Lori Norvell
Adriana Cerrillos and Sharon El-Amin
are the current members of the Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) Board of
Education who may be counted upon consistently to exercise independent
judgment, making decisions in the best
interests of students, especially those long academically abused by the
district. Sonya Emerick, elected on 8
November 2022, will be a similarly independent voice.
Newly elected members Collin Beachy
(At-Large) and Lori Norvell (District 5) had the backing of the DFL/MFT
(Democrat-Farmer-Labor party/Minneapolis Fededespite ration of Teachers)
cohort. Unlike Abdul Abdi (District 1)
and Fathia Feeryarrer (District 3), Beachy and Norbvell did not run an
unopposed; they were opposed
respectively by Lisa Skjefte for an at-large seat and by Laurelle Myhra for the
District 5 seat. Skjefte and Myrha are
young Native American women who would have brought independent voices to the
MPS Board of Education. Beachy and
Norvellgive evidence of being much more dependent upon their DFL/MFT
endorsements and may be more likely to follow in the wake of outgoing members
Nelson Inz (District 5, not replaced by Norvell) and Jenny Arneson (District 1,
replaced by Beachy)--- and to tread in
waters in which Kim Ellison (MPS Board of Education Chair) and Ira Jourdain
(District 6) still swim.
Given this analysis, though, notable
is the circumstance that Jenny Arneson apparently considered Beachy to be an
undesirable candidate: She campaigned
and advocated behind the scenes for Sonya Emerick and raised no objection to my
distributing flyers for Lisa Skjefte and Laurelle Myhra when she and I campaigned
jointly on Saturday, 5 November, for Emerick and for non-school board DFL
candidates (including Governor Tim Walz and Attorney Keith Ellison.
So I am enthusiastic about Sonya
Emerick’s presence on the new school board and remain hopeful about the
presence of Abdul Abdi, who in particular gives evidence of having very
encouraging potential as an independent voice.
A also have considerable hope concerning the new presence of Feerayarre.
Collin Beachy and Lori Norvell,
though, carry a great load of political baggage and will have to prove that
they can make independent judgments once ensconced on the MPS Board of Education
in January 2023.
And of relevance to this matter of
being far too embedded in the folly of the education establishment, Lori
Norvell features an endorsement on her website from Bob Walser, the silliest,
most trivial member whom I have ever witnessed during my eight years of
intensely studying the Minneapolis Public Schools Board of Education. Walser was an irritating presence who made
irresponsible assertions ab0out budgetary matters that offended all other
members of the Finance Committee to which he belonged. While other members of the Finance Committee
recognized the expertise of Senior Finance Officer Ibrahima Diop, whose work to
achieve the first structurally balanced budget to be presented for many years
in the district was consonant with his status as one of the three top
professionals in his position across the nation, Walser was continually making irrational
and unsubstantiated claims about the work of Diop and his supremely talented
staff. Walser is also a proponent of the
knowledge-deficient approach to curriculum and teacher training that education
professors have inflicted on the teachers and administrators for at least 40
years.
This association of Lori Novel with
highly problematic former board members and with an intellectually corrupt philosophy
of education makes her particularly suspect as she takes her seat on the MPS
Board of Education.
The following is a presentation of
information as appearing on the campaign website of Lori Norvell >>>>>
>>>>>
Lori Norvell
My family and I moved to
Minneapolis 10 years ago. When we moved here, my husband Travis and I knew we
wanted our children to attend public school. We chose Minneapolis Public
Schools for its rich diversity, variety of programs, focus on arts and cultural
expression, and academics. I want other families to choose Minneapolis Public
Schools for those same reasons and more. I expect Minneapolis Public Schools to
provide the very best education to all students, regardless of their race,
their address, or their socioeconomic status.
I have worked for Minneapolis
Public Schools as a Special Education Assistant in a preschool classroom, as a
substitute teacher, and for 7+ years as a middle school math teacher. I have
also spent time volunteering at my children's schools and with their athletic
teams.
My experience as a recent MPS
teacher and my views as a parent and community member allow me to see MPS
through various lenses. I made the difficult decision to resign from my
teaching position due to unsustainable demands placed on myself and other
educators. I want to see change in MPS, where we prioritize the health and
education of the whole child, where we prioritize the well-being of our
educators. I have taught during the pandemic, have felt the struggle from a
lack of support for my classroom, but have also experienced successes in MPS
with students in my classroom and my own children. These successes, such as
learning new skills, working together, challenging inequities, bring us closer
together as we are learning and growing. We can work together with district
leadership and community for a stronger MPS.
A school board member is a
representative of the community and someone who will advocate for students,
families and educators. I will gather your stories and experiences and
represent you, your hopes and dreams, and your concerns. I will encourage
student-centered decision making, while working with district leadership, other
school board members and community for what is best for all our
students. I hope I can count on you to partner with me in this time of
adjustment and change. I am excited to meet you and hear your stories
so I can learn how to best serve my community.
No comments:
Post a Comment