Soon after our connecting, I invited Mindy to speak about journalism to my Cedar Post class at Sandpoint High.
After all, when you're the editorial page editor of the Seattle Times, you have some clout.
Needless to say, my students, some of whom went on to become respected journalists themselves, sat up and listened to Mindy's every word about her career.
That was back in the early '90s, when Mindy did, indeed, write editorials for the Seattle paper.
Like writer, pundit and actor, Ben Stein, she had fallen in love with Sandpoint, and, occasionally, her editorial commentary reflected that love.
Eventually, she moved full-time to Sandpoint with her husband, attorney Bill Berg.
Since then, the couple have worked tirelessly for the betterment of education and the support of teachers in our school district.
Most notable is their founding of Panhandle Alliance for Education (PAFE), which has funneled thousands and thousands of dollars into teacher-conceived educational projects within the school district.
In addition, Mindy has served several years as a trustee for Lake Pend Oreille School District 84.
In that tenure, she has played an instrumental role in hiring two superintendents for a district which continues to shine educationally throughout the state of Idaho.
Mindy recently penned a letter to the editor for the local newspaper expressing her opinion on the educational reform Propositions 1, 2 and 3, appearing on Idaho ballots this year.
I read the letter with interest and concurred with what she had to say.
The piece reflected the usual Mindy Cameron approach of conveying thoughts in a logical, informative manner and then punctuating them with a sensible and reasonable suggestion.
Yesterday, I asked Mindy if I could use her letter.
That request came during a telephone conversation when I actually thought I was sharing a hot scoop for another journalist.
"I think it's now okay to tell you that Tom Luna (Idaho State Superintendent of Public Instruction) is being interviewed by Cedar Post reporters as we speak," I reported to my journalist friend.
"I heard that," she said, obviously pleased. "We were told at the School Board meeting last night.
Well, Mindy had scooped me----of course, only because my son Willie, the Cedar Post adviser, told me that his information about the Luna visit "wasn't for publication" until tomorrow.
What's a proud mother/retired journalist to do when surrounded by all these professionals in the thick of things!
Oh, well!
That's all old news now, but I can tell you that if you befriend Cedar Post on Facebook, you can learn what the student reporters learned in their interview yesterday.
I sure as heck didn't learn anything from my son last night cuz he told me he walked out the classroom door when the interview began.
"It was just the kids and Luna," he said-----definitely a testament that student journalism at Sandpoint High continues in its time-honored professional manner.
I digress.
It's time to shut up and let Mindy's letter speak to you and to anyone who cares about education in Idaho.
Thanks for taking the time to read her words and please feel free to pass this along to voters throughout the state.
Mindy's letter:
Ed reforms ill-suited to real needs of schools
By MINDY CAMERON
I am writing to encourage anyone who cares about their schools to vote “no” on the three ballot measures that are known collectively — and deceptively — as “Students Come First.”
The Idaho Legislature passed the laws in 2011, despite considerable opposition from citizens across the state. The laws are also known as the “Luna Laws,” because they were drafted by State Superintendent Tom Luna without input from educators or interested citizens. They were a surprise to legislators and to local school officials across the state. One legislator last year described Luna’s reform package as “a bombshell.”
While there are provisions within the law that could lead to useful changes, taken as a whole the reforms do more harm than good.
Here’s why:
Prop. 1 greatly restricts the right of teachers — those closest to students — to negotiate with school administrators about anything other than wages and benefits. No longer can teacher representatives engage with district officials and board members about class sizes, teaching supplies, lesson planning or teacher collaboration needs. As a school board member I have facilitated teacher-administration negotiations for seven years. We have reached consensus on a wide range of issues every year in an atmosphere of mutual respect. This law is a solution in search of a problem.
Prop. 2 imposes a complicated system of teacher evaluation and reward. I believe there is a need to develop new ways of assessing teacher performance that is partially tied to student achievement, but this top-down mandate is not the answer. Procedures that work can only be developed with the input of teachers, administrators and school board members from a diverse selection of districts across the state.
Prop. 3 is all about technology, but not the creative use of technology that is now widespread and expanding in our schools. Instead it imposes a rigid on-line learning requirement for high school graduation, even though there is no evidence that on-line courses are effective for most teenage students. It is a mandate that would outsource a portion of high school education to private on-line course providers.
You may have heard Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter voicing a radio ad about “union bosses” opposed to education reforms in Idaho. That’s ridiculous. Idaho is a right-to-work state and there are no union bosses here.
That ad and others, including the frequent full-page ads in this newspaper, are trying to scare voters that “union bosses” want to take over Idaho schools. Don’t fall for it. Supporters of the Luna Laws want you to believe there is something terribly wrong with Idaho public schools and it’s the union’s fault. That claim may have some credence in troubled urban districts like New York, Washington, D.C., and Seattle, but it couldn’t be further from the truth in Idaho, where the major challenge facing schools is lack of adequate funding, not “union bosses.”
Let’s defeat these laws and start over. Convene a statewide task force of legislators, educators, and citizens to assess the needs of Idaho students and families and propose 21st century education reforms that really do put Idaho students first.
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