Cultural-language teacher Darryl Kingward asks Red Lake board to consider him for district role

Darryl Kingward, identifying himself as an elder and a cultural-language teacher, told the Red Lake Public School District board that he had applied for a teaching position and asked trustees to consider his resume and experience.

"I have 40 years of experience of cultural coordinating," Kingward said during public comment, describing work at institutions in Michigan and tribal programs and saying he could guarantee that students placed in his instruction would learn the language.

Kingward recounted that his children attend Quangema School and that, in his view, students there were not receiving fluent-language instruction. He asked the board to review his application and references and suggested the district would benefit from stronger language teaching and cultural programming.

Board members and staff responded that hiring decisions for classroom positions are handled by program staff and human resources, not by the elected board. The staff member who led the reports told Kingward, "Board members don't generally get references or applications because they don't do the hiring other than hiring principals [and] the superintendent," but said the district would "take a look" at his materials.

Why it matters: Language and cultural instruction were repeatedly identified in the meeting and by parents at APAC (the parent advisory council) as priorities; local-language programming is central to community efforts to preserve cultural identity. Kingward's request underscores community interest in expanding fluent-language instruction and the practical limits of the board's hiring authority.

What happens next: Kingward left his resume with district staff for follow-up. The staff member said program staff and HR would handle hiring decisions and that the board would not intervene directly in personnel selection.