Speed Gibson: North by Northwest – The Venue

North by Northwest – The Venue

The April 2023 monthly ISD 482 School Board meeting was held Monday, April 17th, in the Middle School Media Center. It was scheduled for 5 to 6 PM, started on time, and ended about 6:15 PM. My first observation was: why 5 PM? Mondays at 5 PM is very convenient for the District staff, but what about the parents, many of whom are just now leaving work? Here in the Twin Cities, 6 pm, even 7 pm is more common.

As some perhaps expected, there was a large staff presence tonight, overcrowding the room. It was recorded, and I see that past meetings are indeed on a YouTube channel (LFCS.tv). I’ll be sampling these more fully later, but I can say now that those in the back could not hear several speakers and some of the staff reports. I sat near the front, but even I had trouble hearing a couple of the more soft-spoken speakers. This room might work for 20 to 30 people but no more if everyone is to be heard.

I’ll concede that this informal setting is probably adequate for most meetings. But it was certainly no surprise that several dozen District staff would be there. Per one of the many wearing an orange "Proud Educator" shirt, this was planned at least two weeks ago. There was certainly time to move the meeting to that school’s auditorium or gymnasium, if a proper "airing of grievances" was to be held. I think the Board should consider permanently moving these sessions to a larger, more suitable venue. If you’re going to sail the rolling seas of Twin Cities politics, "you’re gonna need a bigger boat."

Next: The Agenda

Editor's note: It feels great to publish Speed Gibson's reporting. Speed used to be considered the best school board blogger in MOB (Minnesota Organization of Blogs) history. I've had the privilege of maintaining my friendship with Speed throughout the years. Unlike Joe Biden, Speed hasn't lost anything off his fastball. Then again, it's well-established that Speed always had a fastball. We aren't certain that Joe ever did have a fastball. Finally, here's the video from Monday's LFSB meeting:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tim Walz's Confederate Flag Fiasco

Image
After Minnesota's Democrats shoved the most controversial progressive legislation down Minnesotans' throats, gossip started popping up about Gov. Walz being interested in running for president . That's died off but Gov. Walz is still making headlines, this time for all the wrong reasons. First, Gov. Walz isn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier. Still, Gov. Walz is fighting against Minnesota's history. This Alpha News article quotes David Hann, the chairman of Minnesota's Republican Party, as saying " The flag the DFL has eliminated was a version of the historic flag our regiments fought under during the Civil War. Minnesota was the first state to offer troops to the Union cause in 1861 , beginning a long tradition of leading the nation in confronting injustice. The DFL quest to erase our history is repugnant and should be rejected." Gov. Walz, though, sees things differently. He's quoted as saying "Minnesota is a diverse state, it continue
Read more

What is Kamala Harris afraid of?

Image
Apparently, Kamala Harris suddenly loves debating. Let me rephrase that. Harris loves debating as long as the moderators are partisan hacks. She wants nothing to do with a debate moderated by Fox's Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. She's afraid of Bret and Martha because a) they'll either fact-check both her and Trump or they won't fact-check either of them and b) Bret and Martha aren't afraid of asking follow-up questions. To a candidate whose answers are scripted and who isn't quick on her feet, the last thing you want is a follow-up question. Kamala fears follow-up questions like vampires hate wooden stakes, sunlight and holy water. Why has Kamala Harris avoided Fox News like the plague? The moderators/propagandists fact-checked Donald Trump aggressively but didn't fact-check Harris . Why didn't David Muir and Linsey Davis fact-check both candidates equally? Is it because Harris doesn't like fair fights? Perhaps she's just afraid of getting exp
Read more

Why is Joe Biden letting Hamas off the hook?

Image
It isn't disputable whether Joe Biden's administration is letting Hamas off the hook. That issue was settled months ago, when a spineless Joe Biden caved to activists interested in saving Hamas and thwarting the Israelis' attempt to defend themselves. Gerard Baker's op-ed highlights what's at stake for the U.S. if the terrorists are permitted to survive. In his op-ed, Baker wrote "If, under the pressure of internal Democratic politics and global public opinion, the Biden administration forces a 'cease-fire' that leaves our closest ally in the region short of victory over an enemy that seeks to destroy it, sooner or later we shall all pay the price." It's time to revisit George W. Bush's speech to a joint session of Congress on Sept. 20, 2001. It's required that we remind ourselves of one of its most important paragraphs. In talking about who committed the atrocities of 9/11, President Bush identified al-Qa'ida as "a collectio
Read more