Aug 16, 2017

As We Plan to Defeat Members of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education, Understand the Current Terms and Election Cycles

For reasons that I have detailed in many articles on this blog (including the immediately next article as you scroll on down), there is no hope in the given composition of the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Board of Education for improvement in academic results in this iteration of the locally centralized school district.

 

Please recall as you review the following list that all of these MPS Board of Education members except Don Samuels have strong ties to both the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) and the Democrat-Farmer-Labor (DFL) party;  Samuels is something of a maverick member of the DFL who ran without either MFT or DFL endorsement during his election campaign of 2014.

 

Also recall that Gagnon, Ellison, and Inz colluded in recruiting Ira Jourdain and Bob Walser to oust highly effective board member Tracine Asberry and the promising young  Josh Reimnitz (the former Teach for America participant who successfully ran without either MFT or DFL endorsement in 2012 but was narrowly defeated by Walser in 2016).

 

We must especially work to defeat Rebecca Gagnon and Nelson Inz in their election runs one year from now, in November 2018;  and then to defeat Kim Ellison in November 2020.

 

Along with Ellison, we are stuck with Bob Walser and Ira Jourdain (in the absence of resignations) through 2020 but should work to defeat them in November of that year.

 

Jenny Arneson, Siad Ali, and Don Samuels will run for reelection (or decide not to run) one year hence, in November 2018---    therefore joining Rebecca Gagnon in that election cycle.

 

Should Don Samuels decide to run again, we should work toward his defeat:  he has not been effective.

 

I am monitoring Jenny Arneson’s ongoing performance for ultimate recommendation:  She occasionally shows promise but right now would deserve defeat based on many years of decision-making deleterious to the education of the students of the Minneapolis Public Schools.

 

Siad Ali is a reasonably good representative of the Somali community and is the most open among the current board membership to the program for MPS overhaul that I have advocated on this blog and in many forums, including my nearly complete book, Understanding the Minneapolis Public Schools:  Current Condition, Future Prospect.  

 

Remember that my program for overhaul of the Minneapolis Public Schools focuses on knowledge-intensive curriculum, thorough retraining of teachers, aggressive tutoring, family resource provision and referral, and bureaucratic paring.  We need to be recruiting candidates for membership on the MPS Board of Education who support this program for bringing true excellence to the students of the Minneapolis Public Schools and making this iteration of the locally centralized schools district a national model for excellence in K-12 education.

 

As you study the list below, understand that the “At-Large” designation for Gagnon, Ellison, and Samuels means that they are not elected to a particular district but rather are elected in precincts throughout the city of Minneapolis. 

 

Arneson’s District 1 encompasses Northeast Minneapolis.

 

Felder’s District 2 covers North Minneapolis.

 

Ali’s District 3 is in South and Southeast Minneapolis, with his support coming heavily among the Somali community residing near the University of Minnesota.

 

Inz’s District 5 is in the area of South Minneapolis generally east of I-35.

 

Jourdain’s District 6 is in the areas of South and Southwest Minneapolis west of I-35.

 

Walser’s District 4 encompasses the Bryn Mawr area and affluent areas of South and Southwest Minneapolis.   

 

In summary, as you go forth to study this list, remember that in the nearest election period culminating in a vote in November 2018, we need to be especially focused on defeating Rebecca Gagnon and Nelson Inz.  We should be prepared to defeat Jenny Arneson while observing her stances in the meantime.  We should work for the defeat of Don Samuels.  Only Siad Ali clearly deserves reelection.

 

Then over the longer term we should be working especially to defeat Kim Ellison and Bob Walser (the very most objectionable member of the current board, quite a dubious distinction given the extreme objectionable qualities of Gagnon, Ellison and Inz); and also to oust KerryJo Felder and Ira Jourdain;  in November 2020.   

 

Here, then, is the list of highly pertinent information as we prepare to overhaul the current membership of the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education:

 

 

Rebecca Gagnon, Chair

At-Large

Term  >>>>>  2015-2019

 

Kim Ellison, Vice-Chair

At-Large

Term  >>>>>  2017-2021

 

Jenny Arneson, Treasurer

District 1

Term  >>>>>  2015-2019

 

Bob Walser, Clerk
District 4
Term  >>>>>  2017-2021
 
KerryJo Felder
District 2
Term  >>>>>  2017-2021
 
Siad Ali
District 3
Term  >>>>>  2015-2019
 
Nelson Inz
District 5
Term  >>>>>  2015-2019
 
Ira Jourdain
District 4
Term  >>>>>  2017-2021
 
Don Samuels
At-Large
Term  >>>>>  2015-2019

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