There is a lot of talk about school closures and their impact. Reminds me of a massive school closure from almost 20 years ago… Let me tell you about it… In the 1972, during the AIM movement, a Native American school was started near Minneapolis South High called “Heart of the Earth.” It was well loved by the community. In the late 1990’s it turned into a charter school and Minneapolis Public Schools became its “authorizer” responsible for oversight and audit… Despite requirements to audit and look over finances, and despite some strange dealings of the executive director, MPS board consistently deferred their oversight responsibilities with Heart of the Earth, and in 2006 even unanimously reapproved the charter despite never once having conducted any glance into the operations of the school. Well, an audit was finally done, and in 2008 the director of Heart of the Earth was convicted of embezzling millions of dollars meant for Native American students and, after nearly 40 years, the school was forced to shut down. An entire community lost its school, one that had been hard fought to build, and it has never been the same. One person should not destroy a legacy school. It’s actually not possible. The gross mismanagement and lax oversight that befell HOTE was due to MPS and its board not prioritizing and fulfilling due diligence, and the entire community suffered for it. They turned a blind eye before the check came due, much like we’re seeing revisited this week. It’s an important cautionary tale for many reasons not the least of which is this: Of the then 7 member Minneapolis school board that unanimously turned a blind eye to agressive fraud- only one still holds elected office, Only one was Native American, Only one continues to preside over embezzlement and fraud. Do you know who that member is? Peggy Flanagan. “Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.”