I wrote and distributed a letter and two possible resolutions for next week’s meeting to the five majority school board members last night and this morning. Next week’s meeting is set up to exact retribution against Art Johnston for escaping the majority’s attempt to remove him without just cause. One of the board members took the package to the Duluth News Tribune today.
This took me by surprise when I showed up to give the Editor a peek at the self same resolutions. Let’s say my resolution is just as incendiary as anything the Board threw at Art Johnston over the past eleven months. However, I have far more confidence in the validity of the allegations in my resolutions than in those aimed at Art Johnston.
I talked for an hour and a half with the editor and the Trib’s education reporter. I left the meeting uncertain as to what I would do next week. I told them that the discussion we had left me torn between two powerful impulses. On the one hand I see great value in putting the Board’s focus back on the needs of our school children. Now that Art has been saved from this travesty of justice perhaps I too should refocus. On the other hand fairness demands that I expose the tactics of Art’s accusers and stick up for the First Amendment rights our Board has tried to obscure with grossly exaggerated claims of misconduct. I’ll be doing a lot of thinking over the weekend.
I told the Trib they have the goods and left it up to them to report the story as they saw fit. What they report may alter my course either way. I may want to give my eight loyal blog readers my response to whatever the Trib publishes. (Actually it was 637 readers on Tuesday when I could get no sleep and decided to write a couple resolutions to even the playing field instead of tossing an turning all night.)
