Bright teacher deserved leave

He referred to the “frivolous” lawsuit regarding Marie Blumhardt, who was denied a leave of absence from ISD 361. This “frivolous” lawsuit cost thousands of dollars of taxpayer’s money.

Here’s a solution that wouldn’t have cost a penny: Grant the leave. Ms. Blumhardt served the district for almost 20 years as an excellent teacher. She was involved in countless educational initiatives, was an active leader in the school district and community, and I was proud to have served professionally with her in the English Department. She is one of the brightest teachers I have known.

The “worst case scenario” in this situation is that she might have returned to her jobs in the next few years; hardly a bad deal for our community. It’s interesting to me that Ms. Blumhardt was a very vocal union president who helped broker, with the help of the school board and the previous superintendent, several contracts on time with the school district. I think it would be an interesting pursuit to check on the history of the district granting leaves of absence for many other teachers in the past 20 years. This is a situation that could easily have been avoided. She earned and deserved the leave of absence. Let’s put blame where it belongs.

Susan Savard

International Falls, MN