Better Minneapolis

Dear Friends and Supporters;

I'm writing to inform you that after a great deal of soul searching I have decided not to seek another term as a member of the Minneapolis Board of Education.

I ran for this office in 2006 because I was deeply frustrated by the countless news stories about chaos in Minneapolis Public Schools. Having worked with families in poverty I was aware of how systems meant to help are often unsuccessful. Instead of complaining about the failing schools I decided to launch an unlikely campaign for a school board seat.

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek." —Barack Obama

When Barak Obama was elected president there was a collective exhaling of African Americans nationally. It was an emotional milestone pregnant with hope, opportunity, and optimism. For once, black excellence was spotlighted after an eternity of concentration on black failure.

Remarks that I made regarding public criticism of public education at last week’s school board meeting form the basis for a story in today’s Star Tribune. The point I made is that the steady criticism acts as a campaign to demoralize hard working individuals that dedicate a great deal of their time and energy to serve the needs of children.

My point? For true believers in public education the time to shrink in the face of politically motivated attacks is over.

If only we would concentrate on [insert educational idea] we could turn public schools around. Public education critics suggest this from every area of the political and public spectrum.

Unlike any other thing in American life, public education inspires more critics, even with the irony that many of the critics owe their ability to formulate a proper criticism to having received a free public education.

One of the single greatest perks of being on the Board of Education is meeting and talking to a great number of people. It's an extroverts dream. Whether people agree or disagree with something I’ve said or a policy that is being proposed is immaterial. It only matters that people feel free to engage their democracy, and that their democracy has a responsive.

Though I love talking to people I have to admit that some people are more fun than others. Some people know how to write to their elected School Board, and others clearly are not proficient.

Last Thursday night Latino parents met with members of the Minneapolis School Board and the press to express their heartfelt support for the Native Language Literacy program at Burroughs Community School. I support their aims and their efforts toward self-determination in a system that should be observant to the fact that Latinos represent the fastest growing student segment in the Minneapolis Public Schools.

Dear Friends,

For weeks I have resisted getting mired in an unproductive public discussion about a visit that I made to Burroughs Community School. My attention is focused on the restructuring of our school district and there is little to be gained by engaging in anything that does not help improve things for our students. However, my silence has allowed hearsay and speculation to outweigh the positive conversations our communities are having about race and equity in Minneapolis Public Schools. For that reason I write to clarify a few things.

Minneapolis Public Schools need to improve for all students, of all backgrounds, no excuses – now.

What’s in the way? The vexing construct of history, structures, and people.

If we could wipe the game board clean, erase all the buildings and start from scratch, would our new school district have any resemblance to the one we have today - or the one we’re proposing?

Not hardly.

I live for a time when people of great passion gather in public spaces, shoulder to shoulder with lawmakers, standing tall, one for all, to demand a quality education for every child regardless of their zip code.

What  a day that would be. But I wonder if the media would rush down to cover the story? Would all elected officials feel the need to issue statements in response?

Doubtful. That passion is for the few, the proud, the powerful.

Nationally you might hear school leaders say there are no "sacred cows." All options are on the table. This time, we mean business. Seriously.

The mission to drastically reform, innovate, and recreate schools so that they perform for poor and minority students leads us all to speak in high tones about the importance of change and "doing what works." We are serious. You can tell by the number of times we say so. We have data. Oddly enough, it supports exactly what we like and has the opposite effect on what our partisan politics cannot bear.