Who is TonkaFocus and why are we doing this?
The idea is simple - a bedrock American principle: When it comes to our shared civic life, we all ought to follow the same rules. And we ought to hold each other accountable. That whole Constitution thing. The marketplace of ideas means that public officials, and those running for office, and citizens, must share their ideas with everyone.
Who are we? We're about a dozen Minnetonka parents and citizens who want to continue our community's historic focus on excellence in our school system. You may not agree with us on every issue - whatever your views, we hope you'll find TonkaFocus a place to begin as you examine the issues in our school district. We're not anonymous. You'll see the names of TonkaFocus editors on every page - Judy Budreau, Maureen Kvam and Sherri West. Ask around - people know us.
How do we do this? We show up. The school district publishes official minutes of school board meetings. Frankly, they're boring. Meetings are taped for local cable broadcast. That's pretty boring, too. The district follows Minnesota's Open Meeting law, and posts a variety of meeting schedules on its web site and at the District Service Center. Almost no one goes. TonkaFocus people do attend many of these meetings. And we take notes.
The really interesting stuff - important debates and decisions - things that affect what goes on in classrooms, the college choices of Minnetonka graduates, our community's reputation and our property values - happens under the radar of "official" outlets, right under our noses, at board study or work sessions and at committee meetings.
We can't discuss these issues as a community, if no one knows what's going on.
That's a gap we hope TonkaFocus can fill. Check this web site often for updates from the public record about issues affecting our schools.
TonkaFocus isn't necessarily impartial on every issue, but when we take a stand on an issue, we'll give you the resources and links from the public record to check things out for yourself. TonkaFocus does not endorse candidates, and won't take a position on the referendum questions. TonkaFocus will, however, provide copious links so that you can do so. Past positions are an indicator - not a guarantee - of the way an elected official might vote in the future. Please contact each candidate individually if there's an issue you're concerned about.
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Have some info? Want some info? Let us know!
Editors: Sherri West, Judy Budreau, Maureen Kvam Back to Main