[Vision2020] School District Math

[Glenn Schwaller]

MPDN page 7B, Tuesday May 29

Apparently the Whitepine School District has "proposed to increase its
School Lunch Prices by an amount that exceeds 105% of the fee charged
last year.  The proposed increase of 25 cents per meal is 9% above the
105% of the fees charged the previous year."  Huh??

2006-2007:   K-6  $1.75     7-12  $2.25     adult $2.75

2007-2008:   K-6  $2.00     7-12  $2.50     adult $3.00

My abacus tells me this reflects a 14.3%, 11.1% and 9.01% increase,
repsectively.  So the grade school kids are subsidizing the adult
lunches??  Whoa Vizzies!  You were right!  When Weitz roars, it's the
kids who'll pay!

But wait!  The proposed increase is "9% above the 105% of the PREVIOUS
year".  This means the 2005-2006 school lunches were 85 cents, $1.10,
and $1.34 for K-6, 7-12, and adults?  So THIS years' lunches exceed
LAST years' lunches by 105%, (holy crap!  and you're complaing about
gas price increases??)  And NEXT years' lunches will exceed THIS
years' lunches by 9%  (or is it 11.1%?  or is it 14.3%??)  So what's
the "exceeds 105% of the fee charged LAST year"??   Or is it 9% of the
105%, above the 105% of the last year before the previous year??

Was this written by one of the razor sharp legal minds that penned the
current levy language??  Possibly they were educated by a
less-than-stellar-can't-be-bothered-with-lesson-plans-yet-unionized-and-tenured
math teacher who, in the wake of budget cuts, couldn't POSSIBLY be
replaced by a young, over-achieving but mere 1st year teacher?

No, never mind.  I'm sure it's all legal and arithmetically correct.
Hey, 14%; 9% - it's all the same eh?  Just one of those "minor
nit-picky" discrepancies that happen in these complicated district
documents.

Ever spiraling,

Schwaller