The achievement gap, smaller class sizes and additional time for recess were all points of debate and humor at a Minneapolis school board candidate forum Monday night.
In front of a sold-out crowd at Bryant-Lake Bowl Tuesday, the four candidates for citywide seats, incumbent Rebecca Gagnon, Don Samuels, Iris Altamirano and Ira Jourdain, discussed how the district should address its failing student achievement record.
Samuels pointed to the need for more accountability and real-time data on students. Altamirano focused on early-childhood education and transparency. Jourdain talked about less testing and more diverse teachers. Gagnon pointed to the work she has done while on the board, saying graduation rates had increased by 7 percent.
"At that rate maybe our grandchildren will graduate," Altamirano said at the debate hosted by the Theater for Public Policy.
Topics of school funding and testing were particularly contentious. During a conversation around smaller classes, Gagnon said she was would love for every school to have its class size limited to 18 students but said that would be nearly impossible with the amount of funding that the district receives from the state and federal government.
"I'm not going to be unrealistic," Gagnon said.
Altamirano shot back, saying the district could have used $375,000 to pay for more teachers instead of awarding it to a north side community group that ended the contract after conceding it was not able to help the district address its achievement gap.
The race has become one of the costliest school board contests, with several out-of-state organizations contributing money and services to the candidates. On Nov. 4, voters will elect two of the four candidates.
In recent months, local reform groups and education advocates have pointed out that the candidates seem to be forming alliances with each other. An audience member asked the candidates which of their opponents they can see themselves working with the best.
Only Jourdain answered the question directly, saying Gagnon would be the person he wants to see win with him because she is also a parent of Minneapolis public school students.
The rest of the candidates said they would work with any of the candidates.
The improv comedy group helped bring humor to the issues surrounding the race. They poked fun at the subpar school lunches with a skit in which third-graders were served fancy tater-tots and wine for $80 dollars, after an audience member told the candidates that her son wants to see the district get rid of the "horrible hamburgers."
Alejandra Matos • 612-673-4028
