Off the Editor’s Desk 6-28-2023

Titanic Death Toll now at 1527

Last week we were all glued to our radios and TV sets for information about a tour firm called OceanGate that had five people on board a submarine to dive the 13,000 feet to view the wreck of the Titanic. According to info on the internet, 1522 died the night of April 12-13, 1912 after the Titanic struck an iceberg and sank. The recent five that died last week pushed that number to 1527.

According to reports, the passengers each paid a quarter of a million dollars to get a seat.

We might call those five explorers, and one can make a long list of explorers that have made the world what it is today. Those that come quickly to me are Columbus, Marco Polo, Leif Erickson, and Ferdinand Magellan.

But, there are two explorers that I like, that explored the western United States, by the names of Lewis and Clark. They were the Corps of Discovery Expedition that explored the vast territory along the Missouri River from May 14, 1804 to September 23, 1806. If you travel out west you can find many spots of interest that they explored.

But, one expedition that most of us older people can remember including the words “that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” were uttered by Neil Armstrong as he stepped onto the surface of the moon, 54 years ago, July 20th.

Exploring new things should be a goal of mine including finding more information on school funding.

This came into my thoughts after I received a letter from Dan Knoebel who lives in Boise, Idaho, a spot that was probably visited by Lewis and Clark, 220 years ago.

Dan sent me a clipping from the Idaho Press about the school budget where he lives and I would like to reprint a small part of the story. First, Dan notes that the school district has 58 schools with 40,000 students.

“The West Ada school board approved a $328.6 million general budget for the 2023-2024 school year, a 7.5 percent increase from the year before.

“While the budget is up $23 million, projected spending reflects an estimated $18 million funding loss since Idaho will move from enrollment-based to attendance-based funding. The district is expecting about 500 new students next year.”

Until I read the story in the Idaho Press, I had no idea that there was a different way to fund schools using something different than the number of kids enrolled. I found out that 15 states have a different funding route than enrollment.

To some degree, it makes sense to base funding on the students attending and not on a count of students that can be packed into the school building on a special day in the fall.

I wish I had more information on the subject and could it help fund our small area schools? Maybe someone can enlighten me.

On another note, the other day while going into the local post office I ran into Laverne Hoitomt who was at the counter changing his address. He informed me that he has sold his place in the Town of Forest along Highway 64 to his grandson. Laverne has moved to an apartment in New Richmond and I inquired about his seat on the Forest Town Board. “I’ve resigned and the board has appointed Sherri Overby to fill my seat,” he told me.

We need to express our thank you to all those who take time from their busy schedule to serve on our many local town, village or school boards. I know at sometimes it must feel like a thankless job, but you are representing the best interest of the rest of the population and we need to express our appreciation for your service, so everyone who is serving on a local board, stand up, pat yourself on the back.

Thanks for reading!     ~Carlton