Thank you Mora voters for reading the mailings that were sent out and voting for our future.

Well Ogilvie school board, your voters have spoken now, twice. The ball is in your court. You said there would be consequences from a failed vote, now you have to deliver. Start chopping and to a noticeable degree. See what the "no" voters think when you cut the football program. Don't mess around with the small stuff that fewer people will care about. And have very serious talks with the teachers and their union. Tenured teachers should be on the chopping block too. There are a lot of young energetic teachers coming out of college that will work for what you can afford to pay. It happens in business all the time, look at the long time employees of the auto companies. This is your chance to make a statement to your voters so that a more positive outcome on a levy vote happens next time.

I think the voters in Ogilvie were smart enough to see the writing on the wall and to read the report Ogilvie and Mora commissioned together. Ogilvie's biggest problem is not enough kids, if you look at the school demographic that problem is going to get worse not better. You could vote yes and it would be putting a band aid on a larger problem. Most towns of 400 people do not have their own schools, Ogilive has had a nice run but things change over time.

As a Mora resident, I'm concerned about this because I've heard rumblings that if they co-op with Mora, the middle school will be in Ogilvie. I didn't move to Mora so I could drive my son to school in Ogilvie. I hope Mora's school board really looks at the best interests of Mora schools when considering consolidation. Think of the money we'll waste as parents driving there or the school will use busing all the kids to and from.

This is not a surprising vote. Ogilvie's request was just too large. Whether voters see the writing on the wall or not, the writing is on the wall that more change is needed. Consolidation, countywide or regionally, might be one of the options, but before that happens budgets will have to be cut impacting core programs. Ogilvie's mistake was not consolidating prior to building the new school. But such hindsight is of little value, as we need to figure out what to do now, while looking toward the future and taking into account current demographics and resources.

In response to one of the posters above, if you cut sports, kids leave, when kids leave dollars leave. Cutting sports and activities only make the low number of students worse. They could approach the union about cutting tenured teachers, but that wouldn't save money because they would either have to buy them out, or two violate the law and get sued, either way that does not save money. The answer is they need more kids, which doesn't appear to be happening anytime soon. I'd get ready for Mora-Ogilvie schools in the future.

My husband and I went to vote last night despite the rain. I believe the majority of the voters saw it correctly that we need to stop the bleeding now. Eventually the Mora & Ogilvie schools will have to consolidate as most small town schools have already done. The property owners of the Ogilvie school district cannot be expected to take pay freezes and or cuts, as their health care costs continue to increase AND be expected to give yet more money to keep less than 500 students in a school that will certainly be phased out within the next 5 years. For some voters it was a seriously difficult choice to make as their jobs may hinge on this decision also, but can they afford to have their property taxes increase as their wages are frozen? One issue that remains a thorn in our side is the money spent transporting of students to sports related activities. Our students were just this week bused all the way to Duluth to play ball as we voters went to the polls to vote more money for the school. We feel that is wasteful spending.

All excellent points so far. I just wish public officials would have the balls to go through with all the doom and gloom they talk about while trying to get these levies passed. They usually work things out afterwards without any large noticeable changes which just weakens their argument for the next levy request. That's the point I was trying to make.

In the past Ogilvie has been notorious for that kind of thing, they lay out doom and gloom and then oh I guess things aren't as bad as we thought. That may or may not be the case this time as well. Maybe they will go to a three day week this time.

What was approved in Mora was a bandaid on an amputation. In the long term it does nothing to correct the bleeding in the state system, it allowes legislators to continue to ignore their constitutional mandate and shift funding for the state system from the state to the local taxpayers based on their willingness to advance a patchwork of disuniform levies.

This is not a productive, sustainable, or just way to fund our constitutionally stipulated uniform system of schools. Mora failed the state yesterday byputting the short term interests of todays kids, in that one district, ahead of all the other kids in the state as well as the rule of law.

You've excused the legislature again from their willfulln on-compliance with their constitutional mandates. Because of this kids throughout the state will have to wait that much longer to reach the tipping point where legislators have no choice but to act on the law of the land or get out and let someone who will do it, they will continue to put party agenda ahead of everything else and we will all lose because of that.

This is a shameful failure in Minnesota, and while perhaps not in Mora for the nearterm, for the state as a whole, the price will be paid for this greed and self interest. Shameful indeed.

Ok deminn, the legislature in MN is controlled by the Democrats who love spending money on K-12. If they can't get things done to your liking who can? Who can we elect to these positions to correct this problem? It's not going to be any Republican I doubt. Lets hear your answer.

Neither of these self focused arms of the party. You want a persons name? DOn't have it for you. What we need is someone, maybe a govenor candidate, who will force the issue based on sustainability, and the long term denial of justice to Minnesotas kids. What we need is someone in a position to mandate action or sanction on the legislature pdq to layout an agenda and method of statewide discussion on the following questions:

1. What does a quality educational experience include at the E12 lelevl for Minnesotas kids.

2. how do we deliver that in a manner that will result in a uniform opportuntiy for excellence across the state.

3. What will that cost and are we able and willing to pay that.

4. How can we justly assign the cost to all Minnesotans and property owners in Minnesota

5. If we aren't willing or able to pay that amount, what are we willing and able and how can we best make that amount meet our goals.

We can't have everything, everywhere, for every kid. Our constitutonal standard mandates a uniform system, I'd sugget for opportuntiy, for every MN kid. So the goal is set. What that looks like and how it's justly funded is part of the discussion these partyclowns don't wnat to have because it won't get them relected, or their party. Which compounds the injustice, lawlessness, and crime that was resubjected yesterday in Mora and across the state.

"We can't have everything, everywhere, for every kid. Our constitutional standard mandates a uniform system, I'd suggest for opportunity, for every MN kid."

Great point! I would guess many Minnesotans would agree with that idea. Now to convince the politicians.

But also deminn, putting your problem with operating levy's aside, if Mora needs $50 a household and Ogilvie needs $300 a household EXTRA over and above state funding, shouldn't much of the blame be on the Ogilvie school board and I think they all got re-elected last night.

deminn is probably right, but are we willing to sacrifice a whole generation of children to prove a point?

Probably a better solution would be to consider the system as a whole and decide if a Mora AND an Ogilvie fit with the imperitive for providing a uniform opportunity in education. Maybe it doesn't.

One thing "just ordinary people" are going to have to accept is the the constitution language we have makes the concept of both local control, as well as local responsibility for funding a thing of the past. You bet they're hesitant to admit this realty, but it's a done deal.

There is no possible way without a central directive we can establish, much less maintain, a unfrm system throughout the state with umpteen levies based on the goodwill of the populace, facilities run in x number of directions, redundant staffing (especially at the administrative levels), and a transportation system which acts to watse, rather than maximize resources.

And there's no reason a generation of kids needs to be sacrificed anywhere, which is what is happening now in poorer or more utilized districts. What we need is an active "moving away from" this illegality and toward a sustainable and mutually agreed upon by citizens as such and their representatives (not as unions, not as administrators and employees, not as parents, but as minnesotans) of what the new system will look like.

No one is even talking about this now. their cathch phrase for inaction is "funding formula" "we need to readdress the funding formula". Garbage. We need to reconstruct the system from the ground up including evaluating whteher or not we can afford federal money and the un/underfunded mandates that go with it, i'd suggest we can't and don't.

But again, there is no roadmap to sustainability, no legislator or govenor interested in putting minnesota ahead of party, no one willing to put the states kids at the fore, only their kids for right now, their party, status quo failure and unsustainability.

This will crumble of it's own weight. Wouldn't it be beter to behave as cignizant and capable beings rather than easily manipulated herd creatures avalaible for the benefit of any predators who fele the urge to attack us and our kids? Yes...it would. Too bad that didn't happen in Mora and other places throught the state yesterday.

Congratulations to the Mora School District and fellow Mustangs. It takes allot of guts to support the schools in this economy. It seems to me as if the families in the Mora district usually stand up and support the schools in the voting booth. I'm proud of that fact.

Would Mora be interested in consolidation with Ogilvie. Would that be a benefit for Mora?

The benefit to Mora would be more students. Students equal dollars and a nice new building.

Though that would also be a burden on the district as well. More money isn't the measure of a sustainable system. Maybe Mora residents can't or don't want to support that nice new building, Mora students already have one that works.

If Mora wasn't interested in consolidating why would they spend several thousand dollars on a study looking into it? Even though all of the citizens of Mora may not be interested in it, my guess is the administration and school board is.

They have a newer building, but remember its nearly 20 years old. When it was built there was virtually no internet?? Is it worth using their building if you have to spend an extra $250,000 or more each year for transportation to and from it?

It's not just the extra burden of the building maintenannce, as you point out it's about the increased and now farther flung student body. The increased transportation costs, classroom materials and infrastructure, staffing, and assuming the debt of the Ogilvie district all multiply the costs currently standard for Mora residents to support.

Maybe it's not in the interest of the Mora residents (whos' interests outwiegh those of district administrators who may be looking to increasing funding anyway they can despite its' negative cost/benefit ration on those residents) to accept this area and burden into the district, maybe we can't or don't want to support that.

Itwould be better for the state to step in and take over the district through the MDE and its' funding sources probably. Maybe we could turn the entire state back over to the legislature in whose hands constitutionally it's expected to be anyway, by refusing to consolidate with failed districts.

Of course if we do consolidate, eventually , anfter millions of kids are disadvantaged, sooner or later we'll all be one big outstate district anyway, because you know the metro burbs aren't taking on our facilities and transportation costs unless the legislature mandates it.

Things don't look so good when we don't hold everyone to the rule of law. I guess I'd be inclined to not consolidate on the surface of it, this is the legislatures responsibility.

Deminn are you a full time internet poster? maybe a lobbiest? I see the same kinds of posts on the st cloud paper's site.

You'll find them elswhere too, Brainerd, Minneapolis, Duluth,this is a one of my passions, correcting party miscreants and the local booberate that protects them in their lawlessness and predations on Minnesotans.

So who pays you George? Unionman?

Deminn I saw your post on the st cloud times website that why I asked. Do you have a "connection" to the Mora/Ogilvie situation or the educational system as a whole?

Why do you ask George, tell me about yourself?

Deminn I'm a community member. Was reading your stuff on the St Cloud times, you are very consistent on your message.

Blah, Blah, Blah!!!! Ogilvie deserves better. I'm a parent in Mora and I'm not concerned about the influx (sp?) of new children in our school district. I'm concerned about children getting a quality education. I'm a stay at home Mom. It's not about the $ or the politics, IT'S ABOUT THE CHILDREN! Shame on Ogilvie for not passing it! Don't try to pass the buck, Mora is going to have a hard time now too! There are some of the best educators in Ogilvie that cannot be found in this world! The love for children surpasses the pay! Get a grip people!

justamom what a hypocritical and dishonest statement. I don't believe you for a minute, I think it's all about the dollars comming into the local district and not one concern for the costs going out, or the kids. You sound like an administrator trying to patch holes in a dike.

Why do you hate children in Cass Lake MN who dont't have the oppotuntity that kids in Eden Prairie do? Our standard is that all the kids should expect a uniformt oportunity for education, yet you don't seem to care about those kids, or the kids in Theif River Fall who ahave a completely different set of standards for educational opportunities.

If it was about the kids, you'd vote against local levies which maintain kids across the state in a losing, substandard and unsustainable system of un/underfunded mandates and dependance on a property tax base that, for example in Cass Lake, just isn't there. Why do you hate kids justamom? Can you answer without blah, blah, blah, or is that your best argument for "gimmie, want to attack my neighborors across the state for my kids". You're quite the bs'er.

Ithink Mora will be better off letting the state handle the Ogilvie district. I'd vote against consolidating with them or even taking them into Mora if it means assuming new costs.

If the state wants them here it needs to fully fund them, unlike it does with all students today (it underfunds them then exthorts from property tax payers through local boards). The way to get to a sustainable, uniform system of schools fastest, is by dissaproving levy demmands and sanctioning board members with removal at election time who levy without vote as is increasingly popular today. Not excusing legislators who scoff at our constitution and who impose extraordinary costs on local residents willinilli across the state rather than do the hard work that they asked to do when they ran for office. Our local partyrepresentatives are utter failures here, and local school boards enable them by even raising the levy question.

This is no way to run an educational system.

Maybe Ogilvie can try a three day week?

Maybe the state should just step in and takeover the district when the local one folds for lack of funding whenever it reaches that point?

The Ogilvie school district probably should be disbanded and the state can send the kids to surrounding districts. The "new" Oglivie school will just sit vacant. I don't think Mora will approve of consolidation.