Close The Schools, Dig The Tunnel Redux

As expected, the Seattle School Board rolled over last night and approved the District’s closure plan.  (Mary Bass, who voted against the closure plan and had proposed amendments to keep central cluster schools open, is my new hero.)  As I ranted about before, it is beyond belief that our wealthy, over-educated, politically progressive city continues to be so inept at running the public schools in a way that refects how important they are for livable, sustainable urban communities. 

Completing my thought, Clark at Sightline brilliantly reveals our priorities in the graphic below, which shows the estimated cost of a deep-bore tunnel on the left, and the cost savings associated with the school closure plan on the right:  

      

[ Left bar:  estimated cost of deep-bore tunnel;  Right bar:  savings associated with Seattle school closure plan, via Sightline. ]