WINONA, Minn. – The Winona School Board countermanded its superintendent, Superintendent Annette Freiheit, and ordered committee meetings to be posted on the district’s calendar and be open to the public. The Winona Post had objected to a closed meeting of the Diversity and Equity Committee in June. Freiheit had said committees could choose whether conduct meetings openly. Board member Karl Sonneman, an attorney, disagreed: “Government needs to take place in the sunshine.” Sonneman said he had state law on his side. The Board agreed albeit dissenters. Board member Steve Schild, a former news reporter, didn’t object to the principle of openness but faulted the Post for lopsided reporting.
Earlier: Post triumphs against county secrecy
Freiheit: Governance transparency an issue