It has been a delight to move to Alpena some 39 years ago and to see the progress that the world of education has been able to make during these years…often under challenging circumstances.

Since this world of education has been a personal life’s work, I consider myself a bit of a teacher/evaluator at analyzing the good with the bad when it comes to the governance process and specifically…the vital role that Boards of Education play in charting a positive future for our children.

Alpena has been very fortunate to have had strong, positive Board of Education leadership for 38 of my 39 years of living in this wonderful community. Unfortunately, this past year has been dominated by poor if not illegal actions by several members of the Board who seem to place personal interests and just plain poor decision making above the best interests of students, the school system, and our community. Actions which pose a potential violation of the Oath of Office which these members pledged to uphold when they accepted these important positions of non-partisan, stewardship on the Board.

This is regrettable and while I certainly respect the electoral process that brought these individuals to the current Board, I encourage voters to sign the recall petitions that are being circulated throughout our community. This action will allow this critical decision on the future of Alpena schools to be put forward to voters. Yes, the future is in our hands. Sign Now!

Don Newport

Alpena