Readers Write for Friday, Sept. 25

MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOLS

Change, opportunity and Pratt's political clout

I had to break the news to our boys Wednesday morning; our beloved school is closing at the end of this school year. Longfellow, due to its smaller size and glorious old building, was on the Changing School Options list from the beginning, but that doesn't make it any easier.

"Why?" they both ask. "Well, some of our schools have to close so that resources can be used to make all Minneapolis Public Schools better." "That's not fair," they reply. I could've said that while we have excellent teachers, an award-winning principal and are making academic strides with a challenging student population, we lack political clout and full neighborhood support to lobby the board to keep it open, but I just nod. "Life isn't fair," I say, as they still look at me perplexed.

I hope that everyone can move forward and help ensure that this upheaval felt by families, teachers, staff and neighborhoods is not in vain. Higher educational standards and offerings for all Minneapolis schoolchildren must be achieved.

TINA PFAU GONZALES, MINNEAPOLIS

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Hats off to the superintendent and the school board on their hard decisions made to create a stronger and sustainable school district for Minneapolis. My family will lose busing for the six years that we have left at the school our kids attend.

I'm choosing to see it as an opportunity. We will prepare the kids to bike to school when weather permits, get to know other families in the neighborhood and car pool, take advantage of the amazing public transportation or drive occasionally.

I'll accept the responsibility of figuring out how my kids will get to and from school if it means that the money saved on busing can be used to have more of our kids college-ready and prepared leaders.

LEAH HOLT, MINNEAPOLIS

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Pratt Community School is at 40 percent capacity. Only 46 students living in Pratt's area attend the school. Students are bused to Pratt from 17 different attendance areas.

So can the board please explain why Pratt was saved once again? If the purpose of the restructuring is to cut down on busing, hence saving the district millions of dollars, Pratt would seem to be the poster child of schools in need of shuttering.

SARAH BROOKNER, MINNEAPOLIS

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The Minneapolis school board showed its true colors on Sept. 22. The district chose to keep Pratt, which has only 159 students, open, using diversity as one of the main reasons to do so. However, a few years ago it voted to close Lincoln School, which had over 400 students and was very diverse. One board member even mentioned how Pratt reminded her of Lincoln.

Of course, Lincoln was in a poor section of north Minneapolis with little political clout, while Pratt is in southeast Minneapolis, where such political big wigs as former school board member Judy Farmer and former Mayor Don Fraser live.

BUZZY BOHN, MINNEAPOLIS

THAT DARN ARNE

Opinions of Carlson and Carter are suspect

Having Arne Carlson tell Gov. Tim Pawlenty how to govern Minnesota is a little like having Fran Tarkenton call plays for Brett Favre. Who asked you, Arne?

And having Jimmy Carter analyze 2009 public opinion is a little like having Abner Doubleday tell Ron Gardenhire how to manage the Twins. Don't you recall the drubbing you got from Ronald Reagan, Jimmy?

TED FARRINGTON, RICHFIELD

SOUTHWEST LIGHT RAIL

The urban core must be served completely

The fate of the Southwest Corridor Light Rail line is all but certain: It will bypass the dense, congested core of Minneapolis, shuttling suburban commuters along the Kenilworth trail instead. Many have touted a Midtown Greenway streetcar to appease Minneapolitans, but a single east-west trolley in a rail trench is a small Band-Aid for a big wound.

Our elected officials need to do better. The city, county and Metropolitan Council owe it to Minneapolis taxpayers to build a full, dedicated right-of-way transit network in our increasingly dense urban core.

ANDERS STENSRUD IMBODEN,

MINNEAPOLIS

HEALTH CARE REFORM

It'll cost us, but they won't say how much

The Senate Finance Committee is holding hearings on the health care reform bill.

An amendment was put forth that would require that the actual legislative language be placed on record for three days after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office had estimated its costs.

This seems reasonable. Two weeks to come up with the costs and three days for the public to read it, and for committee members to read it and then cast a vote.

Sen. John Kerry called the amendment a "delaying tactic," and it was defeated.

What nonsense! If they call themselves a Finance Committee, shouldn't they know how much they are financing?

One might think the bill's sponsors don't want us to know the costs. This looks like another case of buying "a pig in a poke."

JACK SJOQUIST, BLOOMINGTON