Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com

 

Published - Sunday, May 04, 2008

$100,000 for legal fees is ridiculous

I am concerned about the recent revelation that the District 861 school board has spent $100,000 on legal fees.

Some of this apparently was spent for a Twin Cities attorney to help negotiate the teachers’ contract. My gosh, folks! This is the Winona, Minn., public schools, not General Motors vs. the United Auto Workers. I would think with all the college

people on the board that they could come up with someone with the ability do this task that Winona school boards have traditionally done.

It seems that every time the taxpayers pass a referendum, the board feels it has to squander a few thousand here and a few thousand there. I’m sure that $100,000 would have bought a lot of classroom materials or funded a field trip or two.

The next time the district pushes a referendum for money for student materials and programs, I’m going to remember that $100,000 for attorneys’ fees.

 

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