A school board member at Minneapolis Public Schools resigned after teachers on strike protested with picket signs outside his home.
Josh Pauly was once supported by the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers. The union endorsed him in 2018 when he first ran for school board, but after on-strike teachers picketed his residence on March 13, as well as those of other school board members, he submitted his resignation.
On Sunday I did a very loud and very annoying bit in front of josh Pauly's house and today he resigned from the school board. Draw your own conclusions
— union type of guy (@chazmayo) March 17, 2022
Several images and videos of the protest outside Pauly’s home were posted online. One of the chants included “Fee-fi-fo-fum. Look out, Pauly, here we come.” Many of the signs depicted personalized reasons for why each teacher was on strike, but some also called out Pauly by name.
Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum, look out Pauly here we come! #MFT4Kids #SafeAndStableMPS pic.twitter.com/82AkC3o2XZ
— Heather Paulson (@Heather37727075) March 15, 2022
On March 16, the day Pauly resigned, the Star Tribune published an article in which he cited the broken trust between the Minneapolis Public Schools board members, district leaders, and the community as the reason for his resignation.
“My doubts around district leadership are not new,” he said. “I don’t feel like I am in a place where I can work towards rebuilding trust with the current MPS leadership.”
“I wanted to use my skills, experiences in the classroom, and professional background to address important structural and policy issues that would strengthen our school district,” he added.
The former middle school social studies teacher was one of four board members who voted not to renew the contract of Superintendent Ed Graff in October, according to the Star Tribune. Graff announced Wednesday that he won’t be returning when his contract expires at the end of June.
Pauly was also criticized for taking a job with an MPS-contracted tutoring service called “Paper.” He was found not to have engaged in any wrongdoing, however.
The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers ended its strike this week after 15 days of cancelled classes. As a result, the district will be extending each school day by 42 minutes beginning April 11 and will move the end of the school year to June 24, a decision that prompted students and teachers to disrupt a board meeting Tuesday night.
Evan Stambaugh
Evan Stambaugh is a freelance writer who had previously been a sports blogger. He has a BA in theology and an MA in philosophy.
