On Nov 23, 2016, at 11:38 AM, Scott S. <[email protected]> wrote: Hi Mr. Flisk, I haven’t heard back from you, so I’m giving this another try. There are the two past questions below and one new (third) question to which you may not know the answer, so I have included the Board since that third question requires their immediate response. If they would answer question number one, that would be good too. Questions 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are open to whoever can answer. 1. Why does T+ need to move out of Wilder? And why right now? Is there a problem with the building? My understanding it that three years ago, the District was needing more space for an elementary school program, but now that isn’t the case. 2. You said that you would be getting communication from the District regarding this past Board’s meeting and “yes” resolution, along with dialog that the District also is looking to include the South High community in the planning discussion concerning the athletic fields. At first you said you thought that next step planning process would be occurring in February but then said you realized that timeframe needed to be stepped up sooner than that. I haven’t heard of any communication from the District to South and to the South High community. When is that communication happening? Just keeping the MPS “commitment question” alive and well the best I can. 3. Is there ANYTHING pertaining to the T+/ABE building/site/contract etc. that is happening this coming Tuesday, Nov. 29th, MPS Board meeting “Committee of the Whole”? There is nothing on the MPS website calendar for agenda except “TBD” and that is not helpful either. When we hear the desired buzzwords of “open” and “transparent”, a “TBD” agenda doesn’t help us believe it. 4. It is our understanding there is no signed contract for any specific building plan for the 20th/21st and Lake St. site. Is this true? 5. What was discussed at the 11/16 ABE/T+ advisory committee meeting regarding the change in building plans and how/when are meeting notes available to the public. 6. It is our understanding that this is the largest capital budgeted item in MPS. Is that true? 7. I have been told that Superintendent Graff has asked to re-evaluate all the capital projects in the District as there are more needs than budget. Is that also true? 8. Has Superintendent Graff stated publicly or privately that the $29 million T+/ABE project is the best use of a limited capital budget over any and all of the other capital needs in the District? I understand that these questions are direct and might be taken as confrontational. These questions have been asked many times without being answered, so it gets really frustrating. We really just want answers so we then understand what it is you, and hopefully “we”, are trying to achieve. We haven’t had answers. We want to work together. That would be so much more rewarding and less stressful and less exhausting and just more enjoyable. We haven’t had input as a community before any of these decisions are made, much less thought about. We want the best for our students to be able to learn, to grow, to play and to achieve. As members of the South High community, we want our students to have that opportunity. We realize that most of our students will have moved on from South before anything might happen. This is not only about our students, but the future students of South and the future students of Minneapolis. I personally want my daughters to come back to their class reunions, to hear about the wonderful things happening at South in the media, and know that the school they came from is doing well and looking forward to a positive future for MPS and the city of Minneapolis. Please listen. Please include. Please give pause. Please show a plan. Please communicate. Please value our students. Please value our voice, before South’s best long-term options are lost. (And without a conversation with South High administration, staff, students, community and MPS, we don’t know what that best plan should be.) Thank you, Scott Schluter South High Parent [email protected] Begin forwarded message: From: "Scott S." <[email protected]> Subject: Questions regarding South and MPS Date: November 21, 2016 at 9:12:59 AM CST To: Stephen Flisk <[email protected]> Hi Mr. Flisk, Thank you for reaching out to me after last week’s Board meeting. I’m following up on a question I asked you that you weren’t able to answer last Tuesday. 1. Why does T+ need to move out of Wilder? And why right now? Is there a problem with the building? My understanding it that three years ago, the District was needing more space for an elementary school program, but now that isn’t the case. 2. You said that you would be getting communication from the District regarding this past Board’s meeting and “yes” resolution, along with dialog that the District also is looking to include the South High community in the planning discussion concerning the athletic fields. At first you said you thought that next step planning process would be occurring in February but then said you realized that timeframe needed to be stepped up sooner than that. I haven’t heard of any communication from the District to South and to the South High community. When is that communication happening? Just keeping the MPS “commitment question” alive and well the best I can. Thank you, Scott Schluter
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