Human nature drives curiosity over twister and school budget processI got a kick out of interviewing Rock County Emergency Management Coordinator Kyle Oldre this week about Sunday’s tornado.As the local EM coordinator, it’s his job to tell residents how to behave during a tornado."When the sirens go off, seek shelter immediately," is what he’s obligated to say.But, as EM coordinator, it’s also his job to keep track of storm systems to communicate with area emergency personnel.I get the impression he likes that part of his job.Right after he delivered his stern speech about seeking shelter and staying indoors, he went on — in the next breath — to describe the exhilaration of chasing the storm.His Ford pickup was close enough to the action, he said, that even he wondered if he’d gotten too close.He used words like "awesome," and "incredible" to describe what it was like seeing the funnel cloud churn right before his very eyes.Yes, we all know the safe place to be during a tornado is in our basements. But what are we going to see from down there?After I tucked my boys safely in the basement, I grabbed my camera and went back out to photograph the twister — in the name of journalism, of course, not out of personal curiosity.Be part of the solution, not part of the problemSpeaking of human nature, recent School Board decisions are drawing mixed reactions — mostly negative — from school staff and the community.We have a fabulous school system in Luverne, and human nature dictates that we don’t want to lose any of the good things we’ve come to enjoy.So, it’s easy to get defensive, point fingers and be generally miserable about it all, but reacting that way only makes things worse.If I have to listen to one more prepared speech about how any cuts are going to jeopardize our quality education, I’m going to pull my hair out.That sort of talk, no matter how dramatic or mournful, isn’t helpful. Obviously, we all want to keep to our quality education, but we all know districts statewide are cutting budgets due to funding forces in the legislature beyond their control. Unfortunately Luverne isn’t that special that we can ignore a projected $375,000 deficit.Instead of becoming part of the problem, I’d encourage everyone who cares about our school to put some thought into helpful solutions.If nothing else, I’d remind everyone involved to remember we’re all on the same team — the one batting for our children’s education.Budget cuts are horrible, but the process of getting there doesn’t have to be.
