Consider the City's Goals

The Grand Forks Herald Opinion:

OUR OPINION: GF schools should consider city’s goals
Shouldn’t the Grand Forks School District declare that it shares with the city of Grand Forks the goal of avoiding and/or counteracting urban blight?
By: Tom Dennis for the Herald, Grand Forks Herald

The Grand Forks School District is thinking about closing a school in the north end. Parents in the area object, saying the closure will hurt the neighborhood and slow or stop its revitalization.
What does the city of Grand Forks think?
In particular, what does the city of Grand Forks think given that the city has an explicit policy of investing in Grand Forks’ traditional neighborhoods “to ensure they remain quality places for individuals and families to live, work, learn, and play”?
The school district should ask the city for its view. And if that’s the first result of Tyrone and Becca Grandstrand’s thoughtful letter on this page, it likely won’t be the last.
The Grandstrands write from a unique vantage: She’s on the School Board, he’s on the City Council. So, not only have they watched the processes in both of their organizations and seen the need for more cooperation, but also their voices and votes can be counted on to support such a change.
We suspect there will be a lot more support among other School Board and City Council members as well, because communicating and cooperating just make sense.
Take the issue of closing a school. Again, as stated in the Mayor’s Urban Neighborhood Initiative and other policies, helping the north end avoid blight and boost the ratio of owner-occupied homes is the official policy of the city of Grand Forks.
Shouldn’t the school board be brought up to date on that policy before making a decision that might affect it?
This makes more sense than having the district consider school enrollments, demographic trends and budgets in a kind of vacuum, almost as if the city government and its concerns didn’t exist.
In fact, shouldn’t the district at least consider declaring that it, too, shares the goal of avoiding and/or counteracting urban blight?
That way, the city and school district could work together to reach mutual goals rather than finding themselves at cross purposes.
This isn’t a question of blurring jurisdictions or infringing on each other’s turf. It’s a question of recognizing we’re all in this together and that in order to be at their best, Grand Forks schools need healthy neighborhoods — just like healthy neighborhoods need good schools.
The Grandstrands say it well: “We urge the city and school district to work together more closely, as we are only successful when we all succeed in the long run.” Let the mayor and other city officials give the school district their views about the impact of closing a school. And let that communication and cooperation be the start of a beautiful friendship.
Tom Dennis for the Herald