PAID ADVERTISEMENT My name is Mike Orn and I am a candidate for the Barnum School District Board. As a retired correctional institution administrator and currently a CFO for a non-profit, I will bring over 40 years of administrative experience in areas such as finance, medical services, psychology services, food service, and manufacturing. I have successfully negotiated labor contracts mutually beneficial to both management and labor. I have administrated and navigated two statutory mergers (consolida- tion) of non-profits in the past eight years. The school districts in our state have lost much of their ability to control their destiny. Elitists who control St. Paul increasingly push anti-American ideals on our students that neither most students nor their parents' support. Academic excellence is paramount! Outsiders have no business bur- dening our teachers and school administrators with programs having nothing to do with academic excellence. Social reengineering initiatives like placing tampons in boy's bathrooms or educating students as to why it is acceptable if "William" wants to be homecoming queen, have no business in K-12 classrooms! Our school is to be an institution which maintains time-honored traditions which made not only our community great, but also our country. Our district as well as all districts should have the sole authority to decide what and how it will deliver programs to achieve academic excellence! By now, most everyone in the district has heard that a neighboring district, Carlton, has proposed a consolidation to Barnum's superintendent and current board chair. I attended the public meeting on Monday, October 20th. My takeaway and interpretation of events is like Mr. Bonneville's, as he stated in the Star Gazette. I believe talks have occurred between Barnum's superintendent, chair, and vice-chair, and Carlton representatives were ongoing longer than what they had indicated at the meeting. I also believe some board members knew about this proposal well before Monday's meeting. The bottom-line appearance is one of gatherings held in dark, secluded, smoke-filled rooms at midnight by district officials, for quite some time! Furthermore, the district published the meeting only in the local newspaper. The district failed to post it on their website or the district's Facebook page. For such a sensitive and divisive subject, the community needed all notification possible to exercise our right to attend and participate, or not. M.S. 123B.09, Subd. 1 allows district employees to be school board members, so as their membership does not create a conflict of interest. Barnum currently has two members of the board, which are teachers, one employed in another district and the other receiving pay from our district. The one receiving pay from our district happens to be the vice chair. Regardless of whether they are within the guidelines or not, in no other realm would a statute such as this exist. Conflict or not, the very nature of their paid status as teachers automatically creates a perceived conflict of interest in the public eye. If you elect me to the Barnum School District board, I will make transparency the order of the day, I will stand against MDE and "woke" legislators who push unacceptable agendas on our district by utilizing all means and tactics available. I will make tough decisions when necessary, including those surrounding consolidation, shared services, labor agreements, business contracts....and my decisions and tactics will be done with transparency as the law allows and with the least amount of burden to the taxpayer. Primarily, my decision will always consider academic excellence! Prepared and paid for by Mike Orn, 3649 Hilltop View Rd., Barnum, MN 55707 PAID ADVERTISEMENT My name is Mike Orn and I am a candidate for the Barnum School District Board . As a retired correctional institution administrator and currently a CFO for a non - profit , I will bring over 40 years of administrative experience in areas such as finance , medical services , psychology services , food service , and manufacturing . I have successfully negotiated labor contracts mutually beneficial to both management and labor . I have administrated and navigated two statutory mergers ( consolida- tion ) of non - profits in the past eight years . The school districts in our state have lost much of their ability to control their destiny . Elitists who control St. Paul increasingly push anti - American ideals on our students that neither most students nor their parents ' support . Academic excellence is paramount ! Outsiders have no business bur- dening our teachers and school administrators with programs having nothing to do with academic excellence . Social reengineering initiatives like placing tampons in boy's bathrooms or educating students as to why it is acceptable if " William " wants to be homecoming queen , have no business in K - 12 classrooms ! Our school is to be an institution which maintains time - honored traditions which made not only our community great , but also our country . Our district as well as all districts should have the sole authority to decide what and how it will deliver programs to achieve academic excellence ! By now , most everyone in the district has heard that a neighboring district , Carlton , has proposed a consolidation to Barnum's superintendent and current board chair . I attended the public meeting on Monday , October 20th . My takeaway and interpretation of events is like Mr. Bonneville's , as he stated in the Star Gazette . I believe talks have occurred between Barnum's superintendent , chair , and vice - chair , and Carlton representatives were ongoing longer than what they had indicated at the meeting . I also believe some board members knew about this proposal well before Monday's meeting . The bottom - line appearance is one of gatherings held in dark , secluded , smoke - filled rooms at midnight by district officials , for quite some time ! Furthermore , the district published the meeting only in the local newspaper . The district failed to post it on their website or the district's Facebook page . For such a sensitive and divisive subject , the community needed all notification possible to exercise our right to attend and participate , or not . M.S. 123B.09 , Subd . 1 allows district employees to be school board members , so as their membership does not create a conflict of interest . Barnum currently has two members of the board , which are teachers , one employed in another district and the other receiving pay from our district . The one receiving pay from our district happens to be the vice chair . Regardless of whether they are within the guidelines or not , in no other realm would a statute such as this exist . Conflict or not , the very nature of their paid status as teachers automatically creates a perceived conflict of interest in the public eye . If you elect me to the Barnum School District board , I will make transparency the order of the day , I will stand against MDE and " woke " legislators who push unacceptable agendas on our district by utilizing all means and tactics available . I will make tough decisions when necessary , including those surrounding consolidation , shared services , labor agreements , business contracts .... and my decisions and tactics will be done with transparency as the law allows and with the least amount of burden to the taxpayer . Primarily , my decision will always consider academic excellence ! Prepared and paid for by Mike Orn , 3649 Hilltop View Rd . , Barnum , MN 55707