To the editor:

As the General Election comes nearer, it’s time to endorse candidates. ISD 88 is front and center in my mind. The ISD 88 website lists current MCA scores at: Science 50%, Math 50%, Reading 51%. I would say those are dismal scores by any measure, and would have earned me an “F” with an exclamation point in 1979. The website also lists goals for the district.

1.) Increase growth in state/national assessments by 3% each year. (Again, a dismal failure as scores have declined by 3-6% overall over the last 4 years.

2.) Advance Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DIE). Sadly, the current ISD 88 board is succeeding in this regard. The board hired Longview Education (spending your tax money) to promote DIE, and has aided the creation of a new LGBTQIA+ club called PRISM. I would ask what has the board done to change the outcome in regard to test scores since that IS their supposed #1 goal?

Isn’t the number one reason we have a school board to oversee our children’s education? Why is our current board spending so much time and money on DIE, when our focus should be on graduating students that can perform at grade level?

What can we change to better our kids’ ability to perform in the real world?

We can elect new board members whose single focus is on educating our kids. Spend the money and time needed in the right places. On education. When it comes time to mark YOUR ballot, please elect challengers Thom, Flitter, Thiel, or Rysdahl. It’s time for new thinking, and time for action.

Gov. (Tim) Walz also failed. Rather than accept deployment with his National Guard unit, he retired, and then lied about his retirement rank to the voters. As governor, and head of the Minnesota National Guard during the BLM riots in Minneapolis, he assured the citizens of Minneapolis he would enforce an 8 p.m. curfew. Instead, assembled Guardsman stood on a football field a block from Lake Street, and were forced to watch and listen to rioters have their way, as Walz ordered the Guard to stand down. During COVID-19 Walz told me I couldn’t attend Sunday Mass, and when I did, I couldn’t sing. Walz financially broke small businesses, while big box stores prospered. Without benefit of legislative approval, Walz is forcing us to comply with California emission standards. Easy one here. Anybody but Walz.

Paul Platz

Lafayette