If the overflowing parking lot at the Rochester school district's Edison Building was any indication, plenty of people didn't spend National Night Out in their own neighborhoods. Instead, they came to southwest Rochester to meet Superintendent Michael Muñoz and his wife, Joan.
And meet him they did. People waited in line for a chance to introduce themselves, welcome him to the district and share their concerns and ideas. Some even brought their children along (the free pizza and nearby playground might have been more of an attraction to them). Judging from the T-shirts and height of those wearing them, some members of the John Marshall boys basketball team turned out to meet the district's new leader.
We know that Muñoz is still enjoying his "honeymoon" in Rochester, but at Tuesday's event he again demonstrated how comfortable he is among the people he's here to serve, how willing he is to be seen in public and to listen. He already appears thoroughly at home in Rochester, and we get the impression that he's genuinely excited about meeting the challenges that lie ahead.
Obviously, this wasn't your typical National Night Out event, focused on meeting neighbors and talking about crime prevention. Still we hope that what happened at the Edison Building becomes an annual tradition, rather than just a one-time gathering to "meet the new boss." Those who attended had the opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with several current and former school board members. State Sen. Carla Nelson also attended, fielding candid questions about how the new K-12 education funding bill will affect the Rochester school district's funding.
It was a wonderfully informal, yet informative, gathering. Perhaps next year Muñoz and the school board should go to a different site in another part of Rochester, to let another group of residents bend their ears about their concerns and goals for Rochester's public schools.
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We can only hope that one year from now, Muñoz is still as popular and affable as he was on Tuesday.
