally responsible way.

After touring a number of the buildings, the quality of work and overall design leaves a lot to be desired.  I have seen peeling paint at Lincoln Elementary, curled carpet tiles at Sunrise Park, and open classrooms that require expensive sound systems for teaching.  The administration of the district has failed taxpayers.

It’s time for Tim Wald, Andi Johnson, and the rest of the administration to provide some transparency to the taxpayers.  School board members like Deb Beloyed and Angela Thompson seem to think it isn’t necessary unless we ask questions so it’s time for community members to make their voices heard.  Show up to a school board meeting (usually the 2nd Monday of each month), write an email, or schedule a meeting with school administrators.  It’s time to get some answers.