We've spent too much time fighting about the future of our schools in recent years. That's why School Board member Art Johnston's column this week was really disheartening. He used inaccurate information to launch a personal attack on his colleagues when a few well-timed questions would have given him the information he needed.
Unlike many Minnesota school districts, ISD 709's contract negotiations with the Duluth Federation of Teachers were a cooperative process completed well before any state deadlines. The contract is for two years and the annual raises are 1.34 percent and 1.76 percent. That includes all raises, including those for seniority. The increase for health benefits is estimated at
6.5 percent per year. The contract falls within the guidelines the School Board set prior to the start of negotiations.
This contract gave modest but fair raises for teachers and predictable costs for the district. That's a great result.
But Johnston chose to exaggerate the size of the contract and use his mistakes to attack the character of board leadership. It's the same old Art we've been watching on the School Board this year -- shoot first and figure out the facts later.
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I'm only one person, but I think Johnston's act is worn out. He has attacked almost every educational professional at the district during meetings. He has lectured attorneys about the law. He has voted against the simplest resolutions to process ordinary school district business. And he keeps trying to increase property taxes by tens of millions of dollars by trying to stop and cancel contracted work on the Long-Range Facilities Plan.
The community is ready to move on. We need to quit fighting about the facilities plan, finish the job and start investing the savings in our classrooms. The next time Johnston gets the urge to write a column, I urge him to take a deep breath, pick up the phone and call district staff instead. I'll bet they would give him the answers he needs.
Ann Wasson represents the 1st District on the Duluth School Board.
