Opinion Editor’s Note: Published by Star Tribune Opinion letter Daily from readers online and in print.Click to contribute here.

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Have you considered the children and the “product” they receive among the spiritual giants who negotiated the Minneapolis teacher layoff policy (or the former seniority rule) on race? To brew means to achieve a worthy purpose” editorial, 27 August). Shouldn’t we be taught by the highest performing teachers, regardless of race? This is not a policy to fly around in the corporate world for all sorts of reasons.

By the way, has any consideration been given to determining the pool of accredited and licensed minority teachers who can teach? Efforts to recruit them into the teaching profession (or any other profession) are wasted effort and money.

WW Bednarczyk, Minneapolis

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Quote from Saturday’s paper on the editorial and opinion pages.

“Research shows that all students, especially children of color, benefit from teachers of diverse racial and other backgrounds. Students in that demographic are likely to perform better academically, have better attendance, and have higher graduation rates, according to a study by the nonprofit Learning Policy Institute. means to achieve an end”).

Also:

“Students repeatedly seek teachers who are similar to them and who understand their cultural background” (“It is important to protect teacher diversity”, Opinion Exchange).

Are they actually suggesting that we have separated classrooms?

Ron Wobbeking, Savage

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An agreement between Minneapolis schools and the teacher union to protect nonwhite teachers from dismissal for lack of seniority is held unconstitutional in my opinion. The concept of tenure in our school.

I didn’t understand why education should be different than other industries that provide jobs. Which public or private companies, big or small, guarantee tenure for their employees? A good place to start is by removing the tenure if you want a condition. Tenure can protect underperforming teachers, both white and nonwhite. Parents should be happy to know that the education system can keep underperforming teachers out of the classroom, but tenure makes that very difficult to achieve today.

Another issue Saturday’s editorial raises is money. As with many other policies we have seen over the last 65 years, the simple answer to solving the problem is to provide more capital, and like waving a magic wand, the problem is solved. increase. Many of us know how it worked.

In recent years, the backlash against underperforming urban schools has been the continued transfer to private, religious and charter schools. I expect that trend to continue. Competition is good and can prevent organizations and individuals from becoming complacent.

In summary, protecting classes at the expense of other classes is not a good policy. Equal opportunity for all is a top priority, but when that principle is violated, it needs to be fixed.

Kip Nellman, Paris, Kentucky.

crime

Credit to the Star Tribune for “A night in Minneapolis” (page 1, August 28) — an attempt to bring people back together, but it doesn’t work.

In fact, it will only work if Mayor Jacob Frey follows the city’s charter and a judge’s order and hires 300 more police.

Oh sure, Twins and Vikings games and big concerts don’t suffer, just ordinary people who move the city.Minneapolis will keep dying until they feel safe.

Will the Star Tribune staff understand this?

When I read an article about a woman being shot dead in the middle of the day in front of downtown Target, it didn’t drag us downtown.

The worst part is it gets worse before it gets better. Frey limps as long as a human can, thereby losing more and more veteran officers.

Please write another article when the Minneapolis Police Department is again able to answer 911 calls without injuries. Will consider coming back downtown.

Rob Godfrey, Minneapolis

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An article titled “Justice by Zip Code, Not Fairness” (page 1, August 21) revealed that the restorative justice process can and does save lives. Restorative “distraction” is understanding how the harm inflicted has affected others, responsibly correcting it, and gaining support for change. The current criminalization of juvenile behavior in the “justice” process does none of that.

Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said, “In my view, diversion didn’t work for the most serious crimes….many of these children, especially repeat offenders, need serious consequences. .” disagree. Restorative justice is about breaking the chain of crime. My experience working with young people and adults who have committed serious crimes and gone through the recovery process is stronger than punishment alone. clearly shows that

Recently, I worked in Anoka County as the Executive Director of Mediation and Restoration Services and experienced resistance and often rejection by the county, as noted in the article. We offer remedial justice services available in. Why do young people’s fates depend so much on the lack of understanding of the adults in charge? State Representative Sandra Feist’s proposed legislation is the first to expose these punitive systems. We need broader financial support to educate our communities and provide restorative justice for all young people, not just some.

Carol Markham-Cousins, Minneapolis

Orono

Orono Mayor Dennis Walsh has been dishonest, deceptive, or both in a statement claiming that “…we have not had to increase our taxing capacity in the last decade” (“Stir the waters of Orono ”, 24 August).

When Walsh took office in 2017, the city levied $5,205,280 in taxes. Today, under his watch, his current tax collection is $6,944,777. By my calculations he is up 33.4%. The city’s current debt is he $18.3 million. When he arrived it was $8.7 million.

If Walsh continues to insist on silly adventures such as detachment from the historic Firefighting Agreement with Longlake, adding more costs to earnings, he will pay Orono and its citizens even more taxes next year and the year after. force to

the continued ridicule of his vulgar civil and authoritarian demeanor during meetings, and the land deal he is said to have made with Bob Erickson of the Planning Commission (approved by the Council); It’s bad enough that he reeks of corrupt political favoritism. Had it not been so tragic, it would be laughable, especially the way he put our city in a bad light again: landing his council on the front page of the Star Tribune and criticizing his dysfunction in sensationalist photos. The public meeting highlighted the spirit and mismanagement of the public meeting.

Gabriel Jabbar, Orono

The author is the former mayor of Orono City.