Citizens are often recognized in the boardroom of ISD 709 for doing good and generous things. At the beginning of this month’s meeting (4/21/15), some of the staff and one student--Alex Conklin--from Lester Park Elementary School were recognized for spearheading a food collection drive. Alex and his fellow students collected more than a ton of food for the Union Gospel Mission, an incredible effort and achievement. Another group of good citizens calling themselves, “Pheasants Forever,” was recognized for helping students at East High create a pollinator habitat between the school’s parking lot and the lake walk. This group presented a sizeable check to the students to help maintain the area, as an aid in butterfly migration.
Stuff like this is too cool for words.
 
But words are all
we have.
 
The first public speaker of the evening was Stephen Witherspoon, vice president of the local chapter of the NAACP. Joined at the podium by a few other members of the organization, Mr. Witherspoon made a passionate case to the school board to adopt a resolution sponsored by the NAACP. As Mr. Witherspoon put it, the intent of the resolution was to “implement a K-12 curriculum designed to undo the influences of racism in the K-12 public school system.” Furthering outlining what he and his organization were advocating, Mr. Witherspoon said: “The NAACP also urges--if not demands--that ISD 709 implement an ongoing professional development policy and resulting programs supporting an experiential and collaborative approach to the instruction of all students, specifically those of color…”
These forceful words were followed up by an emotional appeal by the next speaker, Tim Davis. Mr. Davis at times fought back tears as he appealed to the Board to take the recent incident at Denfeld High (where students circulated a photo of an African-American student with a noose drawn around his neck) very seriously. “What is it going to take?” Mr. Davis asked. “If we are going to prevent another ‘noose’ incident, we need to act very quickly.”
Board member Johnston urged his fellow members to put the resolution on the agenda of the next meeting, but there was no indication that would happen.
 
The Board takes the
microphone.
 
The Education and HR Committee Reports were brief and almost rancor-free. The most notable dustup came when member Johnston complained that the Board had been cut out of contract talks for the new assistant Superintendent. Johnston pointed out that the Board should have been involved because “it’s a possibility we may be losing our superintendent and this assistant superintendent may likely be our acting superintendent.”

For those who don’t know, Superintendent Gronseth tried to jump ship to a school district near the Twin Cities. Mr. G. ultimately failed to land the job, but did his best to escape from Duluth, which should be less than reassuring to anyone who is trying to believe the Board majority’s spin that all is well in ISD 709.
 
Time for business.
 
Five items were pulled for discussion from the Business Committee Report. Under “Payment Claims,” member Johnston pointed out that the Board “spent $150,000 this past year on legal fees,” the highest since he’s been on the Board. He went on to demonstrate that a large portion of these legal bills resulted from an attempt to remove him from the Board, which he described as “a personal vendetta” by the Superintendent and the Chair. Mr. Johnston maintained the money should have instead been “spent for schools.”

Next, the Board started batting the usual verbal grenades back and forth around district enrollment numbers, a.k.a.: WADM. The public schools experienced another precipitous drop of 76 students last month. (243 have now been lost this year.) Again, the district’s CFO claimed the bulk of the students had left town, but member Johnston pointed out that nearly all the student loss was from the high schools. He said “something else” had to be happening. He also pointed out that 535 students had been lost on the current superintendent’s watch, translating into about $5 million in lost State aid.

Mr. Gronseth weighed in: “If we go back twenty years in Duluth, we had over twenty-five thousand students. If we go back ten years, we had ten thousand. So we have dropped about 1700 students in the last ten years. That was right in line with what demographers first said would happen ten years ago. (Right in line, except that) we’re a little bit below what they said.”

ISD 709’s ADM (adjusted daily membership) student enrollment number from twenty years ago (‘95/‘96) was 13,636, a far cry from “over 25,000.” Also, the Red Plan demographers predicted enrollment to bottom out “between 8998 and 9329.” The discrepancy between that prediction and the district’s current enrollment number--8350--is a pretty sizeable “little bit,” enough in fact to fill up Lakewood Elementary as many as four times.

While the superintendent mouthed these exaggerations, Board majority members nodded, as though listening raptly to the Son of God.
Incidentally, the new demographic study just completed a few months ago predicted a nine-student gain this year. (For its next enrollment forecast, I suggest the Board just throw fifty bucks at the astrologer’s hotline.)

“I know a lot of Board members wince when discussion of the WADM comes up.” Member Welty said in soothing tones, looking for comity. “And I understand that you like to be positive. But I think much of this needs to be said--pro and con. And Art is right: 535 kids may amount to about five million dollars…”

Clerk Loeffler-Kemp shot back: “I don’t believe we wince when we talk about WADM…” Without specifying what she was referring to, she added, “It’s frustrating when misinformation at times is given out…”

The discussion moved on, eventually leading to Facilities Manager Kerry Lieder speaking at length about the crumbling stone wall that has been a perennial eyesore in front of iconic Old Central. After listening to Lieder and reading an e-mail he sent to Member Johnston on the subject, I still can’t report for certain if Duluth taxpayers are going to have to pony up extra money beyond the Red Plan for the $375,000 bill. The project is slated to be covered by “alternative facilities” levy money, and there was some of this type of funding is in the Red Plan financial scheme. I’ll have to look into it more. I wouldn’t want to frustrate the Clerk by giving out misinformation.

I can report that Member Miernicki got what he wanted. He successfully pushed through a change to Policy 3215, erasing a Board requirement to request a State audit every five years. The saddest part of this ordeal was watching the minority members (accustomed to getting run over in the room) fawn over Miernicki for allowing them to add a toothless amendment to the policy, informing future Boards that they “may” ask for an audit. It was sort of like telling the Feds they “may” balance the budget anytime they want.

There was an interesting discussion around a pending decision to change school board elections from odd to even years, but it’ll come up again next month. More important to mention is the vigorous Board interaction the evening ended on, after the Business Committee Report was approved. Member Welty fervently argued that he was being deprived his due respect as a Board member, by being kept out of the loop on the all the legal maneuverings around the Art Johnston imbroglio.

“We do have a hearing coming up May 11th, and I know nothing about what our attorneys are doing…and if other Board members are being informed, and I’m not--that’s not right!”
Chair Seliga-Punkyo and her allies, of course, steadfastly denied any such thing was happening.