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The Unpolished Truth: Those who are allowed to speak hold the power

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE ZENITH NEWS ISSUE 195, JANUARY 15, 2019

Think globally, act locally.

 If you are like me, you might decide to live that to the fullest and run for a local elected office. You are tired of complaining—you are going to do something! Want to support gay marriage, ban sugar from schools, get Johnnie on the hockey team, stop global climate change, fight for world peace, or find out where your tax money is going? You can make a difference!

The Unpolished Truth: Thinking of running for local elected office?

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE ZENITH NEWS ISSUE 181, FEBRUARY 20, 2018

Think globally, act locally.

 If you are like me, you might decide to live that to the fullest and run for a local elected office. You are tired of complaining—you are going to do something! Want to support gay marriage, ban sugar from schools, get Johnnie on the hockey team, stop global climate change, fight for world peace, or find out where your tax money is going? You can make a difference!

The Unpolished Truth: Anatomy of a successful data practices lawsuit

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE ZENITH NEWS ISSUE 198, APRIL 9, 2019

The right to speak and the right to print, without the right to know, are pretty empty. ~Congressman John Moss, during the 1966 debate over the Freedom of Information Act

The Unpolished Truth: Dough Hasler's trip through the belly of the breast

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE ZENITH NEWS ISSUE 189, AUGUST 14, 2018

In the beginning, God created happy talk and   smiles.  

When Doug Hasler, the most recent Chief Financial   Officer for the Duluth Public Schools, was hired   two years ago, the school board was invited over to   his new house on Woodland Avenue for ice cream and   to meet his beautiful family and children.  

We talked about all the cool things to do in Duluth,   the best places to buy winter clothes. The skills that   everyone brought to the table were flowing around   like the ice cream floats.  

The Unpolished Truth: If Bill Gronseth isn't responsible, then who is?

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE ZENITH NEWS ISSUE 185, MAY 15, 2018

While I was a school board member, teachers and school administrators frequently contacted  me. The numerous problems with the  Duluth Schools were becoming common knowledge,  and a frequent refrain was: “We need a new Superintendent,  please!” 

Denfeld now graduates the lowest number of students  since it was built—in 1926. One reason is that  under Superintendent Bill Gronseth, the expected transfer  of Central students to Denfeld never happened. 

The Unpolished Truth: School Board Associations in Kafka's Amerika

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE ZENITH NEWS ISSUE 192, NOVEMBER 13, 2018
 
The Duluth School Board oversees a $135 million annual budget—larger than that of the City of Duluth. In Minnesota, K-12 education is the largest chunk of the state budget, at $10 billion a year. We’re not talking about chump change here.
With such real money, one would expect a commensurate economic acumen, but a common theme among Minnesota school boards is that they are not financiers, but cheerleaders.
 

The Unpolished Truth: Local Control of Schools: Follow the Money

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE ZENITH NEWS, ISSUE 183, APRIL 3, 2018
 
Welcome to the Duluth School Board! You just got elected by managing to not make enemies with the DFL political machine or the Duluth New Tribune. So, what should you expect as
an elected official in Duluth?
 

Guest column: It’s time to fix our homegrown school budget problems

There have been way too many instances of financial problems at the Duluth Public Schools.  We need to acknowledge why we have these issues, and we must have the political will to fix it.  We can work together as a board, citizens, teachers, and parents to solve this problem.

So what gives?  Why are we facing these problems when other neighboring schools, the charter schools, and private schools aren’t? How can we start to solve these financial problems?

Art's Statement to Board supporting negotiations to sell Central

[Note: the School Board voted 4-3 on March 31, not to enter into negotiations with Edison Charter School's offer to purchase Central Property. The follwing are my comments to the Board supporting such negotiations.]

I would like to thank the School Board for allowing public comment tonight and on Monday.  It is a welcome change for us to listen to and encourage such public comment.  Thank you.

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