Continued: Minnesota school questions

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We hope voters will reject the idea.

When the proposal first surfaced, Minneapolis schools had suffered through a series of problems including budget cuts, declining enrollment and poor management. Public confidence was low.

At that time, this Editorial Board wrote that district voting was worth considering, largely because of that crisis of confidence which has since begun to ease. We were open to the possibility that a board with a combination of citywide and district directors could help rebuild faith in school leadership, promote stronger governance and encourage more diverse board membership.

But we have not been convinced that elections by district would make a difference. Other issues such as compensation, training and recruitment deserve scrutiny. Directors elected from one part of town, rather than being more accountable, might instead be more narrowly focused. That is not a benefit on a board that must make decisions that serve all of the city’s students.

About 40 percent of the nation’s school boards are elected in part or in whole by districts (including Minnesota’s Anoka-Hennepin). And some of them are known for high-quality governance.

Still, we agree with ABC opponents that a more comprehensive review of school board operations is needed to bring about lasting, effective school-leadership reform.

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