Meet the Candidates: Duluth School Board, District Three

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - We’re just under a week away from election day and there are a handful of races on the ballot especially in Duluth.

The Duluth School Board District 3 seat is up for grabs this election, and Duluth voters will get to decide between two different candidates.

Henry Banks and Loren Martell both want to see their efforts go through within Duluth Public Schools.

Banks who is a community activist wants to be a voice for those in his community and bring in more diversity and inclusivity for BIPOC students.

“We need to take another look at the curriculum to make sure it is inclusive of the students that we have in the district,” said Banks.

Meanwhile, his opponent Martell, says he wants the public to have more of a say in decisions made by the school board.

“More transparency with the public, more openness to the public,” said Martell. “Giving the public more of a say and more of a vote. I’m amazed at how little the public understands district business.”

Both candidates have run for the school board seat in the past but have never been elected.

As part of the election, the school board is also asking voters for a referendum. Something both candidates disagree on.

“They should’ve never set up this funding scheme where they were pulling out all this money out of the general fund,” said Martell. “That was a mistake made by the school board.”

While Martell is not in support of the referendum Banks says otherwise.

“I support both questions. It’s about all of our children getting the resources that they need.”

Election Day is on November 7th.

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