The claim from incumbent School Board members that they’ve created a child-centered budget is belied by the reduction of music instructors in the middle schools. That loss in ISD 709 students is directly tied to a $24 million increase in salaries and benefits for one year and $7.6 million of deficits over the past two years.

In its endorsement editorial, the News Tribune voiced no concern for a tax levy that has risen from $10 million to $45 million over the past two decades. Like the group that has dominated the boardroom all these years, the Editorial Board has never descended from its elevated perch and admitted its own mistakes. This paper is responsible for a sizable share of the chaos and confusion since former Superintendent Keith Dixon came to town.

The district’s facility recon

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