Yvonne Kramer was born July 1, 1938 in Minneapolis, to James and Sylvia (Runston) Tharp. She was united in marriage to Barton Kramer Jan. 1, 1955. Yvonne enjoyed life in itself and the times she spent with family and friends. Going to the casino and playing bingo was how she liked to spend her time.

Yvonne is survived by her daughters, Joni (Roy) of Bradford, Minn., Jana (Tim) of Aitkin, Minn., and Jane of Onamia, Minn.; sons, Tony of Minneapolis, Ty (Karen) of Onamia, Minn., Troy (Ann) of Onamia, Minn.; 13 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren; and 3 sisters.

Yvonne was preceded in death by her loving husband, Barton and her parents.

A memorial service will be held 11 a.m. Friday, May 31, 2013 at the Holy Cross Center in Onamia, Minn. with pastor Joe Boeringa officiating. A visitation with family and friends will be held 1 hour prior to services at Holy Cross Center. Interment will be in Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Arrangements are with the Shelley Funeral Chapel of Onamia.

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Kelly Mae Davis was born May 4, 2013 at Firstlight Health System. She weighed 8 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 inches long. Proud parent is Paula Baker of Mora. Grandparent is Melody Miller of Mora.

Alexis Selene Villarreal was born May 4, 2013 at Firstlight Health System. She weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. and was 20 ½ inches long. Proud parents are Franky Villarreal and Abigail Weber of Cloverdale.  Grandparents are Tim and Deb Kroschel of Cloverdale, and Jason Perry and Diane Franco of Cloverdale.

Eli Duane Leger was born May 6, 2013 at Firstlight Health System. She weighed 9 lbs. 13 oz. and was 22 ½ inches long. Proud parents are Corey and Cassie Leger of Pine City. Eli is welcomed home by brother Aden-2. Grandparents are Kim and Dale Dickey and Terry and Wendy Leger.

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The winner will advance to take on either No. 2 Rush City (8-5) or No. 7 Isle (4-11) at 7 p.m. May 28 at Pierz. The RC Tigers clipped Braham 8-7 in the May 23 night game which finished the regular season.

Hinckley-Finlayson (12-2) is the No. 1 seeded team in the 5A East. Osakis (13-2) and Browerville (15-4) are the top two seeds in the 5A West.

Section 7AAA Softball: Blaine 9, Cambridge-Isanti 8

Blaine overcame an 8-4 deficit with a five-run seventh inning to defeat host Cambridge-Isanti in the May 22 Section 7AAA Softball opener. The No. 9 seed Bengals will next take on six-time defending section champ Forest Lake on Saturday morning in Duluth as the 7AAA tourney continues.

Section 5A Softball: Braham 12, Ogilvie 11

In the 5A tourney opener postponed three days due to the weather, Braham overcame Ogilvie 12-11 on May 23. The Bombers then were defeated by East Subsection top-seed Rush City 14-4 in Game 2.

On Friday, May 24, Braham has an elimination game against Barnum at 4 p.m. in Mora. A win would next have the Bombers playing at 5:30 p.m. Friday night.

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The Cambridge-Isanti School Board has agreed to enter into contract negotiations with Dr. Ray Queener to have him serve as the next superintendent of the Cambridge-Isanti School District.

Dr. Ray Queener

Dr. Queener was the unanimous choice of the Cambridge-Isanti School Board to serve as a future superintendent of schools.

The Board authorized Chair Tim Hitchings and Board Member Darcy Winsor to engage in negotiations to establish a contract following interviews May 22. Once completed, the contract will be approved at a future school board meeting.

Dr. Queener has been serving as an assistant superintendent in the Stillwater area schools for the past eight years. He is seen as a leader in strategic planning and finance, operational leadership and technology leadership. In addition he brings strong communication and collaborative skills.

“Dr Queener was very personable and very knowledgeable. He is very passionate to come here and make a difference,” said School Board Member Mark Becker. “As Dr. Queener commented, ‘Every challenge is a new opportunity to succeed.’ Dr. Queener is not afraid to make change and his personality and demeanor will be a good fit.”

In addition, School Board member Gary Hawkins explained that, “Dr. Queener was very engaged with the kids. Anyone that talked to him in the buildings thought he (Dr. Queener) was a good guy. He did not present an air about himself, but instead was letting people know how great of a place Cambridge-Isanti is and how excited he was to be here.”

Hitchings said, “Dr. Queener is an expert on financial strategic planning and he is the one who stepped up and raised his game the most during the interview.”

The board said while Dr. Queener has some extremely big shoes to fill in replacing Superintendent Bruce Novak, it feels Dr. Queener’s integrity and passion for education will continue and expand upon the legacy that Novak gave Cambridge-Isanti School District over the past eight years.

Dr. Queener is expected to begin in his role as superintendent of Cambridge-Isanti Schools July 1.

Meet Dr. Ray Queener

(Biographical information provided by School Exec Connect, who noted the comments below were provided by candidates’ references and others associated with the candidate).

This candidate is currently completing his eighth year as assistant superintendent in a large metro suburban district. His main area of supervision is in the areas of Business and Administrative services, although he has current and previous experiences in working with the academic program. He is a multi-dimensional educator who started in teaching and has served large districts in a variety of roles. He is a highly respected administrator in the district, helping keep the district moving forward through many changes. His references say that he is extremely knowledgeable in all phases of the superintendent role and has led many initiatives that involve multiple stakeholders and high visibility. He is well liked by staff and is extremely dedicated to his work and the success of the district.

Multiple references comment that he is absolutely ready for a superintendent role and has all the professional and personal characteristics that will make him successful. He works hard for students and staff and takes great pride in selling the district and its programs. His financial and human resource knowledge is unique and it serves the district and state well. This candidate has a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the University of Minnesota, an Master of Arts from St. Mary’s University and a Doctorate in Education in education policy and Leadership from the University of Minnesota.

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The number of students who have special needs in Minnesota is growing and the funding system to educate them needs to be repaired.

Each student with special needs has an individual education plan (IEP) that by law must be funded. All children including those with special needs have an equal right to an education as guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. They also have a right to the same funding as all children.

The problem comes when the cost of mandated individualized programs for special needs children is greater than the state and federal funds provided. Local school districts then by law must pick up the extra cost from their general funds, causing school boards to cut funds and opportunities for all students.

In 1967 Congress passed a law requiring school districts to have an individual plan for each learning disabled child and promised to provide 40 percent of the funding.

The state of Minnesota also is expected to provide funds to educate these children. At no time was it suggested that local school districts would have to fund what the federal and state governments refused to provide.

Look at what’s happened in Minnesota alone.

According to the Minnesota Department of Education, in 2012 it cost $1.8 billion to fund these individual plans. The state and federal government covered $1.2 billion forcing local school districts to bolster special education funding by almost $600 million from their general operating funds.

Had the federal and state governments paid what was promised— another $450 million — local school districts would have had to pay only $150 million more last year.

Obviously this system is broken. There has been no action by either the federal or state governments to close the funding gap that compels the diversion of local school district funds from programs for all to the cost of mandated IEPs.

The federal government is content with the underfunded status quo. Gov. Mark Dayton had budgeted an extra $125 million for special education. State legislators would rather spread any new funding to their local districts, rather than give more to districts that educate many of the disabled learners.

A leading advocate for children with learning disabilities contends that a local school district’s subsidy of the funding gap is part of the community’s responsibility to educate all children.  She notes that students with special needs also lose opportunities when districts cut operating budgets.

In a survey taken by ECM education columnist Joe Nathan, 40 Minnesota school superintendents said their number one priority for the federal government is full funding of special education.

We favor a concerted effort to have the federal and state governments live up to their commitments, because after all they are the ones who mandate that these IEPs be funded.

Until the people rise up and demand that the federal and state governments live up to their promises, under-funding will continue and students who have no IEPs will continue to feel the loss of educational opportunities they deserve.

—An opinion of the ECM Publishers Editorial Board. The Isanti County News is a part of ECM Publishers, Inc.

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We need the Isanti Community Center

Dear Editor:

If we get rid of the Isanti Community Center, we would be getting rid of one of the best, and not to mention, one of the most inexpensive places to hold celebrations and community events. I’ve grown up with the center. It has been a big part of my life from birthday parties, to fire department events, and scouting events. While writing this, I have been thinking about all the things that would change if the community center should not be there anymore. I have even helped improve the appearance of the building by assisting in one of my fellow Scouts’ Eagle Scouts project. The Isanti Community Center is a part if our past, present and hopefully our future.

Jeremy Melland

We need to lower the working age

Dear Editor:

When you were in high school did you have a job? Well I am in high school and a lot of freshmen and sophomores do not have jobs simply because you have to be 16 to get a job. By lowering the working age, it will get kids away from asking their parents for money.

Some people might think that lowering the age is not a good thing because how will the kids get to work. But I think that they could ride their bike to work, or get a ride from someone else. That way the kid can get money to make a down payment on a car, or if they have a car they can pay for gas. This shows why I think we need to lower the working age.

David Knutson

We need to raise the minimum wage

Dear Editor:

Would you want to be living on minimum wage? My guess is that you would not want be living on minimum wage, but some families are having to, because it is their only way to get money. I feel bad for the people who work their entire lives and only get a portion of what they want and need. What I want to do is help people in need because it is hard to live on minimum wage.

My opinion is that the government should raise minimum wage so that people can live healthier lives and get a break every once in a while. Because minimum wage is so low that people are having a much harder time through this time of crisis in our economy. I hope that people should make a movement and stop deliberating the U.S.

Tim Englund

Stop using your cell phone while driving

Dear Editor:

The top cause for car accidents are distracted drivers. The thing that distracts drivers the most is their cell phones. Being distracted while driving is not only dangerous for you, but also for anyone else in a vehicle traveling near you. Some people may think that they can be careful and cautious while using their phone and driving, but you should always have your full attention focused on the road. If you have an important call to answer or text to reply to, just pull over and then answer it. Stopping for a minute instead of crashing is definitely worth it. Thanks for reading. I hope this has persuaded you to try and not use your phone while driving.

Brianna Beise

The post Student Letters to Editor appeared first on The Isanti County News.

We want to extend a huge thank you for the support received for the Jane Anderson benefit. The generosity of the community is very much appreciated. The St. Francis Middle School staff, where Jane taught for 35 years, donated fabulous items for the silent auction, as well as many local businesses and individuals. Turkeys, baked goods, decorations and more were also donated. Countless hours were spent on all aspects of the event, and a special thank you to those who prepared the turkey dinner.

Thank you to North Isanti Baptist Church for allowing us to use their facilities for the event. The “Elvis” family were very helpful and did a great job of entertaining. We raised just over $20,000 and it was used to help purchase a handicap van. Since Jane was hospitalized for seven months, the financial needs are still great. The Jane Anderson benefit fund is still open at Wells Fargo banks, for those interested in making a donation. Again, thanks to all.

The Benefit Committee
Jane and Roger Anderson and family

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On Wednesday, May 15, Braham Elementary grades 1-4 participated in their annual track and field day. The students took part in many different events that involved running, jumping, throwing and pulling. Some were relay events and others were individual.

To make this day possible for the students, it takes a lot of  hard work and cooperation by the teachers and volunteers. I would like to thank the Braham Parent’s Organization for donating the snack and organizing the break. I would also like to thank all of the Elementary Staff for their cooperation and hard work. Also thanks to all the families who came to cheer and support the students in their efforts.

Lastly a big thank you to the Braham High School students from the track, softball, baseball and golf teams for  taking the time to come  and  work with the elementary students on their big day. Everyone’s help was greatly appreciated.

Sue Pearson, Braham Elementary
Physical Education Instructor

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I’m writing to thank you again for printing my letter seeking information about my 1950s Braham High School teacher, Hildegarde Mortensen. It worked. The news was sad.

One of your readers e-mailed me to say Miss Mortensen had passed away in 1997. As I said when I thanked that dear lady, this was a huge re-learning of an old lesson: if I love or like someone, or want to thank them, or anything else, tell them now, because tomorrow may be too late.

The woman who responded is a former student of Miss M., and a former classmate of mine. I do see an “up” side to this, because now I’m in touch with her, your reader, Shirley. She even offered to send me a copy of Ms. Mortensen-Strom’s obituary. Again, thank you.

Bob Cain
Las Vegas

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Senator Nienow’s report regarding the passage of the marriage bill allowing same-sex marriage was somewhat disingenuous.

His implication that gay marriages are less amenable to raising children has not been born out in any reputable, peer-reviewed studies.

In fact, such studies indicate that children in same-sex households do about as well as in heterosexual households. Additionally, legalizing same-sex marriage may confer additional benefits, such as increased financial stability, increased durability and stability of the parent’s relationship, and increased social acceptance and support.

Religious freedom is protected in the new law. It is clearly stated that the law pertains to ‘civil marriage’ as defined by the laws of the state of Minnesota. Additionally, an exemption to  the  Minnesota Human Rights Acts allows churches and other religious organizations to refuse any action related to solemnization/celebration of marriage in violation of that church or association’s belief; in short, churches can’t be forced to be involved in a gay couples marriage.

It was disturbing to listen during the debate to Sen. Nienow’s advocacy of an amendment to the bill exempting corporations, business, and individuals from providing ‘services, accommodations, facilities, goods, or privileges that assist or promote the solemnization, formation, or celebration of any marriage, or that facilitate the development or preservation of any marriage, if that action would cause the person to violate the person’s sincerely held religious beliefs.’

While this language sounds innocuous, it is reminiscent of language cited in the past to refuse serving minorities. Such companies/individuals would be able to cite religious beliefs while denying service to gay couples, Muslim couples, interracial couples, or others they do not approve of. In effect, state-sanctioned discrimination.

The law in it’s current form, as just passed, will serve its purpose; to allow same-sex marriages while protecting churches and religious associations from being forced to endorse such unions against their will. Committed same-sex couples will be able to have the same benefits as other loving, committed couples.

Ken Vaselaar
Isanti

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