Minneapolis School Board elections

BY DAVID TILSEN

This coming November we will elect five School Board members, two citywide, and three from districts.

Citywide candidates:

T.Williams (incumbent) is the elder on the School Board, and, in my opinion, the wisest. He will wax philosophical and his many years of activism allow him a historical perspective that often lays a new perspective on issues at hand. Mr. Williams is seeking reelection, and should be returned to the board. He says the board needs more people who understand public policy and how large organizations work.

Richard Mammen has spent his life working to empower and better the lives of children in Minneapolis. He has started youth serving organizations, served as the founding director of the Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board, and currently leads the Minneapolis Parks recreation department. Dick is a wonderful person, understands and works well in bureaucracy without dehumanizing it or himself, and genuinely wants to improve the work of the school district. I am encouraged that he is willing to run, and, along with the two former Mayors he worked for, Fraser and Sayles Belton, I support his election.

Doug Mann, a perennial candidate, believes that this might be his year. His major issues are the assignment of teachers and “ability grouping” in the schools, both of which he believes contribute to the achievement gap between white and non-white students. I reacted to his excessively negative rhetoric, but he seems to appeal to some people. He is intelligent and does his homework.

David Joseph DeGrio is a college science teacher who has been moved to run for office by the dismal math and reading skills of his students, a plight which he would work to improve as a member of the Board. He has served on State of Minnesota science standards committees, and is a fan of current statewide testing. Although he is critical of federal programs like “No Child Left Behind,” he does believe in the effort for standardized teaching.

District 5:
Albert Monserrate, an activist in Minneapolis’ Latino community and owner of the newspaper La Prensa, has for several years been an insightful, although sometimes strident, voice for equity and stability. He believes we have had too much change in recent years in the school district, and seeks to bring stability in the coming years. When asked about reducing the achievement gap he said, “What we need to do is not terribly complicated, it is just very, very difficult to do.” I don’t think I have ever heard anyone say this before.

District 3 - Phillips, West Bank, Powderhorn, Longfellow and Seward neighborhoods:

Hussein Samatar served on the Library Board (when we had one) appointed by R.T. Rybak. He described his vote to dissolve the Library Board as one of the most difficult things he has ever had to do. He says that he is very data oriented and would use data to make decisions on the Board. He would like to focus on the achievement gap, getting help for teachers, and to empower what he calls the “New American Communities.” These are the various international immigrants that have joined Minneapolis over the last few years, and who do not get involved as much as other communities do. He says that although he is Somali, he does not see himself as a spokesman or representative of any single community. He seems to me to be a good addition to the Board.

All of the candidates expressed their support for the new Superintendent; none of them expressed support for Governor Pawlenty’s call to have the school system run by the Mayor instead of having an independent board.
It is early, and it is likely that more candidates will come forward.