This story ,critical of Duluth’s Edison Schools, was planted by what appears to be a partisan group akin to the GOP affiliated organizations that were far too influential in the recent Republican Era.
I’ve been getting 2020’s emails for some time now because I attended DFL conventions. There is a move led by state teacher’s unions to clip the wings of charter schools. Some Charters have been embarrassments but not the Duluth Edison Schools. If any school district should get a state audit its the Duluth School District not the Edison Schools in Duluth.
I knew Bonnie Jorgenson long before she took over the helm of Edison in Duluth. She was our church’s Youth Director. For the sake of public disclosure I should point out that my daughter, who was once in her youth group, now works with rammy junior high school students at Washburn. My daughter loves it there and her experience has motivated he to work toward a counseling degree.
As a school board member in 1997 voted to bring Edison into Duluth. It was a reluctant vote but I’ve never regretted despite some controversy. In fact, being a contrarian, I was the last of eight school board members to warm to Edison. I wasn’t impressed with its glitzy New York origins. When I finally joined the majority I did so knowing that the teacher’s unions would begin a war against it and me. Frank “close Central now” Wanner the DFT President told me at a school board meeting that I would be a target in the next election. I was reelected despite that threat in 1999.
I voted to open Edison because I had recieved too many phone calls from distraught parents who’s struggling children were ignored by ISD 709 schools because they were a pain in the neck and because they had no where else to go. That changed with Edison and I stopped getting those calls.
Here are a couple things to keep in mind about our Edison School.
Its teachers make less money because it receives less money than the ISD 709 schools get.
It has a very high proportion of special needs kids who require an inordinate amount of attention.
Despite high numbers of special needs children Edison still manages to draw “normal” kids to its schools. They aren’t put off by the mixed student population.
Edison is growing at an astounding rate largely at the expense of the ISD 709 schools. It grew by 80 students last year and will grow by another 80 next year.
Edison, is a public school.
The best reflection of how Edison treats people is clearly demonstrated in the initial positive responses to the story in the comment section.
