Schools

Longtime School Board Member Resigns

Lydia Lee cites family commitments that will take her out of state.

Quietly, as an eventful school board meeting wound down late Tuesday night, longtime board member Lydia Lee announced her resignation. She will step down Jan. 1, 2012. 

As a teacher and board member, Lee had been a part of the district for 27 years. Her resignation was driven by family committments that would take her out of state "for an undetermined ammount of time."

"The citizens of Minneapolis deserve a public official who can reliably and consistently be present to fulfill the duties and expectaitions of this important public responsibility," she said. 

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The audience—including many parent activists, district officials and Lee's husband—gave Lee a minute-long standing ovation.

Board members praised Lee's many years of experience in the schools, saying it was crucial to helping the young board navigate the complex web of district policies.

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"You have been the reliable source of information for me, every time I wanted to hear the perspective from the classroom," said board member Alberto Monserrate. "We always talk in macromanagement terms, but what really matters, and what you really understand, is what happens in the classroom."

"The first time I heard (of the resignation), I had tears in my eyes, and this time as well," said board chair Jill Davis. "You've really served us well."


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