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Administrator’s Corner by Mike Funk

During my tenure as a superintendent in Minnesota, school boards have always been nonpartisan. Local people run for the school board and work together to improve the education system for the students and staff in their school district.

Today, schools have become part of the partisan battleground in American politics at the federal, state and local levels. Some candidates claim that public school children are politically indoctrinated as part of their campaigns. We have some claiming that teachers promote the political organization, Black Lives Matter. Others believe the district is a proponent of critical race theory. These are all excellent talking points for the media, but what is the reality?

The reality is that we have a quality school system in Albert Lea, where we teach children perspectives to learn about issues from multiple viewpoints. We take a balanced approach to teaching topics in education and do not promote any political ideology. We want our graduates to be critical thinkers. I invite anyone running for political office to come in and meet with me to get an idea of how we educate our children in Albert Lea. As a former social studies teacher, I welcome this discussion.

A strong school board has a significant positive impact on the education system in a community. We have had great success in my tenure in Albert Lea because of the quality school board members who made up the board. The makeup of the next board will be an essential factor in educating the next generation of children in Albert Lea. I encourage citizens of our community to get involved and consider running for the school board.

Albert Lea Area Schools does not have a primary, so our filing period for the school board does not begin until Aug. 2 and closes on Aug. 16.

Finally, I would like to close by thanking our entire community for the past 13 years. I am honored to have led a school system for a generation of students. It has been great to have been part of so many organizations in Albert Lea. What separates this community from others is the collaboration among groups of people to get things done. 

My family and I will have fond memories of raising our daughters in this community. Please remember to ALways Expect the Best!

Mike Funk is Albert Lea superintendent and recently accepted a new job as superintendent in Stillwater.