[Mpls] Board duties re: Jennings

[ABerget]

Actually, state law requires school boards only to hire (and fire if necessary) superintendents and set the budget.  It does not require boards to gather community input.  It does not require any "demographic" relationship (similar or dissimilar) between the superintendent and the student body.  The superintendent is charged with overseeing the academic and operational activities of the school district.  How he/she does this is between the board and the supt.  When community members don't like how the board or individual members carry out their responsibilities, those same community members can complain ( but their complaints carry only advisory weight) and they can also run for office next time there is an open seat,  file applications for any mid-term vacancies that may arise on the board (whether or not they have ever run for office before, even if they have run before and failed), and, if they win this time, they can do things differently - if they can get a majority of their board colleagues to agree.   They can even campaign as individuals for changing the state law on this matter. But unless that happens, when the sun goes down on this debate,  the board still has the right to choose whoever they want to run the schools and to make that decision in whatever manner they wish, with or without convening public gatherings for input.  

For what it's worth,  I think the board made a good strategic choice and saved the community and the kids and teachers months of expense, disruption and distraction by choosing Mr. Jennings.  Whether you like him or not,  you still have the right to expect him to serve all Minneapolis children.   There's plenty of work to go around here, and as the late superintendent Richard Green used to ask,  "What are you doing to help?"

Ann Berget
Kingfield