In the school board race I am not inclined to support the endorsement of Kari Tauring by the Green Party for the following reasons:
I am for immediate, fundamental changes in the Minneapolis school system that will close the racial learning gap, such as basing instruction for the general student population on a college-bound curriculum. Aside from calling for a recommitment to community schools, Kari Tauring has not come forward with any concrete proposals to "close the gap." For Kari Tauring to seek support from board members for her candidacy indicates she is not sufficiently prepared to serve as a strong advocate for reforms that can make a quality education accessible to all students, especially given her status as a teacher, MPS parent, school volunteer, and daughter of a retired MPS school teacher. I am for the community school concept: Schools within walking distance or a short bus trip away. But way that attendance boundaries have been drawn, new school sites chosen, and grade level configurations changed has had the predictable effect of maximizing racial and socioeconomic separation. And in carrying out the state's new separate but equal doctrine, the school board is going out of its way to separate but not to equalize access to a quality education. I have been advocating concrete steps to enforce fair employment and housing laws in the city of Minneapolis. And the school board can play a role in establishing and supporting programs toward those ends. That would go a long way to eliminating areas with high concentrations of poverty, reduce the racial income and employment gap, and desegregate predominantly black and white neighborhoods in Minneapolis. -Doug Mann, King Field REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
