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Letters to the Editor

Step Up or Step Down

It was revealed at the December 8 school board meeting, by board president Eric Lawson, that board member Sarah Costain had not completed the district and state’s mandatory superintendent evaluation training. Only after this shortcoming was called out publicly did Ms. Costain complete the training the very next day. The law is very clear, beginning in the 2016-17 school year, “all evaluators and observers” involved in evaluations must receive training in the evaluation tools used by the district. The requirement is not optional. Sarah Costain had over 12 months to complete the ...

Oh the Irony

At the APS Board meeting this past Monday the board was given a summary of the 2025 financial audit conducted by Straley, Lamp and Kraenzlein, a trusted, highly-regarded local accounting firm. The Alpena Public School system was given the designation of “Unmodified Opinion”, the highest rating possible in an audit. This is extremely good news and due to the hard work and due diligence of the Associate Superintendent for Business and Operations, Mary Lyon. Barely had this good news settled in when board member Monica Dziesinski asked if it would be a good idea to have “a second ...

Cheers to Admin; Jeers to Board

Congratulations to Alpena Public Schools Superintendent David Rabbideau on the across-the-board “Effective” rating for his annual review. And congratulations to Associate Superintendent Mary Lyon and the business office staff for their work that resulted in the unmodified or “clean” audit report from Straley Lamp & Kraenzlein. APS is lucky to have dedicated and professional administrators, teachers, and support staff. It’s unfortunate we don’t see the same dedication and professionalism from some members of our school board. Specifically, Sarah Costain was absent at the ...

We the People need affordable food

T’is the Season to be Happy! No matter who you are or what part of our United States of America you hail from, the Winter Holiday of Christmas (aka Noel, Yuletide, Navidad, Wesolych, Rizdvo or Nollaig) is celebrated by all. Giving gifts, sweet desserts, decorating our homes with lights, evergreens; especially the Tree, and many more wonderful family traditions are practiced. Family members make the trip to be together and share in the celebration of their heritage with stories; funny and sad. Everyone gathers for their personal religious ceremonies, oh, so many events that make us ...

Eyes on the school board

Our community has probably noticed many Letters to the Editor the past few months, raising concerns about the Alpena Public Schools Board. I was asked why I am spending my time and energy on this. Project 2025 agenda for public education includes the elimination of the US Department of Education and the diversion of public funds to private school voucher programs. While the Department of Education is not entirely abolished, it's undergoing a major transformation that could significantly alter its role and landscape of education in the US. This could lead to the closure of public ...

Board of education ineffectiveness will lead to recall

An effective Public School Board of Education prioritizes the education and safety of students and staff without distractions such as using the political issues of the day to cause dissension among the parents and the community at large. I was in 7th grade in 1982 the last time there was a recall of Alpena Public School Board members. The issues at the center of this recall are different from the recall in the 1980s. But in reality, some members of the current board are using divisive issues in the current political discourse as part of their personal agendas which subverts their roles ...